This holiday season has been full of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Photos below are of (1) the hardest event by far, my little brother, Dick, who passed away the week of Thanksgiving from leukemia, (2) my little Honda Fit that I totaled the week before Christmas by hitting a tree head-on, (3) candy cane cookie making with my daughters and granddaughters, (4) my granddaughters’ (ages 12 and 15) piano recital and (5) school Christmas play, (6) seeing the play of “White Christmas” in the Seguin historical theater with my girls and their daughters, (7) riding the Christmas train at the Train Museum—a yearly event, ( 8 ) and the gift exchange at our house that got a bit rowdy. (Tiny rubber chickens ended up stuck to the ceiling! Pictures at the end.)
Happy New Year to you all!
My brother, Dick, as a young dad…with wife, Gail, and kids Monica, Alex, and Maddie.
Dick before he was diagnosed with leukemia. He was one of the kindest people I knew.
My last visit with him about three weeks before he passed away.
A freak one-car accident connected me with the steering wheel first, and then when I hit the tree, the air bag deployed. It is truly a miracle from God that I walked away with no broken bones.
Ten wonderful people stopped to help me, and three strangers stayed with me throughout. My oldest granddaughter, Abby–whom I was supposed to pick up for lunch–came to get me and took me to the ER. Several EKGs and chest X-rays later, we still went for lunch! (Painkillers are wonderful! I saved most of them for the following Christmas events.)
My own little girls always loved making candy cane cookies, and now my granddaughters do.
A success! Left to right: Elayna (15), Jenny (my oldest), Jacqui (my youngest), and Sophie (12).
Getting ready for their Christmas recital!
Elayna (playing a beautiful arrangement of “O, Holy Night.”)
Sophie, playing a rousing rendition of “Joy to the World.”
Sophie in their school play–they did a 1940s-style radio entertainment–complete with sound effects, of several Christmas movie clips.
Elayna had multiple speaking parts and sound effects. This was such a fun play!
Ready for the stage performance of “White Christmas” at the Stephen & Mary Birch Texas Theatre in Seguin. Granddaughters are Sophie (12), Abby (23), and Elayna (15).
The theater was beautiful inside! (My daughters, Jacqui and Jenny.) By the way, my middle daughter, Laurel Holl, lives in Tucson, or she would be here too. We are all great “White Christmas” fans.
We’ve gone to the Texas Transportation Museum every year since the girls were babies. The lights are magical, and the Christmas train ride is so fun! Lots of music (bag pipers), tons of lights, outdoor miniature villages….
…getting our picture taken with Santa…
..indoor trains…(this is just one of MANY)
… passenger trains decked out with Christmas trees, holiday food and decor, sleeper rooms, and dining rooms.
We play lots of games before we unwrap gifts, and this year I included a game with some mini rubber chickens…
…which we used in a game with competitive teams…
…and by accident, one of the wayward chickens hit the ceiling…and stuck! With hysterical laughing and screeching, about thirty rubber chickens ended up on the ceiling…where they clung tightly!
