7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 7

FAMILY

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 6

Tradition

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 5

Christmas vacation...the movie and the actual experience!

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 4

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 3

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It's the hap -happiest season of all

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings

When friends come to call

It's the hap - happiest season of all

There'll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the snow

There'll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

There'll be much mistltoeing

And hearts will be glowing

When loved ones are near

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

There'll be parties for hosting

Marshmallows for toasting

And caroling out in the snow

There'll be scary ghost stories

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

There'll be much mistltoeing

And hearts will be glowing

When loved ones are near

It's The Most Wonderful Time

It's The Most Wonderful Time

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 2

Cookies...no need say more. Holiday food is the best!

7 Reasons to Celebrate--Part 1

Grace, 'Tis a Charming Sound

Grace, ’tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to mine ear;

Heaven with the echo shall resound,

And all the earth shall hear.

Grace first contrived the way

To save rebellious man;

And all the steps that grace display

Which drew the wondrous plan.

Grace first inscribed my name

In God’s eternal book;

’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,

Who all my sorrows took.

Grace led my roving feet

To tread the heavenly road;

And new supplies each hour I meet,

While pressing on to God.

Grace taught my soul to pray

And made mine eyes o’erflow;

’Twas grace which kept me to this day,

And will not let me go.

Grace all the work shall crown,

Through everlasting days;

It lays in heaven the topmost stone,

And well deserves the praise.

O let Thy grace inspire

My soul with strength divine

My all my powers to Thee aspire,

And all my days be Thine.

Augustus Montague Toplady

1740-1748

let it snow

Coolest thing. This morning, my dad told me and my brothers that people driving in to church a certain way had seen snow on the tops of the mountains, so we decided to take this route back home to see if we could catch a glimpse. We're driving along, my youngest brother (skeptical of seeing snow when it was 56 degrees out), was the first to spot it. All of a sudden, there were the mountains , snow-capped. It was glorious! Beautiful. Breathtaking. It made me feel happy inside. It has been strange making preparations for a season that in years past has always been accompanied by frosty weather and snow days. I'm not going to lie...I do not miss having to let my car run for fifteen minutes before going anywhere, or chipping ice off the windshield, or shoveling my tires out of the driveway to leave for work in the morning. But there are some things I miss from the Minnesota plains. The whole world sounds different after a heavy snowfall. In the rural town where my family lived for 11 years, the snow covered the fields, and when the sun set, the light seemed to touch absolutely everything, making it glow.

It was refreshing to spot that fluffy white stuff and know that it's less than a hour away by car. Refreshing to know that we can live in Southern California comfort and still get our snow fix every once in a while!