CHRISTMAS AND COLD...

Charlie, Sara, Chris and I loaded up on Wednesday afternoon before Christmas and headed for Mississippi. It was nice to have some time with just my mom and dad for awhile. We opened our gifts on Christmas morning and then headed to my sister's to meet up with other family members. It was a full house - sisters, brothers-in-laws, niece, nephews, great nephew, nephews' girlfriends... Unfortunately Jason and his family and Masha and her husband couldn't join us. One of these days we'll all be together again. I'm so looking forward to that day. We enjoyed a delicious meal... presented mom and dad with a gift that totally surprised them (a love seat that they had inquired about from my sister and were planning to purchase after the holidays... because my sister told them it would not be available until then... ha! we fooled them!!) Unfortunately, we had to leave earlier than planned due to roads with ice and snow. We made it home without incident on Friday evening.





My sisters... Bev, Belinda, Brenda and me


On Saturday evening, we enjoyed celebrating Christmas with Jason, Jenny and the grandkids. We had a delicious meal prepared by Jenny. Sammy and Lizzie enjoyed opening gifts... reading books... playing with new toys... and so did everyone else. Kids and Christmas... it's all so much fun!







We're being promised warmer weather for this week. It's been in the single digits for much of last week... with just enough snow to be an annoyance on the roads. Charlie and I took a drive along the Great River Road in Alton and Grafton, Illinois. We saw deer, geese, and bald eagles. It was my last free Saturday for the next 8 weeks and it was a fun day... seeing the bald eagle in the wild and an evening with Sammy and Lizzie.

Upward Basketball began Saturday, January 9... 8 weeks of basketball, devotions, stars, winners and fun! The first day went well with only a few minor glitches. It's busy... it's tiring... it's even frustrating at times... but worth every minute of it!! More updates as we go through the season.