1,000 Gifts

We all only have so much time.  We all only have so much time to Tell the Story and Live the Story and Pass on the Story before we won’t pass by this way again. And here’s the thing: Too Busy is a Choice.  And Life is not an emergency — Life is a gift. And what is living if we don’t make enough time to Unwrap the Greatest Gift?

2602. Enjoying Summer's fleeting hours at the State Fair
2603. Food on a stick
2604. Thrill Rides
2605. My Andrew brother on his 30th birthday
2606. Sipping out of paper straws stuck in mason jars
2607. Celebrating the Bride-to-be
2608. A cribbage game with the birthday boy
2609. Lenses that arrive just.in.time
2610. Hopping the Pond!
2611. Visiting Bath, of Jane Austen fame
2612. An early morning walk, and coffee in Bath
2613. LONDON!!
2614. A ride on the top of a double decker bus
2615. Late afternoon sun turning London gold
2616. A tour of Buckingham Palace
2617. Re-creating Grammy and Bup's photo
2618. Telephone booths!
2619. Afternoon tea
2620. A bird's eye view of London
2621. Helpful people at the Underground who got us where we needed to go
2622. A day trip to Windsor and Oxford
2623. Eating dinner at The Eagle and the Child of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien fame
2624. A walk along the River Thames
2625. A visit to 221 B. Baker Street
2626. Late night photos at Big Ben
2627. Seeing castles and palaces
2628. Eating ice cream for lunch
2629. Fresh flowers everywhere!
2630. Getting to see the William Wilberforce statue at Westminster Abbey
2631. The Queen's Theater production of Les Miserables
2632. Commemorating the thousands upon thousands of lives lost in WWI
2633. A boat ride on the River Thames
2634. A quick last visit to the Tower Bridge and Big Ben
2635. Fish 'n Chips on our last night in London
2636. Reading maps
2637. A ride over to France
2638. Seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up
2639. French Pastries!
2640. A day walking around Paris
2641. A bird's eye view of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower
2642. An early morning train ride to Normandy
2643. Fog still on the fields of the beautiful French countryside
2644. The man who stopped to give us a ride to our hotel
2645. Walking the hallowed ground of Omaha Beach
2646. The thousands of brave men who stormed those beaches and whose blood turned the water red
2647. Touring the American Cemetery...rows upon rows of crosses...freedom isn't free
2648. An evening in Bayeux
2649. Stone cottages set on rolling hills
2650. Seeing American flags flying
2651. Toes dipped in the Atlantic Ocean
2652. Farm fresh omelets for dinner, followed up by one last French pastry for dessert
2653. Catching up on some sleep on the plane ride from Paris to Iceland
2654. The harsh beauty that is Iceland
2655. Waterfalls
2656. Rainbows
2657. Heated seats
2658. Hot cocoa
2659. Huge ocean waves crashing against rocks
2660. Rows of houses with colorful roofs
2661. Seeing Northern Lights!!
2662. A sunny day driving around Iceland
2663. Fast food restaurants that are open late
2664. A morning shopping in Reykjavik
2665. Hopping back across the pond
2666. Safety through all the plane, bus, taxi, train, and car rides
2667. Dad, Mom, Andy, and Ruby meeting us at the airport
2668. Dinner and trip stories at Great Moon Buffet
2669. Sleeping in my own bed
2670. An afternoon with family
2671. The final cornhole of the season
2672. Fresh corn "off" the cob
2673. Playing with my nanny kiddos
2674. Chipotle and errands with Nikkia at the Mall
2675. Whitney hugs
2676. Dinner, coffee, and chatting with friends
2677. Helping Nikkia pack for her new life in California
2678. Getting nails done
2679. A newborn shoot of little Joshua
2680. A last sleepover with Nikkia as a Hall
2681. All us girls, together...laughing, curling hair, putting on makeup
2682. Jordan and Nikkia's wedding
2683. Goodbyes that will make hellos so much sweeter
2684. {our footprints don't really matter}
2685. {the anti-depressant of wonder}
2686. {there are no meaningless moments}