Oh Christmas Tree....

We made a trek out to the woods and chopped down our own Christmas tree this year. It was a lot of fun.

We had to brave the wind, rain, and cold, not to mention all the wild animals. There was not a soul There was not a soul in sight as we hunted for the perfect tree.

I got to earn a few man points by strapping our tree to the top of our rig. Our tree made it home safe and sound, and Michelle did a great job decorating it.

Emmitt liked "helping" decorate the tree too.

Getting to "brave the outdoors" reminded us of how grateful we are for our blessings. We have our family nearby, we have our health, and the Lord has provided for our temporal needs. On behalf of the rest of the Merkley herd, we want to wish ya'll a merry Christmas and may the Lord bless you and your families.

....and It's A .......

She-Merkley! We're excited, but Michelle is terrified, that the next recruit to join our platoon is a girl. What our unborn daughter doesn't know is that her dad will probably put some of her older brothers old clothes on her 'cause he's a tight wad. We got the ultrasound today. The tech was very thorough in his assessment of the various measurements he needed to take, but he sure took his time getting around to checking out the baby's junk to end the suspense for us. We're test driving a few names, but of course none of them are keepers yet. Now I'm already thinking about how miserable it's going to be when she starts dating.

As If You Needed Proof - Bacon Really Does Make Everything Better!!

Michelle is always a little nervous around Thanksgiving because she usually gets designated to cook the turkey. Turkey isn't a traditional Filipino food, so she had to learn all by herself over a few years. I still remember the first year, when we brined the turkey in a Home Depot bucket. However, what has emerged from the years of trial and very little error is one "H-E-double-hockey-sticks" of a turkey. There were next to NO LEFTOVERS. Oh yeah, and that is bacon goodness layered on top of the turkey. Yes, it does make it as good as you think it does. Thanks for a great turkey Michelle!