Thirteenth Trip to the NIH

In one short month from today, I will be in sunny Cozumel with my sister Julie!  But last week, I was bundled up in Bethesda, enjoying the blessed benefits there with our son Shane.  He arrived safely from his travels in Peru on Dec. 7th, then took off with me on the 10th for my NIH appointment. One of the top three highlights of his trip was seeing llamas, his new favorite animal.  The other two are being able to visit Machu Picchu, and serving as the official witness for the marriage of his friends, Stewart and Kiara.

All my labs were great!  All in normal range.  Lymph nodes barely palpable.  No dreaded tests to endure!  Just cheery exchanges with the CLL team, then picking up my next 3-month supply of meds, and checking out
this year’s ingenious gingerbread display.

That evening, we took a taxi  to the Washington D.C. temple’s visitors center, really getting into the spirit of the season as we marveled at an international collection of crèches, before gathering in the warm auditorium for a concert of festive Christmas music.  All of this to honor the light that “shineth in darkness.” 

The next day we visited the Museum of American History, And most inspiring, the National Archives.  Just being near the Magna Carta, The original documents of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, stirred within us a sense of pride and patriotism for this great nation, which was, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Merry Christmas to everyone, everywhere!  Because of Christ’s birth, life, and mission, we are eternally blessed! Joy, joy, and still more joy, to the world!

Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks

Over the river and through the woods
To their grandparents’ home they came.
When suddenly out in the driveway was heard
A terrifically loud boom bang!
“It’s Greg!” Grandma said, shaking her head,
“But the neighbors don’t know our son.”
So the neighbors called the cops, who soon put a stop
To more fireworks, but not to more fun!
(based on truth)

Many thanks to Greg and Shauna, Katy, Tori, Josalyn, Juli, Christian, and Levi, for bringing us a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!  I was concerned our hosting skills might not be up to the challenge, but everyone pitched in, and all went exceedingly well. A few highlights we’ll remember:

Chicken feet

Snuggling up watching our first Christmas movie of the season, The Muppets Christmas Carol, while munching on Grandpa Dan’s special popcorn.

         An energetic dance party held at Colin and Macey’s. (Well, the kids were energetic.)

Shauna reading “Petite Rouge” with a flambuoyant Cajun accent.

More memories:

• Grandma acting out what Greg was reading to the family from the Book of Mormon.
• Finding silver dollars using Grandpa’s metal detector.
• The children’s excitement over drawing names and thrift shopping for Christmas presents for each other. And they also showed me several cute shirts, slacks, jeans, shoes and a vest they found for themselves.

How about that Thanksgiving dinner!  Greg told me he wondered when I’d learned to cook so well because “the dinner was delicious!”☻   Many hands really do make light work.  I am so glad it all turned out!

Another highlight I won’t forget is how often I prayed and prayed and prayed, countless prayers in fact, for Shane’s safety while he was traveling by bus in Peru and possibly in Bolivia, too.  I didn’t know exactly where he was.  That’s because he was out of phone and internet range for over a week.  I’ve now been able to offer up a great many prayers of thanks since hearing from him on Saturday..  This month’s fast was one of gratitude that he’s back in touch, and will be home this weekend! 

Due to reasons beyond their control, Greg’s family’s visit had to be cut short. We skipped arranging a ride on Santa’s Express, and decided to have our doughnut party at next summer’s reunion.  We served up Thanksgiving dinner by about 11 so that Greg could take a nap before beginning the long drive home.  The last thing we did together was to make a quick visit to Jordan’s sacred resting place at the cemetery.  We miss him so much, and want him to be part of every important occasion in our lives.  Upon reaching the freeway, Greg drove southeast and we drove northwest.  A parting of the ways, but not of hearts.  For these and many other things, we
praise God, from whom all blessings flow.