Despite cold, short days, there is a feeling of patience, hope and love that permeates this wonderful time of year. Family comes into focus and we make time to enjoy them more.
In mid-November, Laurie and I drove to Bountiful to spend a few days with my mom. On the way we stopped in Provo, so we could take Atkin with us. It was a nice, relaxed time and we had a good visit with both of them.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, we had Kevin's nephew, Brent, his wife Ellen and their children stay with us on the way to Arizona! It is always fun to have them come to our home and we had a nice, but too short of a visit.
With the return of nephews from missions, we all headed north to the Seattle area to spend Thanksgiving and have some fun family time. Jacob had returned in September and Jeren returned about a week before Thanksgiving. It was fun to have most the family there (minus Sam and his cousin, Nathan (serving missions) and cousin, Benjamin, in London for school). It was Line’s first time back in a rainy, colder climate – reminded her of Norway – and she longed to be back in Vegas! We made a trip into Seattle to see the amazing gingerbread "houses" that architects build to raise funds for charities and to roam around the area with street musicians, lights, a caroussel, the monorail and shops. As an added bonus to the weekend of wonderful food, fun and game playing; Jeren reported on his mission in their old ward in Renton, so we all got to hear him. We flew home that evening.
With the return of nephews from missions, we all headed north to the Seattle area to spend Thanksgiving and have some fun family time. Jacob had returned in September and Jeren returned about a week before Thanksgiving. It was fun to have most the family there (minus Sam and his cousin, Nathan (serving missions) and cousin, Benjamin, in London for school). It was Line’s first time back in a rainy, colder climate – reminded her of Norway – and she longed to be back in Vegas! We made a trip into Seattle to see the amazing gingerbread "houses" that architects build to raise funds for charities and to roam around the area with street musicians, lights, a caroussel, the monorail and shops. As an added bonus to the weekend of wonderful food, fun and game playing; Jeren reported on his mission in their old ward in Renton, so we all got to hear him. We flew home that evening.
The following day (Monday) was our anniversary – and not just any anniversary – Our 25th Anniversary!!! Laurie arranged for us to stay in a cabin at Mt. Charleston. It was wonderful to get away and we got in a short hike before dark, had a yummy meal and then the peace and beauty of the rustic setting with no phones, internet or television! It was wonderful to have some time to ourselves and celebrate the love we share. Though there were patches of snow on the ground, it was warm enough to enjoy a brunch on the deck of the cabin – before heading back to school and work.
That Friday found us on a plane again, heading back to Seattle and then a drive north to Bellingham for Laurie’s brother Mike’s marriage to Barbara Hahn! It was a beautiful setting at the yacht club. After the ceremony and a lovely dinner, there was dancing!!! It was a fun time to cut the rug and enjoy family and friends.
During the last week of school before Christmas break, Rebecca’s choir performed in a Christmas concert. They did a really good job. I’ve posted a couple of the songs – they are not completely in focus (shot it with my still camera and forgot it doesn’t auto-focus).
College projects and finals can distract from the joy of the season. Both Laurie and Atkin had lots to finish up before the end of the semester. We decided to pick up Atkin and all visit Grandma before Christmas. So we drove to Provo on December 17th to get Atkin and spend a few days in Bountiful. Shortly after we arrived that evening, a special visitor came to see and spend time with us! It was fun to visit with family over the course of the weekend.
Our plan was to go snowboarding and skiing on Monday, but the northern Utah resorts had so little snow and everyone was thinking about Christmas, so we helped grandma with a few things around her house and then went shopping instead! After we gathered some little treasures for each other, we went to Temple Square that evening and enjoyed the lights and other sights.
After our trip home on Tuesday, there was lots of shopping, Atkin had ASA surgery on his eyes to correct his vision, and we made lots of batches of our baked caramel popcorn. One of our traditions is to carol when we deliver some treats to friends. So, Friday evening we donned flashing Christmas light necklaces, elf and Santa hats and dropped by a few places. We hadn’t been to one of our friend’s home since they had re-landscaped their front yard and we drove to the house from a different direction. As we were walking to the door, Katie questioned if they had moved or if we were at the correct house. We all assured her we were at the right place, rang the doorbell and started to sing “Joy to the World.” The door opened and someone we didn’t recognize was there – so we assumed our friends must have some family visiting . . . it wasn’t until ¾ of the way through the song that we realized we were, indeed, at the wrong house – we were one street away. Katie whispered to Line, who was holding a tub of caramel popcorn, not to give it to the family. We finished the song, were asked if we lived around there, told them that we were just out caroling, started singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and turned to leave. LOL I’m sure it is something we will laugh about for years – and who knows, maybe next year we’ll continue the tradition of caroling to a random family in our area.
Christmas was a wonderful day – after a short nights rest, we dug into our stockings, had breakfast and went to church. The meeting was simple – short talks, Rebecca sang “He Sent His Son” with the ward Youth Choir, there was a solo of “Oh, Holy Night” and congregational singing of a Christmas medley. The talks were tender and the music sweet – the Spirit was there very strong. Following the meeting, it seemed that no one wanted to leave – everyone chatted and greeted each other for 20-30 minutes.
After the girls put PJs back on, we opened gifts. Our favorite gift is a 3.5 foot wide by 2.5 foot tall picture frame with lots of pictures of now and when the children were little, that says “Together, We Make a Family.” Katie even added Samuel to the central picture!
A big highlight of the day was being able to Skype with Samuel. What a wonderful 45 minutes we had with him – he has grown and changed in many wonderful ways. We all huddled around the computer so we could see him and he see us. There was such a feeling of love and the Spirit attended. When there was a minute and a half left, he announced that he needed to be obedient and end the call at 45 minutes . . . such a strong feeling of love and gratitude for him overcame us that we all got teary and choked up – not because the time of speaking together was ending – but that he is growing to be such a great young man and has truly learned to look outside himself and to trust the Lord and be fully engaged in serving Him.
I love the feeling that Christmas brings and even though December has the shortest day of the year, it is one of the brightest times of the year for me. We are grateful for all of our family and friends – whether we see you frequently; interact with you electronically once in a while; or somewhere in between the two, we love you – you make life such a joy. And at the end of this post, I’ve come to realize the “wonderful” is one of my favorite descriptive words – so get used to it!
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| November - December 2011 |
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