Christmas 2013

I am happy here in Idaho.  But the thought of spending the Christmas season away from family made me a little sad.  All of our group traditions are out of reach now.  Why is it, I wonder, that I am so resistant to change?  It seems to be a human pattern to fight it.  Yet it often brings unexpected joys. Well, trials too I suppose.  My Christmas thoughts usually centered around family; especially grandchildren.  My plans always revolved around how to celebrate it for them.  So decorating for Christmas here seemed somehow less interesting.  I told my sister Maryanne this early in December. She and her hub Bob have decorated their new home in Draper, Utah with a flourish.  "You should decorate for you and Layne," she said.  "Decorate!"  she said.  So I did.  Though I admit not so completely as in former years.  Still, I have enjoyed my house full of Christmas even without extended family to share it with.

Our special Christmas in our living room.

Layne and I had a small Christmas celebration on Sunday the 22nd.  We agreed not to buy each other gifts, for the first time ever.  But he bought me one anyhow.  And I love it.  We had a sweet time in front of the fire, surrounded by Christmas lights and trees.  On Monday we headed for Seattle, to spend Christmas with daughter Jessica and her family.  It is the first time ever that we have been to their house for this holiday.  Of course it was different, but also very enjoyable.  I love my family!  Being with our Gendreau kids was one of the hidden blessings of our move here.  It is 8 hours to their house; an easy day drive.  We spent Christmas Eve and Day with them, then headed back for home, with their three kids for a week or so while Chris and Jes take a trip together.

Christmas morning at the Gendreau home with
daughter Jessica, husband Chris, Gemma, Miles and Peyton.

Peyton, Gemma and Miles beginning their Christmas unwrapping.

The drive through "the Blues" on our way home from Seattle.
We were blessed with clear roads!

Our first white Christmas!  The trees on the drive to Idaho
sparkled with ice.  It was so beautiful!

Grandchildren.  Three of them.  When they are with us, my life centers around them.  I live for them.  I cook what they like and play endless board games with them.  I read to them and we talk and laugh together.  It is such fun.  I always worry that I won't have the insight to meet their needs; that they will be bored; that they won't have a good time.  But I forget how easy it is to love them and enjoy them.  These particular children are not members of the Church so I feel a need to share my faith with them; to give them a hope of faith in God and the pleasure of prayer.  So each day I try to share something of God with them.  I worry that without that faith the world will eat them up.  Each day I pray that I will share the right things with them.  I hope it is enough.

A lengthy game of Risk with Miles and Gemma.  It would have
gone on for days, I sure, if they hadn't decided to bag it after
a day's effort at determining a winner.

Gemma wasn't up for Risk.  Here is how she spent
her time during our never-ending game battle.

Although it has not stormed for quite awhile, there is still snow everywhere here.  It is colder than normal (so we are told), so the snow hasn't melted much.  The kids like it and ran through it for most of their first day here.  But it is cold.  So most of the time we are inside.  Tonight we plan to stay up to welcome the new year in.  The kids will be up for it.  I hope we will!  

Singing and Singing Again

Our trip back from California was lovely.  There was snow everywhere, except on the roads, which were clear, making the drive a happy winter journey.  The roads in our neighborhood were filled with snow.  But our driveway was clear!  Some thoughtful person cleared it for us.  

It was good to be home where we could let down a little and relax.  Except that my singing group was loaded up with engagements.  So from the time of our arrival home until this past Thursday we sang and sang and sang. You may or may not know that singing is not exactly my gift. But with each performance it became more and more fun.  Our little group of ladies is not perfection but we have lots of fun and, I think, our sound is pretty good too. As with our spring performance, the ladies in the group love Layne. So they had a special solo just for him.  He sang the popular song Hallelujah. We changed the lyrics to give it a Christmas message, and he sounded great. After each performance, we spread out and greeted each person in our audience. It was quite joyful to look into their eyes and wish them a Merry Christmas.

The Treble Clef Singers, in costume, practicing for multiple performances.

Layne has had a bout of vertigo for the last few days.  Because of that I worked in the temple without him on Friday.  After all the wonderful lights and celebrations at the Oakland Temple you may imagine my disappointment in telling you that there is absolutely no sign that it is Christmas at the Boise Temple.  No lights.  No nativity.  There is no external way to tell that we believe in Christ or celebrate His birth.  I could not resist telling the assistant matron and suggesting that we have lights and nativity and maybe even a visitor's center so that we can attract people to the temple.  She agreed with me and said she would bring it up with the current temple presidency, or at least her husband.  Nothing will change this year, but maybe next...one can hope.

By the time our temple shift was over it was snowing.  I couldn't help but be excited to walk to the car in the snow!  We were surrounded by beautiful, falling flakes!  I promised to give a friend a ride to her grandchildren's home on my way home, which meant that we took the city streets instead of the freeway.  Friday evening.  Christmas shopping.  Snow.  Getting dark.  Result:  traffic everywhere, moving an inch at a time.  I dropped off my passenger and headed for the rural streets and home.  The city streets were clear and the many lights lit my way.  But once on the country streets the snow covered the roads and there was very little light.  This California girl was stressed.  With knuckles whitened by fright I proceeded forth slowly.  Very slowly.  Each little skid struck fear in my heart.  The snow accumulated on the wipers making my window of vision smaller and smaller as I proceeded along.  But, two hours from my departure time, I crawled safely onto our driveway.  Layne was there, sweeping it clean for me.  How grateful I was to be home!  Snow is great, especially when it is falling from the sky.  But not while I'm driving!

Our home, with a winter look.

There are no secret approaches in the snow!

Layne sweeping the driveway just after our snow storm.

Christmas will be different for us this year. Since we have no family here, Christmas, for the first time, will not be at our house. I'm a little sad about that. But we plan on driving to Seattle tomorrow to spend Christmas with daughter Jessica and her family. We have not spent many Christmases with Chris and Jes, so this will be extra specially nice. Because of this change in our Christmas celebration, Layne and I had our own Christmas experience today. I fixed Layne a special Christmas dinner, then we sat in front of the fire surrounded by Christmas lights and opened the gifts that we had.  It was a sweet time even if very different than what we are used to.  What is it about us that fights change?  Why are we
somehow saddened by it?  In theory I think change is good for us.  But I resist it.

Our Idaho Christmas.

Cracking Nuts Again

I love being in California.  There are so many people that I love there.  Among them are Rachel and Cheoh Tan, the organizers of the Temple Hill production of Nutcracker.  Rachel asked us to help her present the idea of Nutcracker to the Temple Hill committee several years ago as an addition to their Christmas programming.  She was worried that they would not consider it spiritual enough.  But we presented our vision of it to them and they agreed.  So the Tans sacrificed their time and money to make it happen, for the first time in 2010.  They asked Layne and me to be the old folks in the first scene.  Layne isn't prone to such things (it involves some dancing you know), but, for Rachel's sake, he agreed.  It turned out to be a lot of fun.  Each year Layne says "never again."  And when Rachel asks him once again to participate, he winds up saying, "yes, of course."  And so, for the forth time, we danced in the Nutcracker.

Since the dances and arrangement were almost the same as last year, we practiced the dances at home and were prepared when we arrived for the last few rehearsals this past week.  This year was the most relaxed and fun of any.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it was because we knew the dances.  Maybe it was the positive comments of our instructor this year.  Maybe it was the fun of reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  Maybe it was the pleasure of being on the lighted Temple Hill once again.  Whatever the reasons, we enjoyed this production most of all.  In spite of that, Layne announced once again that this would be our last year.

We had lunch with Rachel and Cheoh the Sunday after the performances (full houses both nights!) and they asked us once again if we would be in next year's performance.  Guess what Layne said.  You guessed it. "Of course."  So it looks like we will return next year for yet another performance.  I'm glad.

The Oakland temple grounds, dressed for Christmas

Our dancing bunch in the party scene of the Nutcracker.

Here I am with scenery from the party scene,
the opening act.

Layne with one of the prince's palace scenes.

A California Thanksgiving

Driving is becoming a way of life for us now.  Since everyone we know and love is far away, there often seems to be no other way of connecting.  Especially when we have lots of stuff to transport.  I'm happy to say that I am done with family Christmas gifts.  We filled the back of the car with them.  There are times when the space provided by a comfortable car is such a luxury.  So, on Wednesday, a week ago, we headed for California by car, to spend Thanksgiving with family and prepare for our Nutcracker performance.  We munched our way through Oregon, Nevada and then California, arriving at a comfortable 6PM at Mountain House, where Audrey and Cliff now live.

It is so different to be in our children's space instead of having them in ours, as it has been for so many years.  The local family gathered at Audrey and Cliff's for Thanksgiving.  We had people from our side of the family and some from in-law sides.  It was a bundle of humanity here, and fun.  I love being surrounded by people that I know.  Not so much when the bunch are strangers.  It is a great blessing to have family.  I'm reminded of that almost daily, but especially when we gather together.  It is somewhat magical to think that Layne and I have managed to produce such an abundance of progeny.  I can't help but feel joy in it.

Since we are here until Monday the 9th, we have some open time.  I have pressured Layne into visiting some of our friends.  Layne, you see, is perfectly happy just spending time alone, reading or some such solo activity.  Not that he isn't social.  He lights up when in a group.  But he doesn't seek it.  So I had to make the arrangements for various visits and then urge him to accompany me.  We've spent the last day or so visiting our Fremont neighbors and a couple of others.  Once with them, pleasures bubble to the surface as we visit and catch up on their family news.  Connections and affections are renewed.  Making the time to visit is so worth it.

Today we begin Nutcracker rehearsals in earnest.  Performances come up this weekend.  I'm feeling pretty calm about it.

Daughter in law Dorothy on right with her sister Emily on left.
Do you think they look alike?

Reed and Dorothy's youngest, Bruce, enjoying
Thanksgiving goodies.

Ben and Jessica's Zachary, celebrating his December birthday
early, with family.  Brother William is on the left.  Reed and
Dorothy's son Timothy is on the right.

Ben and Jessica's youngest son, Jonathan.

Benjamin and youngest daughter Victoria.

Alexis and Abigail, two of Ben and Jes' daughters.

Our Nutcracker buddies, Howard and Sandra Burnham, with Layne
just after a delicious Japanese feast in Dublin, CA.

Audrey and Cliff's suave son Isaiah, mixing
up a sour dough potion for his own special batch
of sour dough bread.  Mother's sour dough
starter lives on!