Home for the holidays

Or I guess it would be more accurate to say quarantined for the holidays.

Yes, the flu has made it's appearance in our home. Alli came down with it on Saturday and each day thereafter another one of us has succumbed to it. This is the first day since Christmas that I have felt almost human again.

I also wanted to let you know that my Oma had her surgery. She is recovering well from the surgery itself, but it does not look like the procedure has helped her feet. She may not lose her feet (ie. have to have them removed) but she will almost certainly lose the use of them. Still, I am praying for the best possible outcome.

Hope you all had a good Christmas. I am going back to bed!

Silent night, holy night

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Everyone wearing a goofy hat say "cheese"!

My OTHER Adventure

I was going through the photos of our trip to Cocoa Beach and I realized two things: 1) I didn't take very many pictures; and 2) most of the pictures are of scenery and not of us! Consequently, I don't really have many pictures of our trip to share with you.

Here are a couple taken at Disney.

I won't give you the blow-by-blow. (46 hours of driving...boring.) I will just give you some of the highlights and some of my observations:

Pennsylvania is my least favourite state. In fairness, I've only ever seen it in winter, but what I've seen has been kind of dismal looking. I imagine it's nicer in the spring.

Maryland, in contrast, seems to be "tidier" somehow. It also seems to be more prosperous maybe?

Taco Bell in the U.S. uses REAL MEAT in their tacos. That was novel.

I don't know what it is about North Carolina, but that state smells soooo good! I'm positive it's some kind of foliage, but I'm not sure what.

Some new vocab I learned: the phrase "fixing to" means "planning on" or "preparing to" as in "Were you fixin' to eat that taco with the real meat in it?"

What do you people feed your chickens??? I could not get over the size of the chicken parts! They are double in size to what we see here.

Richmond, VA is very pretty at night! The downtown buildings are outlined in white lights so the city silouette is visible from a distance. Very pretty.

I also enjoyed all the twinkly lights at Disney. The trees are dressed in hundreds of white lights that twinkle on and off. And the castle is covered in (I'm guessing) millions of lights, giving it the appearance of being covered in icicles. Here is a picture - it's not too clear, unfortunately.

Also in Richmond, VA: the Powhite Parkway. Not sure how that is correctly pronounced!

We were blessed to have outstanding weather the whole time we were there. We did a lot of swimming in the pool/ocean and walking on the beach. This is the second time we have stayed in this particular condo. It could not be more convenient. It is on the ground floor and the sliding doors open out on the the pool and patio. The beach is just a few steps beyond. We are real "beach lovers" so this is truly a dream come true for us, to open up the door and walk right out onto the beach.

I have to say, I find the sheer amount of processed and packaged foods that are available at the grocery store to be mind boggling. We do not have nearly the selection up here. Plus, it always cracks me up that you can buy beer and wine at the grocery store (or drug store, gas station, etc.)! Oh, another thing that cracked me up - in the drug stores they sell the stop smoking aids right beside the cigarettes! Kind of ironic, don't you think? (In Canada you can't buy booze at the grocery store and it's illegal to sell smokes at the drugstore.)

As you are probably aware, the space shuttle launch did not go off and was postponed until January. We were not aware that there was a launch scheduled until 2 days before it was supposed to go off and we were so excited about the possibility of seeing it! You can see Cape Canaveral really well from the beach and we were planning on going over to the pier to take it in. The Cocoa Beach Pier, which is normally pretty quiet that time of year, was PACKED by about noon the day of the launch. There were people tailgating in the parking lot and others camped out on the beach. The "Tiki Bar" at the end of the pier was filled to capacity with people waiting to see the launch. There was a real festive atmosphere about the place. Our condo was just two down from the pier so it made for some fun people watching even if we didn't get to see the shuttle launch.

Well those are just some random memories/observations. The week went by so fast, I really should have taken the time to jot down things as I thought of them! But I have to say, this was my favourite vacation ever!

A prayer request

My Oma (grandma) is in need of prayer. She developed celulitis (ulcers, basically) in her feet earlier this fall and due to circulatory problems in her legs the ulcers have never really healed. She is now in danger of losing her feet and possibly a leg. The only option is to have bypass surgery on her legs.

Of course, at 86 years old, surgery carries greater risks, so I would ask that you pray for Oma and for her surgeons. She will be having the surgery just as soon as a bed is available - hopefully sometime this weekend.

Oma is in quite good spirits though. When told that among the complications was the possibility that she could die, she responded "That's ok too."

I'm not really afraid that Oma will die. She has been lonely since my Opa died in 2003 and she has said flat out that she is ready to die. Once she said, "Who knew it would take so long to die?" She is basically just waiting to go home, so if she dies I am comforted in knowing that she desires to be with her Saviour. I am actually more worried that they won't be able to save her feet/leg. If they can't, they will have to remove them. That frightens me.

They expect that she will be in hospital for about 2 weeks after the surgery to recover, so we're talking right over Christmas. My aunt Trudy is coming from Australia after Christmas to look after Oma when she gets home.

I will keep you updated as I hear more. Thank you to everyone who is willing to lift up this need.

The long wait for Jesus

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5

Sometimes I think I must live under a rock or something. I've been reading references lately to Christmas being "controversial" amongst Christians and at first I thought "HUH???" I mean I know that JW's don't celebrate Christmas, but there are real, actual Christians who think it's wrong to celebrate Christmas?? Okay.....

Well, I for one am going to go on record as coming down on the side of Christmas. Christmas good.

Yes, ok, I know that commercialism and secular trappings have all but obscured the true focus of the day, but there IS a reason why we continue to celebrate Christmas folks. And I know that you're thinking that it's because it's Jesus' "birthday"...but that's not really the reason either.

We celebrate the day of the Saviour's birth because it is a reminder that God keeps his promises.

Do you remember when God first promised a Redeemer to fallen mankind? It was back in the Garden! (Genesis 3:15) Adam and Eve had God's promise that her offspring would restore them to their former relationship with God. I wonder if they were disappointed when their children were born and one after another they realized that this one too was not the promised Saviour? Still, disappointed though they may have been, the hope of the Saviour didn't die with Adam and Eve. The hope was passed on down through the generations, and even when there was only one man and his family on the earth who trusted God's promise, yet the hope lived on. How many years passed between that first promise and the coming of the Messiah? I don't know off the top of my head. I suppose I could google it and find out exactly, but it was, what - maybe four or five thousand years? A long time, anyway. If after all that time you decided to give up on the promise, really who could blame you? And many did give up.

But then along came Jesus.

Here we are some 2000 years after Jesus' first coming. We are in the season of Advent, waiting for Christ's return. And it has been a long wait. There are so many times when I've looked at the world around me and wondered, "Why do you tarry, Lord?" Sometimes I get discouraged too...but not discouraged enough to give up on the promise. I'll never give up on that promise.

It's not that I'm better or more faithful than those who gave up. It's because of Christmas, you see. Each Advent I wait, and each Christmas hope is renewed. Christ has come. God keeps his promises.

Jesus is coming again - this He promised. Until He comes, we wait, and while we wait we celebrate Christmas as areminder that God keeps his promises.

Why I'm smiling today

Still on cloud nine over my lovely visit with Debbie, when I got a surprise phone call from Beth today. Know why?

She just wanted to hear my voice.

Isn't that sweet? We had a brief, but very nice chat.

Ladies, you are spoiling me! Careful or I am going to come to expect all the personal attention, *grin*.

Debbie & Anita's Excellent Adventure

Here we are, just minutes after meeting. Our families met in the lobby of the hotel we were staying in. I first saw little Nathan come through the door and I recognized that little guy immediately. Then Caleb and Debbie and her husband came in and I just jumped up and I barely knew where to look first. I had been waiting nervously and then all of a sudden everybody was there! Then Debbie and I headed straight for each other and a looooong hug ensued. I think I had tears in my eyes a little bit and I just remember thinking, "Thank you Lord for blessing me with Debbie's friendship" and being very excited and happy.

Then we made introductions all around. Our husbands hit it off immediately - can you tell? That was something I was hoping for - Debbie was too - but the way they took to each other so quickly, and so firmly, was just amazing to see.

Next we had a little gift exchange! What do you think we exchanged?

This is a pretty Scripture cup that Debbie gave me with a passage from Psalm 90 on it: "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us..." It is my new coffee cup. I used it this morning and just looking at it reminds me of our time together.


I had a miniature tea set for Debbie that I bought for her almost a year ago. I found it last spring and bought it with her in mind. There were so many times that I was dying to put a picture of it up on my blog, lol, but I knew that one day the Lord would bring us together so I saved it for that day.

When I say that the Lord brought us together, I mean it. The Lord's hand was clearly in this meeting. He turned our hearts toward one another and a genuine bond has been formed between our families. I am still in awe and thanksgiving at His loving kindness towards us.

Now, after our initial meeting we headed over to Debbie's church where we were treated to Christmas dinner! Debbie's daughter Amanda had gone on to the church ahead of us and when we got there she welcomed all of us with big hugs. That girl is the sweetest little thing! (And very pretty too; I noticed my boys blushing as they were introduced to her, *smile*) Our kids hit it off right away too (are you noticing a pattern here?) and after dinner they all headed off to do some shopping at Wal-Mart leaving me and Debbie and our men to our own devices.

Since it was well into the evening and most things were closed, we went on a drive around town. First we checked out the historic downtown area and our host an hostess pointed out the sights. Then we went "on post", that is we went on to the Ft. Bragg army base and toured around a bit. Debbie's husband Graham knew his way around pretty well and we saw quite a bit even though it was dark. It was pretty neat to see, like a little community all it's own. It was quite a bit larger than I thought it would be too.

After we left the base, we stopped for what was a first for me:




That's right, my first hot-out-of-the-oven Krispy Kreme! That was the best donut I ever ate, mmmmmm...... Debbie and I took pictures of each other biting into them, but we promised each other we would not post them. You know, in the interest of propriety. But feel free to imagine.

That was the end of the night for us because we were kind of pooped out from driving all day and we wanted to get a good nights sleep for church the next day.

We got to church a bit early and while we were waiting for Debbie and her family we got a chance to meet and talk with some of the brothers and sisters at Vander Church of God. Everybody was so friendly and welcoming and we felt right at home. We ended up going into the sanctuary before Debbie got there because it was filling up and we wanted to sit close to the front.

Now I have to tell you, that was about as different a worship service as I have ever been to! It was very lively...or at least I thought it was lively, but Debbie said it was kind of subdued! My son Brent, who sat beside me, commented how much he enjoyed the preacher. He was very dynamic, encouraging the congregation to interact with him. Now, I know that for many of you this is old hat, but this was a new experience for me. And I have to tell you, a couple of years ago my eyes probably would have bugged out at the sight of the preacher jumping up and down with excitement, but God has been working on my heart for a while now, convicting me that I should not presume to judge how others express their joy in the Lord. So I just kinda rolled with it - I clapped along and sang loudly and swayed back and gave the preacher an "Amen!" when he called for it. I though I might be self-conscious doing so, but it came quite naturally.

Oh, and Amanda has a lovely singing voice and is a talented worship leader! I couldn't help singing along loudly with her. I was so glad that they picked hymns that I knew so that I could sing along and participate. And that was a real highlight for me, worshipping with Debbie. You guys probably don't know, but it is something I've longed for - to worship beside each of you, my friends. One day, I know...

After church we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. There was a bit of a wait to get in so we all sat outside on rocking chairs and enjoyed some fellowship together.











We had fun at lunch, laughing and telling stories and jokes, but before we knew it, it was 3 o'clock and time for us to get back on the road. I kept saying, "but I don't want to go home!". It was just such a lovely day it was hard to leave.


Debbie had one last parting gift for me:




She presented me with a beautiful teacup - my first - and she has an identical one.


Now we can go online and "have tea" together! Isn't that sweet?

The last two pictures that we took were of Debbie's family - and they didn't turn out!! I was so upset when I saw that, because they were the only pictures I had of them all together.

So there's nothing else to do, of course, but to begin planning our next get together so I can get more pictures, *wink*! But seriously though, I think Debbie said it best: "We can't believe the bond that was formed from this! It is amazing what God has done! Just think, this is just the beginning of something wonderful!!" I have no doubt that there will be more visits in the future.

So at last we said our goodbyes and exchanged hugs (and a few tears) and Debbie and Graham prayed over us for safe travels...and then we parted. But even though we are separated by 1000 or so miles, we are united in heart and in Spirit. God is so good.

Wow! It's taken me almost two hours to post all this and I haven't even touched on our Florida vacation yet. Suffice it to say that we had a nice, relaxing holiday. We agree that it was our best vacation ever. I feel very blessed to have had the time away with my family but I am glad to be back home too. I am still catching up on all of your blogs, so if I haven't stopped by yet to say hello, I will soon, I promise!

He is coming

I have a hard time remembering that it is Advent now and Christmas is around the corner. To me, Christmas time means cold and snow. We feel like it is summer because we are in shorts and sandals and we are not thinking about the upcoming holiday much.

This is the third time in the last 5 years that we have taken a vacation at the beginning of December. If I am at home, "preparing for the coming of Christ" usually turns into a ridiculously long (and mostly unnecessary) list of stuff to do to get ready for Christmas Day. I really try not to, but somehow each year "stuff" creeps in...and it can all to easily take over and obscure the Christ Child.

In a strange way, taking a holiday just before Christmas keeps me from getting carried away with "stuff". By the time I come back from my vacation, it is too late to get much done anyway. No baking, no shopping, no gift wrapping. Little decorating beyond getting the tree up. No parties, no open houses.

And yet Christmas comes any way.

Me and my silly rushing around. Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Hi y'all!

I am saying that with my best Southern accent!

Ok, it's Tuesday night and I am checking my mail, etc. from the Cocoa Beach public library. I have 30 minutes so I have to be quick.

The drive down was good - long and tiring but we had clear skies and dry roads the whole way. I prayed for good driving conditions, and as always God is gracious.

The weather here has been absolutely perfect! It has been sunny and quite warm - 80 degrees until it cooled down a bit today. We have spent most of our time so far around the pool and at the beach. Sunday there was a surfing contest at the Pier, that was so cool to see!

We are doing Disney tomorrow but what we are really looking forward to is there is supposed to be a shuttle launch on Thursday. We can see Canaveral from the balcony in our building, so I'm really hoping this thing goes off as planned. We had no idea there was a launch scheduled, so this an unexpected surprise.

Saturday we are heading back, stopping to see Debbie on the way back. We got into town to late to visit with her on the way down, but we have dinner and church planned for this weekend. It is really beautiful where she lives. I'd love to live there. I might just look into it, *wink*!

If I get a chance I'll check in again before we leave. I have 5 minutes left so I have to get off now. TTFN!