Light of the season.

In the middle of a city filled with the hustle and bustle of the season

we find quiet moments of peace.

The mission for today ....

was to find us a Christmas tree.
There are tree lots everywhere here in Phoenix, however, we have grown to love the ones we pick ourselves. The hunt for the not so perfect tree.
We had planned on going up north on Saturday but due to the weather we postponed it.
Today was Tree Day.

Tia went with us and we headed out of town, planning to meet Annette with kids and Dave & Miranda with kids along the way.
The drive up toward our meeting spot was looking a little like we might just have a cactus in our living room ... and then maybe nothing at all!

The views of snow either left from last weekend or newly sprinkled brightened our day!
The tree situation was not looking any better.
Maybe we'll do table top trees this year? We could probably do many, but the permit only allows for one per family.

I have to tell you that Costco is only a few miles away. They sell, I'm sure, beautiful trees.
As do WalMart, Target and nearly every store around.
Between my house and all those lovely convenient tree shopping experiences are only a "few" stoplights. Not any of this absolutely beautiful scenery that we were witness to today.

And then ... what to my wonderful eyes should appear! A tree ... or two!

With enough snow to make snowballs and sunshine to warm the day to a beautiful 25 degrees.

We tromped through snow, found our perfect trees, and headed back for a bonfire complete with hotdogs, marshmallows and hot cocoa. And visiting. Oh, but I do love visiting. Juha wasn't able to join us as he is off toodling across the country. His kids were seriously missing him today. They got to cut the tree, drag the tree .... all that good stuff that dad must usually do.

 The license plates are from the three rigs that went today. Fun, hey?

After a beautiful afternoon enjoying fresh air and sunshine, we all headed home with our trees secured to our rigs ... through all those same beautiful vistas again. Lucky ducks we are.

The smell of fresh cut pine is wafting through the house tonite.
Maybe tomorrow we'll work on getting it decorated.

I believe we have started a new tradition in our family.
Now we'll just wait and see how many of the munchkins want to join us next year!

Today's Learning Lesson

In case you don't know how many hours of sleep your body requires ....
today I learned to start with 7.5 hours.
From there you apparently adjust up or down depending on how you feel?

That would mean that if I need to be up at 4:30 tomorrow morning, and if my math skills are up to date, I should really be laying my head on my pillow at 9pm.

Hmmm.

I don't think, unless I've been so sick I couldn't see straight anymore, I've ever been to bed that early.

How on earth have I survived this long?

There was something else I was dangerously close to learning today.

(This is what happens when patients are listening to "educational" daytime tv while recovering.)

It had something to do with thread count of sheets.

I quit listening.

Advent Program

I have to tell you.

As still as I tried to keep a camera .... these kids just don't stand still enough!

This would be about 1/3 of the Sunday School.

The numbers have certainly grown.

I didn't manage a picture of the Kindergarten class at all.

I certainly tried.

They were pure darling!

 

This would be the 9th grade class.

Seems like only yesterday that my littlest one was starting Sunday School.

Tonight she sang in her last Sunday School Program.

Mary was amazed to hear

tidings from an angel:

"You shall bear the Son of God,

Christ, the Lord and Savior!"

'Tis the season ...

of festivities and life as busy as you can possibly make it!
I know what I did this week and it was full.
Very full.
Christmas came to our house with the exception of the tree.
I've baked my first double batch of sugar cut out cookies and decorated with blue. I'm hoping no on thinks they are Hanukkah cookies. I asked one of the girls and they said "what??" I think I'm safe.

We were suppose to be at the Grand Canyon today getting a Christmas tree. This sounds just a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? We've sort of fallen in love with the Charlie Brown trees we've had the last several years and aren't quite ready to go back to the fake tree or the tree lot buy. We picked up a permit to cut our own (and drive 4 1/2 hours for the privilege) and hopefully this week we'll have one in the house. I have no clue where it is going to fit, but we'll find a place I'm sure. Tree hunting didn't work today as the north country was getting plenty of snow. Does that bother us? It sounds like it, but really it doesn't. Driving in it with folks who aren't use to it does bother us. Icy roads under snow bother us. We decided that risking our lives for a tree probably isn't worth it ... at least not today.

Not getting a tree freed up all kinds of other possibilities for the day and evening. Alyx and I ran and did a wee bit of shopping. I delivered gifts to the US Postal Service so they could deliver them to whomever they were addressed to. :) Done! Cards went out earlier this week. Check that one off the list. I'm sure I'm missing folks on my list ... if you're expecting one in your mailbox and it doesn't show up, it has more to do with my malfunctioning brain cells than pure neglect.

I had several places I would have liked to be this evening. Several outdoor activities and a church service as well. The outdoor activities were nixed because I decided it was too cold. Too cold?!! Yes. The wind was blowing, the rain falling intermittently, the clouds black and nasty. I stayed home and took a nap instead. I'm going to regret it later I know. But for tonite ... it feels awesome to sit here and relax.

Last evening, after knowing we weren't headed north today, I spent some time online trying to figure out how to take night shots with my camera with the plan to be places this evening that would give me the opportunity to practice a bit. My brain just can't keep all this stuff in it and remember everything else as well. It would probably help if I used the camera a bit more and worked at learning those camera settings. It quite obviously isn't important enough to me. My brain starts to glaze over when I try to comprehend photography related things. I set up the niftiest looking tripod you've ever seen last night. Bar stool with books piled on top variety and started taking shots around the living room minus the trusty flash that I detest.

( A very special gift from my godparents, Audrey & Harry, for our 25th wedding anniversary.

We were married in Faith United Lutheran Church, making this very fitting.)

 (Another treasure ... a nativity set made by my mom complete with the manger made by my dad.)

Tomorrow evening we celebrate Advent with the Advent Program. The Sunday School is too large to accomodate one Christmas Program so there are 3 programs: Advent, Christmas and Easter. Tia is in the Advent program. It could almost make me weepy and nostalgic. This will be the last year of Sunday School programs for us as she gets confirmed this summer. Oh, but time just seems to have wings somedays.

Special Thanks on this Thanksgiving weekend.

I have pondered how to best share this story and feel that I must share it with you.It is quite a miracle and a great way to celebrate a Thanksgiving weekend.

This story began a long time ago.

Jari's family moved here from Finland when he was but a year old. They were assisted in coming to America by his maternal aunt, Martta. Martta was always a large piece of their lives and passed away from cancer several years ago. Even most of my side of the family has met Martta as she had been to visit in our home numerous times.

Jari had a cousin, Martta's son, who had passed away as well and his children were lost to this side of the family. About six years ago, I spend a lot of time trying to find them and every road came to a dead end. It was just not meant to be at that time in our lives.

In the past several weeks the family has been contacted by a gentlemen named Bob. He is no relation to the family at all, but was looking for his boyhood friend ... who happened to be Jari's first cousin. Bob has the great fortune of living on the east coast, where they all lived at one time, and has access to resources that are difficult for us to touch being so far away.

In his journey to find his friend, who he found was deceased, he made an astounding discovery. Martta also had another son. We may never know all the pieces of this story and why things went the way they did but the second son, Geoff, was placed for adoption at birth. He was raised by a very loving family for whom we are extremely grateful and thankful. I can't imagine what a person goes through when they start the journey to find their "birth" family. Adoption records were sealed and although he spent much in the way of time and energy, he was unable to discover anything to help him in his quest. Until recently. Bob, through some chance of fate, shares the same last name as Geoff's birth mother did although they are no relation. Bob shared the same last name as his best friend when they were growing up together, something they often marveled over. At some point Geoff learned the name of his birth mother, knew he had a brother and just recently contacted Bob in hopes that he was finding his brother. What he found instead was a gentlemen who was willing to help him find the links he had been searching for. For Bob had already been talking to the rest of the "birth family" in the past several weeks.

This past weekend we received an e-mail that gave the Marjanen family a nephew. Gave them a cousin. Telephone calls were made back and forth while we waited to see a picture of our newly found cousin. We now have a face to put with a name and are most anxious to meet him someday soon. He is anxious to meet his kin as well. Facebook has allowed us to share pictures of his birth mother. Someday, over a cup of coffee, we hope to share the pieces of her life that we knew with the son who was never able to meet her.

Along the way we have also found one of those cousins for whom I searched 6 years ago. We are hopeful that at some point we can meet them as well.

Over the weekend while we were quickly learning all sorts of new things, I had to really marvel at what a miracle it all is. Quite often I have to say I've been a member of the Instant Gratification Society in my life. Just as often I have heard, "All in God's time." This weekend was His time. For it didn't matter how much one would have wanted it before, it was not meant to be. The treasure was waiting for when the time was right. We are thrilled.

I am quite confident that we will meet Geoff before too long. I hope we can also meet Bob someday. Several weeks ago he was a complete stranger, unknown to any of us. He set out to find a friend ... and then to help one. He has brought so much joy to so many lives.

We can simply give thanks.

A Thanksiving full of reasons to be thankful.

Dining outdoors.

Delicous goodies.

Palm fronds swaying in the breeze under skies that shifted between clouds and sunshine.

Bare feet in green grass.

Hands that can play a game.

Family to play with.

Newborn smells and snuggles.

Duke ... our crumb cleaner ... who loves to eat ice.

Jenny who had Sonic ice ... not intended for Duke!

Brian who adds a touch of wit to our days.

Kierstyn who has a bit of a competitve spirit.

Trina who was content to just sit and watch.

Taryn who is just all around sweet.

Natasha, whose immediate family is not close by, but who now lives close to us.

Funny moments that make us laugh.

Thankful that we were able to enjoy the company of four of our children today.

We missed Brock, who is in Minnesota, but were able to chat many times by phone today.

Thankful for daughters who are also sisters.

Thankful for my wonderful husband.

God has richly blessed our lives.