'twas the week before

Christmas!

We can imagine everyone's planning and preparing and baking and shopping and wrapping and ramping it up all around. I'm ready for a nap!

This photo was taken at the grounds of the Mormon temple outside Washington where they do an amazing light festival. One man said they start putting the lights up in August. Now that's planning ahead.

We went there last Saturday with Gerry and Dennis and then came home for dinner. Margaret and her friend Andrew dropped by Sunday after going to Pennsylvania for Andrew's family get-together.

Margaret told us Kathleen graduated, finishing her physician's asst program at Yale. Congratulations! Thats a lotta work! Mary talked to Dan who had a nice long visit in Colorado with Patrick.

Speaking of studies, Joe and Sean are finishing up their first semester exams! They'll be ready for a break.

I'm up at Grandma's and will be heading over to Newark this evening to pick up Annie and Joe! We'll come back to Hightstown for the night before heading north.

Grandma has opted to undergo a procedure next week for a feeding tube. That should help with her weight loss.

She sure appreciates the cards she's gotten. It's a highlight of the week for her.

Only a few more sleeps before Noel. Wishing every one a blessed Christmas. Love from down here!

It's Beginning to Feel

A lot like Christmas.  At least the weather.  Maybe the music, the decorations, the Advent wreaths.  We saw on Facebook that Paula was already baking her world-famous cookies.  And David was driving through a snowstorm when he called the other day.

Has anyone heard this year's worst Christmas song?  Margaret found this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txpdpWyY2x.  We're taking other nominations.

 

We're making plans.  Today, I'm heading north with a sleigh full of bags and equipment for Christmas week. 

 

On the way, I'll stop in and see Grandma.  She's having a medical meeting tomorrow, and Peter will be there as well.  Grandma has pretty much gotten over her bout with pneumonia - she's not coughing as much.  She had gone back into the hospital after feeling short of breath, but was released after a series of tests found nothing new, phew.  But she still has to build up her energy and breathing before she can go back to her apartment.  That's her goal!

 

Newsflash:  CLAIRE GETS HER LICENSE TODAY!  I can almost hear from here, the squeals of Claire's delight, then the squeals of the tires out the driveway, then a very different kind of squeals from the parents (with Daniel in the background figuring out how much longer he has to wait until he gets his.)

 

More routine news without any squeals:  Mary has been busy at work, with evaluations and reports and even a Christmas party here and there.  Her back is much, much better, which means she's back to her exercise routine.  Joe is heading into exam period; Margaret is well into her new job at the GW business school; and Annie is also busy with work.  She bought herself a new mask for the pollution which she says she is weasring everywhere.  Good!  I see from the Durban climate change talks that China is now the largest emitter.  Just a few short years ago when the meeting was in Montreal, it was us.  I see one thing hasn't changed, though:  we are still bearing the brunt of the criticism!

 

I am winding up my year of classes on the Old Testament.  I look back and know now first how little I knew about the Bible, and how much more there is to know.  Starting in January, we'll take up the New Testament!

 

Other than that, we've been watching football, we went to the Descendents (recommend) and playing "Ashokan Farewell" on the guitar to win a bet!

 

Love from down here and enjoy the season and the wait!