Friday's FIVE!

I was raised in First United Methodist Church in Marion, Indiana... and my daughters were raised in the same church. Our family was very involved - the girls were raised spending several nights a week at the church... for some meeting or activity. It was a huge part of our life.

We sat on every board in the church - include Ad Council, Pastor Parrish Committee, Board of Trustees, UMW - you name it... we were there. We cooked dinners, we participated in programs and Bible school... United Methodist Men dinners/United Methodist Women programs...Sunday school events and childrens programs.... but participating as a youth group sponsor was probably the most rewarding of all. We were recruited by Rev. David Byrum - just before he left to accept his new appointment. We had the pleasure of being sponsors under the leadership of the 'new' associate who became a very dear, lifetime friend, Rev. Byron Kaiser. We developed relationships with the youth group kids that is still special and strong.... During 1987 -1990, we spent every Sunday night working with the Youth - we went to camp and retreats... but the most significant event was Appalachian Service Project -where we were sent to work on homes in Iaeger, West Virginia. We were separated into small groups - and our lives were changed... http://asphome.org/index.html

This weeks Friday Five is a focus of five of the most significant memories I have of that hot summer in West Virginia...

1. We took vans an carpooled to West Virginia... but our Associate Pastor, Youth Group leader and dear friend, Byron Kaiser was an avid kayaker and he was determined that we would add a little fun to this trip... so we made a side trip to Fayetteville, WV to rafter the Lower New River Gorge. It was quite a trip - and not an easy paddle.... but we made memories - and the day is something that I still talk about frequently.

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2. We had to sleep in a school - a very, very old elementary school... We were told the school had showers - but we didn't know the showers were intended for elementary school children. In order to wash your hair... you had to get on your knees to let water run over your head. I also remember there were wild 'ferrets' in the building... it was not a 5 star hotel - but it was humbling...and we were there to serve.

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3. We broke up into small groups - and each group had a project. Byron and I led our group of kids... and our project was to roof a shack on the side of the mountain. This shack was home to a family and the roof was falling down, our mission to replace the roof - while we demonstrated God's unconditional love. Everyday we would make the trek to the mountain. The shack was across a river/stream and we had to 'raft' the bundles of shingles and wade across the polluted stream or walk across the scariest foot bridge you have ever seen. I was terribly afraid of heights - and early in the trip, I stepped on a nail. I had to be seen by a physician - and there was not more wading for me, so I had to cross the bridge. It was true lesson in faith for me - my friend Byron encouraged me... That bridge has been very symbolic to my faith. It was grueling hard, hot work. The look of appreciation on the face of the family made it worth every minute.

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4. We gathered with a group from the community to attend a local church... It was very different from our traditional 'First United Methodist Church'... I'm not sure what denomination it was... but all the women had on big hats - and I remember that they worshiped with their hands in the air and they sang and sang...and they said AMEN! They brought the scriptures to life...

I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. Psalm 9:21

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5. Appalachia Service Project (ASP) is a Christian ministry that addresses the housing needs of Central Appalachia. The goal of the ministry is to make homes warmer, safer and drier for families in need, while offering transformational experiences for families, volunteers and staff alike. It was a transformational experience for me... a song that we sang ever night still lingers in mind.... "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary Pure and Holy, tried and true....with thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You"... I left ASP - tired and weary and anxious to get home to my own children... but I also left with strengthened faith and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

I was forever changed.

Friday's FIVE!

January in Indiana... Snow days and school delays, bad roads and snow plows and the cold weather... these are a few of the things that are the grocery line topics in Indiana. The appeal of Indiana for me is living in an state where we are able to truly enjoy four seasons. We experience spring, fall, summer and even winter at it's best. My Friday's FIVE! this week is a focus of five things I keep warm during our cold January winter....

1. Movie dates with my husband - We both love to go to the Movie theater... and share a bucket of popcorn and a good movie. We aren't frequent movie goers... but we do tend to go at least once or twice in January. This year, we have seen Marley and Me and Benjamin Button... Our first date was in December, 1974 - and we went to see "Airport '75"... we also went to see several movies together in January of 1975...

2. Birdwatching against white, new fallen snow... The vivid colors of a cardinal against the bright, white snow is a beautiful sight! Our Pastor mentioned seeing a an eagle just a few miles from us last week...it is a great time for birdwatching!

3. The moan and groan of the frozen lake ... it is such an eerie, haunting sound... Typically, when the temperatures change at about sunset - it really roars. I love that sound - the sound is usually associated with cozy evenings at the cottage with a fire in the fireplace and a pot of soup of the stove!

4. White sales - I love new sheets... I love high thread count sheets when the temperatures are warm, but I especially love flannel sheets when the temperatures dip below freezing. Janyce Ward loved flannel sheets and when I would spend winter weekends in Indy with Laura, I remember flannel sheets. I love the cozy feeling of flannel sheets on a cold, January evening!

5. Tall-Quad-Nonfat-Upside Down-Extra Hot Latte from Starbucks. MMMmmmmm - a Hot Latte on a cold January day... We don't have a Starbucks in Warsaw (yet)... but there are plenty of them along the way of my work travels and airports - When I'm not traveling, we have a fine reasonable facsimile - "Courthouse Coffee" - where I can find a latte to keep to me warm right here at home!

Friday's FIVE!

In 1976 - my Grandmother gave me a wedding shower gift ... it was a little plaque that had a prayer on it.... the last sentence of the prayer was... "and grant them with the love of their children's children".... Nine years ago today ... January 18. 2000 - The good Lord answered that prayer....and I was given the greatest blessing of my life... I became a Grandmother! This week's Friday's FIVE! is a birthday tribute to Tyler and five happy thoughts/memories I have about Tyler.

1. I was so excited the day Tyler was born... a few weeks premature - his entry was a little scary and he was a little vulnerable - He spent a few days in the NICU at Marion General Hospital before his heart rate and O2 levels regulated. He was also jaundiced and the Drs. told Katie that he had to begin eating good before he could go home....We were two Moms on a Mission! I stayed the entire night at the hospital with her - and we worked together to get that beautiful baby to nurse successfully ... and it worked! Not long after that long night...Tyler came home and the joyous journey of being a grandparent had begun!!!

2. Tyler was only 2 1/2 years old when we moved to the lake full time. That first winter - he spent a snowy weekend with us. I wil never forget the sight of Bruce (on Cross Country Skiis) pulling him on a sled. We came in and warmed up our hands and enjoyed hot chocolate. The new snow at Yellow Creek Lake was a new winter wonderland that none of us had ever experienced...and it was a wonderful day that I'll never forget!

3. Tyler loves hot hot hot food... I remember when he was barely able to sit in a high chair... feeding him beans from Flores Mexican Restaurant in Gas City and he LOVED it! He has grown to love Louisianna Hot Sauce - hot wings - hot salsa.... you name it, he loves it HOT HOT HOT!! We were invited to share his birthday dinner tonight.... and his request was ENCHILADAS...

4. We spend a lot of hours watching Tyler spin around the lake on a tube... teeth chattering...lips blue - but he continues to point his thumb up..."Faster, Grandpa Bruce, Faster...." He loves to spend summer days at the lake... swimming, tubing, paddling, hunting for tadpoles and crawdaddies... Sometimes - Bruce and Tyler will take off on the pontoon... or paddleboat or kayak and I won't see them for hours... Tyler is the 5th generation to spend time at Yellow Creek Lake and we love to have him visit!

5. Tyler is a such a loving child - and his Mom and Dad have done a wonderful job raising such a smart, thoughtful boy. My heart melts when he wraps his long lanky arms around me and gives me big hugs and tells me he loves me or when I see him snuggled in the chair on Bruce's lap - eating popcorn and watching a movie. He has been on Bruce's lap since he was two years old...and at 9 years old, he is now all arms and legs - but he still loves to spend evenings on Grandpa's lap. I love that he is not too big to love his MeMe and Grandpa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!

Friday's FIVE!

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

This weeks Friday's FIVE! is a focus to my 2009 Mission... Bringing harmony to my life!

Balance - Harmony... a blend of all that is essential, in equal parts. The focus of this - is true harmony as I have experienced it in my life...

1. The marriage of my mother and father ... truly a love story. I'm so thankful for the gift of my parents love... not just the love they gave me - but the love they gave each other. My parents gave me the greatest gift a child can recieve... the love for each other - their love is true example of harmony.

2. Several years ago, Bruce and I hiked Andrews Bald - We made that hike late in the day... with the intention of seeing the sunset at the end of the hike at Clingmans Dome. The background of that sunset - behind those awesome mountains ... the vivid blues and mauves and reds... the scene was truly a harmony of color and views...

3. The look on the faces of my grandsons when they looked at each other for the first time... it was harmony at it's best. Tyler was over 8 years old when Trevor was born...and he was very ready for a sibling. Tyler has always been a positive, loving sibling and has not demonstrated any sibling rivalry. Trevor is now almost 9 months old and they still express that harmony toward each other...

4. I wait every year ... for the sound of the loon that arrives around the first day of spring.

The call of the loon has been the sound to ring in spring every year that we have been here. There is something so intriguing about the loons call - and we have such a short period of time to enjoy the wonderful sound as he only stays a few short weeks. When he calls, the 'lakers' have usually not returned...the lake is still peaceful and quiet - the call of the loon is the harmonious reminder of new life and awaking of the world!

5. Bruce and I live our lives in harmony... My life is peaceful now and I appreciate the harmony between us. We live our lives as true partners... we enjoy many of the same activities... and we enjoy spending time with each other... sitting across from each other at local hot spots carrying on a conversation about our day - or we enjoy just sitting in our chairs quietly.... no talking necessary. He is truly my soulmate - the harmony in my life....and I'm forever grateful!

Friday's FIVE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2009!

Celebrating the New Year... a time for new beginnings - a time to reflect on the year that has past. My focus for 2008 was to focus on the things that are ESSENTIAL...
ESSENTIAL to me....not necessarily 'simple' - but essential. I focus on "mission statements" rather than 'resolutions'. It is my 'focus' for the year... so I don't necessarily have 'goals' to achieve... but a focus on my life. I try every day to think about my mission... and how I can focus my life toward that mission on that day.... Living 'Essential' in 2008... It is interesting to me that I chose to focus on the essential things when our economy bottoms out and at the end of the year - the focus for everyone becomes the essential things - focusing on what truly matters most.

This weeks Friday's FIVE! is a tribute to the essentials in my life....

1. My husband, Bruce... My soulmate, my best friend. I am so thankful for this peaceful man...for my partner. I love my life - and I tell him that every day. We enjoy every day together of our life together - Essential for Bruce this year was the hard work he invested to earn his Associates Degree...I'm proud of you - I LOVE YOU BRUCE!

2. My amazing daughters... These women are such a strong, amazing essential force in my life.
In their relatively short life, they have both faced many challenges...and they always rise above every situation. It has been an essential year for both of them... as Katie and Phil welcomed their second son, Trevor...and Betsy married her soulmate - Debbie. I am so blessed to have such wonderful daughters... my friends. I love you KATIE and BETSY - and PHIL and DEBBIE!

3. My Mother - My mother has always been an amazing, essential force in my life... and this year has not been any different. This has been an essential year for Mother. We have faced challenges together this year that have changing effects on our lives... We are facing transitions and adversity - and I will be there for my mother every step of the essential way...
I love you MOM!!! (I love you heaps and heaps and heaps and....)

4. My Grandsons... My legacy - these boys bring soooo much essential joy to my life...Unconditional - JOY. The hugs and kisses that Tyler gives me and the smile that beams across Trevors face when he greets me... are the essential things in life that truly gives breath to my day. These are truly the essential things!!! I love you TYLER and TREVOR!

5. My Brother - We are five years and 1300 miles apart. We have had other essential years - but this one has been one of the defining years. We are a team... and we work together well. I'm thankful that we are positively focused for the essentials in our lives... I love you ROGER and COLLEEN!

As always - this is NOT an all inclusive list... there are so many 'essentials' in my life... Of course all of my extended family is essential to me. All of Bruce's family... my cousins and my neices and nephews...my Aunts and my Uncle and all of my essential friends that have stood by throughout this year...

The essential things in my life aren't 'things'... it isn't crystal or keepsakes... or the house in which I live - it isn't the mountains I climb or the waters I paddle. It isn't a pair of earrings or the car I drive. It isn't the size of jeans that I wear or the style of my hair... The true essentials in our lives are those that we love... and those that love us. I'm lucky to have so many wonderful 'essentials' in my life!

Friday's FIVE!

We had another wonderful Christmas Day - Celebrating the birth of our Savior... gathering together with family... eating and laughing - and exchanging gifts. I'm so thankful for all of my family - and the love we have for each other. This was a wonderful Christmas with many fun celebrations and services. Decking the halls kicked off the season - with parties hosted by friends, family and employers. We especially enjoyed seeing Tyler in the entertaining CSA Christmas program. We enjoyed the Candlight Christmas Eve service at Center United Methodist Church. We enjoyed fellowship and food and fun with the Lankenau family on Christmas day at 12:00PM and at 3PM we were back at Yellow Creek for a celebration with Katie, Phil, Tyler and Trevor...Betsy and Debbie...Mom and our nephew and niece, Jack and Allie. We were blessed with our newest grandson, Trevor this year...it was fun celebrating his first Christmas - and the blessing of Debbie as an official member of our family following their marriage in Hawaii in November. There is something special about every Christmas...

however, we all have those that stand out in our memory. This is certainly not all of my memories of wonderful Christmas celebrations, however, this weeks Friday's FIVE! is a collection of five of very memorable Christmases....

1. Approx. 1962 - I was about 4 years old, and I can remember waking up to a childs Christmas wonderland.... Santa had certainly come! We had hand knit stockings with our names on them...filled so full the items were falling from the stockings. Santa brought me a Betsy Wetsy doll and a stacking bunk bed and a baby carriage....all left under the tree that was adorned with those big lights that get too hot to even touch. Roger had a a big Bazooka gun ... and I think I remember a football helmet. It was the kind of Christmas a child remembers forever. We always would celebrate our Christmas mornings at home - Christmas Eve's were at Grandma and Grandpa Pences - We went to Grandma and Grandpa Alexanders later on Christmas morning until 1968... after that, they would come to our house. Grandma would wear her Christmas 'smock' and bring the coffee cake. Those are happy Christmas Memories at 52nd street...

2. Christmas 1973 - I was 15 years old...and it was the first Christmas that my Grandma and Grandpa Pence were not in Indiana to celebrate with us...They were snowbirds and had decided to stay in Sunny Florida rather than make the trek back to our hoosier winter wonderland. That year on Christmas Eve, instead of Grandma and Grandpa's house, we gathered at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Wildwood for a Pence family celebration. I can remember talking to my Grandma on the phone and being very sad that I wasn't with her. She made Wildwood Christmases special with red knit stockings hanging from the mantel - and the envelopes that were placed on the Christmas tree. I can remember Wildwood Christmas Eves vividly - I remember the ambulance that would bring my great Aunt Vera from her nursing home to celebrate with us...and I can remember playing in the basement with my brother and my cousins - those were happy days in Wildwood.... Later we had many, many happy memories at my parents home in Wildwood...a very special place to the Pence family!

3. Christmas of 1986 and we lived on Koldyke Drive - Steve and I had an especially good year at the Christmas tree lot. (We sold Christmas trees at the lumber yard in Wabash for Christmas spending money)... Santa Claus brought the girls desks filled with many desk and school supplies - the living room was full of toys and Santa brought the family a computer. We always spent Christmas morning at home with egg casserole and coffee cake. We would leave cookies for Santa and carrots for the Reindeer... Santa would often leave footprints for the girls to see.

We would go to Steve's Mom and Dad's on Christmas eve - Candlelight Church at 11PM and then we went to my Mom and Dads in the afternoon on Christmas day. Memories of my children in that big living room on Koldyke drive at Christmas are happy memories!

4. Christmas of 2000 - The first Christmas with our grandson. The first year we celebrated with him was a reminder to me that life goes on... and that this child was my legacy, that I would not live forever, but that a part of me would. Our 1888 Victorian home on Spencer Avenue in Marion was the perfect setting for wonderful Christmas celebrations with our family and our friends and neighbors. It was a beautiful home and we would spend weeks decorating and preparing for the holiday - we put up 5 Christmas trees in that house. Candles would illuminate every window. I believe there were 53 window candles in that house. Steve and I hosted a big Christmas party every year in that home and I loved the days of preparing for that party... however, that year... the focus was on this beautiful child. There wasn't a Christmas party that year or any year after that...but the gift of my grandchild, Tyler gave me hope for happy days ahead of me!

5. Christmas of 2001 - the year of change! I lived on Nelson street after my divorce. It was a hard year - the kids went to Steve's family on Christmas Eve, and I was in the house alone that day - but we all met together at Church that night. It was a night of heavy snow, and Betsy and Bruce went sledding after church! Bruce and I were getting pretty serious ... and I suspected an engagement was forthcoming, however - he was struggling with his business and he told me he would have to 'make' my engagement ring. Christmas morning he presented me with a hand whittled, wooden ring with a fake diamond glued to it. It looked like something right out of a Flintstone cartoon - but the real message of the gift is what mattered - my soulmate wanted to spend the rest of his life with me...we were engaged to be married! Bruce also gave me a bicycle backpack that year...and buried deep in one of the pockets of the backpack was my 'real' engagement ring - a beautiful solitare diamond. We celebrated that Christmas morning with Betsy, Katie, Phil and Tyler. It was my first Christmas celebration with the Lankenau family and Bruce's first celebration at Wildwood with the Pence family. Christmas is special for Bruce and I because our first 'real' date was on Christmas night ... 1974. I was 16 and he was 19 and we saw the movie, Airport '75 after our family celebrations were complete... We met each other again at Charmayne and Danny's Christmas Eve Eve party...and later, we were engaged in 2001 on Christmas Day! A difficult transitional year that ended up bringing many happy years ahead of us!

~~~~As I indicated earlier - this is not an all inclusive list....I've been blessed to have so many happy wonderful Christmas memories... Another significant Christmas was Christmas of 2007.

That is the first year that we celebrated Christmas Day at Yellow Creek Lake - and I loved every minute... I love that my Grandsons are able to build memories of Christmas in a place that is so special to so many generations for me. Ironically - our family has been coming to Yellow Creek Lake since the early 1930's and 2007 was the first year that there was ever a Christmas Day celebration at Yellow Creek... the first of many more to come!!!

Here's hoping this was a joyous Christmas that brought many happy memories for everyone!

White Christmas

It looks like it is going to be a White Christmas...We've had subzero temps and snow flurries all weekend and the forecast indicates that the there will be snow on the ground and the lake will be frozen at Yellow Creek Lake for Christmas Day!

Baby, it's COLD outside!

We had an ice storm yesterday that left us without power and cable for almost 12 hours...

I was thankful for my iPod and my battery operated speakers, my Blackberry and my fireplace!

Schools were cancelled, giving kids and extra day of Christmas break! Many of our campuses at work were running on generators - and many roads were not passable with 1/2" of accumulated ice and fallen power lines and trees everywhere. My weeping willow trees along the lakefront are covered in ice... frozen in time...begging for warmer days!

I simply must go (It’s cold outside)
The answer is no (Baby, it’s cold outside)

The welcome has been (So lucky that you dropped in)

So nice and warm (Look out the window at that storm)

Friday's FIVE!

Christmas traditions are a part of the excitement and anticipation of the season... Those special things you look forward to during this blessed season. I'm a rich traditionalist - so our Christmas traditions are many. While we participate in the typical Christmas traditions such as Christmas dinners, Gift Exchanges, gatherings with family and friends and Christmas eve services at church- this weeks Friday FIVE! are five of a our families special Christmas traditions...

1. Red and Green Foil Paper

Santa Claus doesn't have time to put ribbons or bows on packages - so he wraps all presents in foil paper. Red foil paper for girls, Green foil paper for the boys. At our house - Santa Claus didn't bring all of the packages - he brought each child just one present.... usually the 'big' item on the Christmas list. This was the way Santa brought gifts to my house when I was a child, it is the way he brought gifts to my children...and it is the way he brings gifts to my grandsons at their home.

I remember Santa bringing Betsy "Talking Big Bird" - and the joy on that childs face still warms my heart. I remember the look on Katie's face when she got her Cabbage Patch Dolls - and I remember Teddy Ruxpin. The reflection of the Christmas tree lights on the shiny foil paper emits a warm glow on Christmas morning that says "Santa Claus has been here!!".... Let the fun begin!

2. Recycled Gifts

Christmas of 1976 - Steve and I had just married, and we didn't have much money. I taught myself to macrame' and made gifts for everyone. I made plant hangers and wall hangings and key chains. When Christmas came, I still had one item left to make - a Belt for my brother, Roger. That Christmas, I packed up his buckle and the beads and the jute that would become his belt - and wrote a note as an IOU - a promise that I would make the belt after the holiday.

The belt didn't get done - and he wrapped it up and gave it back to me the following year. We passed the belt back and forth for 25 years. The box would hold poems or some creative way to pass the gift back and forth.... On the 25th anniversary, we decided to retire the tradition. Roger put a few of the beads on his key chain... and I hang the buckle and a few of the beads on my Christmas tree each year. Sometime when the girls were in high school - they began passing back and forth a stinky strawberry candle that came from a Cross Country Team Christmas exchange. The smell of that horrible candle has not waned with years... it still smells as bad now as it did over 10 years ago.

3. Christmas Jammies

When the girls were really small, they would get Christmas Jammies for Christmas at Grandma Dubie's house on Christmas Eve. They would put them on at Grandma's house so they would have their jammies on and be ready for bed as soon as we got home (often falling asleep in the car) When the girls got a little older I started buying the Christmas jammies - I would carefully choose pajamas that fit personalities or the 'theme' for the season. When we would get home from Grandma Dubie and Grandpa George's house on late on Christmas eve, they would have one present to open ... and of course, that present would be the jammies. This tradition has continued throughout the years...and while I haven't bought Christmas jammies for two years, I'm sure Tyler and Trevor will be in new Christmas jammies this year!

4. Coffee Cake and "Grandma' Salad"

When I was a child - we always went to Grandma and Grandpa Pence's house on Christmas eve - and Grandma and Grandpa Alexander came to our house on Christmas morning. We always had "Grandma's Salad" at Grandma Pence's house - it was a recipe passed down from my Great Grandma Ballard - and my Grandma Alexander always brought a coffee cake to our house on Christmas day. We still eat "Grandma's Salad" at Christmas....and I know my cousins, Nancy and Amy continue this tradition... and we still have Grandma's Coffee cake for breakfast on Christmas morning!

Grandma's Coffee Cake

2 C Sugar

1 C Melted Butter

2 Eggs

1 C Sour Cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 C chopped pecans

2 T brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, add sour cream and vanilla until combined.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt - gradually mix into sugar/butter mixture.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into greased/floured 10" bundt or tube pan. Combine the pecans, sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle on top of the batter in the 10" pan. Add remaining batter.

Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes - invert cake onto serving plate and dust with confectioners sugar.

"Grandma's Salad"

2 Large cans of Pineapple chunks

2 Eggs

3/4 C Sugar

2 heaping T flour

pinch of salt

chopped pecans

2 C mini-marshmallows

Drain pineapple and reserve 1 1/2 C juice, add sugar, wisk flour and salt into juice, add 2 beaten eggs - cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat, cover with wax paper and allow to cool. When cool - Fold in chopped pecans and marshmallows. Garnish with Maraschino cherries and pecan halves.

5. Special Christmas items

When I was growing up - we had three angels with red feather dresses...I don't know whatever happened to those angels - but I loved them so much. They always sat on our fireplace mantel.

When Katie was a baby, my mother gave me a little ceramic frozen pond winter scene with a snowman iceskating on it. The kids have always loved it - and it is one item they still expect to see when the Christmas decorations come out. One of my mothers most treasured items is her Nativity Scene that she had as a child....a primitive little creche now at least 75 years old, that she still puts out. She doesn't do much decorating for Christmas anymore - but the Creche is still the central theme of this blessed Christmas holiday....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!

Friday's FIVE!

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!! I love Christmas...I love the entire Christmas season!!!! This weeks Friday's FIVE is Five of my favorite 'Christmas Season' activities...The fun things that help to build the anticipation for the Blessed Day of Christmas!

1. One of my favorite things about the Holiday Season... is the Walkway of Lights in our hometown of Marion... I miss the Riverwalk - and the Walkway of Lights. When we lived on Spencer and on Nelson in Marion - the Walkway was within walking distance...and I loved walking that Riverwalk. It was especially enchanting during the holiday season when the lights were lit - and the gift shop was open.... a cup of Cappuccino at the gift shop would warm you up for the walk back home.

http://www.walkwayoflights.org/ http://www.walkwayoflights.com/

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2. Christmas Eve and Advent Services at church.... I love to sing the traditional hymns and participate in Christmas worship services. My home church, First United Methodist Church in Marion always had a Christmas eve service... and the entire advent season was a festival. We rehearsed Christmas programs, Bell Choir and Chancel Choir songs... There was always so much going on. Bruce and I are now attending Center United Methodist Church, a very small church in Silver Lake - and with a congregation of just 20, there isn't the Pomp that was always present at First United Methodist Church during advent - but there is no less reverence... Advent is advent... big or small, it is a time to prepare - to celebrate the birth of Christ.

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3. Saylors Christmas Eve Eve Party is a wonderful tradition... I have been attending this party for many, many years - and am now thrilled to be a part of the family - to attend this party with Bruce as my husband. Because we live out of town, this is an exciting party for us - because we often get to see friends and family that we don't see very often. It is a true holiday homecoming for us.

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4. Holiday celebrations with neighbors and friends ... Now that this is our home, after nearly seven years - we have established deep friendships in this community. I love the celebrations we have with each other. We share many festive dinners with Allen and Esther - we often get together with Janet and Steve, we recently had dinner with Johnsons, Pattersons and Schlemmers and enjoyed a wonderful holiday dessert at Schlemmers home in Wabash....

Pattersons host an annual party on the Sunday before Christmas. It is a nice time to celebrate with friends so close to us - that also have families that aren't so near....

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5. Children's Christmas Programs always bring tears to my eyes. I can remember my own children in Sunday School Christmas programs. I remember one year - Betsy didn't like her costume so she just pulled up her little lady bug costume and exposed her leotards... She was sooo funny. Katie LOVED wearing her sparkley/Crystal-ly 'fire-fly' costume... "ANGELS AND LAMBS...LADY BUGS AND FIREFLIES told everybody in sight...that Jesus was born in Bethlehem... on the Christmas night!" School programs with children singing "I'm getting Nuttin' for Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" bring smiles to my face.

My mother was such a wonderful grandmother to my children and she would always attend these school programs with me. Tyler is now in CSA (Community School of the Arts) and will be performing in his second CSA Holiday program this year. There is truly something magical about Christmas in a childs eye.

MERRY BLISSEN ALL BODIES!!!!