Christmas Lights

Growing up, we always went on a drive around town to look at all the Christmas lights. We usually did it on Christmas Eve. I've tried to implement this as a family tradition with my family, but Aaron has never been very interested. So instead, I usually just drive around in the evenings with the kids after I pick everyone up from daycare. That's fun, too. We really enjoy it.

But last week, I came across an article in the Denver Post that listed some great houses in the area to check out for really spectacular Christmas Light displays. (If you're in Denver and want to check it out, here's a link to the list online.) I convinced Aaron to map out a route to go see some of the houses in our area (or kind of close to our area, anyway). We fed the kids and headed out around 5:30, thinking 2 hours should be plenty, and would put us home for bedtime and in time to watch a show Aaron and I really wanted to see. As we started, Aaron informed us all that the schedule allowed no time for stopping and looking at the houses, so we all had to be prepared to look quickly as he drove by. =D Luckily, he didn't hold us to that!

We saw great light displays! I can't believe the amount of time and effort it must have taken to set up some of these displays.

1188 Clubhouse Dr., Broomfield, Colorado, 80020

Some of our favorites were the ones that had music playing with the lights blinking on and off synchronized to the music. So much fun to watch! I really could have sat and watched that for a long time, it was so cool.

6330 W. 110th Place, Westminster, CO, 80020

I think everyone's favorite was the Christmas Train house. This place had all kinds of regular and motorized decorations. Snowmen, gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, a moving ferris wheel filled with snowmen and elves, a ski lift taking various characters up onto the roof to ski, so much! But the highlight, was the train. This is a real train! On tracks! Driving around the yard! It's about 5 feet tall, and Santa is driving it. When it comes to the sidewalk (that people would have to cross to get to the front door) there is actually a train gate, complete with flashing lights and arm that lowers to block the sidewalk until after the train has gone by. Preston loved that! We were there for quite a while walking around to see all the decorations and watching the train come around again and again. It was definitely a hit!

7645 Hooker St., Westminster, CO

One of my favorite things overall was how nice all the people were. A couple of different times random people (also out looking at the lights) came up to us and suggested other houses we should go see. Everyone just wanted to share the joy of the season and the fun of looking at these over-the-top decorations.

We ended up visiting 20 different houses! We spent about 4 hours at it - we missed bedtime, we missed our TV show, but I'm so glad we did it. It was tons of fun for me and the kids... and I think Aaron enjoyed it at least a little bit. ;) I might just talk him into seeing some more houses on the list on Christmas Eve!

I can't believe I just did that!

I read Tera's rules for going through the check-out line at the store, and I thought that I usually do pretty well by those standards. But tonight I believe I added a new rule:

#35 - If you have a cart full (I mean FULL) of groceries, don't wait until after the cashier has rung up everything in the cart to realize that you can't pay for any of it!

Yep, that was me tonight. I went home after the ward Christmas party, got the kids settled in bed, and left Aaron there with them so I could make a more peaceful trip to the store. It was a pretty big shopping trip, since I needed snacks for the kids, a few things for regular meals, everything for a big Christmas dinner, etc. So I had a very full cart. Of course, the only lane they had open for my overflowing cart was the express lane. So as the cashier is ringing up all my purchases, the line is stacking up behind me. Two, then three, then four and five people all waiting (more and less patiently) to check out with their one or two items. None of them even had a basket, let alone a cart full of groceries.

So trying to be proactive and do my part to finish this transaction quickly, I swiped my club card and my debit card, keyed in the PIN and was ready to go as soon as she handed over my receipt. I even had my coupons ready and handed them over ahead of time in accordance with rule #25. Of course, I had completely forgotten the fact that I had to cancel my debit card yesterday.

In looking at my bank account online, I'd seen that someone had hacked my card number and made a couple of donations to DNCBARACKOBAMA.com. Who knows if this was a politically-minded hacker who was actually stealing my money to give to Barack Obama, or someone who had set it up to look like the money was going to Barack Obama (presumably in the hope that I would think that was something I'd donated myself?). But at any rate, I knew I hadn't donated that money to Obama, so I called the bank and they cancelled my debit card.

I knew they'd done it. I'd thought it through earlier in the day and knew I would have to write a check at the grocery store. In retrospect, I should have removed the card from my wallet right away. But when it came time to actually go to the store, the whole situation completely slipped my mind. I just went on as usual until the card denied notice flashed across the screen.

Oh how embarrassing! I tried a fumbling explanation, but I could tell that the cashier 1) didn't really care, and 2) probably didn't believe me. (See rules 20-24) However she graciously agreed to put my full cart aside and hold it for me while I ran home to get my checkbook. I really wanted to explain to all those people behind me that I was not a deadbeat. I really did have the money to pay. I was just the victim of a faulty memory! But I think that they also didn't really care, other than to be annoyed that after waiting all that time for my cart to be rung up, now I didn't even have a way to pay. "What an idiot!" I could just feel them all thinking that in my direction.

I went home and back as quickly as possible. And I was still completely embarrassed when I got there with my checkbook. I apologized about ten times for my mistake. But I still feel like an idiot!

I couldn't help but laugh...

You know how sometimes you're surfing the Internet for no real reason at an insane hour? Stuff seems really funny at that point. I wonder if these will strike me so funny in the light of day...

see more deMotivational Posters


see more deMotivational Posters

Zoo Lights

On impulse, we decided to take the kids to see Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo. It was a school night and we hadn't eaten dinner yet, but we didn't care. We loaded up the kids, swung through a drive-through for chicken nuggets (easy to eat in the car) and were on our way.

It was a LOT more crowded than we thought it would be - you know, being a school night and all. Apparently the other parents were letting things slide, too. =) But it was lots of fun. Haley and Preston loved all the lights, especially the moving animal light sculptures. Brekken really didn't seem to care, so he mostly just rode in the stroller and seemed a little bored.

We saw some people making ice sculptures - that was pretty cool to watch. We saw Santa from a distance but decided not to wait in the long line to sit on his lap (since the kids already saw him on Saturday). Some of the animal exhibits were open, too, so we saw elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, lizards, snakes, fish... All of the kids seemed to enjoy that part.

We took a ride on the zoo train. We figured it would take us to see some light displays we wouldn't be able to see otherwise. We also figured it would last longer than 2 minutes. So we forked out the $2/person to ride the train. We were wrong on both cases. Plus the train seats are made of metal. When it's around 30 degrees outside, metal seats are COLD. Just a little FYI - if you go to Zoo Lights, don't bother with the train!

I had also told the kids we could buy hot chocolate. But it turned out to cost $5 for a cup of hot chocolate! For one cup! We just couldn't bring ourselved to do it. Luckily the kids agreed that a cup of hot chocolate at home before bed would work just as well.

The lights were beautiful. I wish I had remembered to take my camera, but in the flurry of suddenly rushing to be out the door, I forgot it. I did get some pictures on my phone. Unfortunately, most of the photos looked like this...

A couple of them kind of turned out okay. Really, you just need to go see it for yourselves! =)

Hope in a voice mail - Woman discovers gospel through chance call

Hope in a voice mail - Woman discovers gospel through chance call - Latter-day Sentinel - News for the LDS community in the Spokane Temple District

By Craig Howard, News EditorNovember 9, 2009 —

"I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick." Ezekiel 34:16

The call involved a simple reminder about a church lesson - but for Holli Medema, it turned into the message of a lifetime.

In April of this year, some 300 miles away from Medema's home in Ferndale, WA., Chris Peck of the Belle Terre Ward in the Spokane East Stake dialed the cell phone of a teacher in the Elders Quorum who had just moved from the West side of the state. When the call rolled over to voice mail, Chris left word about a teaching assignment the following Sunday that included several scripture references.

The only problem was that Chris had misdialed the number.

When she retrieved the message on her phone, Medema had never read a verse in the Bible, let alone set foot into a church. She texted the Spokane number back, explaining the miscommunication, but thanked Chris for "the message of God."

At the time, Medema was going through a transitional phase in her life, searching for a new path that would bring healing, direction and stability. In her words, "something was missing but I didn't understand what it was."

"I was never religious - I never believed in God," she said. "I did believe that we all have souls, though."

That Sunday, Medema told Chris in a text that she had been thinking of attending a church, but "had not a clue on how to pick the right one."

Chris, a ward missionary along with his wife, Cheri, recommended that Holli investigate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

I said, 'I might be a little biased, but I know of a great church you can go to,'" Chris said.

Elder Tyler Giles and Elder Justin Moss, full-time LDS missionaries serving in the Bellingham area, received a referral the next day about Holli.

"We had been praying for people to teach," Elder Giles recalls. "When we met with Holli, we told her 'There is a God and He loves you.'"The missionaries told Holli about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon. There were discussions about how everyone on earth is a child of God with a purpose. Questions like 'Where did we come from? Why are we here? And Where are we going?" were addressed.

"I started to gain an understanding of hope and faith," Holli said.

Chris and Cheri continued to communicate with Medema, hearing updates on her progress with the gospel lessons. The first Sacrament meeting Holli attended in Ferndale featured talks on the theme of hope.

"I think that first meeting was really important," Cheri said. "Holli came home feeling for the first time that there could be hope and there could be something different."

One of the scriptures Holli began studying during the missionary discussions is found in Alma, chapter 32 of the Book of Mormon. The verses describe the word of God as a seed that grows in the heart when nurtured by faith.

"First you have to want to know the truth," Holli said. "Getting peace is knowing what you're doing is right."

On May 8, Holli was baptized into the LDS Church. Chris and Cheri drove to Ferndale for the ceremony and Chris gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.

"It was fabulous to be at the baptism," Chris said. "It's just so amazing to see the Lord touch people's hearts."

Elder Giles described how Holli has already made a positive difference in her new ward. Medema serves on the activities committee, has spoken at a missionary fireside and was instrumental in referring the missionaries to one of her neighbors who was recently baptized.

"It's really been a testimony building experience for the people here," Elder Giles said. "It's a good reminder that you need to reach out and talk about the gospel, to have that sense of courage. We see how it can change lives.

"Back in the Spokane East Stake, leaders like President Ken Nelson, first counselor in the Stake Presidency, say Holli's experience is an example of church members "stepping outside their comfort zone" to share the gospel.

"It's an incredible story," he said. "There are many individuals out there who are being prepared - but it's never going to happen unless you actively seek and have the faith to act."

Medema, a single mom, said her conversion to the Church has brought a realization "that Heavenly Father has always been there and I can talk to Him."

"I tell people how the gospel has truly made me happier," she said. "It's become part of my life."

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Too far away

There are times that I really hate living here...

Though it's actually nothing to do with anything about our house, neighborhood, etc. and everything to do with being too far away from family. Yes, I know that we are lucky to at least be close enough to drive instead of having to fly. But it's still a 7-13 hour drive (depending on whether we are going to my family or Aaron's, weather, whininess of the kids...). And that's just not a quick jaunt.

I especially hate being this far away when something goes wrong with my family in Utah and I can't do anything to help. On Saturday night my parents went to a party for Dad's work. On the way home, the car got stuck in the snow, and Dad got out to push. (I could say here that with both my parents being heart patients, maybe they should have called someone to help rather than either of them pushing... but I won't.)

After getting the car moving, Dad started to feel sick, with numbness and pain in his left arm. Luckily they were near a hospital and went there instead of waiting. His heart was in atrial fibrillation - meaning that the top chambers of the heart were beating way too fast; basically just quivering instead of squeezing to move the blood through the body. The doctors had to shock him to restore normal rhythms. Then he spent that night and the next day (Sunday) in the hospital in Roosevelt. Late Sunday night my sister actually called me to tell me what was going on - after he'd already been in the hospital with a suspected heart attack all day. I was too far away for anyone to think about letting me know.

(By the way, this is a recurring theme in my family. My mother complains mightily about the time that her mother had a stroke and was in the hospital but didn't call and tell her about it. And then her father was hospitalized with a kidney infection and they didn't tell her about it. And this upsets her a lot. But she does the same thing! Both of my parents have been hospitalized for things a couple of times and they don't tell me about it! Just saying... she doesn't get to complain to me about Grandma's closed-mouthedness anymore.)

On Sunday night they decided that he needed to go to the hospital in Salt Lake City. They couldn't send him via LifeFlight due to bad weather, so they sent him in an ambulance. My mother wasn't able to ride with him, so everyone in Vernal was trying to figure out the best way to get her there to be with Dad. I wasn't able to help with that, of course, because I was too far away.

Aaron and I packed up some clothes, notified work and school that we would be gone, and were (quite literally) on our way out the door to go to Utah to be with my family when my Mom called. She told us not to come. She didn't want us to have to make the long drive with the kids. Because after all, we're too far away. So we agreed to wait and see about the test results before we left. Which took until the next morning. When we were again trying to head out the door and go to Utah, but Mom and Dad insisted that we were too far away and we shouldn't come.

The good news is that Dad is doing well. The atrial fibrillation was corrected quickly enough that it didn't damage his heart. It could have been very bad if they hadn't gone to the hospital so quickly, but luckily they did go. The doctors in Salt Lake ran lots of tests, adjusted his meds and adjusted the settings on his pacemaker to help ensure that this doesn't happen again. He should get to go home today. Of course, they already sent my sister and brother (who drove Mom to SLC) home, so they need someone to come pick them up and give them a ride home. I volunteered, but I'm too far away. One of my siblings will take care of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad they're there and able to help. I just wish I was too.

I wanted to go. I still want to go. Maybe Dad doesn't need to see me, but I need to see him. But apparently we're too far away.

Christmas Q&A

1. Wrapping or gift bags?
For every other gift-giving occasion, I will use a gift bag whenever possible. But for some reason at Christmas I feel like I should use actual wrapping paper. I usually try to find a day and just wrap all my presents at once and get it done.

2. Real or artificial tree?
Fake. I just don't want the sap and the needles and having to water it and everything that goes along with a real tree. So even though our artificial tree is pretty ugly, at least it's low-maintenance!

3. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime in January. I'm not in a big rush to be done with all the pretty lights.

4. Do you like egg nog?
Yuck! Nasty, slimy stuff. Does that answer your question?

5. Favorite gift received as a child?
A super-duper deluxe chemistry set. I remember a lot of happy times mixing strange concoctions with all those checmicals!

6. Do you have a nativity scene?
I used to. It was a beautiful little set that I bought my Christmas away from home. But it was fragile and I could never put it out for fear that the kids or cats would knock it down and break it. So at this time last year when a call when out to help someone in the neighborhood who had lost all their belongings due to some family problems, they specifically asked for Christmas decorations along with other items that were needed. I decided to pass along the nativity set. One of these days, I will get a new one.

7. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I believe I told you about the used socks. That was a great one. Santa also left me a Chia Pet in my stocking one year. That thing never did grow...

8. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, though I'm not very good about it. I really need to get on the ball and send them out. I have the cards. I have pictures to put in the cards. I even have addresses for most of the people that I would like to send cards to. Yet I have done nothing about actually preparing and sending cards. I should get to that...

9. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Elf. Or A Muppet Christmas Carol. Hard to choose between the two. I try to watch both of them every year.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I shop all year round, really. If I see something in March that will make a good gift, I will pick it up and store it away until December. I keep a running list on my computer so that I remember what I've bought come Christmas-time! I usually aim to have all of my Christmas shopping complete no later than Thanksgiving.

11. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
A big old turkey dinner with real mashed potatoes. Yum!

12. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Clear? What is this crazy talk? Colored all the way.

13. Favorite Christmas song(s)?
Barenaked Ladies version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
"Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains"

14. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We stay home at Christmas. As much as we love to go visit our families, we really enjoy just being at home for Christmas.

15. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. No real reason for that, I guess. It's just what we have.

16. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
Christmas morning! When I was a kid we opened one present on Christmas Eve - it was always a new pair of pajamas. Then we put on our new jammies and went to bed. I'm starting that tradition with my kiddos now, too. Everything else must wait for Christmas morning.

17. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
That everyone is always so focused on having a white Christmas. I don't need a white Christmas - I would be fine with no white at all! I don't like snow.

18. What do you leave for Santa?
The kids like to make cookies for Santa. I remember as a kid that we would leave a pizza out for Santa. That sounds pretty good, too!

19. Least favourite holiday song?
Every version ever recorded of "Little Drummer Boy." I HATE that song.

20. Favourite ornament?
So many to choose from! My grandmother always gave each grandkid a special ornament each Christmas. So I have almost 30 special ornaments from Grandma that are carefully placed on the tree each year. But of those, I would have to say that the Bungee-Jumping Santa is my favorite. =)

21. Family tradition?
As soon as the Christmas lights start going up each year, the kids and I take some time (sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes a half hour or so) each night after I pick them up from daycare to drive around and look at all the light displays in the neighborhood. They love to spot the most lit-up houses and direct me this way and that to see everything.

We have also continued the tradition of special Christmas ornaments. My mom now sends ornaments to her grandkids and the kids each get to put their own ornaments on the tree.