Homecomings and Northern Lights

Early in January, my niece Mya came home from her mission. It was exciting to watch her finish and to see in her face how much she loved serving. 

It was also so awesome to get together with family!

Later that night, we learned that the northern lights were visible.

When Lady Aurora is visible in my home town, you don't waste an opportunity.

Jess and I drove a few minutes out of town and met up with Jewel, Mya, and Brooke.

I remember feeling so grateful to live in this beautiful world and to be so, so blessed.

What a difference LIGHT makes!

 

Abby receives her Mission Call

Shortly after our family trip to Edmonton, Abby received word from her Stake President that he had officially submitted her mission papers. It was barely a week later, on a Tuesday afternoon, when I got word from Abby that her call had arrived.

Whoa. 

It all suddenly felt so real!

I so badly wanted to drive back up to Edmonton to be with her when she opened it, but it just didn't seem feasible, as I had commitments at home the next day. Thanks to ZOOM, we were able to connect online. Abby, surrounded by roommates and friends, opened her call while we hovered around a laptop on our kitchen table. (Some extended family joined in as well, making it extra special for Abby.)

Earlier that day, I had had a dream (yes, during an afternoon nap) and in that dream, Abby had gotten called to serve in Canada. I woke from it feeling a distinct need to remind Abby of why she is serving. I cautioned her to remember that when she opened her call, later that night, and to pray that she will be accepting of the call, no matter where it was. 

Imagine my shock (not to mention hers) when she read that she would be serving in the Hungary/Romania Mission and that she would be learning how to speak Romanian!!

The joy on her face is something that I will never forget.

Romania is home to my ancestors. My Grandma immigrated to Canada, from Romania, when she was 7 years old. Though Abby never knew my Grandma, she has felt a keen interest in our family history and has spent a lot of hours trying to learn more about these people. 

It was so exciting to watch Abby instantly feel connected to these people whom she will soon serve. 
She LOVES them already!

 

Nate's Ordination

The first Sunday in January is always a busy one for my boys. This year, Sam was ordained a Priest and Nate was ordained a Teacher. 

John ordained Sam and then Sam ordained Nate. 

Such a cool experience to watch Sam give his brother a special blessing. 

Obviously, our photographer was busy that day;)

 

Post Christmas Party

Oh this trip was fun!

Abby had to go back to Edmonton on boxing day, so we made a plan to go up and join her for a few days. (Keep the party going, ya know?) Thankfully, the cold snap that had settled over Alberta dissipated right in time for our trip and we were actually able to enjoy this time together!

First, we had to pop by the nearest "Giving Machine" that the church had set up in a mall in Calgary. We bought a goat for someone, which was oddly fulfilling and totally worth the stop. 

Once we got to Edmonton we went straight to Abby's house. Her five other roommates had all gone home to be with their families, so we welcomed having a free place to stay! We spent those few days skating at Hawrelak Park, eating out, visiting West Edmonton Mall, and going to the Zoo Lights event at the Edmonton Zoo.

Abby has been working as an interpreter at the zoo this past semester and it was fun to get some VIP access to some of the features and to hear her talk about some of the animals that she has grown to love. I have no doubt that Abby has been a great employee here and I'm glad she has found such a great path for herself as she begins the preparation for a mission. 

 Sam took it upon himself, every chance he got, to tap on the glass, and generally do all the things possible to upset Abby, but I suppose that is par for the course when we all adventure together. Never a dull moment, and in the end, I like to think they all love being together as much as I do. 

Though Abby didn't join us on the trip home, she was with me in my heart, especially as we stopped at the Calgary to do some baptisms for the dead and dine at Kinjo.

As I've said before, the best things in life start and end with FAMILY...but Kinjo helps too;)

 

Chrismas Eve and Christmas Day - Old and New

My family and I are definitely creatures of habit, and this is never more obvious to us than at Christmas time. This past Christmas Eve and Christmas Day offered some of our oldest traditions, as well as a few new twists. 

New Twist - The Rausch cousins (in town) all gathered at Jewel's house for a Christmas Eve breakfast. They had pancakes and played games before returning home. 

Old Tradition - for years...YEARS , I say...we have always had a steak and lobster dinner on Christmas Eve. We weren't sure if Max would want to join us this year, seeing as he is now living at the Chinook, but who can turn down a plate of steak and lobster?

New Twist: We were thrilled when Abby walked through the door.  I guess that is still a new thing to me, welcoming kids "home" for the holidays. The joy I feel when they make it here safely is unmatched.

Old Tradition: Our Christmas Eve T-shirts are supposed to represent something our family has experienced that year. One year I got everyone M*A*S*H shirts, another year...UofA shirts. This year I took special care (albeit last-minute care) to put my "favorite child" on our shirts. 

Make no mistake, of all my kids, Radar is definitely the one that brought the least amount of heartache to me, which rightfully earned him a spot on our family shirt. The fact that no one else has worn that shirt again is not lost on me. Better luck next year, kids!

New Twist: Christmas Day fell on a Sunday this year. Had my kids been little, this would have been hard on them, but my older kids were more than happy to sleep in, attend sacrament meeting, and then come home and change before doing the whole Santa thing.

Old Tradition: Grandpa still joined us for presents, which we always love. This year we bought him a Skylight photo frame. All of the family can email pics to him directly and they just pop up on this frame. 

I hope that he likes it. He is such a generous man but never really wants anything, himself.

One thing that really impresses me, now that my kids are older, is how much they enjoy giving gifts to each other. Each year, the kids draw names and get a gift for their person. This year though, I couldn't help but notice that they all just ended up giving gifts to each sibling. How cool is that? 

Old Tradition: It wouldn't be Christmas Day without our drive out to Waterton. We've been doing this since 2009. I don't know if the kids even consider it a tradition (they probably think of it as a nuisance) but I really love it.

At this point, I knew that Abby was seriously considering serving a mission, her papers were all ready to submit, and it was dawning on me that this might be my last Christmas for a while, with all my kids at home. 

New Twist: Now that John's sister lives in town, we definitely see them frequently. It was fun to have an evening meal together and finish off Christmas day with extended family. 

A holiday that begins and ends with family is the best kind of holiday!

The Pre-Christmas Parties

December is always a busy month, but that's not always a bad thing, especially when what's keeping you busy is parties and decorating and enjoying the season.

Early in December, we met at Brent and Rachel's house to usher in the holiday season.

Their December 1st party is always a fun time. 

The kids enjoyed yummy food, music, and a hilarious Christmas gift exchange that means my kids come home with ridiculous things like urinals and toilet paper with jokes stamped on it. 

Later in the month, my family gathered in Claresholm for a Christmas dinner at the church.

IT was SO fun to be back in Claresholm. In so many ways, it seems as though nothing has ever changed!

Chad let the kids play in the nursery, explore the secret tunnel that runs under the church, and shoot hoops at the other end of the gym. 

We enjoyed a ham dinner together and did another gift exchange. 

This was a dinner that truly felt like coming home, perhaps my favorite Christmas yet!

Time with family really is what makes this time of year so special!

Aloha - Sam's big adventure!

A week after getting his wisdom teeth removed, Sam was on an airplane, leaving the wintry weather of home and headed straight to the sunny dreamland of Hawaii.

HAWAII!

How is that even possible? 

Due to generous donations from community members, the Varsity Basketball team were given the chance to go to Hawaii for a week. To this day, I still don't understand why this was all handed to these boys, but I do know it was the trip of a lifetime for Sam. Up until now, this kid had never set foot on a plane, never travelled further than Utah, and never left this continent. 

Despite spending his first night on the airport floor, Sam did make it safely and spent the week learning how to surf, being coached, and playing some exhibition games.

They got to enjoy a real luau. Sam said the food was OK, but he LOVED the fruit. 

It was actually the perfect kind of diet for someone just recovering from dental surgery. 

Sam is a beach bum, through and through. This kid could work and play in the sun all day long.

Despite all that kept them busy, they did manage to squeeze in some practices and games too. 

We were often able to catch games that were being streamed. It was fun to see our boys play these large, hawian boys. Both teams were great sports!

Sam and a few of his teammates went and did baptisms for the dead in the Hawaii temple. I think it would be so neat to get to go inside that temple!

Sam said that the entire island smelled like a forest. How could it not, with trees as big as this?!

In one text that Sam sent to me during that week, he said, "Mom. God has left no imperfections here. I'm not coming home."  

Thankfully, he did come home, but not until he'd soaked up every ounce of sand and sun possible!