Hey all!
So, I’ll catch you up on our travels.
First we drove two days straight…no stopping! That was a
LONG trip… We arrived at our grandparent’s home late at night, they greeted us
on the porch. Their house was decorated in tons of Christmas lights, Santa decor, and everything Christmas. It was beautiful! We all decided to save the tour of
the house for later and to instead snuggle up in our beds.
The next morning us ladies cooked breakfast with grandma,
but not until we had slept in until an unreasonable hour. ;-) The rest of the
day was spent catching up and relaxing.
A few days later grandma, momma, Sarah, and I woke up early
to set up for Bekah’s surprise baby shower. It was so much fun! Bekah left with
Jacob and momma that morning and by noon the party was set up at Victoria Rose
tea house. Many friends and family attended the party so that they could
congratulate Bekah and Jacob. Bekah and Jacob were completely clueless to what
was going on so we had to explain a little bit. We all laughed about their
surprise. It was such a beautiful afternoon!
Under a week to Christmas, we completed our last minute
shopping and purchase all the goods needed for our Christmas Dinner. It has
become a tradition to celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve. We started doing
this because my father (who used to work for various trucking companies) could
never get Christmas day off. Plus, my sister’s birthday is on Christmas eve and
we wanted him to be there for it. We now own our own trucking company so his
schedule is a little more flexible but we have kept the tradition because I am
quite sure all the children would start a revolt if they were made to wait a
whole 24 hours longer! ;-)
My brother, sister-in-law, and their baby –Gunner, arrived
just in time to open gifts. Jed had just finished his route (he drives truck
for our company and we didn't have a driver to take his place) and was able to
pack and drive to California just in time. We were so glad when they all
arrived!
We completed dinner, set the table, and enjoyed a wonderful
time sitting together and chatting as we ate the delicious food prepared by our
entire family. After we finished we all gathered in the living room. Before opening
gifts we sang carols and read the Christmas story. Then my grandpa and brothers
handed out gifts. I loved seeing the
surprise on my family member’s faces as they opened their gifts. We are all so
blessed!
Just yesterday we visited my auntie Carol. I just love her!
I had a little bit of a cold so I stayed in the house while my brothers and
sisters ran all over their property. I think after the three hours of driving
they had just a wee bit of energy to run off. We spent and hour or so visiting with her
before us children headed to the beach where we would later meet them all for
dinner. The beach was great! I was so happy to see that there was not too many
people (usually it is VERY crowded). There was a light breeze blowing and the
light was reflecting off the coral blue water in the most glorious way! My
first response was my goodness this is beautiful!!! Our God has created the
most beautiful things for us to enjoy.
I did not intend on getting wet. Maybe splash my feet in the
water but I wanted to stay warm and dry. My brother-in-law decided it would be
more fun to push me in though so my plans changed quickly. ;-) I then proceeded
to splash through the water and race the waves with my brothers and sisters. By
the time we packed in the car to head to dinner I was thoroughly soaked and we
had a nice collection of sea shells.
This evening finds me with a stuffy nose and a merry heart. The playing in the ocean was worth the stuffy nose though.
Looking over the past
couple of weeks I find myself saying “Thank you”. The Lord truly has blessed
our trip! We still have a few more days before heading back to Kansas so I look
forward to the memories we will make with my grandparents before heading home.
Have a blessed evening!
To God be the Glory.
Bethany Joy
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