Thanksgiving at the Lucases

  Our memorable, beautiful, challenging, busy, and first-ever-in-South-Dakota Thanksgiving!

Sam flew down to Arizona to be with me my last day there, taking me to the clinic for my last day of treatments, especially herceptin, and then navigating around Phoenix as we moved our belongings from the Air Bnb where we'd stayed for nine days back to Gospel Center.

He also flew home with me, experiencing the same terrible jar that I did when the airplane landed with such a horrible bang that I thought we were goners! My neck was jarred, and my head hurt, but we survived.

"Welcome to Rapid City!" the relieved and excited airline attendant squealed. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

I was so weak and shaky after that big bang that I was grateful for Sam's help with the suitcases.

He drove us home from Rapid City after we ran into several stores, including Sams where I filled a cart with groceries and other ware.  

The sunset we saw on our way home 

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Rose and Carrie arrived shortly after we did at our home! Happy reunion! 

Thanksgiving morning found us all very busy!

Rose wanted to make pies.

Here is the apple pie she made besides the pumpkin pie.  

I have some sillies in my family--and that is okay! Laughter is good medicine!

A friend called, lonely, and asked me to take pictures of our family Thanksgiving and to take pictures of all the food.

So here are the pictures I took especially for her. 

Danny and Hannah have had to learn a lot this summer and fall, and are best buddies now!

Even Hunting buddies!

 

A couple siblings getting ready to go check out the land around for deer. You can see the mission box truck that Rose drove home from Mission where it had been parked after having the last of our things loaded up from Rosebud that we'd stored there.

 

And didn't Danny get his Thanksgiving deer!

We had fresh venison meat the next day.

Even I jumped on the four-wheeler with Jonathan to buzz down to where Danny had called from to congratulate him and watch him get a photograph and then toss the 100-lb deer single handedly on the four wheeler. (It didn't work too well!)

Then Rose and I were cold and we couldn't all fit back on the four-wheeler now that the deer was on it, and plus I hadn't had my outdoor walk that day, so we took off walking--

 

only to hear a whistle a while later! It was Jonathan! He was huffing and puffing trying to catch up with us! He decided he should have some exercise, too, and let the boys drive the four-wheeler. So Rose took this picture of Jonathan and me in the moonlight with one of the dogs. What a fun evening--even if it did end with the cistern running dry and then the water wouldn't come through the pipes even after we got loads of water. I didn't get to do dishes till nearly 10 o'clock, and even then I only had a wee little bit of water. That is a story in itself.