January blah

I am not a fan of January. It is cold, more cloudy than sunny, and there is a lot more of it for the foreseeable future.

There are bright spots though. So I will blog about those. But let's jump back to December. We had a great visit with Dean and Nancy and family in the western Washington area. We got to spend an evening with my sister and her kids too.

We headed home only to pack up for our church's youth retreat where Craig was speaking. We had a fabulous time with some great teens. Craig did an amazing job of talking to them about one of the important decisions they have to make in their lives--choosing a mate. From my point of view it was a successful retreat!

The first week of January Luke and I were back into routine but Amanda and Ben had another week off. That was a little bit difficult-but we made it through. The next week Ben and Amanda were back at school but then Ben had snow days Thursday and Friday. Not much school happening around here. I had a furlough day Friday and Monday was a holiday so we enjoyed a long weekend.

In that weekend Ben had his first Upward basketball game in which he scored 12 points! That is quite a first game.

We also spent most of the weekend celebrating my (40th) birthday with friends. I was feeling pretty loved with all the wishes, gifts, and celebrating. Turning 40 wasn't bad at all--especially since I only feel 27!

Today was a restful day with basketball for Ben, Amanda went skiing with friends, Craig was "playing" outside moving snow, the trailer and taking the boys on tube rides. He has quite a course in the yard for winter fun.

At the end of the day all the wet coats, boots, gloves, and hats end up by the wood stove to dry. It is dark and we are all warm and safe and it feels cozy and wonderful. I guess January isn't so bad after all.

Wake up!

The kids came into the room at 7:00 on the dot. "Wake up, it's Christmas, it's Christmas!"

I have to say I felt the same way last night as Ben, Craig and I read Scripture in our Christmas eve service.

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. . . and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace."

"And they will call him Emmanuel which means God with us. . . He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel."

"He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't reconize him. . . But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."

Whoa! Wake up! Do you hear this people? Do you see? It is Christmas--for those who believe him and accept him become children of God! God, the Most High, let his son come to earth (I keep asking why? and he keeps answering because I love you--I still don't think I could have done that) so that we can become his Father's children. I am amazed and I want to shout, "Wake up! It's Christmas, it's Christmas!"

We had a fabulous day celebrating this good news. After Christmas eve service we opened our traditional gift of pjs and sent the kids off to bed.

Christmas morning was fun filled! Luke wanted to open all his presents this year right away. I guess he is an American now--I am not sure if I am happy about that but I bet it will balance out again as he grows up. Amanda and Ben were so excited to give Luke his gifts and to give their gifts to each other. They did a great job of picking great gifts for each other.

We had brunch with some close friends and then relaxed and played with the new toys all day long. Unfortunately, Craig came down with the crud and hasn't been feeling great but hopefully with the rest today and a good night sleep he will be feeling better tomorrow as we are off to Western WA to visit Craig's parents and see my sister and her family tomorrow after church.

Hope you had a merry, merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving to its almost Christmas!

For Thanksgiving instead of having my sister and her family we had snow. While it was disappointing to miss our Thanksgiving time together they are safe and since I ended up sick it worked out ok. We had a quiet Thanksgiving with lots of restful time.

Craig and I got to go to San Antonio the next weekend. Our church gave us a marriage enrichment retreat and we decided to use our free Southwest tickets to go some place warm. And it was warm--to us. Some of the Texans would disagree as they had on their wool coats and scarves but to us it was nice! We played tourist, rested, talked about life, enjoyed being outdoors, sat by the pool and read and went to our conference. It was an amazing time.

We got home and it was time for Ben's Christmas program. His class did Christmas in the Phillipines and he was the one to introduce the skit his class did. He spoke clearly and loudly and did a great job!

We are getting ready for Christmas. We will do Christmas eve dinner with just the family, Christmas eve service with the church family. Then Christmas brunch with some friends. After church on Sunday we are heading over to Dean and Nancy's to spend some time with them.

Preparing for Christmas has been more difficult with working full time and traveling. I am to the point now where the preparations are down to a minimum (there maybe New Years letters instead of Christmas letters) and I am able to relax and focus on the season and enjoy it. There are so many things that I am thinking this year:

• There was a video in church one Sunday about a man who was getting into character to play Joseph. It was very humorous but what stood out to me was one of the last scenes where he looks at his wife and son (who was to play Jesus) and says, "I couldn't do it." He continues on to say, "The world would just be out of luck." It made me think about the sacrifice that God, the Father made to send Jesus to us. I often think of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf but this was a new thought for me. As imperfectly as I love my boys, I cannot fathom giving them up. And God who is love must have felt much much more than I do at the thought. That is love! And he did it for me.
• The kids are teaching me things too. Amanda says to me one day, "I know you and Dad want us to know that the season is all about Jesus and his birth, but I love the presents!" I pressed her a little about this and she continued, "I can't wait for Luke to open his presents!" She is not only excited about her presents but she is excited about giving!
• Luke is full of joy and wonder. Last year was such an amazing Christmas but I think this year he is much more aware of what is going on.
• I will have to ask Ben's permission to share his story. He is such a tenderhearted guy. Maybe he will let me at a later time. Just know that he "gets it" too.

I am so thankful for the things that I learn when I slow down and listen and experience life. I am thankful for time with my husband, what I learn from my kids, and the gift of Jesus. I am one blessed woman! Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!

Catch Up

Whoa! What happened to the time. July was the last time I posted. YIKES! So this is my attempt to get back to it. (thanks for the prompt, Terry)

After Craig and Amanda got home from Honduras we went straight to family camp. We had a week together in which we made an emergency trip to Dean and Nancy's. Nancy had a scare but it turned out ok. And we got to have some time with some of the extended Wikoff family. Amanda went to Adventure camp after we returned. Soon after that Papa and Cindy came to town, we had Luke baptized and then took a two week vacation. We went to Whidbey Island for some time with the cousins and my dad and Cindy. It was a fantastic time. The campground we stayed at had a ton of bike trails. It was cooler than what we had been used to (being on the coast) but didn't rain until the day we left. We got to see the bridge at deception pass from below, the kids played in the ocean, we battled at Bananagrams and Papa and Cindy tied the knot. It was a great time. Then the Wikoff's peeled off to spend some time with Craig's parents.

We stayed with them and did some day trips to Mt. Rainier, Tacoma Zoo and a Mariner's game. Mt. Rainier was socked in with clouds the day we went. The zoo was a blast. It was the first one Luke had been to and he was so excited about EVERYTHING! We even got to see the tiger cubs. The last thing we did at the zoo was ride the carousel. Amanda and Ben were so excited. Luke knew he should be too but wasn't sure what was going to happen. His horse started to move up and he looked a little worried. Then it came back down and he laughed and thought it was the best thing ever. His joy in the whole trip was what made it a blast. We had a great time with the Wikoff clan too.

Amanda had a big change about this time in her schooling. After finding out her best friend was going to public school she started asking about homeschooling. It is something she has wanted to do for some time now. At the end of our vacation time Amanda decided to enroll in Idaho Virtual Academy and stay home with Luke and me.

The kids and I tried to eek out every last bit of summer by going to the beach and playing outside. About August 26th I got a call from my principal offering me the job of a transition teacher for the middle school at Idaho Virtual Academy. And while I hoped to get a contract this is how God provided and so I said yes and started right away.

Craig and I celebrated our 19th anniversary at the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane. It was a great night away with much pampering and relaxation. It is a beautiful place to stay and have some time away. If you come to Spokane check it out--even if you don't stay there it is an amazing historic place.

The fall rush started when I started back to school. Amanda started shortly after me, then Ben and then Luke. With all the new starts it took a while to get into a good routine but by October we were beginning to feel it. Amanda has taken off and loves IDVA. She is very independent and responsible. Ben has a teacher who is new to the Sandpoint area and he loves her. He is a strong reader and leader in his class. Luke continues to love going to school and is riding the bus this year. The first time I put him on the bus he started out excited but then when the bus driver started to buckle him in and I was saying, "Have a great day at school, Luke." he got the glazed over, I am avoiding this, I am not sure about this look on his face. It broke my heart. But as he got off the bus later that afternoon he said to me, "I rode the bus 2 times!" and was very excited about it. Phew!

Craig and I got to go to pastor and spouses retreat in Leavenworth, WA in late September. It was a wonderful indian summer few days we were there. It was great to be with our staff and other friends from around the district.

A few weeks ago I got to go to Northwest Nazarene University. It was fun being back on campus, but strange too. It was a freaky feeling to be reminded (in many different ways) that it has been almost 20 years since I graduated. How did that happen?! It was great to be with my RD's from college and see the students I know currently attending college. It just reminds me of what a rich life I have and it is in part due to my time at NNU.

My sister and her husband usually come for Thanksgiving but because of the weather they didn't want to risk their lives to be with us. So it has been pretty quiet and restful. I don't know how much longer we can stand it! The kids have been enjoying the new snow.

In this time to be thankful I can't tell you how glad my heart is for my family. While they are a lot of work, they are a lot of joy. Our extended families are a blessing as well. We are also so thankful for a handful of "family" that we walk this road of life with and our extended church family. We are so blessed to live in a beautiful community both in landscape and the people. I am thankful for friends from the past who have made me who I am and who continue to impact my life. And most of all I am thankful for the giver of all good gifts.

Together again

Craig and Amanda made it home about 2:30 last night. Got to give them a quick hug and then back to bed for everyone. Craig got up with me and Luke at 7 but went back to bed about 9. Amanda slept late and then took a nap. I think they will be rested up somewhat after a good nights sleep tonight. It is so good to have them home. It feels like a piece of me is missing when they are gone.

Hopefully I can get Amanda and Craig to do some blogging about their trip. It sounds like it was amazing.

We head to Family Camp at Pinelow this weekend. Looking forward to it because it is a time for us to be together before Craig has to head back to work and we get back into our summer routine (is there a routine in the summer?).

Out of harms way

The team is back in San Pedro Sula safe and sound. They had to get up early this morning to catch the ferry back so are taking the afternoon to rest up. They have 2 work days then they do a quick shopping trip and then head to the airport to come home.

Tried to talk to Amanda when Craig called but she is always busy. Apparently she was playing cards. . . Texas Hold 'Em! Is this what I sent her to Honduras to learn?! :)

They are still having internet problems so I don't think we will get any more communications. So until Wednesday I don't expect to hear from them. Can't wait for them to get home!

Tropical Storm Alex

Have you seen the weather today? Did you see where the mass of tropical storm Alex is? It is right over some islands off the coast of Honduras. Do you know where Craig and Amanda are? On some tiny islands off the coast of Honduras. They are fine though. I talked to Craig this morning. They were supposed to head back to San Pedro Sula and resume work today but the ferry was iffy when I talked to him and according to the posts on facebook they aren't leaving the island today. According to another post the weather on the island hasn't been severe. I imagine out in the water could be another story. A little more excitement on their trip.

I hope they enjoy the storm and remember who has them in the palm of his hand.