QUICK POLL

So I know that I could throw this on my side bar but I want you all to know that I mean business. I need you're opinions on something. We have our 10 year reunion coming up and our Sr. Class Pres. roped some of us in to helping. So here's the first assignment. In your opinion as far as the reunion goes should we do A) One night, alumni only; B) One night with spouses; C) Two nights, one of each; or D) a full day, morning at the park with whole families and evening with alumni only. At our friends Christmas party we all had opinions of our own and everybody had a legitimate reason for each. So let me know you're opinion, especially those of you who have had your reunions. The reunion is not until next summer so let me know whenever but the sooner the better (because I'm anal and want Swift to make a decision:) THANKS!!!

JUST A LITTLE SOMETHIN'

So lately there have been lots of fun things to write about so I just may be updating a little more frequently. Recently we bought a new laptop and with it came a whole new freedom of blogging/computer-use-all-together. It's been really good times. With it also came the need of a new wireless modem, so I searched good old KSL and then came across my new friend Russ. Let me just tell you this now, this man is a computer genius and he was over today and gave both the laptop and the desktop a good once over. He's affordable, he's honest, and both of my computers are now working much faster than before. So if anyone out there is in need let me know and I'll drop his info. PS He also does house calls and is totally trustworthy.
Anywho on with the lastest, so my next door neighbor got a new camera and photoshop for her birthday so we decided she could practice on my beautiful children for our Christmas cards and maybe a good old fashioned update of the pictures on the wall. Here's a few goodies


The last one is the one we picked for the Christmas card. What I need right now is help with a decision on which picture of Abby to use for our living room wall. I love them both so give me your input. Thanks!
PS Shelby was so not cooperative this day so none of her individuals turned out. However if you will refer to my previous post you will see that a dear friend of mine captured some fantastic shots of her so we'll use one of those for the wall. Thanks again Veronica and Alicia!!!

What happens when you have a professional photographer babysit?

Well let me tell you all a little story. So this Christmas season I've planned very well on what I want to get everybody for Christmas. I had my list all written up and knew exactly what I needed. The key was getting to the store without any "helpers". So this morning I decided to call upon my friend Veronica (as in Veronica Reeve Photography, which you can link to through her name on my Bloggin sistas to the right ;) and ask her to take the two young ones while I go to the store for a couple of hours and smack this thing out. Well two bits of good news to share. One, I am 99% done with Christmas shopping, only needing six more things and I know exactly what and where they are. And two, I came back to Veronica's to find little Shelby's hair curled. I said, "Oh Shelby did you get your hair done?" and Veronica said, "Yeah, sorry, we had a little photo shoot." Might I recommend that if you need a baby sitter, find a photographer who is going through withdrawls of not taking pictures for a while. Here's the outcome
And that is my Christmas joy.

The Spirit of the Season

So I just got an e-mail from my mom and decided it was worthy of my blog. This is just a little reminder of what we should be doing this Christmas season. Before you read further, get out a BOX of kleenex. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Pa never had such compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load.Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood- --the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting.What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? "Yeah," I said, "Why?" "I rode by just today,"Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt."That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. "Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning.I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy?Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern. We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp."We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it.She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time.There was a pair for her and one for each of the children--sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out."We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too.In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us.In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true.I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get.Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug.They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again.. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away. Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, "'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back cam by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do.Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensen’s, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.