Back in September, Charlie, and Becky let us know they'd be heading to California for Thanksgiving, kindly offering up their house to our family, should we like to celebrate here in Vermont. To our delight, my parents and brother happily agreed to make the trek to come celebrate with us. As soon as we made these plans, I began fantasizing that we'd be done with our house by the time my family arrived.

Unfortunately, our sawdusty little cottage was still a construction zone when my family arrived, and we ended up spending most of our time over at our neighbors' place. It was pretty great, though: we relaxed by the fireplace, perused our family ancestry online, concocted a hybrid vegan/conventional Thanksgiving feast, and generally had a great time hanging out doing mostly nothing.

We showed them the house, though, of course! It was wonderful to see our progress through their eyes.

We were also on the receiving end of some enthusiastic assistance—they helped us make a path to our house through the woods! It was fantastic to see my father really getting into using a chainsaw. Go Dad!

We also went on a scenic drive to Grout Pond to enjoy the views, first stopping at an Appalachian Trail Trailhead along the way so my dad could say he'd walked on it.

The next day we got our first big snowfall of the season!

I think my favorite moment of the visit was watching my dad contentedly sitting by our wood stove, making kindling. To me, it encapsulated the immense generosity of my parents, their support in preparing for our winter ahead, and the peace that can come in quiet moments spent taking care of one's basic needs.

Thank you for coming to see us, you guys!! WE LOVE YOU!!