It's Beginning to Look a Lot...

In a ploy meant to decrease the frustration of putting our Christmas tree together and carefully installing the Christmas lights, we purchased a brand-new ready-to-go Christmas tree. One of those new ones where the limbs are already attached and the lights are already carefully wrapped around the branches. That's right...just like in the Norman Rockwell paintings! It was great. All we had to do was carefully place the ornaments on it and presto...instant tree. Just add presents. When our children were little, we went out and cut down a real tree and then decorated it with lights and ornaments. Honest. I have pictures.



One of the fun things we did this Christmas is that Travis & Jaqui took us to see the local presentation of the Nutcracker at the Pantages Theater. It is a beautiful building, one where I remember seeing movies when I was younger. I have always enjoyed listening to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, even when it's not Christmastime. The performance was very good and the live music by the Tacoma Sinfonietta was quite enjoyable. And the company was without equal.



It had been snowing off and on, and when we came out of the performance, it was definitely on. Driving home, I took a picture of this building. It is actually "Tacoma Self Storage," but one year the "S" broke, and so now, every December, they turn the "S" off on purpose. It makes me smile every time I see it.



It is quite strange to have this much snow in December. We rarely have a white Christmas. If it snows at all, it is usually in January. And then it only lasts for a day or two and then is gone. So far, we have had a total accumulation of 6-12 inches. In fact, for the most part, church was canceled yesterday. We only had a one-hour Sacrament Meeting with the three wards which meet in our building meeting together. This is a picture of me shoveling the driveway (after I had cleaned off the car and the front deck). It was quite a workout. Maybe that is why people from Minnesota live so long. I thought about titles for this photo as I was shoveling.

1-Why I like rain
2-Things I DON'T like doing on my birthday
3-Let Al Gore try to explain this "global warming"
4-An hour of my life I will never get back

Surprise!

We got a phone call Friday night from Reagan telling us that they were coming to visit us. Not only were they coming to visit from Spokane, they were already past Ellensburg and would be here in two hours. She called us so that we wouldn't go to sleep before we got there. What a treat that was.

Gwyn, Reagan, Anson, Kelsey, & Tanner--Ella was still at home

We spent almost all of Saturday with the grandkids, so their parents could spend time doing some things and also spending time with each other. It is a real blessing that our sons (and their wives) enjoy being with their siblings. When the boys would call home from their missions, it was just as wonderful to listen to them talk to each other, as it was to speak to them ourselves.

Matt, Gina, Reagan, Kelsey, and Gwyn had to leave early Sunday afternoon. It was sad to see them go, even though they are only five hours away. Before they left, Kelsey and Reagan left post-it notes all over the house. Check these out---