The Long Winter

Today is officially the first day of spring, though I prefer using Meteorological Spring, which starts on March 1st. 

Turning the calendar page to March, and seeing flowers, was such a relief! 

Winter seemed especially long this year. 

Snow started early. 

We had long stretches of bitter cold. 

Unspoken stress was high.

It's the first year in several years that we did not go to Florida ... or anywhere to escape the cold.

Florida with family for spring break was a longstanding tradition for Jim before I ever met him.  And our family has taken trips to Florida every year (I think) except the following: 

In 2011 Jim & I went to Japan instead. In 2013 we decided to escape the cold by visiting the Southwest. In 2017 we spent a number of weeks in Arizona for LM's birth. And in 2021, we spent spring break in Tennessee (because we had skipped our Christmas 2020 visit due to the pandemic).  Spring in Tennessee was absolutely glorious!  We hadn't been there in spring since 2010, and it was a magical time with warmer temperatures and green leaves starting to peek out. I saw redbud and dogwood on the hills! We hiked! We loved it!

Needless to say we are ALL ready for spring!! What are you looking forward to? 

Our week

This week included a few returns (which included a few calls to customer service), a lot of dishes, a lot of laundry (though I'm not sure any of it has been put away), a lot of meals, some e-mails, and so much more. I am tired.  The exhaustion of last fall has returned... Hmmm.  My theory is it is a delayed reaction to stressful events or seasons. When the stress is over, my body just stops. 

I messaged doctors & nurses. I made appointments & canceled appointments. and rescheduled appointments. (See dropping balls.)

I caught a big mistake and was able to rectify it, thanks to kind people. 

I completed a Chatbooks photo book before the credit expired. 

Monday was catch-up day + speech therapy at the university clinic + Aldi.  Jim purchased fertilizer, as time marches forward toward planting season. 

Tuesday was the dentist + the flooring place to select new flooring for our bedroom & kitchen.  And an unexpected lunch out. :) 

Wednesday morning was Moms in Prayer. After school was LM's haircut + tutoring and then Awana or prayer meeting for all. The Lord gave me two special conversations with two special older women, and even spontaneous prayer with one. (Have I mentioned we're living on prayer?)

Thursday was a double funeral of Jim's dad's best friend and his wife. Rather surreal that they went to heaven within a week of each other.  (Both at 90 years old and having recently celebrated 70 years of marriage!) The visitation beforehand and the lunch afterward provided all sorts of special reunions.  After school we went to a pediatric lab appointment + a pediatric dental appointment and then the end-of-season party & awards for fall/winter swim.  (I fell into bed!)

Friday was no school (I'm not sure our children have had five continuous days of school since December!). So, we drove 3 hours to go skiing. Fresh air & exercise were the theme! (And, no, I did not ski. I have books.) The children are naturals, and loved staying late for night skiing. They were reticent to stop at 9 PM! And, of course, hoped they could ski again the next day. 

Saturday morning we drove home. 

The weeks fly by. We are upheld by prayer. We are deeply aware of the cloud of witnesses {in the church triumphant} and the circle of fellowship of the church militant. Jim and I are increasingly united ... and increasingly exhausted.  

Stay tuned for another exciting week. :) 

This Week

After the 6 AM - 10 PM ski trip on Saturday, Sunday morning was not the easiest we've ever had. ;) 

Sunday night we were part of a Meet 'n' Eat group from church (while the children lived their best life at the farm). Five couples met together for the evening meal. Amazing food & great fellowship. (I took my tried & true oven roasted green beans.  The key is using this spice blend.) Discovered one man was born in Japan and grew up there as an MK! 

Monday was a day off school, but LM still had afternoon speech therapy at the university. While she was there, BK & I did a very quick Aldi run.

Tuesday was my hair appointment. My hairdresser switched to organic products, and my hair feels so much nicer!  My mom had some dental work done, which thankfully went very well!

Wednesday I received a fun package in the mail for winning one of the giveaways from Two Sisters & a Cup of Tea podcast (3 books, my favorite British tea, and some British biscuits)! We had lovely weather (67*F) and the children played outside! Jim went to LM's Awana for Daddy-Daughter Night. Prayer meeting was wonderful and reminded me of our monthly Concerts of Prayer in Japan. 

Thursday I had my Mom's tax appointment and worked a lot on (neglected) Quadrant 2 tasks for her.  

By Friday our temps were back to frigid!!

One unfortunate experience this week was when one child was up for 33 hours straight, due to trialing a new medication. Yikes!! I was awakened 12 times that night, because said child was bored.  

The Lord gives grace.

Valentine's Day

How was your Valentine's Day?   

Valentine's Day in our house came & went without much notice.  (And we're okay with that.) :) 

I put out a few heart-shaped decorations. My mom sent the children each a card, and one of their aunts did also. LM wore clothes with hearts on them throughout the week, and was excited about exchanging cards in her class. :) 

On Wednesday, I included a mixed bouquet in my Walmart pickup order, and I added some pink heart-shaped macarons to my cart at Aldi. :) 

On the actual day, I mostly had a day alone to be quiet and rest. (After my infusion the previous day, my body needed that.  Well, and after some stressful events lately, my body needed it.) 

The children spent February 14 skiing!! Their uncle and a few adult cousins took them for their birthday present.  Very exciting! 

I went out for breakfast with a friend.  Jim had pig chores and a farm errand. I was home most of the day by myself, and spent a lot of time under the blankets with my weighted eye mask on, listening to music or a Mitford audio book from the library Libby app. 

I ended the day with a heart-healthy smoothie! :) 

 

Frames & Hanging

How many unused empty frames does one family need to keep in their basement? 

Well, we no longer have any!  Jim's 2026 winter project is The Big Basement Cleanout.  I pulled out two boxes full of frames and my tool kit, and hung all sorts of things on the wall (things that were just waiting to be hung). 

LM wanted treasures hung in her room:

BK wanted his artwork in his room:

I switched out my jewelry holder (which a cousin's husband made from wood in our great-grandfather's barn built in 1900 or earlier) and hung it in LM's room. (And hung the one I was saving for her in my room. It's longer with more hooks.)

When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, our children's group at church, Happy Growers, adopted a single missionary lady in Peru.  She brought this to me when she visited us on Home Assignment, and for many years it hung in my bedroom.  At some point it went missing, but we found it in a cedar chest when emptying my parents' house last year.  LM loves llamas, and this alpaca is close enough! [And, yes, our kids' rooms need repainted. But, survival.]

After one of my surgeries before BK was born, a friend from church brought us a meal and this wall hanging. It has lived in various places, but now it is where I will see it everyday. 

Grandma was looking for a certain type of frame for one that broke at their house, and what do you know?! I found one in our boxes of frames.  

By now the boxes of frames ... and many other items ... are at our favorite thrift store!

Our Week

We woke up Sunday in Terre Haute, IN, after spending most of Friday in Indianapolis and most of Saturday at a swim meet in Terre Haute. 

We worshiped at a Southern Baptist church. The Lord met us in the singing time, the solid sermon (intro to Revelation), and Lord's Supper.  

January started with us in Tennessee, and also held a day trip to Chicago for my doctor, two long weekends (one in Chicago & one in Indiana), two e-learning days, one snow day, and I. Am. Tired. 

It doesn't help that I haven't had my (every-4-weeks) infusion since December 26. (Thank you, American Healthcare System or lack thereof.) Without it, my body cannot fight the common cold.  Thank you, Jesus, that I haven't had a cold, although by Wednesday night this week, my body hit the proverbial wall, and I spent 18 of the next 24 hours in bed. 

Plus it has been a F*R*I*G*I*D winter.

And there are other things going on that take a lot out of me. Jim and I are both losing weight from stress.

Monday afternoon was speech at the university clinic + an eyeglass repair + swim practice. 

Tuesday afternoon was LM's annual physical + a visitation. 

Wednesday afternoon LM had tutoring & BK had a friend over (whom I fed). [I did not go to church. I went to bed.]

Thursday Walmart delivered groceries. (God bless whomever invented that!) Thursday evening Jim took BK to an appointment. I was going to take LM to swim practice until I realized Jim had the van, and had left me ... the farm truck hauling a grain wagon. Um, no! Thankfully a friend took LM.

Friday neither my prayer date friend nor the housecleaner came.  And I did not go to the pharmacy; I had our prescriptions delivered. While I missed them both, that meant more time for me to rest.

Friday evening we watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies! 

Saturday evening we have a family birthday party!

And Sunday evening we are all excited about the snacks I will make for our "Super Bowl party," aka appetizer fest. :) (Cowboy Caviar with tortilla chips, Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip with peppers, carrots, & celery, chicken nuggets, cheese + crackers, air fryer zucchini, and sparkling grape juice.

I finished reading An Open Door: A True Story of Courage in Congo, didn't make any progress in Sunday Evenings with Joni, started At the Foot of the Snows, and continued listening to The Outsider: Ruth - A Retelling (on Dwell), and was delighted to discover Call the Nurse in my Kindle library (Amazon says I purchased it in 2014).

I was thrilled to learn that Walmart+ comes with Peacock, so Happy Olympic Watching to us! 

And an item we had been looking for at the thrift store for months popped up this week! 

A! Full! Week!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #79

762.  six year anniversary of LM's speech journey

763.  completing all her articulation goals!! & now moving on exclusively to language goals

763.  the professor at the university speech clinic who oversees her graduate student speech therapist each semester is a literacy specialist!

764.  great collaboration between her and the school

765.  resuming tutoring after an unplanned 6-week absence due to Christmas & then a cough

766.  nearing the end of LM's first season of fall/winter swim team!

767.  friends to take her to practice when Jim has the van in town (& all I have is the F-350 towing a grain wagon!) or to take BK when LM fell asleep & Jim was gone

768.  our wonderful pediatrician noticing that I'm doing better physically (we only see her once a year)

769.  our wonderful pediatrician congratulating me on all I do behind the scenes advocating for LM so that she is doing so well

770.  the Lord who answers prayer!

Facebook Memories Through the Years

I don't journal, but Facebook does it for me. :) I enjoyed this trip down memory lane in my FB memories today:

2009

just reserved a car for 2 weeks in Orlando ... but not for myself.
Back in the day when I lived overseas and served as a some-time administrative assistant.

 
2010
Yumm! Biscuits & warm molasses at Mom & Dad's for breakfast this morning! Childhood memories re-lived.
Not sure what the occasion was. No doubt guests at Mom & Dad's, and I was invited. :) 


2014

Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks since we brought BK "home" to a borrowed time share and will be our 5th move. Jim has a ticket to return to us, after a week at home, but that is dependent on the Interstate Compact paperwork coming through. Praying the ICPC will come through today ... or tomorrow morning.

Those first weeks of parenting were stressful ... staying in a time share & then with two different families, Jim flying back home to work, and waiting on paperwork that was completely out of our control

2020
65 miles
2 hours
3 vehicles in ditch or median
1 napping girl 
And a grateful heart
Wish I would have left Champaign at noon instead of 2.

Driving home from BK's school in a snow storm ... I don't miss the commute there in the winter!

2022
If you’re looking for an addictive book series that also is instructive in sharing Jesus winsomely with people who don’t know Him, here you go.  (Grace series by Christine Dillon)
Highly recommend!

2025

Just over here serving up pure gold for LM’s breakfast  
Glad the price of eggs is more reasonable these days. 

The Storm

How did you fare in the storm that was predicted to affect 40 states and 200 million people last weekend?

On Thursday:

• Jim picked up the proverbial bread, milk, and eggs, not because of the storm, but because we were out. :) I also asked him to pick up snacks.
• I filled the van up with gas. 
• I just so happened to catch up on laundry, and even wash our sheets.  There is nothing like getting into bed with clean sheets!
• I washed my hair. I didn't expect our power would go out, but one never knows.  It just felt good to be up to date on all the things before the storm.  
• We asked that BK bring his Chromebook home from school.

A week or so earlier, I had run across one of our battery-operated lanterns, and both Jim and BK received headlight beanies for Christmas, so I felt like we were prepared as far as lights go.  (Multiple rooms of our house also have plug-in flashlights that turn on if the power goes off.)

Thursday afternoon the superintendent announced that Friday would be an e-learning day due to expected dangerously low windchills.  (I saw a great reel online in which a mom said she didn't mention it to say she doesn't enjoy her children; she mentioned it because it was a sudden change in routine for each family member. Changes in routine can be hard.)

Jim and I were already expecting that and had made a list on the fridge whiteboard: 

• puzzle or game
• chore
• shower or bath
• read for 30 minutes

... to be completed after e-learning and before fun or screentime.  

On Friday I was happy that I had cooked a big lunch on Thursday. Leftovers it was! 

Friday at 1 PM Jim had his tax appointment, putting an end to his weeks and weeks of bookwork.  Friday afternoon Jim & BK worked at the farm.  Saturday morning  Jim & BK went to the gym so BK could swim laps to practice for the upcoming meet. In the afternoon they ran errands, among other things trying to find farm boots that fit BK.

Both Friday & Saturday, people came to our house to buy things I had listed on FB Marketplace. Now that Jim's bookwork is behind him, he is moving on to other things on his winter list (replacing a toilet, small house repairs, big house projects). This winter the project is: make the basement usable (especially for pre-teen/ teen boys).  I foresee many trips to the thrift store in our near future. :) 

Sunday morning we woke up to a couple inches of snow. Our church (30 miles away) received more, and was canceled for the first time in our tenure there. (No livestream even.) We went to a church in the opposite direction (read: less snow) and with a later start time. We know many people there, and they always have lunch afterwards, so this introvert was EXHAUSTED when we got home. :)

For supper, we ordered gas station pizza & took our leftover tossed salad, went to Grandpa & Grandma's, took their tree down, worked on their puzzle, watched their TV, etc. 

And, surprise! Monday was a traditional snow day! (Due to extreme cold wind chills that are forecasted for Monday morning and the high likelihood of blowing and drifting snow Sunday night.)

House projects in the morning. Errands & speech therapy for LM & me in the afternoon. Farm & haircut for Jim & BK in the afternoon. Swim practice 6-7.30 PM.

And then! Then we received word that the pipes had burst at the middle school & high school. So on Tuesday LM delightedly said, "I get to go to school!" and BK was thrilled he got to sleep in and roll out of bed and log in to his classes at 8.30 AM for another day of e-learning!

Everyone was back to school on Wednesday ... just in time to hear of the next storm coming Sunday night. :-/

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #77

751.  cleaning out little (& big) corners & spaces in our house

752.  finding some lost items :) 

753.  selling some items!

754.  friends who give recommendations

755.  friends who cheer us on

756.  a quiet ~ and beautiful ~ 4-day weekend (thanks to the snow & cold) without any physical suffering on our part (we could still drive and didn't lose power)

757.  one more (and hopefully the final) step complete in what turned into a lengthy and an (unbeknownst to me) multi-step process for some business for my mom

758.  pleasurable Sunday supper at Grandpa & Grandma's

759.  fellowship with saints on earth

760.  learning (through biographies) from saints in heaven!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #76

741.  Jim

742.  Jim

743.  Jim

744.  Jim

745.  Jim

746.  Jim

747.  Jim

748.  Jim

749.  Jim

750.  Jim

 

One day this week

I did a time audit one day this week.  

• Laundry - washer/ dryer
• Laundry - washer/ hang to dry
• Dishwasher - unload/ load
• Dishes - wash
• Counters - cleared & clean
• Table- clear
• Cook taco meat
• Check meat in fridge for expiration dates & make a plan to cook it in the right order
• Creative writing
• A bunch of emails
• Signed papers for school
• Four drop-offs or pickups
• Feed three pre-teen boys at my kitchen table
• Moms in Prayer meeting
• Prayer Meeting
• Pharmacy
• Telehealth appointment

The most true thing I can say about my life is that every day is different.  

Lunch in 30 minutes?

Debt Free Mom (on social media) often posts a picture of her ingredients and then a picture of her finished meal. It gives her (& her readers) encouragement that it only took x minutes to get from an idea to a meal. 

I accidentally did the same last week when I made hamburger vegetable soup. I pulled out a bunch of ingredients:

Thirty minutes later I had this:

The potatoes took awhile, and we weren't ready to sit down yet anyway, so an hour later I had this:

Definitely one to keep on our weekly rotation!!  I didn't use a recipe, but pretended I was my mom who made amazing meals out of seemingly nothing.  (I added 4 cups beef broth and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Otherwise, all the ingredients except one pound of ground beef are pictured.)

Another bonus to this is that I thought we were out of groceries and had nothing for lunch. Ahem! We had PLENTY for lunch (& several more meals as well)! I wonder what other delicious meals are lurking in my cupboards and freezer? :) 

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2025 Version

Places where I spent one (or more) nights in 2025:

Chicago 

Murfreesboro, TN

motel along I-75 on our way to FL

Madeira Beach, FL

motel along I-75 on our way back from FL

St. Louis, MO

Hudson, IL

Williams Bay, WI

Kingsport, TN

Lexington, KY

Orange City, IA

Rapid City, SD

Gardiner, MT

Yellowstone National Park, WY

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Jackson, WY

Cheyenne, WY

Omaha, NE

Georgetown, KY

Gray, TN

and home

(italics - stayed there more than one night)  
(* stayed there on more than one occasion) 

   
2025 travel ...

January 1st found us driving to Chicago for a doctor's appointment.  It turns out that hotel rates are low on the 1st of January, so we stayed downtown right across from the hospital in a corner suite on the 27th floor!  It was good to get away!

We drove to FL in February.

The first half of spring break we went to St. Louis, returning at 4 PM Wednesday.  (Post here.)  We were delighted to discover that spring had already sprung there! Redbud, forsythia, and cherry blossoms! Oh, my!

By God's mercy I was able to attend the church women's retreat ... the first one that had been held in 12 years!  It had been many years since I had slept in a camp setting :) but it was amazingly restful and relaxing not to be responsible for anyone! 

We were able to getaway to Wisconsin May 31 - June 3 and July 12-15.

Our late summer trip to Tennessee was moved up to June 25 - July 1, so we could take an epic road trip out west July 24 - August 1.  

A long weekend back to Wisconsin over Labor Day weekend (got to get to the County Fair!).  That seems like the fewest trips we have ever taken there in a summer.

Our year to be with Jim's side on December 25th, so we headed to Tennessee on December 30th for a New Year's visit.

 

Whew!! We certainly ramped our travel up this year!

Here's to even more exploring in 2026!  I better eat my Wheaties!

I added two new states (South Dakota & Montana) and no new foreign countries.

Where did you go in 2025?  Anywhere new? Any place we should put on our list? We're especially interested in national parks. :) 

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2009 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2010 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2011 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2012 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2013 version  
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2014 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2015 version 
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2016 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2017 version
Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2018 version   

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2019 version  

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2020 version

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2021 version

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2022 version

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2023 version 

Oh, the places you will go! ~ 2024 version

Two years ago

I wrote this two years ago. Praise the Lord for answered prayer! It was indeed the very expensive & very scary med that my body needed and that the Lord mercifully used to bring relief and eventually to stop my disease from spreading.

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On our way home from Northwestern. 

Had tickets for Amtrak. They canceled trains. Jim drove. We celebrated my birthday with lunch together in a nice restaurant in the hospital lobby. :)

Kids were going to ride the bus after school to grandparents’. But school was closed due to dangerous windchill. Remote learning day. 

I did half of LM’s work with her yesterday afternoon. This morning they went to the farm and my sister-in-law helped with schoolwork. Then she took them to Grandma's for lunch and the afternoon. Now Grandma has them in another town for Upward. Cheer practice 4:30-5:30, McDonald’s, and then basketball practice 6:30-7:30. It takes a village!

Good appointment. Switching to a different med (5th one) - XELJANZ. (Causes shingles.) Doctor says my diseases are aggressive. Not the most aggressive she’s seen but the others have responded to treatment.

Praying the Lord causes this one to work… and not cause shingles. 

I have to stop all but prednisone for a week before starting the new one. 

Also I have a cough, and she’d like me to be better before starting Xeljanz. It of course is an immune suppressant. 

I have an appointment to see immunologist tomorrow about cough and lungs. 

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Praise God with us!

1000 Gifts, Vol. 7, #75

731.  a good start to 2026

732.  good health

733.  much progress on decluttering

734.  better work/rest balance

735.  deep connections with a few people in our church

736.  more time with Jim 

737.  margin to do things like make cookies

738.  keeping up (so far) with our church's Bible reading plan

739.  a slow start to extracurriculars

740.  time to read

A week

It has been a week!

Sunday morning we woke up in Tennessee.

Monday morning the children went to school. 

And I scurried around doing dishes & laundry & unpacking.  (Originally I was to have my infusion ... but insurance ...)

Tuesday a child was home from school sick (but with energy). I continued scurrying around putting things where they belong, filling the back of the van with a load of donations, and making several posts on FB Marketplace (if they don't sell, they go to the thrift store next week).  Laundry, picking things up off the floor (why, oh, why?!), reshelving books, etc.! 

(Originally on Tuesday we were to go to my doctor in Chicago, but she had to reschedule.)

Wednesday after Moms in Prayer I worked like a busy beaver for hours it seemed (though only three), just picking up the living room (aka dump zone). At 1.15, I started reading a book, "Katharine Barnwell," which I finished in under 24 hours!

Thursday was a recovery day. Since I rested in the morning, before making a yummy lunch & putting a vegetable beef stew in the slow cooker, I used my 1-2.15 rest time to sort through the piles of books that had accumulated near my desk, aka dining room table. That resulted in a big bag for donating and a reasonable pile to read this year.

Thursday night we had a severe wind storm and our whole town was without power from 8.30 PM - 5.15 AM.  That interrupted LM's sleep, and thus all of ours.

Friday LM slept until 10.40 AM! (The principal has told me she can come in late whenever she's behind in sleep - she needs more than the typical 8 year old.) Thankfully the housecleaner (who hadn't been here in 5 weeks) could not come until 1.30, so that still gave me time to clear all the surfaces, put away dishes, pick up Nerf bullets (!), etc.  

Thankfully we skipped the two-night campout for BK Friday - Sunday.  His health is just on the edge, and that would not have been a wise choice.  

I got 10-15,000 steps Monday - Friday ... and just want to collapse.  Hopefully the weekend will be relaxing. :) 

Christmas 2024

::memories from our Christmas road trip a year ago::

Every Christmas is different.  The 2024 Christmas season was short, because Thanksgiving was the latest it could have been, leaving less than four weeks between the two holidays.  

2024 was the year for Jim's side to spend Christmas Day with their in-laws. Often that means that Jim's side celebrates late, but it worked out better to celebrate on December 21 & 22, giving us only three weeks and a day between our Thanksgiving & Christmas celebrations with extended family from near and far.   

After two full days with Jim's side of the family, we spent Monday December 23rd driving to Tennessee.  The 600 miles were full of texts and concern and prayer meetings in the van, as my mom was spending the day in ER. 

We arrived in Tennessee after 9 PM, and as we were settling in to our AirBNB a friend texted back, "Would you like to talk with my husband?" Her husband, a family friend, is a physician, and though that certainly is not the reason I had texted her, when presented with that opportunity, I realized it would be comforting.  

So, as Jim and the children unpacked the van, explored the AirBNB and found bedrooms for each, I was carefully listening & frantically taking notes as our friend explained pulmonary embolisms (their cause, treatment, and prognosis) to me. 

I woke up very early on Christmas Eve, and although we were only around the corner from a local grocery store, I embodied the modern Proverbs 31 woman and "considered my online grocery order and had it delivered." Thanks to Walmart we had yummy breakfasts in our AirBNB!

I'm not sure how it all worked. I think Jim dropped me off at the hospital where I spent a few hours, while he & the children went to a state park (BK roller bladed; LM did cartwheels).  Later he picked me up and we ran errands and ate lunch. Then he dropped me off at the hospital again. 

The room was busy with various ones coming and going ... and noisy.  Constant beeping, a bed bath, the speech therapist, the phlebotomist, the chaplain (whom Mom knows! from Zimbabwe! and who knows a local lady who has been a longtime missionary PA there!), the doctor, the meal cart, two visitors ... and on and on it went. 

Jim and the children picked me up and we ate Christmas Eve supper at Cheddar's, lost (& eventually found) one hearing aid, and lost (& never found) one pair of glasses, and drove around looking at beautiful Christmas lights in a neighborhood with streets lined with luminarias.  

Christmas Day included opening our immediate family presents at our AirBNB, a visit to the hospital, setting festive tables in the church fellowship hall, a meal from Cracker Barrel with two of my sisters and their families, exchanging our presents, and then taking leftovers to the hospital for Mom and my other sister. Jim dropped me off there from 3.30-6.30.  Then we ate Christmas supper from the McDonald's drive-thru (!).

December 26th, I arrived at the hospital by 7.30 AM with my packed breakfast & tea in tow, so I would be there before the case manager or doctor showed up.

I took the van home, Jim and the kids dropped me back off at the hospital, and they went to swim!

On the 27th, after they dropped me off at the hospital, they went to the sensory gym AND to swim.

On the 28th, we woke up in a motel room (we needed to stay an extra night & our AirBnB was already booked).  I left Jim and the children to swim in the motel pool until check-out time, while I ran errands and picked up a cheerful grocery store bouquet (since we had learned Mom would be staying in the hospital over the weekend at least, just waiting for a bed to be available in the rehab hospital).  

 

We must have picked up lunch somewhere, and then Jim and the children dropped me off at a funeral home so I could go through the line at a visitation. (In the line I greeted a couple and a bachelor we know. In the congregation, I visited with four more couples and at least five more individuals from my childhood.)

Back to the hospital to say our good-byes.  And then back to my childhood farm for an hour hike in the woods (where Jim & I were engaged) and driving through the barnyard one last time.  

Then we hit the road!  Two hours later, we were at our regular Kroger for one of our favorite (?) road trip meals.  Two more hours, and we fell into bed at our favorite midpoint hotel, after driving through the 12 Days of Christmas display for the fourth time that season! Whew!

Christmas 2025

What a whirlwind! What a joy! How exhausting! How special!

School was out the afternoon of Friday December 19th.   At some point Jim and BK put the tree up, one night after I was in bed. I decided to stay out of it. It never got fluffed, the top never got pulled up to a point, the star never got put on, and neither did most of the ornaments. But we enjoyed the lights on timer. :) 

Sunday after church, we were given four gifts to deliver for Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree project. We were able to deliver two after lunch while we were still in town. 

Monday I drove from 9.15 - 7.45 with a few brief stops at home. Audiology (70 miles away), kids' consignment store for one last gift, Kroger, deliver the last two Angel Tree deliveries, pick up LM from the farm, take her to tutoring, quick supper, take BK to swim practice. 

Tuesday's only outing was to the pharmacy and post office. Tuesday evening we spent 5.30 - 10 PM with Jim's cousins and their families, enjoying appetizers & desserts and a white elephant exchange.  

Wednesday we were jet lagged! I made strawberry pretzel salad for Christmas. After lunch we had our family Christmas.  (Everyone got socks and underwear, a winter hat & gloves! That seemed to double the number of presents under the tree!) :) In the evening, we met family at our church's Christmas Eve service, and then went to Grandpa's for a light supper and watched another church's Christmas Eve service. Then I made 7-layer salad for Christmas. 

Thursday we spent 11.30 - 9 PM at Grandpa's with 15 relatives.  BK said it was his best Christmas ever! He got a drone with camera (that does not require an app on a phone), a magnetic chess set, and a kit for making Shirley Temples. :) Last year LM got an Our Generation doll (which she calls her American Girl doll). This year she got a suitcase set to go with it, a unicorn that makes noise and has flying wings and a Tonies character.  

Friday my nurse was here from 8.15-2.  I put chicken in the crockpot before she came, so we would have something for lunch. 

Saturday we ALL slept in!  Jim & BK worked at the farm. LM & I flattened boxes & took them to recycling, shopped 50% off Christmas supplies at DG, cleaned out the van, ran the dishwasher twice, etc.! I prepared another batch of Christmas cards to send from my mom and did at least 3 loads of laundry. The children started packing. 

Sunday was church and rest.

Monday I hemmed a pair of suit pants for BK and packed for Tennessee, we finished packing, and in the evening went to the visitation for Jim's uncle and then out for pizza with relatives.  

Tuesday morning was the funeral, graveside service, and lunch, after which we got on the road to Tennessee.  The day was so very rich with stories of God's faithfulness for more than 90 years and time with extended family ... and a FREEZING graveside service!! 

Our Tuesday travels included Taco Bell supper and a stop at our favorite motel in Kentucky, including a 10-11 PM (Eastern time) swim!!

Wednesday we got a late start, ate lunch at our favorite Kroger, ;) arrived in TN, saw Mom, and then I dropped Jim & the children off at the pool, went by the bank, went back to visit with Mom, picked them up from the pool, went to Walmart, got drive through at a locally famous fast food restaurant, and finally arrived at our AirBNB - whew!!

Thursday's main event was our family Christmas celebration with a gift exchange, yummy snacks, and a rousing game of Bingo at the assisted living!  (We had Subway for lunch and once again the locally famous fast food restaurant for supper.)

Friday I drove to assisted living via Chick-fil-a breakfast.  Mom had jobs ready for me, and we cleaned out drawers and went through papers and decluttered her room.  I'm pretty sure Jim & the kids spent time at the pool again.  We visited the brand new playground at the nature center. We ate once more at the locally famous fast food restaurant, and in the evening drove through a massive light display, including a lap around a Nascar track!

Saturday a friend gave me a ride to assisted living at 8.30. I was there until after 4. More cleaning & sorting. Lots of looking at photos on her Wi-fi frame.  That evening I cooked a real meal in our Air BNB. Jim and the kids went back to the pool for an evening swim / glow party! 

Sunday morning we said goodbye to Mom, got lunch at our favorite Kroger, and had the longest trip ever home, arriving too late! 

Monday the children went to school, I scurried around doing dishes & laundry (the house was a WRECK before we even left for TN! - see all the above paragraphs) & unpacking, and then went to the bank & pharmacy (& DG for milk) and picked up lunch for Jim & me at the hospital cafeteria. 

Whew! I think it will take me a week to recover. :) 

New Year's in Japan

New Year's in Japan in my experience seemed like the only time the entire country stopped at the same time. 

Factories close. Pollution is gone, and thus Mt. Fuji is visible. The post office doesn't deliver mail. Instead they hire seasonal employees to ride bicycles delivering only New Year's cards for the first three days of the year. 

My first New Year's in Japan (1990) grocery stores, banks, ATMs, etc. were closed for up to 5 days. So everyone had to make sure they had enough groceries.  (The blogger, thetokyochapter.com, has detailed blog posts about what's open January 1-3 in Tokyo.)

Japanese people would cook traditional New Year's foods ahead of time (Osechi Ryori), although now you can order your osechi.  Then the women could have a few days off cooking, as families would just eat the traditional foods (osechi, ozoni - New Year's soup, and mochi).  

New Year's is a time for visiting relatives.  So in preparation for New Year's, people do "big cleaning," replacing the shoji paper and fusuma paper in sliding doors, washing windows, etc.  Before the economic bubble burst, people would also replace old things in their houses, perhaps small kitchen appliances, stereos, dishes, etc.  I knew many missionaries who "shopped" the curb before New Year's. :) 

New Year's is also a time to make one's first visit of the year to the shrine &/or temple. Many people go to the ocean to view the first sunrise of the year.  And on New Year's Eve the temple bells ring 108 times symbolizing the cleansing from the 108 sins. (See blog post I wrote here.) 

Many people get together to pound rice into mochi (and every January the news reports how many elderly people die from choking on mochi).  It's also a tradition to write your first calligraphy (kakizome) of the new year around January 2nd.  One year our MK school had a kakizome tournament, and a Japanese lady had made samples to hang up of the fruit of the Spirit.  Afterwards, she was throwing them away, and a friend rescued them, and several of us copied them to hang in our homes.  (See my blog post here.) 

Churches usually have a first worship service of the new year (Gantan Reihai).  Some churches encourage everyone to choose a verse for the coming year. One year my language tutor asked me to choose a kanji for the coming year.  I chose "tomo" for with, from Isaiah 41.10.  She wrote it out for me, and I framed it.  

For a wedding gift, she gave us a wall hanging with the verse on it.  

New Year's can also be a time for retreats.  In 1990, I went on our church's young adults' ski retreat.  Often our team would have a Pray & Plan retreat during the New Year's holiday.  (This mug is a souvenir from a New Year's Pray & Plan, the one in which we received the joyous news that one of our MKs had gotten engaged - J&M!!) At the very least, we were each encouraged to have a personal Day of Prayer, setting goals for the year.   

OMF Japan posted on social media: 

Join us in praying for missionaries in Japan

Typically there are a few days in Japan this time of the year that are quiet in ministry. Pray for rest and refreshment for missionaries after a busy month.

Pray for good health and safety during these winter months.

Pray for families to have good quality time during school vacations.

I miss those quiet days the first week of January.  But, in God's providence, this year our family had a few days at home to rest between Christmas on Jim's side and Christmas on my side. We usually RUSH between different parts of the country or one part of the country and a cruise.  It was a new experience (and one our pre-teen LOVED!) to get to sleep in! :)