Morning, Noon, and Night

Blog Post About December 2021

The day after the fancy holiday party at the hotel, Keira and Karis performed at another fancy hotel.

This time, there wasn't a big party, but one of the ballrooms was set up where vendors could come to advertise and sell their wares.

Keira performed with her ballet group, and Karis and Keira's teacher (below) performed a duet.

Karis and Keira's teacher performed a duet. 

I've never embedded a video before, so I don't know if this will work.

That afternoon, we returned to the hotel again for Keira to perform a gymnastics routine.

This picture makes me laugh because Keira is the only one with her legs crossed.

December 10, 2021 

A Christmas, A Birthday, and a Holiday Party

Blog Post About December 2021

Yes, this is what my friends here like to do.

They love to take pictures with different filters. 

I usually don't post things like this, but it keeps their anonymity and provides a little fun for you.

At the beginning of December, knowing things were going to be busy for the month, we decided to get together for breakfast. We met at my friend's house who doesn't believe in the truths of Christmas, but she loves to decorate for all holidays.

December 8,  2021

It's good that we took that day to be together, because even though I have seen one of the friends several times since then, my other friend has a fear of Omicron, her mother came to visit, and she has been busy with other things, so we still have yet to meet face to face again.

The next day, I was invited by Doug to join a birthday celebration at the language school that Doug oversees. I was a little late, and Doug called to tell me that 25+ people were all waiting on me to start (maybe because I'm the boss' wife)!  

I begged him to tell them to start, and thankfully they did.

The food was amazing, as you can see, but the best part of this story is that the gentleman who was throwing this party for himself, gave the bill to his boss, another American in the building. 

He had done it the year before as well.

I don't know why I get such a kick out of that story, but it really makes me smile.

December 9, 2021

That night, Karis, Keira, and I went to a local, fancy hotel to see some of Keira's friends sing in a Christmas performance.

I visited with many people and had such a good time, but I was in awe of the trays of wine, smoothies, hot cider, appetizers, and other array of things that came out of the kitchen continually that night. 

I had never seen certain items served like this in this country, and it caught me off-guard. 

It made me aware that there is another whole side of this city I have never seen.

Santa and his elves also made an appearance and gave every child in the hotel lobby a gift. 

It shows you how much of the world's culture has crept in here, because the reasons we celebrate Christmas are almost certainly foreign to them.

December 9, 2021 

Christmas Tree Day

Blog Post About December 2021

You've seen this before (in the link, you can see how little all the kids were when we moved here).

This is how Christmas starts out for us every year.

Doug got the pole and stand out on November 30, ready for our tree decorating day on December 1st.

I prepped all the junk food (plus ordered falafel and hummus).

Keira made labels for all the food

Doug hung the stockings and set up the advent calendar with candles.

And the kids started putting the boards in place.

My language helper came over after work to help hang ornaments, 

Kylie called in by video and hung out with us, 

and Doug had such good help from the kids, as you can see below 😂

The tree always turns out amazing and all I take care of is the food :)

A Christmas Whirlwind

Blog Post About Winter 2020

The cards you all sent made the best decorations in 2020! It was such a blessing to be remembered by so many and our plain-looking tree thanks you :)

We went to church for Christmas Eve, and then we came home and Kylie and Karis treated us to our own "food board." We weren't able to have all of our overseas friends come by for the Christmas story and some American food, and they were missed.

On Christmas morning, Keira read us the Messiah's birth story from Luke 2.

I don't have a picture of Caleb because I think I missed him opening the few he had. He had decided to forego most gifts so that he could buy parts for and build his own computer. 

That evening (on the 25th), we all loaded in the car to drive 2.5 hours to my parents' house to celebrate Christmas with them and other family member that could make it.

Kylie and my sister-in-law put this "board" together. In reality, these are the kinds of foods we have always eaten and snacked on at Christmas and other times with family...for years. 

I was just thinking the term charcuterie board was something new invented to describe what we had been doing for years. Nope.

The French came up with this in the 15th century. "Chair" means "flesh" and "Cuit" means "cooked." It basically translates as "pork-butcher shop." Their shops also included the pig's internal organs, which I'm thankful has gotten removed from our boards in America.

In French, the one preparing the meat is called a Charcutier.

So just like Solomon in his great wisdom reminds us, "There is nothing new under the sun."

The cousins that were able to make it sat at the "kids' table" for dinner. 

Who doesn't love sitting at the kids' table, right?

Things like this happen at the kids' table :)

This is my son on the right and his cousin (12 days older) on the left.

They decided to try some hot sauce called "Da' Bomb" my dad had around the house.

The sweating, moaning, and pain continued for quite some time (and probably later, if you know what I mean).

When Kylie returned back to college, she found a youtube video showing that the hot sauce these boys tried was the third hottest in this particular hot wing contest.

Yes, these are things that happen at the "kids' table." :)

We only stayed two nights with my parents because we needed to go see the other grandparents and more cousins on the 27th. 

One of the many benefits of the grandparents living in Waco is that we can go see the Chip and Joanna Gaines empire almost anytime we want. We hadn't gone in few years so we drove over to see all of the new additions like this chapel. The crowds were really low because of Christmas, plus there was rain in the forecast.

We also took advantage of other "Waco-things" like the store near the Dr. Pepper museum.

S'mores by the fire was a nice ending to the day.

And the next morning, a few of us got up and went running/walking downtown.

Covid + Christmas made for a very quiet, enjoyable morning.

We knew it was important to see both sides of the family because we are rarely, if ever, in America during Christmas anymore. So even though this was a whirlwind of a trip, it was good!

Christmas Lights...In-person

Blog Post About Winter 2020

Each year on December 1st, we decorate for Christmas while listening to music and eating fun foods. While we decorate, we have a video playing on TV of a Christmas light park we rode through in December 2015. Doug had filmed it before we moved back overseas. 

This year, we found a tree in the attic of the house we were staying in, but we didn't have decorations for it, so December 1st was a little "off." 

However, once Kylie arrived, we decided to ride through the Christmas light park again...

this time in-person on December 23rd.

My non-Texas children get a kick out of how much Texas stuff is put into the light park.

Keira was only 3 the first time, so this time, she made new memories and now she'll know where the video came from.

I didn't get many pictures of all of the kids that night, so I borrowed from Kylie's instagram. She posted one with the OG three (that's "original" for all of you older folks like me, who might not understand what that is),

and then all four.

 

Holiday Travels to See Family

Blog About Winter 2020

After the weekend of ballet performances, we continued on with school, activities and visiting with people.  We had a friend in from Alaska who had been instrumental in leading me to my relationship with the Lord. It was nice to catch up and hear what the Lord is doing in her life and those around her.

One of the benefits of being in America was also being able to travel to see family, so on Tuesday, Doug, Keira, and I headed over to Doug's parent's to help them decorate for Christmas. Doug worked outside, and Keira and I helped inside.

December 8, 2020

The next day when we were leaving, Keira decided she wanted to spend the night away (for the first time) at her grandparents. We really wanted her to have this opportunity, so even though we were going to drive an hour and a half back home and have to return an hour and a half the next day, we said, "Yes." 

They hung out by the fire.

And she enjoyed riding her grandmother's scooter up and down the driveway.

And of course, the next day, when I returned, she wasn't ready to leave.

 

We reminded her that we were going to Dallas to visit cousins in two days, so she decided it would be best to come "home." 

Two days later my brother and his wife greeted us with hugs, laughter, and a charcuterie board. This was my first to see in person since the item had become such a popular thing in America.  I'm definitely a fan!

The next night, a friend of my brother and sister-in-law came and set up a massive "Grinch" themed party for her kids, my brother's kids, and my kids. We left them all to enjoy it while we went to a restaurant in Flower Mound called 1845: Taste Texas. 

That lady's husband is the drummer for a band my brother is in called The Poor Kings, and they were playing that night outside at 1845.  It was SO cold! The guitar player couldn't tell if his hands were playing the right chords or not because his hands were numb.  The surprising thing was that the outside courtyard had a continuous flow of people eating all night. They weren't deterred by the cold and they seemed to enjoy the music and dancing.

December 11, 2020

With the help of a friend in Texas (the son of the couple who hosted Doug's 50th), Caleb built his own computer, which we have since brought with us overseas. Here he is working at school on his new computer on his last day before Christmas holidays.

December 17, 2020

We heard of a friend of a friend who was in school to be a hairdresser, and she needed clients. Kylie, Karis and I all went. It took longer than usual because her teacher would come and inspect and ask questions, but she did a good job, and it was a lot cheaper than normal :)

December 20, 2020

We were so glad to have Kylie home and excited for Christmas.