Author: Angela

I write so my family will always have letters from home.

6 years

2017: Paige reminded us that this was the last year that we were all together for Christmas. I think I had steeled myself to the idea of not having everyone around, so I hadn’t kept track. In 2017, there were 6 of us, and now there are 8. 🙂

As we opened gifts together, I enjoyed seeing how thoughtful everyone was. Some had created handmade gifts, and others had shopped to find perfectly matched gifts for a sibling or parent.

Whenever I remember that Mark will be on a mission for the next two Christmases, I stop myself. Why rob from the joy of this moment? Plus, having a missionary is another kind of joy. But mostly, I am avoiding all thoughts about this. Mark is my baking buddy, and he has faithfully helped me decorate the house, inside and out. He is a wonderful companion to me.

It has taken some time to draw Tim back into our family dynamic. The transition from missionary to everyday Latter-day Saint is not an easy one, but we saw more sparkle in his eyes during the past week. Don’t worry, he is fine, he is just adjusting to a huge change in his life. I remember Daniel’s post-mission life, and reminding him that it was worthy work to spend time with family. Tim has introduced us to enjoying seafood and a game called Bang. He also gets a funny happy expression whenever we serve rice at dinnertime. 😁 Mostly, we enjoy his humor and his light.

Daniel and McKenna are fun company. Daniel also plays background piano music as often as he can, and McKenna cracks jokes all the time. Mark and McKenna, being youngest siblings, really speak a similar language, and get along really well.

Paige has always been our traditions keeper, gently reminding us of things we do. One evening while people wrapped gifts in private corners of the house, she and Mike watched year after year of our annual home movies. Paige gave gifts of her art, including two children’s books and this precious portrait of Sparky:

Richard and I are behind in our tradition of preparing the annual Christmas video. This is our 20th year making one. Our show is shorter this year because of less family time, but the events are much more exciting and span the world. Richard and I enjoy the time working on this together and remembering the year. 2023 was full of important events, and we anticipate 2024 will be another big year.

50th Anniversary Party

We celebrated my parents’ 50th anniversary last night with a party and a program. One thing I can’t show here is the video presentation that Richard and I prepared from a mountain of photos and video contributed by family. It is too long to post here, but I think it was lovely.

The morning after an event like this is always sweet with memories. It was a treat to work with my siblings and their spouses on this party, and it was a treat to honor our parents. ♥️

Together

Paige and Mike arrived in town on Wednesday, and Daniel and McKenna dropped by last night. As soon as they walked in, I realized that we had all of our kids together in our home. It’s been two years and several weeks since we have enjoyed time together like this.

It was a busy evening, with a friend visiting and preparations for my parents’ anniversary party. Daniel played through a Christmas songbook on the piano, and eventually several of us sang along. Paige and Mike played a game, Tim and Richard watched a movie together, and I moved from room to room, enjoying the sight.

Tree Makers

Tim and Josh are always up to something interesting. One thing they have been doing lately is building these wooden Christmas trees to sell. These are the ones I chose for our house. I am pretty sure I got a custom paint job because the colors I selected were already sold out, yet they delivered just the colors I wanted.

Evening walk

I took an evening walk recently, and the neighborhood is a very different place at this hour. (Ha! Just look at the size of our friends’ yard decoration!) I spend 9 months of the year trying to stay warm, and I call that one of my negative adult traits. When I was a child, I was willing to risk a cold face and hands to be outside. I need to be more like that. I have determined to bundle up and take my winter walks whatever time of day I can.

I love walking in the summer, but there is something about the stillness of the surroundings in a winter walk that really calms the soul.

At odds

My mind is at odds with itself, with a portion wanting to reflect on the year and to write, and the other portion focused on my TO DO lists. My writing energy has gone to several church talks during the past month. Since I love public speaking, I realize that this time devoted to writing church talks is a gift.

Someone asked me yesterday if I had ever considered writing a book, because she would like a copy of that book. (So nice, right?) “Only every day,” I thought. I said something dodgy and moved on.

The responsible side of my brain wins, again and again.

Sterling Scholar

We attended an awards assembly this week for Mark, who was selected as the Skilled and Technical Sciences Education Sterling Scholar. The Sterling Scholar award is for the top student in each field of high school study, and it is a scholarship contest run by Deseret News and KSL. This award is in recognition of Mark’s fine woodworking skills, scholarship, leadership, and community service. He is a great son, and it is fun to cheer for him.