Wonderful Christmas season - 1

What a blessed Christmas we had!   Although we saw grief also.  Four people we know passed away and I know that those families are feeling emptiness this season.  I remember seven years ago now when my mother passed away on the 15th of December.  It makes for a different Christmas.  

Christ is Who we celebrate, no matter the circumstances!  The Prince of Peace has come!  

We can cast our burdens on Him!  As life's cares and trials come, may we not fall into deep sadness, but have His peace in us.  A song in our heart, for He is the Victor!   The King of Kings is coming back!!

                  In the meantime, He will sustain and carry us!

My uncle Bill was one of those four who passed away.

"Our last breath on earth, our first in heaven!!"

Our Colorado kids got Covid, even the baby.  They had a few rough days.  But luckily weathered through it.

In my journal (diary) I wrote "Mind racing with all on my "to do" list.  It's really quite overwhelming.  Lord may I prioritize and keep calm. 😀  In Your presence is JOY forevermore.  Time with You is #1.  All else may be chaotic messes, but must not neglect my precious time with You each morning!"  

It helped to make a daily list and check those things off one by one. 

The first Sunday in December, at church we had a prayer and dedication for the dresses and shorts my "older women's" Bible study has worked on with Dress A Girl Around the World and Dress A Dude.  We have worked on these once a month for the past 3 years!

Boxing them up and shipping them off!!  (with a secure system)

Thank you, dear friends, for sewing with  me!!  What a delight to do this and to pray for the children in Haiti that will receive these!!

We were able to watch our granddaughter's Christmas program on-line.  Our daughter, Jill, is the music teacher, and I thought she did a great job directing it!!  The two older girls both sang solos for their Christmas Eve program at church.  

My young mom's and older women's Bible studies had Christmas parties (forgot to take pictures!).  I had lunch and gift exchange with my friend Sheryl, who has moved away and back in town.

We went to see the film Chosen.

Our Community Life Group (small group) from church went to a nursing home to do some caroling.  Due to Covid restrictions, we were not able to mingle and give out hugs, but we hope they were blessed by the singing!

We went to our home to have Christmas treats and play games.

Tarenda gave a moving devotional about passing on the faith.

We had a wedding reception at the Craft House!!

Congratulations, Chloe and Joel!!!

We had a Christmas Eve service at church followed by our traditional drive around town to see the lights.  This year, our friend Carol joined us!

I prepared all the bedrooms in the basement and made a menu plan for the anticipated arrival of our children and grandchildren!

The day after Christmas, Mindy sent a photo.  They were on their way!!

They arrived around noon.

💗

Tenley went down for a nap and so did we!

Mindy posted on the family text

"Mom and Dad are really excited to see us."

We really are!!  

The Wisconsin kids were on their way too!!

It would be quite late before they arrived.

Our son's family from Arkansas arrived right after Tenley's bath and before she went down for the night.  They met Tenley for the first time!

We were going to have a great family time!!

Day trip to Joplin; southeastern KS

Last month, we took a trip to Joplin.  I forgot to post about it. That morning was much chillier than it is today in December!

The fountain had froze up during the night.  Yesterday the temperature was 70, and today it is supposed to get up to 60.  On Christmas Day.  (our children are not here until later, so we will celebrate Christ's birth in a few days.) Therefore I spend part of the day writing.

The drive to Joplin takes us through a portion of the Flint Hills.  That is another place worthy of a day trip, exploring that area!

We were meeting up with my Minnesota cousin, Joie.  She was visiting her daughter who lives in Joplin.  Joplin is a lot closer for us than Minnesota so we agreed to meet!  It had been 3 years since the last time, when Al and I were traveling to Wisconsin and spent the night at a Frank Lloyd Wright hotel.  

Here are a few photos of us growing up.  We didn't see eachother often since I lived in Japan and came to the States only once every 5 years.

1956

1962

1968

(with cousin Nancy, from France)

My mom is on the left, and Aunt Wava, Joie's mom, on Grandma's lap.  Cousin Nancy's Dad is Uncle Wally, on the right.  Aunt Treva, a missionary mid-wife in Mali, did not ever get married.

We met at a restaurant name First Watch.  

I ordered a quinua bowl:  quinos, Italian sausage, tomatoes, kale, Parmesan, topped with eggs.  It was mighty good!

After a nice lengthy visit, we said our good-byes and we took an adventure drive back home.  First we drove to Baxter Springs, Kansas on 166.  

The Rial A. Niles House

This historic house was built in 1870 for Rial A. Niles, a local businessman, and his wife. The house was designed in the Italianate style.  After Niles went bankrupt, Colonel William March, an officer in the Union Army and also a postmaster, bought the house in 1875. March lost the house after his wife's death in 1902, and it passed through a number of tenants until the 1930s. In 1938, the Baxter Springs Women's Club rented the house, which it used for meetings and social gatherings until it disbanded in 1956. The house was then purchased by the local Episcopal church and used until 1977. The house is now a residence and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cooper House

The Cooper house was built in 1870 for John Cooper, a Civil War veteran and his family.  He was a prominent merchant and banker.  In its day, it was the grandest structure in the town, occupying the full block.  It had the first running water in town.  In 1893 it had the first residential telephone.  On at least one occasion, former Civil War soldiers dined there. Cooper invited members of his old army unit, the 16th Illinois Volunteers, Company K, to a luncheon during the week of the annual Civil War Reunion.  It became a funeral home but is now an event center.

As we were driving out of town, we stopped by this cemetery.

Those from Quantrill's Raid of Oct. 6, 1863 and massacre are buried here, along with those from the Spanish American war and the other wars.

Continuing on, drove by pecan groves.

We got lost at Caney trying to find a road we saw on a Kansas travel book.  

There was supposed to a country road west to Chatauqua.  We finally did find it by driving around.  We took another wrong turn ending up in Oklahoma; actually ended up in Oklahoma a couple of times as we skirted the border on back roads.

I finally got on maps on my phone and we could see where we were going.

We saw many deer this day.

Chautaqua's population was 111 in 2010 census.  It was founded in 1881.  Chautauqua means medicine water.  There are natural mineral springs and thousands used to come and bathe here and drink it to restore themselves physically and emotionally at the Eagle Hotel.   Baxter Springs and Coffeyville also boasted of these "healing waters".   

No place else to make a pit stop....so we took advantage of what we had!

We came into the town of Elgin.

Just outside of town, we crossed a bridge.

There was a wedding taking place!  We hollared congratulations to the couple.  They waved back at us.

A cow on the loose.

A glorious day trip!  Seeing a cousin and taking an adventure on roads we'd never been on before!  Getting away from it all for a while!!  Just good for the soul!!