We traveled all day Wednesday arriving around 8 PM in Hawthorne. We stayed at a well-named hotel: The Sand and Sage Lodge.

Miraculously, we got a room with three beds! However, it was probably the nastiest room I've ever stayed in.

We picked up some amazing pizza that night with my folks, ate and retired for the night.

In addition to the general uncleanliness of the place, we found the next morning that our shower/bath did not seem to work. I showered in my parents' room next door. When we brought it up to the management, she turned it on with the special wiggle-while-pulling formula that should've been posted on the bathroom wall.

Before the Thanksgiving meal, we went took the kids on a mini-tour of Hawthorne with my dad.

Here's Ella peeking out of a turret type-gun

and the boys playing with the same gun.

Here's an outside view of the museum.

Who'd have thought they'd enjoy being around missles, mines, torpedoes and guns?

Next we headed over to the city park.

They don't make playgrounds like this anymore.

We had a wonderful meal around 2 PM and afterwards launched immediately into a great get-to-know-you game and other various activities brilliantly put together by my aunt and cousin.

This is Bryce, Dane, their second cousins, my dad and uncle coloring turkey pictures.

My grandparents at the Christmas Ornament table.
My cousin David and his wife Kathleen

Cam at the popcorn ball turkey decorating table.
My cousin Summer's work of edible art

Ella eating the decorations.This little guy was the CUTEST part of all! This is his mother Eve, my cousin.

Eve's husband was a big hit with the boys. He taught them to play Bocce Ball.He said that Dane did really well, but perhaps Ella was destined to be a softball pitcher.

Still coloring...My uncle Dennis is a profession artist and he really put a lot of time into his turkey.

The best part! My wonderful cousin Summer! She makes the drive worth it. :)

Many of you have wondered aloud or in your minds (you know you have) about where I'm spending Thanksgiving. You have wondered about little Hawthorne, Nevada and wondered why I would drive all the way across barren wilderness to be there (don't worry, so does my husband). I've spent more Thanksgivings here than any other place I'd wager.

Hawthorne is located near the Nevada-California border and was established in 1881. It sits at an elevation of 4,255 feet and is surrounded by several mountain ranges that protect it from extreme weather allowing for nearly 365 days of sunshine a year and relatively mild temperatures. My dad spent most of his growing up years here and if I had time I'd pull out some of his old school photos. He was (IS!) quite a handsome guy and my kids resemble him quite a bit.

Hawthorne is called “America’s Patriotic Home,” and the red, white and blue streets and flags blowing in the wind are testament to the town’s great national pride. Part of this pride is rooted in the Hawthorne Army Depot, an ammunition storage site.

Construction began on the facility in 1928 and it served as an ammunition staging area for World War II. It is said to be the largest facility of its kind in the world, covering more than 147,000 acres. Today, the depot employs a large majority of the residents of Hawthorne.

The Hawthorne Ordnance (not Ordinance. There's a difference. Look it up.) Museum is a great place to see some of this ammunition up close, and see a variety of military uniforms, photos and memorabilia. My grandparents have put A LOT of effort into building up this museum. I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I imagine they've done a lot with it in 5 years.

One of the saddest little cemetaries I've ever seen is in Hawthorne.

Walker Lake, fed from the north by the Walker River, is the heart of outdoor recreation in Hawthorne. This lake was once part of the Lahontan Sea, a prehistoric sea that covered much of Nevada and is now home to several species of water birds, including loons, and the Lahontan cutthroat trout.

(boaters on Walker Lake circa. 1910)

(me at Walker Lake circa. 1977)

The ultimate reason I go to Hawthorne, Nevada is for my wonderful family!!!

My cousin Summer means everything to me and it is here that we usually get to see one another.I'm looking forward to meeting approximately four new spouses (of my cousins) and approximately five new kiddo-cousins. And my grandparents? I just love being near them. They are both towers of strength and wonder to me.

(thanks to the Nevada Bureau of Tourism for much of the information here)

I feel so humble and at peace this morning.

I know part of the reason has to be that the special holiday season begins this Thursday. Although Thanksgiving is often overlooked in decorations, do we truly forget this holiday where we gather together surrounded and surrounding the bouty in our lives? Thanksgiving never ceases to bring gratitude for too warm kitchens, wonderful smells of amazing food, and body-packed homes (or restaurants or church cultural halls) with people I love. The kids are fresh-scrubbed and dressed decently. Adults care less about their mischief. I love Thanksgiving and I love the Thanksgiving prayer on the food.

More peace...

Many of you use the music application Pandora. Did you know you can also have an LDS/Inspirational station WITHOUT (audio) COMMERCIALS? http://www.pandora.com/ I found Kenneth Cope, Hilary Weeks, Jon Schmidt, Jenny Jorday Frogley, MoTab, Paul Cardall, etc. We've all been listening to it this morning and it's really been great! It lends itself to a very sweet Sunday morning.

My kids have been sick with icky coughs (mostly at night) and Bryce was in some kind of pain last night that made him weep (is he too young for growing pains?). The blessing of being able to take care of my kids, their physical ailments, humbles me.

What a blessing to be needed by someone so small. I love being a mother.

It's all I truly wanted to be when I 'grew up.' I'm far from the best mother and this, of course, keeps me very humble. Isn't this all part of the plan anyway? I'm really grateful to be part of Heavenly Father's plan. I know that He knows me. What better gift can I have?

(by the way, this last picture is of me and Dane CRASHED on the couch during my creation narcolepsy period aka pregnancy with Ella)