Symphony Holiday Tradition

We have been attending the Denver Symphony and Choir Christmas concert since the girls were young and excited to dress up in their fancy, new Christmas dresses.

This year, no one wore a dress because we planned to walk around downtown Denver afterward and wanted to stay warm.

Misha and Sam came. As students, they are able to buy tickets at a discount rate. They had fantastic seats up front. We usually buy less expensive seats that are on the side of the stage. We may not get the front view, but it is still beautiful.

We wish that Amy could have been with us, especially since it was her birthday, but apparently her friends helped her to celebrate in Utah.

If you put your cursor over the picture below, that's about where Misha and Sam are sitting.

You've Had a Birthday Shout Hooray

Amy turns 22 this year. And it is crazy for her and for us to believe that she is 22. Time flies.

We have been blessed to have her in our family. She is often the "loud, let's get this party started" girl, the sarcastic commenter, the one no one really want to wake up, yet also the peacemaker and bond builder among her sisters.

We sure do love her and all of the great things she is doing in this life.

I remember talking with her the morning she finally got accepted to BYU. She started out the phone call crying and her dad and I immediately started with, "It's okay sweetheart." She stopped us mid tears and announced, "No, I GOT IN!"

BYU is the place for her and though it has been a challenging first semester, she has been blessed with some great roommates that she plans to stay with next Fall, she has a great job, she has had a lot of fun dating, and she still Facetimes with me regularly to check in. I love that.

She is loved in our family.

Kristen's Christmas Concert

I attended Kristen's "Holiday" Concert. They make a point of sanitizing any mention of Christmas or even allowing Christmas songs which is sad.

Kristen was beautiful and her choir sang beautifully. I only got videos, so no pics to post.

Photography Challenge November

 Photography Challenge November

Week 44 Fill The Frame

Week 45 Depth

Week 46 Celebration - celebrating a brilliant new day

Week 47 Lines 

Thankful Day 30 - Kind Neighbors

During the Winter months, our neighbor, who has a big blade on the front of his truck, will often remove the snow from our driveway. He specifically does it when he knows that Chris is out of town. I am grateful for his kindness. The service takes little effort on his part and about five minutes. It would take about a half an hour on the ATV to try and remove the snow on our own.

I am grateful to have great neighbors who are so kind.

Thankful Day 29 - God

How amazing is it to enjoy the vast sky that is repainted each day, morning and night, by the greatest artist?

I am so grateful for the beauty of the earth upon which we live. Beyond the amazing sunrises and sunsets, the vividness of God's hand in the creation of the world is all around us. 

Not only that, I am grateful for this beautiful world and the reminder that God is in all of the details of the details of my life. He knows me. He loves me. 

I am one of His most magnificent masterpieces.

New Gym Floor

I don't know if I have any pics of what the gym floor in the basement used to look like, but we had interlocking tiles laid on the floor that weren't the best quality. The tiles were flaking, breaking apart in some spots, and warping and bowing so it was getting dangerous to workout and not trip!

Chris and Misha spent most of Thanksgiving Day installing some new heavy duty tiles. Chris ordered exactly the right number of pieces. It smells a little like rubber tires in the gym now, but that should dissipate after a bit.

We moved the gym equipment around a little. It might be a few more tries before getting the right configuration, but the treadmill and large weight machine won't be moving again.

Crazy Phone Message

I found this funny message on my phone the other day.

"We are looking to fund Isis. Press one to be transferred to a terrorist."

Amy Back to Utah

Misha drove Amy back to her apartment in Denver so that Amy could see it and meet Misha's roommate Sarah. From there, Misha dropped Amy off at the train that would take her to the airport. Pretty slick.

Allergy Shiners

A couple of months ago when I had my annual physical, I asked my doctor about the dark circles under my eyes. She took one look at me (knowing my medical history) and said, "Oh, those are allergy shiners."

Apparently they happen when you take allergy medicine, specifically the same brand, for too long without switching. So I take off-brand products from Costco, but she recommended that I switch between the off-brands of Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin every two months. Still waiting to see if there is improvement.

I am thinking that perhaps some of it is also caused by my early morning hours for seminary. A friend said, "but you always get up that early!" My reply, "I would not get up that early if I didn't have to now."

Thankful Day 28 - Sunday on Monday Podcast

I LOVE the Sunday on Monday podcast. As a seminary teacher, it has been invaluable for helping me to understand the scriptures before I endeavor to teach them to the youth.

If you are interested, you have to sign up for a Deseret Bookshelf membership. (This is an affiliate link.)

I am pretty sure you would love it too.

If you choose to make a purchase from this link, I earn a small commission at no extra expense to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Thankful Day 27 - Not Having Covid

We have been blessed in family to not have Covid-19. We are grateful for vaccines and boosters and hand sanitizer and face masks to keep us healthy.

Amy and Misha Home

They were both happy to come home for a break from school during Thanksgiving break. And did I take many pictures? No.

There was lots of sleeping in, loudness, laughter, and hanging out with Kristen. She HATES being the only child left at home.

Misha mixed up some gingerbread dough, Kristen cut out and baked the cookies, and all three of the girls had fun decorating one night after Chris and I had gone to bed. We aren't good at staying awake late!

Thankful Day 26 - Senses

I am grateful for the blessing of being able to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.

Thankful Day 25 - My Bed

I am always grateful to relax into my bed after a long day (especially the ones that begin at 5 am!) I am grateful for people who research how to make a bed most comfortable and that we no longer sleep on corn husks or hay! 

Rhodes Rolls

To say my girls were disappointed that I bought Rhodes rolls to make for Thanksgiving Day dinner was an understatement. I think all three of them commented on how much they liked my rolls instead.

These rolls worked fine as well, but we'll have to go back to keeping with tradition next year.

The Old Crockpot

My girls gave me a great new crockpot a couple of years ago. The only drawback? The new crockpot doesn't fit the height of a turkey breast. So I have kept the old crockpot around for Thanksgiving Day when we cook a turkey. After 24 years of use, it still does a great job. (It was a wedding present.)

Thankful Day 24 - Temple

Chris and I had the opportunity to go to the Fort Collins Temple last night and do sealings for family names. So grateful that we have a temple close by and are blessed by it.

Thankful Day 23 - Amazon

Yep, I am grateful for the blessing of Amazon in my life. It saves me time, allows me to enhance my travel business, and allows delivery to my doorstep within days of ordering.

Thankful Day 22 - The Places I've Been

I am incredibly grateful for the many amazing places I have been able to visit throughout the world. Travel is an inspiring teacher.

Thankful Day 21 - Thanksgiving Break

There is no one more thrilled to turn off their daily 5 am alarm than a seminary teacher! I am grateful to teach, but I am also grateful to have some days to sleep in.

Chris and Jo Booster

After Misha's experience with her booster, Chris and I weren't really looking forward to a weekend of not feeling great. We scheduled our booster for a Friday afternoon and prepared for the worst. We did not receive a different vaccine from our original one.

Like Misha, the pain for me didn't set in until during the night or morning of the next day. I hurt all over, my head ached, and my stomach didn't feel great.

Chris didn't feel too terrible. I think that is probably because we both received the same dose and body size for a 6'4" man compared to a 5'2" woman assimilated the vaccine better.

I still felt a little down on Sunday, but Chris was back to feeling pretty good.

So grateful that we planned ahead with scheduling the booster before it was officially announced that all adult Coloradans were eligible for the booster.

Amy plans to get her booster over the Christmas holiday and Kristen is not eligible yet.

Thankful Day 20 - Vaccines

I am grateful for brilliant people who work to create vaccines that keep us safe. Chris and I just got our Covid booster yesterday, and while we aren't feeling so hot today, I am still grateful that we are being protected from more serious health challenges.

Putting Up Christmas

Kristen has been BEGGING to be able to put up Christmas decorations since October. I held her off until the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

I wasn't feeling too great from my booster shot, but I got her started and then let her finish up the Christmas tree and other decorations around the living room.

I love the magic of the Christmas and the lights.

Thankful Day 19 - Typing Class

I am grateful that I was able to learn to type during high school and then again to take a class in college.