Merry Christmas Eve

This night. This is the most magical time of the holiday season for me. As a kid it was the anticipation, the music, the glow of candles and lights. Now I try imagine what it was like for Mary as she labored and worried throughout the evening. About the lowly stable where she and Joseph shared the intimate moment of knowing they would soon be the parents of the Son of God. What were they thinking? Were they excited? Were they awed? Were they scared? Did they know how much of a hold He would have on their's and the entire world's hearts? Then the sweet experience when the Spirit was so strong and Jesus was born. No words.
This is what it's about for me this night. I love Him.
Goodnight and Merry Christmas all. We hope to see some of you in Utah tomorrow evening.

I'm Blown Away.

I cannot even believe it!! Tom Allison and his Mom, Linda just came by and gave me an incredible gift!! I got one of Bob Allison's amazing handmade dollhouses! I'm not sure how I became the recipient of such a great gift! Seriously, I love this doll house and I'm completely overwhelmed to have received it! I have watched Bob make these truly awesome houses for years now. He has donated so many of them to worthy people and I feel so blessed to have gotten one. I know it takes him MANY hours to make them and he puts so much love and attention into each one. Linda has many of these displayed in her home and they are decorated in tiny scale and look absolutely real. She has a school, a log home, a store, a victorian home and many others and it's so fun to see them set up. She even decorates them on holidays! Can you see me and the madness this will create!! I can decorate my own little home for Christmas!! To all of you (and you know who you are) who participated in this amazing surprise...thank you, thank you and thank you. It makes me cry...I'm Blown Away!!!!
front of house

back of house

framed windows

hardwood floors!

clapboard siding and shingle roof

I took these photos so fast because I was so excited. I'll be sure to post pictures as I get the rooms "decorated". Can you see garland on the porches in front?...oh man.

Randomness from my friend Tom

Rather then forward this email on to everyone, I'll make you all see it on my blog. Some of these crack me up.

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America ......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries,and a diet coke. (Then I'm a dyed in the wool, true blue American!)

Only in America ......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage. (except maybe Missouri...they leave all their junk out!)

Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America .......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering. (hmmmmm)

EVER WONDER ....

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? (Never wondered about this one...I understand the science of it..)

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid madewith real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two** ** mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)....in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.
True strength is breaking chocolate bar into four pieces and only eating
three....
Have a great day everyone!

The one night...

The one night I decide to not bring a camera to a choir concert...Chloe has a solo. I'm not sure why I didn't bring it...basically I was lazy. But, imagine my surprise when Chloe comes forward and sings her part and I had no idea. She did such a great job! I may be partial but I'm pretty sure she was the best of the night. Hunter sang really well too. She has so much fun on the stage and enjoys the group of girls she sings with. The concert was supposed to be tuesday night but due to the ice storm it was moved to last night and was piggy-backed on a band concert. It's so hard getting out of a choir concert at 10:00 at night and then get up for seminary in the morning.
In the news: winter storm due for tonight and tomorrow. Yipee!

My opinion

Now, this could just be me thinking this so don't assume I speak for anyone especially the Church when I say this. But, I'm pretty sure the saints were driven from Missouri because of the weather and the undesirable nature of climate here. They were given a much better land and were so blessed to get out of this place...Misery (Missouri).

Can someone please tell me why oh why it can't just snow when it's cold and wet here like it does in the mountains. Because of this we have missed yesterday and today in school. Because of this people are out of power all over the midwest and we have it the mildest by far. Because of this, no one, not even the best 4 wheel drive can go anywhere. It's just something I'll never get used to. Although, the city is using this new method of beet juice and salt brine on the roads and I'll tell you, the second that stuff hits the pavement, ice is gone. Cool.

Actually, I really do like having the kids home. I just feel safer always knowing they are right here. I'm pretty lucky since my kids are older, they don't drive me crazy too much. Too bad they can't go outside to play.


Last night calls and emails went around to the students, from I don't know where. The message was: If you sleep with your pjs inside out and a spoon under your pillow, school will be cancelled tomorrow. So the first thing Bridger says when she woke up was "it worked!". She and her friends all did this. School wasn't cancelled by the time I started seminary so in the middle of class the phone rang and it was the school district cancelling classes. One of my seminary students told me he actually tried the trick Bridger did and he swears it worked! Can you believe that! Tis the season for believing!
Hopefully the sun will come out today and make all of this beautiful! Just be grateful wherever you are today that you have power and warmth. And that according to me...the saints were better off for leaving!

Greetings from the golf course???

This is what the t-box behind our house looks like today. It's become a snowman zone. I'd much rather is snow like this all day then just be cold all the time!
Wonder if they'll cancel school for this tomorrow??
Bridger keeps Lola tied up while she plays and it drives Lola crazy. I finally brought her in because she was covered with so many snow cling-ons she could barely walk. Have you ever heard a dog cry? She's up there howling and it sounds like a baby crying.

Call the Wh...amubulance...

Cause I'm a whiner. I just don't know if I can take much more. It's only the first week of December and the worst is yet to come. A body can only take so much wind and cold temperatures. Seriously. We're sitting in seminary and the wind is blowing so hard against the windows that it sounds like it's hailing. It's not hail. It's the bark and leaves in my yard being thrown against glass at mach 1 speed. I went to take the garbage out and my hands instantly froze and came in hacking up a lung. It strips the air out of you in seconds. It just keeps blowing and blowing everyday. And you know what is the worst? This is Missouri for 6 months out of the year. Then there's about 2 weeks of moderate spring and 2 weeks of moderate fall and the rest is so muggy you feel like you're walking through pea soup. I have to keep telling myself that we don't live here for the weather. Also, I have to remind myself that my posterity won't want to hear about my complaints on the weather. They'll all say what a whiner that grandma was!