My House Debra: 2010

We were so blessed to have everyone home for Christmas this year. Our smaller house seemed a bit cramped to me, but it was cozy and we all had such a wonderful time. Mom wasn't feeling too well and so we didn't have her with us until Christmas morning. We had a fun time in the snow Christmas afternoon with the little ones. We all had a great time and the time just flew by. One special treat was having Audrey and Andy and Lauren as well as James and Christian join us for Church.

We have always enjoyed our Christmas Eve programs throughout the years. When the children were little we had them dress up and depict the wondrous scene of the birth of the infant Jesus Christ. With a seeming spontaneity and recognition of the importance of this event, our children gathered together of themselves and depicted this beautiful experience once again, using adults and the children. Demi was Mary, Joy was the Angel, Lauren was little Joseph and of course the baby Jesus was our little Owen. The older children were shepherds and wise men. I was strengthened in this experience to know that our children believe in the story of the birth of Christ. Their testimonies were evident in this simple and evident expression of their faith. It was a beautiful evening.

Our little Joy is really growing up. She is the first grand daughter to begin her school experience. She is doing Kindergarten this year. It is amazing to see her progressing in her life. She is smart, capable and fun loving. She is our little drama queen. Ever since she was very little she has been so good at pretending and acting out parts from musicals that she has seen. We sure love her and think she is precious.

So fun to look back and see Dad from this youthful perspective. Someone was around taking pictures. Audrey your love of taking pictures will bring even more joy someday as you reminisce with family and friends. Thanks to Debbie Clonts Lane or her mother we have these treasured takes of Dad. Too Fun!

Our cute little family when they came to stay last week. I think I was downstairs on the couch sleeping. They all left me conked out down there. *pictures by Lena

Well today I'm not going to put any pictures in. I just want to express my gratitude for a special Sabbath Day. It is always such a blessing for all of us when we live a day in such a way that life just seems right. You seem to notice that even the outward surroundings are in harmony with what is inside your soul and you just feel a sense of peace. I suppose there are many things that come together on a day like today. Maybe it helped that I was fasting. Or maybe it was because I just felt at peace talking to the Lord and believing that all would be well regardless of our circumstances. Maybe it's because I enjoyed being at church and hearing from others and their experiences with the Lord. And then maybe it's because I was able to bake some pumpkin pies and prepare one for Seth to take to our daughter on his way to AZ. (Mom's love to do for family) It's more likely that all of these things together contributed to the feelings of joy and peace and serenity. But, be that as it may. I am grateful - especially for family and for my caring and loving friends. And most of all I'm grateful for the Lord and His kindness to me and for knowing that He lives and loves me. Today was a day when that knowledge seemed real and strengthening to me. It isn't hard to believe on a day like today. Deep inside your soul you just know that God is real and that life has meaning. You just seem to soak it all in and just BE. And so as I watch the beautiful autumn world around, with all it's gorgeous reds, oranges and golds. As I see the leaves falling to the ground, leaving the branches bare. As I feel the nip in the air and sense that winter is coming soon. As I come to the close of day and feel that this moment in time is slipping away and soon I will lay my head down and rest. I want to express with all my heart Gratitude for Today - because it was a gift that I would like to remember.

Looks like a picture that was taken yeas ago of Audrey. Couldn't resist putting this one on my Blog

Here's some Halloween pictures from Family.... Oh so cute.

Family Home Evening: Carving Pumpkins

This weekend has been busy to say the least. I finalized two weeks of rehearsals and practicing with the Orchestra at Temple Square. We performed this Friday and and Saturday and I was blessed to have my Mom attend with Seth on Friday to watch and support me in the performance that night. Saturday night Frank and Sara came as well as james and it was good to have them. The pics below are from the two performance nights. Friday with Granny and I ... and then on Saturday frank took this fantastic picture of the moon just to the side of the temple spires. It was a beautiful night.

We had such a fun time Sunday being with our little girls in Provo. They participated in their Ward's Primary Program, and both were selected to give short messages. Joy later gave a little talk by herself and did so well. She spoke clearly without hardly any help from her Daddy. Seth and I were so proud. Their little Primary did such a good job and the spirit that was there was so sweet and good. Later we went over to Frank and Sara's and shared a meal. It was so good to be with them. Autumn is here and winter is coming on. The day was a bit rainy and cold. Leaves had fallen and covered the walkway into their apartment. The air was crisp and these little student families had their doorways lined with pumpkins. It was such a sweet and happy sight. Sara fixed us such a nice little meal and we enjoyed being with them so much. It is such a blessing to have these wonderful children in our lives. We are so grateful!

Lauren has taken up reading these days... seems a bit odd that she still hasn't figured out how to let go of her binky. Oh well... all things in due time. She needs to get her reading down first.

So, as I said I'm trying to do the fall clean up for the garden and get it ready for a long winter's nap and then hopefully the flowers will wake up bright and cheery for a joyful Spring Celebration of color. Well, at least that's the idea. My geraniums were so lovely, I decided to dig them up and pot them so I can plant them again in the Spring. Mom came over and helped me last Saturday and it was so fun to do the job of transplanting together. She has always loved flowers and enjoys being in the garden so much. Hopefully it didn't hurt her back too much. The beautiful Rudbeckia below has become a new love. I plan on using it in my Spring garden. I saw this one up in Mendon at a fun nursery there. Anyway... this weekend will be another garden time. I will be planting some bulbs and doing some further clean up of the beds.

Life is simply a series of moments that we live. It's amazing when you keep a diary or make a frequent journal entry how full our lives really are. We shouldn't have any cause for boredom when you think of it. Even those occasional down days are probably good so we can rest and regroup for yet more exciting times ahead. As I look back on the last few weeks I marvel at all the happy and joyful experiences I've had. I was able to go to California and visit my sister and see the beauties of the High Sierra Mountain ranges where June Lake is nestled. There are actually many lakes around there and many mountainous regions to explore. We only took in a very small amount of all there was to do there, but it was fun and a new adventure for me and I enjoyed it greatly. When I got back home it was only a short time and Dorothy came to visit and spend a few days. The main emphasis was watching and enjoying Conference together, but we did a few other things as well and just seeing her was a treat. When she left we made a quick trip to Az to spend time with our family. Andy's mother passed on and so it was a time to reflect upon Allene's life and see all the good and to support our dear son-in-law. Back home again and now we are doing the fall cleanup in the garden and I'm practicing away for our Fall Orchestra Concert. (My shoulder and my sciatica has been stressed to the max... but I'm enduring) The Concert will be tonight. So... I'll share a few pics from my experiences. Life is good and I'm enjoying the moments of my journey.