Merry Christmas and Happy New Year In Idaho

 Christmas Eve 2024

December 24th started with a beautiful sunrise, and Jesse has the perfect kitchen view to watch it from.

With a little bit of direction from Grandma, Tyree made me this delicious Buche de Noel, or Yule Log Cake for my birthday.

I even taught her how to make the meringue candy mushrooms for decoration.

In the evening we went to the Crystal Family Christmas Eve Party where we celebrated my birthday and Jesus' Birthday as is their family tradition.

Tyree and Clancy give their Grandparents, Randy and Joliene, Christmas presents.

We played games and sang some carols, exchanged gifts and had a lovely Christmas Time.

We got home around 10:30 and had no problem at all getting Tyree and Clancy to go to bed.

It was so lovely and peaceful when I got up at 3:00, that I had to take some photos before going back to bed.

The kids came in just after 6:00 to wake us up! The beginning of a Wonderful Christmas Day.

Opening stockings by the light of the tree.

It was a little exhausting opening all those presents and eating all the candy and good food. Sometimes a little nap before breakfast is needed.

Jesse and Kelly have a family tradition of fixing Prime Rib and Cornish Hens with all the fixings for Christmas dinner.

I will testify that it was delicious and before and after dinner the house was filled with fun and games and laughter.

Cami, your niece takes after you. She never sees a phone without leaving a selfie if she can!

On Friday Darryl land I picked up Gideon and Parker so they could spend a couple of days with their cousins. 

The girls danced and played games and were like two peas in a pod. And Clancy is old enough now that he and Gideon even have something in common. Technology and games!

Clancy, Tyree and I all received lovely wooden puzzles for Christmas, and Jesse was the puzzle master who helped us finish them.

My Foxy puzzle..

Sunday photo at Church in the Blackfoot 11th Ward

Note* The following Sunday the Blackfoot East Stake was reorganized, all the wards renamed and 4 new wards created. Jesse's Family is in the new Heritage 3rd Ward.

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Here we are wearing our new "Shackets" that we got for Christmas. 

Tyree's puzzle

Sunday afternoon was filled with family games. 

The Twister game got a little dangerous at times. 

And Clancy let Jeff out to play with his cousins...

Looks like Parker rubbed the makeup off her eyelashes right under her eyes.

Monday December 30, 2024

We took the Gideon and Parker back to Willard and Daniece's and to ring in the New Year with their Dad, I dropped Darryl off at Dome for a meeting, and I took my sweet friend Julie Eyre out to Lunch. We hadn't seen each other in 14 years.

Tuesday December 31, 2024

Darryl and I drove over to Jerome, Idaho to look at a truck. He definitely needs a truck as we move into retirement. We liked the truck and so we bought it and brought it home.

A 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab. We love it!

On the way home we stopped at "The Garden of Eden" Truck stop just outside of Eden, Idaho.

Nice Serpant.

Later that evening, Jesse, Kelly and the kids went to their big annual New Years Eve Barn Bash at a friends house and Darryl and I rang in the new year with a quiet little dinner and watching 

'Journey to Bethlehem'.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

MAY YOU HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS

2025

A Texas Trip and Visiting New Friends

Thursday December 12, 2025

I flew to Dallas today where my sister Sandy picked me up and took me back with her to Burkburnett. I've come to help her out while she is battling her breast cancer and receiving Chemotherapy treatments. I helped her do some Christmas Decorating and washing some heavy blankets and things on Saturday. On Sunday after church, we went to their farm to put out feed for the deer, check the bees and fix covers on the water tanks.

It is a lovely place for a Texas Apiary and farm.

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In the evening Sandy took me to the Campus of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls to see the Burns Fantasy of Lights.

The Burns Family actually started this light display in the 1950s at their home, but it grew very popular with the locals, and was also adding new displays all the time. When Mrs. Burns died, the display was moved to MSU in 1974.

Favorite characters from books, fairy tales and movies are brought to life in the many displays from the 1950s on. Here are a few.. Ebenezer Scrooge and A Christmas Carol.

Peter Pan..

Sandy and I enjoying the pointsettias.

The Old Woman in the Shoe!

You have to be about 60 years old to remember the TV show "Flipper".

Santa's Sack full of toys, candy and SANDY!!

I loved the homage to the movie White Christmas!

After walking through the Fantasy of Lights, she took me the streets with the best light displays in town.

There is one whole street where all the houses decorate the trunks of their trees with red and white candy stripes. It was such a lovely time!

This tree curtain display in the yard of a big house is there every year and is a popular spot for marriage proposals.

And finally, we drove a little ways out of town to visit the house that was voted the 2024 Winner of the National Christmas Lights contest. They had a Candy Land game theme.

Monday morning was Sandy's next to the last Chemotherapy treatment. It was a privilege to be able to help her. She keeps her hands and feet on ice during the entire 4-5 hour process.

How I thank God for this baby sister of mine!

Thursday December 19, 2024

This next photo isn't anything important, I'm just showing off my Christmas  that sweater and turtleneck that I am able wear for the 1st time in years. Charlotte took me to the airport today and after a long delay (3 hours) I made it back to Salt Lake City where Darryl was waiting to pick me up.

We spent the night in SLC and Friday morning we had breakfast with Garth and Leann Wilson, whom we met in Cartagena last April.

It was good to see them again and to see Leann looking so healthy after her illness that made them cut their cruise short and landed her in the hospital in Cartagena. We met them when the missionaries asked us to visit them in the hospital and have kept in touch ever since.

I was so grateful we took the time to meet with them, because Saturday morning Garth fell into a coma and was hospitalized for a week. He is very ill with liver failure and now on a wait list for a liver transplant. God Bless them both!