Christmas

Christmas with family is the best of all holiday arrangements, to my way of thinking.  We decided to spend ours in California.  Right after our last concert, on Friday the 18th, Layne and I changed clothes, packed up the last of things, and drove to Winnemucca, where we spent Friday night.  We decided to split the drive to CA between two days, and it was such a good move.  We finished our ride Saturday afternoon, arriving in the middle of an Adams-Hart activity at their home in Mountain House.  Cliff's family were all gathered for their Christmas celebration.  It was fun to see Cliffs sibs again and their children.  They all seem to be in a good place.  It was such a busy event that it was easy for us to go unnoticed. So I spent some time walking around the neighborhood, which felt so good after so much sitting.  Sure enough, no one missed me and the walk was lovely.  After everyone's departure, we spent the evening sitting in the living room, with everyone investing in their various devices and, occasionally, talking.  It seems to be the Adams-Hart evening routine.  It's actually quite pleasant.  Here's Audrey and Cliff on a normal evening:

Sunday we went to Church with Audrey and Cliff and Isaiah.  It is a lovely ward, but sparsely attended on that Sunday.  The choir was assigned to sing a song as part of the Christmas Sacrament meeting, but had only three members; two men and a young girl with a very soft voice.  So Layne and I were asked to sing with them.  The five of us sang our Christmas carol, which I'm sure could not be heard past the first several rows.  I include this little tidbit because, for some reason, I was not nervous or scared and was able to sing out in the less than soft tones that is my usual effort. I'm not sure why I was so blessed, but took some comfort in it.

Our other two CA families came to Audrey's and Cliff's Sunday night, where we enjoyed dinner and a talent night.  I take such joy in seeing the kids perform.  We are so fortunate to have good and talented children and grandchildren.  Here's Ben and Jessica's Abigail sharing her talent:

Monday brought the activity with Ben and Jes that made Audrey so upset with me when I told Jes we would join them.  Audrey had something else in mind.  But she got over it and we had an interesting evening taking a street car ride in San Francisco reserved for Ben, Jes and their party, which consisted of three other families.  I spent most of the time holding their baby Olivia,  Even though she is not impressed with me, she let me hold her without getting upset.  Victory!  It was a fun evening with these very nice people, visiting and singing as the cable car took us on a ride through the streets of San Francisco, enjoying the sights and lights.  Jessica organized it all and did a fantastic job of it.  Here's the BJ gang in front of our cable car:

Tuesday I went to lunch with buddy Lyn Hooker at our usual Sweet Tomatoes.  We had a lovely bond for a couple of hours.  We spent the evening with Audrey and Cliff in the pattern described above.  Wednesday we met Reed and Dorothy for lunch, then later for dinner.  I love spending time with my kids; they are such pleasant people.  Thursday was Christmas Eve.  How quickly it seemed to come and I found myself missing the celebrations we had when we lived in CA.  I loved being in the middle of planning and envisioning what I could do to bring pleasure to family members.  Now we follow the plans of others.  But that also is fun and good.

All of the local family met at Reed and Dorothy's for Christmas Eve.  We enjoyed a meal together and a family gift exchange.  Its good to be together for the holidays.  We were again on Christmas.  After a morning of gifts at Audrey and Cliffs, we headed to Ben and Jessica's for Christmas dinner.  Fun, but somehow Christmas seemed understated for me.  I don't know why exactly; perhaps it is because I had so little to do with it.  Perhaps stressing, decorating and planning has been part of my enjoyment of Christmas.  That is something of a revelation!

We went shooting Christmas Eve, daytime.  Here's Audrey with her pistol.  She's a pretty good shot!

Christmas Eve pajama gifts.  Ben, Jessica and all their kids in their look-alike pjs.

Our Christmas Day table, set up at Ben and Jessica's.  Looks like William is the only one read to eat!

We visited foster daughter Michelle on Christmas.  Here she is, in green, with two or her children, Kelsey and Steadman.  Love that family!

We drove home on Saturday.  Audrey and Cliff followed, then led us as we stopped along the way to visit our Mongolian daughter, Bayaraa, and her family.  Wow, what a great family she and her husband, Ryan, have made.  We loved our time with them.  Here they are:  Bayaraa and Ryan with their children, Gordon, Nolan and Gwenalynne.

Here's Chase and Morgan, pregnant with our first Great-grandchild!  Behind them is Isaiah, who preferred his chosen spot for the picture.

 I always have to beg Layne to stop for visits, but once he does he is so glad.  Getting back on the freeway turned out to be quite a challenge as the Google girl became very confused when we asked her for directions and, trusting her, we were led on a merry ride through the countryside and around a lake called Pyramid Lake.  "I've always wanted to see Pyramid Lake," said Layne.  Hum.  Well he did.  And so did I.  It took us over an hour to finally find our way back to the freeway and get on our way.  We didn't arrive home until a good two hours after Audrey and Cliff did.  Chase and Morgan arrived at our house even before that and prepared a nice dinner for us.  So our house welcomed us home and embraced Audrey, Cliff, Isaiah, Chase and Morgan as well.  How sweet it is!

Singing

                                                     Treble Clef Singers, December 2015
                                                   

Our Treble Clef singing group has been performing for almost three weeks now.  We sing at various senior centers all around the valley.  We are paid!  The money goes to charity.  So we are doing a double good:  our audiences love us no matter how we sing and the money helps others.  I suppose I should see our singing as service indeed.  Even though I never imagined I'd be singing with a group like this, I'm so happy to be experiencing it.  My average voice is even improving, I think.  Layne continues to be our token guy.  The girls in our group love him and so they make sure we include a song that uses his bass voice.  He sings Hallelujah this year again and sounds so good!  Three weeks is a long time to sing though.  Tomorrow ends our season and I'm glad of it.  At the end of our last performance Layne and I will prepare for a reunion with family for Christmas.  I think I'm ready!

We got the picture taken at our ward Christmas party back.  Here is the best one.

We had our last Addiction meetings last Sunday.  I'm sad and glad.  It is good to be done with that assignment, yet I'm mourning also as being with my support group women has been a huge blessing in my life. They are righteous women actively using the Atonement to deal with their sorrows, anger and grief.  I can see more clearly than ever that trouble can bring us to God in a very real way.  I have a fantasy wish that I can somehow avoid some of the adversity the world offers if I can come to Him in good times.  I'm working on that.  My ladies have shown me how in more detailed illustrations than I've experienced before.  Because they bear their souls, the Spirit of God floods our time together.  How I wish we could be so open in other settings.  I tend to hide myself away but am working on being more honest with myself and with God.  I'm going to miss these amazingly powerful associations.  So, for now, we are free of all assignments.  That will change in a few months but, for now, I feel light and able to pursue my own aspirations.  Yup, I have some.

Layne and I exchanged Christmas gifts this morning.  Early.  He gave me an apple watch.  I'm so excited about it!  This is the man who never wants to exchange gifts.  I pressed him into service after telling him that I did get him something.  When he tries, he can come up with amazing things!  I'm looking so forward to studying out just how to use this wonderful gift.

Here's a picture of our first snow.

Our days this week are filled with cloudy skies, and snow!  It isn't sticking much but is so lovely.  I'm enchanted by the change of seasons and all the changes it brings to the surrounding landscape.  We walked in the snow fall and loved it.  The ducks and geese chatter above us, headed in various directions, every morning that we walk.  The whole summary of winter nature is pleasure.  Well maybe not the driving!

Holiday Spirit

The Christmas Spirit comes earlier each year, it seems.  Our area has been alight with decorations and lighting since before Thanksgiving.  I love the lights!  In the winter darkness the glow of fireplaces and sparkling lights brings such cheer.  Presently I'm sitting in front of our own fire, created with a flip of a switch.  Such a miracle, and such a warm joy it brings to me on a cold winter morning.

We sang with our Treble Clef group several times last week.  I am beginning to relax about singing as I experience more of it with this group.  Layne sings a solo with us as background.  He does a great job of it and the ladies in the group love him.  Bonnie, our leader is especially fond of him and always makes sure there is a song for him when she arranges our numbers.  I'm liking this singing experience.  It takes place at the same time as Rachel's Nutcracker performances on Temple Hill in Oakland, CA.  This is the first year we have not performed in it and I'm a little sad.  It was a source of many sweet experiences.  But it was time to let it go, I suppose.

Speaking of letting go, we finally have replacements for our addiction calling.  Stan and Nancy Beck, friends from our ward, are going to take over our groups this coming week.  I'm glad but a little sad about that too.  I've learned so much from working with the ladies in my support group.  They are righteous women whose hearts are broken but willing to do whatever the Lord requires of them to help their addicted husbands and hold their families together.  It is a tough road to walk, but they work together to find solutions and healing.  It is a wonder I've never experienced before and has been transforming in my own life.

We had the best Christmas social at Church than we've had for some years, on Saturday night.  Danea Villa, a party girl in our ward, organized a gala event involving dinner, entertainment and dancing!  Oh, I loved it!  No Christmas Breakfast for us.  Those breakfasts have become something of a regular celebration in many wards, including ours in the past.  They seem to say to me, "cheap and easy".  That is not how Christmas, the holiday highlight of the year, should be celebrated.  Our Saturday party was wonderful and goes to the direction of taking real joy in Christ's birth and His gifts to the world.  It takes effort to organize such an event, but isn't that how it should be?  All really good and effective things take effort!  I loved it, and Layne danced with me! He's getting to be quite a smooth dancer, as long as I don't distract him too much with conversation.  Dancing is a source of great pleasure to me, even now.  Not that I do much of it these days as there is little opportunity.  But I often dance at home, sometimes with Layne.

Layne sang in a quartet at the Christmas Social. They sounded pretty good, especially considering that Layne's voice was compromised by the salty ham he ate just beforehand.

I believe we are just about ready for Christmas.  I have the decorations up and have found a gift for Layne, my "I don't need anything" boy.  Now he feels the pressure to get me something.  I'm quietly pleased!  Our house is sparkling with lights, including the new tree I bought just to celebrate Carmen, our little granddaughter lost to heaven.  Her tree is filled with angels.  I add a new one each year and now the tree is full enough to look lovely.  Here's how it looks, standing happily in our kitchen eating space.  I feel happy this season.

Thanksgiving

"We'd like to come for Thanksgiving," son Reed told me a few weeks ago.  Hooray, I thought.  Holidays without family are what I like least about Idaho.  I felt so excited about their upcoming visit.  Then Ben sent a note that they'd like to come for Thanksgiving.  Wow, I thought.  "Of course," we said.  Then Jessica said she and Chris would like to come as well.  "So wonderful," I told them.  Reed and Dorothy and family arrived Monday night.  We had a sweet time with them and the boys.  We took them to Caldwell, a half hour away, to see their amazing light display.  Calwell goes way beyond normal to light up pathways around the river that passes through the town.  It was magical even if we had to use umbrellas to stay dry.  Even our James, who is often not enthusiastic about some of our family activities, was impressed.  It was so lovely that Layne and I decided that the rest of the family had to see it too.

The Caldwell lights:

Kids playing in the Caldwell lights:

Three granddaughters in front of a Caldwell Christmas tree:

By Wednesday night all three families were with us. Our Thanksgiving, with everyone's help, went well.  There was more than enough food and everyone had their fill.  We indulged in visiting and gaming of all sorts.  These kids of mine are night owls.  We stayed up until midnight and beyond every night.  For this early bird it was an effort.  Black Friday brought out the shoppers among us.  Some of the kids wanted to visit the fabulous art store in Boise so we went there on Friday.  Then our BJ Jes and some of the girls hit the stores.  I'm so not into shopping on Black Friday.  I rather resent the push by businesses to gather in as many people as they can stuff into stores to buy their "amazing deals."  I'd much rather pay a little more and not have to fight the crowds.  But to the BJ Jess and kids, it is part of the fun. So they went and returned with treasures and high enthusiasm.

Thanksgiving dinner, served buffet style:

Granddaughter Peyton loves to do hair.  Here she is fixing Abigail's hair while Abs draws a picture for me:

OK, Peyton got a bit carried away here; she insisted on doing the boy's hair as well as the girls.  They took it in good humor, as Miles demonstrates here:

The RD family left Friday morning and we surely missed their addition to our family mix.  We took the remaining kids back to Caldwell.  We had to talk them into it.  But once there, they were awed.  It was cold, 21 degrees or so.  Yes, very cold, but the kids got into the adventure anyhow.  We took all sorts of pictures and some of the kids even ventured to remove their jackets for a better picture pose.  It was such fun!  After another late Friday night the CJ family left Saturday, after lunch.  The BJ family followed soon afterwards.  Wow, what a sweet time wth so many people that I love.  Each precious person adds a measure of joy to my heart.  The grandchildren are all sweet and pure-hearted.   My own children seem to enjoy each other's company and seek out opportunities to reconnect.  But, as Ben mentioned, we missed Audrey and Gerald and their families.  But I will take what I can of family time, in whatever form it comes to me, and rejoice in it.

Reed and Dorothy left Friday morning.  Here they are with their 4 sons (Scott, the oldest is on a mission in Thailand):  Bruce, Vincent, Timmy and James:

 Here is Jessica and Chris with their thee:  Gemma, Peyton and Miles:

 Ben and his Jessica, saying goodbye with their 8; back:  Jacqueline, Olivia (with Jessica); middle:  Abigail, Alexis, Zachary, William; front:  Victoria and Jonathan.

I admit to feeling very tired once everyone left.  Layne and I stumbled into cleaning up the main floor and are saving the rest for a more rested day.  So ends another holiday celebration.  It was crazy and wild and, at times, disorganized.  But worth it.