One Last Dog Hug

Brittany flew back to Utah yesterday, but not before giving Coda one last hug. Coda is going to miss all the excitement of the holidays. It's been fun having Ed and Brittany both home every day. In three short weeks we can do it all over again!

To tell the truth, I'm going to miss it, too--the excitement, as well as the hugging!

Amanda Goes to the Temple

Yesterday we took Amanda to the temple in Washington DC, in preparation for her leaving on her mission in January. It was nice to have Brittany home to go with her. It was a nicer way to spend Black Friday than fighting the crowds at the shopping mall.

Carol (from Greeley) and Randy and Sharon (from NYC) were also able to go with us. Amanda had a great opportunity in Germany two years ago to discuss the gospel with Randy while he was investigating the church. It was like completing the circle for him to be here to go to the temple with us as Amanda prepares to return to Germany to serve a full time mission.

Thanksgiving

We had a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family yesterday. Brittany was "home" from Utah, and Amanda had one friend from Colorado, two from New York, and two from Maryland join us. I like this picture of Ed doing his favorite thing (that he does once a year)--carving the turkey. After 29 years he's gotten pretty good at it!

Here are Randy, Sharon, Brittany, Ed, Channel, Marcia, Amanda and Carol--just before digging in! After dinner we had some singing and dancing, literally!

Marcia did a jig for us, and Amanda and Sharon sang for us. Brittany played piano and cello, and Amanda played a little harp. We all sang some Christmas songs, and I even had the chance to pull out the banjo!

It would have been perfect if Crystal could have been with us, as well! We hope she had a savory Salvadoran feast yesterday!

Invisible Training

We got an Invisible Fence installed for Coda on Monday. Here is Ed, training her not to go beyond the flags. She has rubber tips on the collar now, so she gets only a beep to correct her. On Thanksgiving Day we get to take the tips off and see if the shock will keep her from crossing the invisible line!

I was feeling sorry for her having to wear that collar, but Amanda pointed out she has a lot to gain--a whole big yard to run in. She really loves running in the yard. Unfortunately, she also loves running into the street if something over there piques her interest!

Anniversary Dinner

Ed and I went out with Amanda Saturday night to celebrate our 29th Wedding Anniversary, which was actually on Sunday. We enjoyed the leftovers on Sunday. You can see these are pretty large cuts of Prime Rib!

It's been a great 29 years together, and we're very grateful for all the blessings we have enjoyed over the years. We are proud of our daughters and their ability to make good choices in their lives. We're happy to have good friends and supportive family. We're grateful for the gospel, which grounds us. We're grateful for one another and the opportunity to enjoy the journey together.

Christmas Poster

Nobody should enjoy making posters as much as I do! I had fun with this one for the ward Christmas party. I made a globe out of paper mache, so it sticks out in the front. It remains to be seen if the globe can survive 3 weeks of abuse in the church lobby!

Sea Glass Hunting

Carol, my friend from Billings came to town to see her new grandbaby. Who ever thought two girls from Billings would meet in Baltimore? Carol and her husband Dennis have a hobby of picking up sea glass. This is just broken bottles that have been worn down and washed ashore. They taught me how to look for really good pieces of glass (color, erosion, size).

I got some real treasures, as you can see in these pictures.  The left dish is from Sandy Point and the right from Terrapin Park, two parks that anchor both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge by Annapolis. Treasure or trash? You be the judge!

We took our picture by two giant penguins at Sandy Point. They apparently have a parade of lights during the holidays, and we got a little sneak preview today!