A Post Germany Christmas

We're missing Germany.

Nobody does Christmas like Germany, so having experienced that for the last 3 years, Christmas is feeling a little different this year. But dang it, we're trying!

Positive things:

We put up our tree and decorations, and it's nice to have plenty of room to put all my nativities (some in the living room and some in the family room).

Next year we'll even have a mantel over our fireplace from which to hang the stockings with care :)

Driving around seeing all the houses lit up with decorations. Some go ALL out. Some have radio stations dedicated to their display (I'm sure you've seen youtube videos).

The older part of our downtown is LIT. Literally, with a ton of lights.

Our ward Christmas party was AWESOME! Great decorations (which I forgot to take a picture of, even though I help set them up), and a super fun variety show for the program (our ward is very talented, and very eager to participate)

The Mormon Pioneer Trail Center in Omaha has a huge gingerbread display downstairs every year. Cora and I volunteered as hosts one night for a couple of hours. Next year I'm determined to make a gingerbread something or other for it.

Not-so-positive things:

No amazingly good Christmas markets.....or maybe I just haven't been to any? Our city had a "Winter Wonderland" where they turned on the lighting downtown, had free hot cocoa, music, and activities. Sounded like it would be fun, and the lights were great, and the hot cocoa. But.....the rest was a bit underwhelming. They had a live band, but they were playing jazz and blues music instead of Christmas music. What?! They had free carriage rides, and free 'smores, but the lines were SO long. Not worth it. They had a few vendors set up, which they had they audacity to advertise as a small Christkindlesmarkt, but by a few I mean like 3, and, well, we didn't have any money anyway :( And of course there wasn't any food being sold, which is one of the best things about a good Christmas market. That being said, I'm still glad we went, and we all enjoyed ourselves, except for that one time we lost Alex for 10 minutes. I think that it's awesome that our city puts on events like this. They're trying, so I guess it was a positive thing after all ;)

It's so freaking cold! Okay, it wasn't actually too bad the night of the Winter Wonderland, but a lot of times it's so cold that I don't WANT to go out and explore more Christmasy things that this area has to offer. It's the wind chill. I can't handle it. Do I just forget what winter is like every year? Am I just being a big baby, or is it really as cold here as I think it is? We're going to be going to Utah for Christmas this year, so I'll have something to compare it to. I'm becoming an old lady that needs to retire to somewhere warm. Joe became that old man a long time ago, hahaha ;)

I guess it's more positive than not, so I shouldn't complain, but I still miss Christmas in Germany, and I always will.

It's Freezing Here

Halloween this year was....uneventful.

I didn't put up any Halloween decorations because our household goods didn't arrive until November 1st, and I didn't have money to buy any new decorations.

Our ward decided not to do a trunk-or-treat this year, and for me and the older kids, that was really the only opportunity for us to dress up. We were robbed.

It snowed on Halloween night. Just kind of a flurry, but it was sooooooo cold. People said there weren't as many trick-or-treaters out because of it. We got less than 10.

The wind here. I can't even. Hell isn't going to be hot, it's going to be ice cold with a Nebraska wind.

Alex braved the cold for about 10 minutes and then came back in, but Madelyn actually stayed out for a couple of hours with her friends. Both of their costumes were ON POINT! It was the best part of Halloween, if I do say so myself ;)

 Cora played around with some face makeup and was appropriately attired to hand out candy....to the few who showed up.

We joked that JT was going as an ainxty teen.

And Joe and I spent the night painting our living room.

Next year if our ward doesn't have a trunk-or-treat, I am seriously going to throw an adult Halloween party....even if it kills me.

Fall, and Utah, and Stuff

Our trip to Utah was the quickest ever, but we made the most of our time there. The weather was PERFECT! Fall in Utah is my favorite.

We stopped by my mom's grave - the first time I've been there since her funeral. I hadn't even seen here headstone yet. Nothing fancy in this veteran's cemetery, but my mom was anything but fancy ;)

 Below you can see Antoin's mom with us. We spent this day with her and Antoine's aunt, who were there for the baptism. My kids love them like they're their own grandmas.

We went to a park I used to go to as a kid. So beautiful!

 The kids watched the ducks, and then played with some dogs that were there.
Then we went to my Dad and Lynn's house, also a first for us, and had dinner and spent the night with them.

The next day we went to my niece's soccer game, and then Joe and Cora and I went to Walmart and entertained ourselves while Marie bought some groceries for the baptism that night.

Look what I found hidden away. Just tucked back behind some wheel covers in the automotive department.

So of course I had to try it on.

And Cora couldn't help herself from buying these stickers. Because there's nothing dumber. Because only in Utah.

After the baptism I got to spend just a little time with one of my oldest and dearest and weirdest friends.

On Sunday we stayed just long enough to go the first meeting of Marie's ward/church, so that Joe could confirm Antoine a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And just like that it was time to leave.

We had a trailer in Utah, that had been parked at Joe's parent's house the whole time we were in Germany, and we decided to haul it back to Nebraska with us. As soon as we hit Wyoming it started snowing, and it didn't stop the whole way through the state. I'm talking white-out blizzard conditions. 

We were driving about 30 mph. We had to stop and clear snow from the windshield at one point, and Joe knocked off a HUGE sheet of ice from the trailer. It was terrible, but we finally made it home safely. Well, almost safely. I mean, I did injure my toe at a rest stop by jamming a stick into it, and then leaving a piece of the stick inside my foot without realizing it for another few hours.

There was a LOT of very loud yelling involved trying to get that out of my foot, but surprisingly no swearing.....probably because the swear words that were coming to mind were not ones that my children had heard me use before, nor did I want them to then. I have since recovered, but there is a scar. Next time you see me, you can see it if you want, and you won't even have to ask, because I'll probably be wearing flip flops like always ;)

Baptism

Time to catch up

Back in October we took a quick trip to Utah over Columbus day weekend for a very special reason - my brother-in-law Antoine got baptized! I was beyond grateful that we could be a part of this. It was such a spiritual experience for our whole family.

These are my people.

I spoke about the Holy Ghost at Antoine's baptism, and I've decided I want to share some of that here.

A long time before Antoine decided to get baptized, I felt like I was supposed to talk about the Holy
Ghost at his baptism, which is a little presumptuous, I know, so when he actually started talking about
getting baptized, I didn’t wait for him to ask me, I just told him I wanted to talk at his baptism, which
was even more presumptuous of me, but he was nice enough to not turn me down. Of course, just
because I felt like I was supposed to talk about the Holy Ghost does not mean that I had any idea
what I was supposed to say. That took a lot more prayer and work, and many drafts and revisions, so
tonight I will be relying heavily on the Holy Ghost to help me say what needs to be said about him.

The Holy Ghost has been working with you your entire life, Antoine, otherwise you wouldn’t be the
person you are today, and you wouldn’t be here today. So you might be wondering what the difference
will be when you receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. And honestly, the difference may or may not be
that noticeable for you. I don’t know. I really think it’s all a matter of how often a person has sought the
spirit in their life, because anytime a person is actively seeking the Holy Ghost, He’s going to be there.
For some people, when they receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, it might be like moving in with
someone you may have met a time or two. But for some people, who are already accustomed to
having the Holy Ghost as a pretty consistent part of the life, it might be like, it would be more like
moving in with an old friend…maybe your best friend.

I honestly feel like the Holy Ghost can become like an old friend to us, like a best friend. I know that
you’ve talked to the missionaries for years, you’ve gone to church, you’ve studied the scriptures, so
I’m sure you’ve learned a lot about the Holy Ghost and his role in our lives, but hopefully tonight I’ll be
able to expand a little on the knowledge you already have. And to do that, I’m not only going to talk
about the Holy Ghost, First I’m going to talk about the Light of Christ, which you may or may not have
learned about. In fact, someone just gave a talk a week ago in general conference about the Light of
Christ. I think a lot of members get the Light of Christ confused with the Holy Ghost, because the
scriptures use similar terms when describing both, but they are two different things. You can study this
more in depth on your own later, but the basic idea is that the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost work
together to bring us closer to our Heavenly Father, as close as we can be without actually being in His presence. The Light of Christ is an inward force. John 1:9 talks about the “light of Christ” that is given to every human being that comes to this earth. It’s like a spark of the divine inside of us. It’s what other people might call a conscience..  That light can never be taken away, but it IS either enlarged or diminished by the decisions we make. D&C 50:24 says that “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God receiveth more light.” Our spirits crave light because that is what they were used to in the presence of our Heavenly Father before we came to this earth. We are currently cut off from being in the physical presence of our Father. That means no communication with Him…but that’s where the Holy Ghost comes in. It’s his role to communicate light and intelligence and truth and to guide us in the direction that Christ pointed us.  The Holy Ghost is an outward force. A member of the Godhead, and a personage of Spirit. He comes and touches that spark inside of us, and ignites a flame so to speak.

Now, even if we are living our life in a way that invites the Holy Ghost to be with us all the time, even if
we have felt and recognized that influence in our life before, that does not mean that it will always be
easy to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost. Some people struggle with this their whole lives.
For some people it is easier. One stumbling block I think some people have is that they try to
pigeonhole what the Holy Ghost is supposed to feel like - this is what the Holy Ghost is supposed to
feel like, so if I’m not feeling that, then I must not be experiencing the influence of the Holy Ghost.

One good example of this is from the D&C 9:8 which says that if you ask Heavenly Father if
something is right, and it is right, then he will cause that your bosom will burn within you, and most
people interpret that to mean that you’ll feel a warm or tingly feeling in your chest, and that IS how a
lot of people explain what it feels like when they feel the Spirit. But what if someone has never felt that
kind of feeling in their entire life? Does that mean that they have never experienced the influence of
the Holy Ghost? No, of course not. First of all, that scripture was given to a specific person, Oliver
Cowdry, about a specific circumstance, when he was attempting to help translate with Joseph Smith.
And second of all, the Holy Ghost is not that limited in his scope of influence. Galations 5:22-23 But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance.

One of my favorite scriptures is in 2 Nephi 31:3 For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord Got giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.

That scripture is not talking about the English language or Spanish or Korean, or whatever language
we speak. He is talking about a much more fundamental kind of language and understanding. Have
you ever heard of the 5 love languages (words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, etc.)?
Have you ever heard of different learning styles? (visual, verbal, hands on, etc.) It’s the same idea
with how God communicates with us, because he knows that each of us learn, and experience, and
process things differently, and he is a very personal God, he’s our Father, and so he uses the Holy
Ghost to speak to us in a way that we’re going to get, in a way that is very individualized. So for some
people that is going to be a burning of the bosom, and for other people that could be anything from a
very calm feeling, to a quickening of the mind, like having a new idea, or suddenly being able to see
something in a different way, to a still small voice, to someone else being inspired to say just the right
thing to us.

And not only is God going to individualize this communication with each person, he’s going to cater to
each unique circumstance, which means that when you feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, it’s not
going to always feel or look the same to you. But each time will be specific to what you need.

And then I shared a few personal family experiences with the Holy Ghost, and what it can look like when we do listen versus when we don't. I encouraged Antoine to write his experiences with the Holy Ghost in a journal,and I gave him one. And I told Antoine how much I love him (because I do), and that was the end.

Writing this talk was a good thing for me. I am constantly learning new things about how the Holy Ghost operates in my life, and in the lives of others. I am constantly learning and expanding my view about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Application is harder....but I'm trying.

MIA

Sooooo, we moved. I guess it's about time for an update. I'm doing this from my phone, and I've never done that before, so we'll see how this goes.

I distinctly remember moving back to the States from Korea, and being obsessed with pennies for a while. I just wasn't used to them. They were a novelty. I also remember being shocked by how many flavors of Cheerios there were. It's weird, the things you notice.

Coming back to the States again (this time from Germany), we've noticed different things.
Ruth - everyone passes on the right.
Joe - storm drains are HUGE (like the kind from "It").
Cora - public restroom stalls provide very little privacy.
Joseph - doorknobs are round.
Madelyn - everyone has garages.
Alex - everything looks clearer (that's probably because he just got glasses.

Anyway, things are good. We bought a house, practically sight unseen. It wasn't as scary as you might think. We love our house. So cute.

But we DO have improvement plans ;) Here's a before picture.

That's all you're getting of that for now, sorry. Just a little taste. Come back later for the after picture. Later later. Who knows when. And yes, we're living in a pretty empty house right now. Hopefully our stuff will be here at the end of the month. Fingers crossed!

Nebraska is flat, but pretty, and of course, corn fields everywhere. It's nice.

Neighbourhood is nice. Schools are nice. Ward seems nice. But moving is still not nice.  It takes a while for it to actually feel like home. Like you belong. No new friends yet. That takes time....or it may never happen. Every place is different (some places don't have book clubs or sewing groups or someone who needs a walking buddy). People are different every place (some people don't WANT to be in a book club or sewing group or walk). At least we have each other. But we miss everything else we had. Don't worry about me though. I can take up crocheting ;)

Oh, and I got a job. Part time, working as a personal assistant to a friend here. No biggy, but it is my first job in almost 17 years. Contemplating getting my masters degree, but I need to feel settled first, so we shall see.

So, that's a little snapshot of us. Check back later....we have very exciting plans for the long weekend ;)

Back to Oxford

After our camping trip in Wales, we headed back to England to Bert and Adreann's house. Our last full day in England we decided to go back to Oxford for a little more Harry Potter magic and Alice in Wonderland, and there's no better place for that than Christchurch college. This time we actually went inside, yay!

The grand staircase from HP

 The Great Hall from HP.

 This particular stained glass window has Alice Liddell in it (top left window).

 Back down the stairs.

 The cloister, near the cathedral.

 Inside the cathedral. This stained glass window is of the prophet Jonah watching the city of Ninevah.

 This stained glass window has Alice's sister, Edith, in the middle (she died when she was 22 I think).

 This looks like the podium that Dumbledore spoke from in the great hall...but it's not...but maybe it inspired it ;)

 This plaque is in memorial to Henry Liddell (Alice's father) who was a dean of Christchurch, and is buried in this cathedral.

This is the Liddell coat of arms on this gate. The only reason we found this was because we asked a worker in the cathedral about the Liddells, and he showed us the plaque, the stained glass window, and then he pulled out a book from the front desk that had additional information, and in the book it talked about this gate, so we went and found it in the cloister. Very cool!

 More of Christchurch.

Oxford is such a great town to visit. Great history. Great souvenirs ;)

And then our last trip came to an end, and we had to come back home and deal with the reality of moving again :(

And so it goes.