Third Annual Call Christmas Gathering

For a number of reasons this year we used the same long weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas as a family. On Thursday we had the traditional turkey dinner with trimmings; then Friday was spent with Black Friday shopping. (I've wondered. . .is it called Black Friday because the retailers make it into the "black" or is it because customers get up in the cold black of the night to go shopping for bargains.)

Saturday we had a wonderful day with all our family there with the exception of Laura and Jonathan's family, and Courtney and Daniel. For three years now, we have gathered on a weekend before Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Savior with food, fun and family time. This year we shot off rockets, had a remote control car race, ate pizza, enjoyed a chocolate dessert extravaganza, demonstrated our skills as actors in mini-skits, watched our DVD video from our July Reunion in South Carolina, and ended the evening with a movie on the patio with popcorn and hot chocolate.

Winners: Callie and David

What a rocket crew. . . we may be in big trouble.

But our rockets shot up over 1500 feet high.

Isis and Addie, two precious three year-olds

My three girls, Tanya, (me), Maria and Cheryl. See her hair is growing back. I just wish Laura's family along with Daniel and Courtney could have been here.

My Cup Runneth Over

Here it is almost Thanksgiving and my heart is turned to those things I am most thankful for.

• At the very top my list comes my gratitude for a Heavenly Father who cares about me personally and daily blesses me and my loved ones. What a comfort it is to know I can talk with Him through prayer and that He does listen and answers those prayers.


• I am very grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and his atonement for our sins if we but do our part of seeking forgiveness and forsaking evil. He is my elder brother and as such has set forth the plan of our Heavenly Father to return to live with them as eternal families.
  

My list of gratitude continues with:

• A husband, Fred, that loves me despite my weaknesses and has put up with me for going on 45 years (47 if you count the two years we dated).


• A beautiful daughter, Maria, who over the years has become not only a precious daughter but a choice friend. She along with her husband, Stan, have given us four wonderful grandchildren. Stan has been a good provider for his family and has always been kind and respectful to us. Maria is a fantastic homemaker and cook--we all admire and benefit from her decorating skills and delicious dishes. On top of all of this she has a beautiful singing voice that we enjoy listening to. (I don't know where she got that talent, certainly not from her Dad or me.)


• A second beautiful daughter, Laura, who, though she has lived across the country from us for most of her married life, has made the effort to remain close. We feel of her love and caring for us as her parents on a regular basis. This takes time for a mother of eight precious children. Wow! I admire her stamina and patience as well as her organizational skills. Her husband, Jonathan, is a wonderful support to her and a terrific father to their children.


• A third beautiful daughter, Tanya, who is so full of life and is so giving to others around her is a real joy to us. It is wonderful to have her and her son living close by so we are able to spent time with them often. She is a fantastic school librarian and keeps me up to date on the latest childrens books.


• It was exciting to have a son, David, born after three little girls. It brought the "boy" things into our lives--the trucks, the tools, the digging of tunnels, Scouts, football, and wrestling, to name just a few. He and his wife, Cindy, have given us five more fine grandchildren. Cindy does a good job of keeping their sons involved in Scouting and encouraging music in their family. They, as a family, have become fascinated with fish, corals, and seahorses (Cindy in particular) in home aquariums. It has become a family hobby which brings them closer together.


• A fourth beautiful daughter, Cheryl, has blessed our lives tremendously. In her youth, she brought a wide circle of friends into our home that kept us young and added joy to our lives. She and her husband, Ben, have given us three wonderful children. I can't say enough about Ben and the wonderful husband and father he is. Ben has been a real trooper this past year as Cheryl has fought a battle with cancer (synovial sarcoma). Prayers have been answered; surgery, six weeks of radiation, and 28 days in the hospital with chemotherapy have been effective; her faith and courage have been rewarded; her body is healing. How very grateful I am for this blessing.


• If you have been counting, you now have figured out how very grateful I am for four daughters, one son, three son-in-laws, one daughter-in-law and twenty-one grandchildren. Because our sweet granddaughter, Courtney, got married last August, we can add her husband, Daniel, to our family circle. My grandchildren are a source of great joy and happiness for me. I love to spent time with them.

Everyone is in this picture taken at our family reunion in South Carolina except for Cheryl, who was undergoing chemo; Ben, who was supporting her; and Daniel who hadn't married Courtney yet.

What else am I grateful for:

• Friends, near and far. Their love, caring and support have sustained me through rough times. It has been a joy to share the good times of which there have been many.
  
• Opportunity we have had to serve as service missionaries at the LDS Tempe Institute of Religion (on ASU campus in Arizona) for the past year and a half.


• Opportunity to travel to countries around the world especially with children, siblings and now our grandchildren as they become young teenagers.


• Our home and the comforts therein. The peaceful haven it is for me and Fred.


• Our yard--the beauties of God's creations as evidenced in our desert landscaping. It continues to be a daily marvel to me. The desert holds so much beauty.


• The years I was able to spend in education as a teacher and administrator. I miss those days, not every day, but occasionally. I am enjoying these retirement years with more time for projects, service and family.


• Technology that allows us access to books, to records of ancestors, to the ability to record our life history through videos, to listen to a prophet speak right in our own living room and to communicate easily and effectively with others.


• This country, the United States of America which was established by inspired founding fathers. It is a real privilege to live in a land of prosperity and freedom.
  

My list can go on and on, but it is late and tomorrow will bring many more things I can add to my list. Indeed my cup does run over.

Joined the Gang

It seems like many in the family are having fun blogging. I decided I'm not too old for this new way of communicating. Old dogs can learn new tricks! I love reading the blogs of family and friends. I want to share my thoughts, those moments of true joy and perhaps even a trial or two. Can you believe your grandmother is doing this, Courtney? And so the story begins. . . .