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| With just 3 of us together on Christmas Eve, we skipped a homemade meal and went to Chick-fil-a |
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| We made gingerbread houses |
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| and decorated sugar cookies |
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| Christmas Eve Gift... a heat up sloth |
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| Qyntn told me a few months ago that he wished someone would do the 12 days of Christmas for him, so I made it happen. I had a friend deliver the gifts for me. He got his 12th gift on Christmas Eve. |
As usual, we spent the evening of the 23rd with my side of the family. We visited my mom's grave site to wish her a happy birthday and sing some Christmas songs together. Then had dinner, played games and sang more Christmas Carol's together. We got to have Alyssa and Holly with us for one evening.
With Holly in Oregon, and Tiago on a mission, we didn't get a single complete family photo this year. The closest we came was in Mexico. I tried to photoshop Holly in, but it just didn't work out.
Although it was the weekend before Christmas, Ben really wanted to go support Hoop Camp at UNLV for a game event. So, we packed up and drove to Vegas. On the drive down we stopped in Cedar City to watch the new movie, "Wicked." It was long, but really good.
In Vegas we stayed at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Apparently, South Point is a sponsor of Hoop Camp now, so we were comped 3 nights and also got free buffet tickets. What a blessing!
The next day we went shopping, and had a lot of fun! We saw Santa at the mall. That night, Ben and Q were checking out the hotel. They were by the movie theater when a young man asked them if they wanted to see "Mufasa." He handed over 3 tickets and we went to the show, it was a Christmas miracle!
The next day was the event.. 10 of our athletes got to be introduced with the starting line-up for both the men's and women's teams. Since we did both games, many of our athletes were able to participate in the time out competitions and play in a 5 minute half-time game. It is always a delight to be able to provide them with cool experiences like this.
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| 2 new friends |
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| Q got to throw out t-shirts with our friends during a time out. |
Christmas came early for 50 souls in heaven. Our amazing stripling athletes got up early and braved the cold to do baptisms for the last time this year. 10 boys showed up and they were each baptized for 5 souls. It was beautiful to see them all dressed in white sitting together in the temple.
I have loved going to the temple every month with these young men. These boys have done enough baptisms to create a new ward in Heaven. I call it the "Stripling Athlete Ward."
Ben and I were recently called to be on the activities committee in the ward. Our first assignment was the ward Christmas party. In our planning meeting we decided to do a brunch with pictures of Christ as the centerpiece on each table. We were going to keep it simple. But, I felt strongly that we needed more Jesus. A thought came to mind and I mentioned that I might be willing to organize a shadow nativity. Nobody was really sure what that was, but they put Ben and I in charge of the program. As soon as we walked out the door, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I had no idea how I was going to pull this off.
The next day, I did some research online and bingo! I found a blog from a woman who had previously organized a shadow nativity. She had printable cut outs for the props, a script and lots of tips. Finding that blog was an answer to prayer. It was a step by step guide for me to follow.
The party was only 4 weeks away, so I had to jump right in. First, I asked several of the youth in the ward if they would be willing to participate. I was so glad that most of them said, yes. Then I scheduled practices.
Next, I found the music. I chose the Christmas version of the song Hallelujah by Caleb and Kelsey. It's stunning!
While the boys were away on their trip, I started on the costumes and props. I asked around to see if anyone had costumes that I could borrow. I was able to find a tunic for Joseph and another one for the child Jesus. The rest I pieced together with things at home. The wisemen wore long robes and Burger King crowns. I made the 3 shepherd costumes and the tunic for Jesus from sheets. I was able to find a dress for Mary and the 2 angels in my closet. Alyssa sewed together 3 white, king size, sheets to drape across the stage. For the props, I used some large boxes that we had in the garage. To be honest, it wasn't very fun cutting out the props and was very time consuming.
I didn't sleep much the night before the party, I was nervous. We arrived early for one final rehearsal and it went okay, but it wasn't as polished as I would have liked. That morning, our Jesus didn't show up, he was sick. Luckily, his dad offered to fill in for him, so I quickly taught him his part. At the beginning of the program, Ben led the congregation in the song, "The 12 Days of Christmas." Each table had an assigned day. Ben and Holly had made large posters that corresponded to each of the 12 days. The idea was that someone from each group was supposed to stand up and hold up the sign when it was their turn to sing. Some groups got more involved than others, but it turned out great. Back stage, the youth and I were getting ready for our performance. When Ben started the music, everything came together and it turned out beautifully. After the nativity, I led the congregation in "Silent Night" and we had a closing prayer. The program was short and sweet, but strong in spirit and full of Jesus.
My friend Deedra texted me later to tell me that she had brought three non member friends with her to the party. During the nativity, all of them had tears in their eyes. One of them texted her that night and said it was the perfect way to start the Christmas season.
Our neighbor across the street told me that her four year old grandson had come with her to the party. During the performance she noticed that he had tears running down his cheeks. Afterward she asked him why he was crying. He said that his heart was so warm and that it grew three sizes that day (like the Grinch). Hopefully he will remember those feelings for a very long time.
Another neighbor told me it was her favorite nativity ever, and I got several additional text messages of gratitude letting me know that the spirit had been strong. The young man that played Joseph told me afterward that it was awesome. I'm grateful that Qyntn was able to be one of the shepherds and that the spirit guided me through the process to make it happen.
Oh my goodness, Alyssa had her first solo flight and lived to tell about it. She loves flying and I'm so proud of the hard work she has been putting in to make her dreams come true!
My dear dad found a wonderful woman to spend the rest of his life with. I love Laurel, and hope they will be very happy together!
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| We got to talk to T for a bit! |
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| We boom whacked and played dominoes. |
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| We almost had the whole crew! |
Q earned a boy trip for finishing his second season of football. Qyntn has been into fishing lately, so Ben took him to Oregon and they spent a day fishing on the Kilchis River. They also visited the Tillamook factory, went roller skating and relaxed at Crystal Hot Springs. I sure love these two!
I can breathe, I'm at peace, and I'm excited!
Over the past several years, I have followed politics much more closely than ever before. Maybe even at an unhealthy level. Since January of 2021 our country has been under the control of the Biden administration, which has turned our country upside down, It's like driving by a car crash, it has been hard to look away. On day one, President Biden reversed all of the policies President Trump had put in place for the border. This decision enabled millions of migrants to enter our country unvetted and illegally. Thousands of criminals, drug mules, sex traffickers, and many on the terrorist watch list were allowed to freely cross our borders, resulting in sexual exploitation among women and children, horrible crimes and drug related deaths. The government spent billions of dollars to care for the illegals, instead of taking care of our own homeless or veterans. Biden also signed orders that severely limited our ability to drill for oil. The U.S. began to buy oil from other countries including Venezuela, a communist country. The result in the United States was crushing inflation. The prices of gas, food, shelter, and basically everything skyrocketed making it very difficult for lower and middle class citizens to afford necessities. Biden also reversed the Iran sanctions, basically dumping billions into their economy. This emboldened Iran to strengthen their proxy terror groups resulting in the worst attack on our Jewish friends since the holocaust. Over 1300 Jews and some Americans were killed in barbaric ways on October 7, 2023. Over 250 were taken hostage. The Biden administration also terribly botched a withdrawal from Afghanistan resulting in the death of 13 American soldiers, leaving behind billions of dollars of military equipment, and leaving our loyal afghani friends, who had helped us during the war, to be slaughtered. I could go on and on about the failings and the immoral policies of the Biden administration. It has almost felt surreal and has been very confusing. What is right has been labeled evil and what's evil has been embraced as what is right. A large group of people in our country believe that you can change your gender or "identify" to be whatever you want, even a cat. People believe that it is okay to allow babies to be born and left to die if the parents don't want the baby. I'm sure you will find plenty in the history books (if they record it accurately.) The point is, life has been difficult and dark for a long time. I'm so grateful that the U.S Constitution requires a new presidential election every four years.
The presidential election of 2024 will probably go down as the most fascinating election in the history of our country. In order to grasp it's fascination, you have to understand the political landscape of the past decade and the significance of Donald J. Trump in the political realm. I won't go into all of it, but you need to know that the liberals, democrats and main stream media hate him. They have what we call "Trump derangement syndrome." They are so blinded by their hatred for him, that they can't see clearly. So, when he announced that he was running for a second term, things got crazy!
If you remember, the liberals completely fell apart when Trump won the presidency in 2016. He wasn't a typical politician, he was a business man, an outsider and wanted to "drain the swamp" which meant that he wanted to overhaul the establishment in Washington D.C. Millions of liberal women marched against him after his inauguration. The democratic party fought his agenda tooth and nail and tried to remove him from office several times through impeachment. The media could not acknowledge the good that he was doing, they criticized his every move. Even though the border was secure, we were energy independent, and the economy was booming, they still hated him. When Covid hit in 2020 and everything shut down, they blamed Trump for the flailing economy and voted Biden in. There were questions about the legitimacy of the election, but Trump was out.
Trump was determined to win back the presidency, but the liberals did everything they could to make sure that would never happen. They began digging into his business practices and personal life to find opportunities to bring legal charges against him. They hoped to drag him and his family through the mud. They wanted to bankrupt him, or throw him in prison. We called it "lawfare." But an interesting thing happened. The more they tried to prosecute him unjustly, the more the people began to coalesce around him. Their strategy was backfiring. Trump won the primary election, and began his second candidacy for president.
Shortly into his presidency, Biden began to exhibit cognitive decline. The liberal media and white house acted like nothing was wrong with him. They covered for him for years, but they could no longer hide it once the campaign started. The first presidential debate was the end for Biden. He lost his train of thought and struggled cognitively throughout the entire debate. Fearing that Biden couldn't defeat Trump, his party asked him to step aside, and crowned Kamala Harris (the V.P) as their new candidate. This was unprecedented. Kamala had never received a single vote. Instead of following the democratic process and allowing the people to vote on who should be their candidate, they gave her the nod. Immediately, the democratic party and celebrities fell in line behind her and the campaigning became intense.
Trump began holding rally after rally all over the nation. He was drawing huge crowds and building momentum. Those who didn't like him, were not happy. One such person attempted to assassinate him at a rally in PA. It was an act of God that Trump wasn't killed. He turned his head at the exact moment that the bullet rang out. Instead of hitting him squarely in the temple, it grazed his ear. He dropped to the ground as the secret service threw their bodies over the top of him. He was lucky to be alive. Unfortunately, 3 members in the crowd were shot and one lost his life. In a moment of true leadership and strong character, Trump stood up and with blood streaming down his face, raised his fist in the air urging his supporters to "fight, fight, fight." It was a moment that will never be forgotten. His base was fired up and more determined than ever to put him back in the White House.
As Trump's momentum continued to grow, there was a second assassination attempt and his support grew stronger. The media and democrats started playing dirty. They began comparing Trump to Hitler, They said he was a threat to democracy and used scare tactics to turn voters away from him. Biden even said that Trump supporters were garbage. It was pathetic.
As the election drew near, the polls showed the race dead even. Some days Kamala had a slight lead and others, Trump. The election could go either way. As the early ballots started to come in, indications showed that the Trump supporters were turning out more than ever before, and yet, it was still unclear. Some pollsters had Kamala winning all 7 swings state, while other polls showed them going to Trump. Let's just say, election day was a nail biter. As the results started coming in, I was glued to the tv holding my breath in anticipation for the outcome. Things started out good for Trump, but I was still apprehensive, things had started the same in 2020. After hours of intense uncertainty, it gradually became clear that Trump was going to win in a landslide. The light began to chase the dark away. I could breathe. I was at peace, and really excited about the future of our country. Not only did Trump win every swing state, the republican party also took control of the Senate and kept control of the House. The country had spoken. They wanted change. They wanted Trump back in the White House!
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| Reyn had another fun year of volleyball! |
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| Region Champions |
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| High School Volleyball 4A State Champions! 2 years in a row! |
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| Q made this beauty in about 10 minutes! |
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| He had the best time trick-or-treating with his friends. |
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| Reyn had multiple costumes |
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| Ben played video games on the porch while passing out candy |
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| Q did well! |
