Christmas Remembered...

I'm sitting here with a heart and head full of wonderful and not so wonderful reminiscences of our Christmas together in 2008.

The most precious part of Christmas, next to the realization that it is the Birthday of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is "visiting" with family and friends through Christmas Cards, Email messages that are heart-felt, telephone calls, and just memories. Christmas cards are treasured by this recipient -- more than the senders will ever know. I relive wonderful memories of each individual as I read their sentiments and in some cases their newsy newsletters. I love each and every one of them.

Billy came home for Christmas and brought his Cello with him. We were entertained greatly with his amazing talents.

Eliot also came and gave us a demonstration of "mini-cello" playing on my violin. We all laughed and had a wonderful time.


We all gathered for a light Christmas Eve dinner before opening packages. Billy brought Anna, his new girlfriend and we had a wonderful time getting to know this delightful girl.

On Christmas morning, we headed for Washington on impossible winter highways. It was a good drive, however -- Billy's Subaru is an amazing car! We traveled through rain, ice, snow and slush, and finally arrived at our destination by 5 p.m. Our first stop was for dinner at a wonderful Philipino family's home. They opened their hearts and their home to us and shared their Christmas/Birthday feast. After the dinner, we went to the hospital to say good-night to Dean's mom.

This is an exceptionally difficult Christmas for Dean and his family. His mother is in the hospital in Tacoma, Washington, with no expectation that she will ever recover. We wait daily (hourly, actually) for news that her life on this earth has ended. She is an amazing lady, with an amazing family. We all gathered around her bed the day after Christmas, and Billy played "Silent Night" for her on his Cello and Dean and I sang while we watched her mouth the words so lovingly. Afterwards, Billy left the room and wept. He had given his grandmother her last Christmas present.

This is by far one Christmas that will not soon be forgotten. And now, we look towards 2009, as a year of many "changes" (and that is not necessarily politically!) We ask God's blessings to be with each and every one of you as you close yet another chapter in your life and begin a New Year with a clean, new page. May you write beauty, love, hope and peace on each and every page.

Winter Wonderland...In Oregon!

Who would have thought we would have such a phenomenon on the coast! The snow was beautiful, while it lasted, but now has turned to rain and very cold. I had to make a trip to Portland on Monday, and had to find an alternate route to I-5, because most of our northern routes were "closed"! When I got to Salem, I had to "chain-up" and drive 20-30 MPH for the next 65 miles to the airport to pick up Eliot. It was a beautiful sight, but not a whole lot of fun to drive in! What is normally a 2 1/2 hour drive turned out to be more like 6 or 7! Fortunately, his flight was not cancelled or dalayed, and we once again pointed the old Cirrus south, stopping overnight to rest. We finally got home Tuesday at about 3 pm. It is certainly going to be a white Christmas for a lot of folks.

We are venturing out again on Christmas day to travel to Washington state to visit with Dean's family. It is not going to be a happy Christmas up there, as his mother is doing really poorly. We don't know how much longer she is going to be with us. Both Billy and Eliot may have to say good-bye to their grandmother. Billy has prepared "Silent Night" to play for his grandmother on his cello. I'm sure there will be many tears. Dean is doing OK, but it has been a difficult 2 days for him. Prayers would certainly be appreciated.

God bless you all this Christmas Eve and through Christmas and all of the Holidays. We so appreciate all of you and have come to realize that family is an extremely important part of our lives.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What an awesome, fun day on the beach...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

You might want to turn off the regular music that is playing while viewing the slide show. Dean and I had such a good time on the beach with my friend, Kimberly, who is a professional photographer and she did an awesome job creating a collection of fun, happy, joyous, loving christmas photos. I have included just a small sample of the fun photos she took. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did doing it. It was one of the most fun days at the beach we have ever had together. Even though the sun wasn't bright, like a warm, summer day, Kimberly said it was "perfect" for photo taking! She was right.

Enjoy, and Merry Christmas, everyone.

December...The Month of Hope, Light Hearts and Magic...

I love the feeling of Christmas! I love the focus that has come into my life of the importance of recognizing that it is the Savior's birth that we celebrate with the rest of the world on December 25th. I love the music that fills my house and the many stores that I visit and the radio waves. I love the magic that is present on the faces of countless little boys and girls who anticipate a magical event in unselfish gift giving. I love Christmas!

Yesterday, Dean and I had the privilege to sing with the 50 voice Midway Chorus , along with a 27 piece orchestra, Handel's The Messiah! This amazing chunck of music was conducted by our Seventh-day Adventist Doctor, Doctor Albert Thompson. He is absolutely amazing! It was a humbling experience to be among some of the area's finest soloists who did such an outstanding job. I got chills and became quite emotional at the climax of our program, when the entire audience stood as we sang The Hallelujah Chorus. It was a moving experience for both Dean and I. I wish both of our families could have been in attendance to hear and experience this event. We have one more performance next Sunday.

This is such a wonderful time of the year! I hope everyone's experiences are going about the same. Somehow, we are able to lay aside the worldy things that are going on all around us and focus on more important things, like our Savior and Family and re-connecting with friends. Love is in abundance and lifts our hearts to being better people, better friends, better mothers, better children, better Christians.

I have to share what JerriAnne has been up to! (She takes this project very seriously) and her artistic talents come through with flying colors -- in fact with a winning (Second Place) creation!


She made this window display entirely out of candy! It is an annual event in Provo, and this is JerriAnnes' second year to participate. She won the event last year. Her display is in a store window in downtown Provo. I was with her in May, when she was shopping for the ingredients and forming the idea for Santa in a livingroom setting. I thought at the time, "this is quite an undertaking!" Now, when I view her pictures of the end results, I am amazed! Congratulations, JerriAnne on a job well done. For the life of me, I do not know where my children inherited their artistic talents from! The left side of their brains certainly must be extremely active!

Well, that was week one of the Holiday "fever." I shall write more with my next entry. God bless and may you have that wonderful spirit, which is Christmas, with you each and every day!

After Thanksgiving "Blahs!"

I don't know if everyone feels like me, but the day after a holiday is always the worst. How many of you actually participated in "Black Friday?" That is the one place I just never want to find myself. I start Christmas planning and shopping in the summer, so by "Black Friday" there really isn't anything I want to fight crowds for! Of course it's different when you have little ones. They are the hardest to buy for.

I have made a decision (once again) to keep Christmas simple and meaningful. Gone are the days when I had little feet waking me up on Christmas morning, so I really enjoy the spiritual side of Christmas more and more every year. I would never want to take away the magic of Christmas (ever) from a little child. Their little faces are so precious when they are all caught up in the magic of the holiday. I think that is why "The Polar Express" is one of my most favorite Christmas movies. I plan to check it out from Blockbusters and watch it again this year. Or, maybe I will add it to our library.

Speaking of movies -- has anyone seen "Australia" yet? (With Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.) Dean and I loved the movie. It was intense and full of letting go of prejudices and learning to "love one another" set in the midst of World War II in Australia. This one should get some Academy Awards! The music was astounding, also.

Well, good hunting for the Christmas bargains, and I'll return soon with more of the December magic!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, 2008...

Thanksgiving day is upon us and I relish the memories of Thanksgivings past. Childhood memories include close family and friends gathering around a groaning table in my parents home on 26th Street in Santa Monica. Mom would always go "all out" for Thanksgiving. Her turkey was always cooked to perfection and stuffed with her own blend of herbs and spices and yummy bread crumbs. She would make her own cranberry sauce to go with the turkey. Every meal included creamy mashed potatoes and giblet turkey gravy, candied yams that only she could bake, creamed cauliflower and delicious green beans. There was always a salad served with her homemade French dressing and a jello salad filled with crispy celery and apples and other good things. The best part of each meal and the family hit was her delicious homemade rolls, which have become a family tradition, carried on by 2 of my daughters. At the end of every meal there was always a choice of either pumpkin pie or banana cream (that being my brother's favorite). We ususally didn't have room for dessert right after dinner -- we enjoyed that later in the evening.

Every meal began with a family prayer, kneeling beside our chairs as my dad offered his heartfelt prayer of thanks for family, friends, blessings and gratitude.

Those are the memories I treasure. They followed even to St. George and even in our own homes with our own families as the years flowed by. The Thanksgiving tradition, which began when Abraham Lincoln declared that the 4th Thursday in November should be set aside to give thanks for our bountious blessings is one which lifts me, personally, and brings a spirit of gratitude to begin this wonderful holiday season.

Here is a poem I wrote several years ago for you to enjoy -- yet again!

THANKSGIVING

I look to Heaven above and give thanks...
For blessings I am unable to number.

I am thankful for God's hands
Which hold us when we are down.
For His watchful eye
That keeps us out of harms way.

I am thankful for God's spirit
Which urges us on when we lose our way.
And for His patience
When we just can't seem "to get it right."

I am thankful for God's arms
That enfold us when life is too hard.
For His love
That comforts us when we are in need of love.

I am thankful for my life!
The hills and valleys,
The good days and bad.
God gave this life to me
And I shall ever praise Him.

In the words of President Thomas S. Monson, from this past October Conference, "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows... Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings... Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days -- as much as we can -- with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

God bless each and every one of you and may your Thanksgiving be one that will live long in your memories. I send you all my love and admiration for the kind of lives you have chosen to live and am grateful to call you "my family!"

Thanksgiving

Count down to Thanksgiving...

Just 8 days to Thanksgiving! This is the time of the year when we all reflect on the goodness of our Heavenly Father and the multitude of blessings that have come our way during the past year and throughout our lifetime! It officially opens my favorite season of the year. When I start numbering my blessings, I forget that there is chaos in the world and even immediately around me and my focus turns to higher things.

I am so very grateful for my Savior and His never-ending love for us, his brothers and sisters. He truly is our "Keeper" and watches diligently over us. It is His spirit and love that will see us through these tough times. We just have to do our part and never forget to stay strong and endure clear to the very end.

I am grateful for the restoration of His gospel on this earth and for our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith, who was solely instrumental in providing the process by which this great restoration could be accomplished. I am grateful for the powers that made it possible for Joseph to be able to translate and publish the greatest literary work man has ever known, The Book of Mormon, through great trials brought on through our enemy, Satan.

I am grateful for the leadership of the Church today, who guide us through their kind, loving words to keep us informed and on the straight and narrow path that will eventually lead us to Eternal Life. It is an honor and privilege to be so blessed to be a member of this amazing Church!

I am grateful for parents who lived what they taught and guided their 4 children through life and showed us the way that we should go. I am grateful for my Ancestors who were so diligent in their sacrifices to stay focused on the path that was initiated by Joseph Smith and carried out by Brigham Young and on down through the ages by our chosen Prophets. I am grateful for my Siblings, Darell, Christine, Patricia for their love and encouragement through tough times and their lives that have truly blessed my own.

I am grateful that I have been blessed with 2 wonderful men who have loved me (in spite of myself) and encouraged me to be the best person I can possibly be even though sometimes my rebelious spirit was not ready to listen to their counsel. I am grateful for my 6 children who continue to bless my life and amaze me in the process! I could not have chosen any more wonderful children to be associated with than these! I love and am grateful for my 14 grandchildren and my 5 step-grandchildren that bring such amazing joy into my life. Each and every one of them blesses my life in their own individual ways. I cannot think of any one of them without tears streaming down my cheeks! And, how wonderful to be blessed by the coming into this world of my very first great-grandson, Dallen, who brings joy into my life through pictures and updates from his mom, Jacki, every day that I live.

I am grateful for good health and a good home and even (yes, it's true) trials that come our way every day!


My life is truly blessed. I will ever be grateful to the first Pilgrims who celebrated that first Thanksgiving all those years ago, being grateful for a good harvest and being able to share it with the native peoples of this land. We live in an amazing land and my prayer is that it will continue to be just that. God bless us all and God bless America!

Read any good books lately?

I just finished reading the newest book by my favorite author, Richard Paul Evans, titled "Grace". If you haven't read it yet, you ought to get hold of a copy and read it. Mr. Evans does an outstanding job writing about issues that really concern him, primarily abuse and child neglect. He has done a great deal to help protect children of abuse and rehabilitate them back into society through his many philanthropic endeavors.

The book is about a teen-age girl who has been severely abused by her step-father and the young boy who rescues her. There is a great deal in the book that teaches about the value of friendship and love and truly caring for another human being. It also teaches about the hurts and fears and trauma that an abused child goes through. I have added it to my collection of all of Richard Paul Evans' books. You will probably remember his very first -- "The Christmas Box" -- which is the book that started my love affair with his books.

Get it - read it - and enjoy!

Fall is in full swing in Lincoln City...

The leaves have turned their various colors of reds, oranges, golds, and browns and the winds and the rain have blown them off of nearly all of the trees here on the central coast of Oregon. The skies are gray and rain is the order of nearly every day. We are always delighted to see a peak of sunshine when it comes. This will be the way the weather will go for the rest of the year. It is cooler now and so I don't get out much to walk, but with unpacking and arranging our new abode, there isn't much time for that, anyway. I am content to stay indoors, work and do what most Oregonians do in the fall and winter -- hybernate!

OK, back to LIFE!

Life on the Coast is full of MUSIC! There is never a shortage of venues to visit and stars to see at local events! For those of you who might just remember when we lived in Taos, New Mexico, we met an amazing Pueblo Indian named Robert Mirabal, who has made quite a name for himself for his interesting music combining the spiritual Pueblo Indian music with jazz! We went to an "up close and personal" performance here in Lincoln City at our local Tribal Casino. They always bring some wonderful entertainment. Robert has been here several times and keeps coming back because he has such a tremendous draw. We enjoyed his music, which took us back to some of the good times in Taos and the beauty of the Pueblo culture. Never mind that they live simply -- perhaps we could learn a lot from the way they live!






That amazing show was on Friday night. On Saturday, we drove about an hour south of here to Yachats (pronounced ya-hats) to attend a Celtic Festival. Our entertainment dish has been quite diverse this week-end ~ and full. We had a lovely time, learning Irish line/slide/jig dancing, and then attending a concert of amazing Celtic music. The show was about 2 1/2 hours long and full of high energy, wonderful dancing music. It was an evening well-spent. I love this place!

America has spoken...

After all is said and done, the freedom which we treasure as Americans has allowed us to express our choices for our 44th President of these United States -- and the people have made their choice. Whether we agree with the choice or not, we must be united in our support for the office which Mr. Barack Hussein Obama is about to be installed into. Let us not fall into the abyss of finger pointing and "I told you so" mentality, but let us show support for the office. And, as the above advice, which I wore so proudly throughout this election season says, let us not forget to keep on praying for those in authority over us!

God bless this great land! God bless those who lead us! If we have disagreements, let us voice those disagreements in a democratic voice, not with complaints. I so respect and admire my youngest daughter, Heather, who has the strength of a David in her convictions about democracy and echo her peace in her heart that it is God's will that we march forth into whatever the future has in store for us as Americans and as His children. If we stay close to the faith that has sustained us thus far in our lives and never falter, we will rise with our Savior into a far better world which is nigh at hand. God bless each and every one of you!

And on a note for California -- Congratulations on passing Prop 8, which my granddaughter Aubrey worked so hard for and gave her all in its support! God has answered prayers for California! And the people have spoken!

The Clock is Ticking...

The countdown is upon us. There are only 4 more days to fervently pray for our Country, our Leaders, and our Voters! Our knee bones should be thoroughly used and bruised from kneeling before our All-Mighty and praying like we have never prayed before for healing for this land and those who would use their powers to turn this blessed Country into something akin to those awful scenes that we have read about in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible. We glossed over those verses for a very long time, but now it is time for us to really take a good long look at them and realize that they were written for us as a warning to the complacency that looms large and overtakes our common sense.

God bless everyone of us as we go to the polls and place our marks on the ballots that were freely given to us. Make wise choices, prayerful choices. God Bless America -- we are truly going to need it!

Happy Birthday, Dean

It was a day like any other, but in reality it was a really special day, because it was Dean's birthday yesterday, October 25th! Since we are smack in the middle of the moving "blahs," our new house didn't look much like a birthday celebration house at all. But, we made a day of it just for him! I put aside all of the things that I had to do to try and organize cupboards, etc., and dedicated the day to Dean! We celebrated by going downtown to watch an incredible glass blower make some amazing creation with glass and color into a beautiful paper weight. This particular place located on the highway in the Taft area of Lincoln City offers classes in glass blowing as well as being able to participate in making your own creation. We have promised ourselves to do just that -- and one day we will create our own glass float!

Prior to watching the glass creator, we were across the street shopping in the glass shop that sold the creations from the glass creation "lab," where they were displaying the most amazing glass pumpkins. Just as soon as I get those pictures that we took downloaded into the computer, I will include them in another blog. We bought a beautiful orange pumpkin in glass! It is amazing!

After our glass experience, we went out to dinner at one of our favorite spots, The Roadhouse 101" and watched and listened to some pretty amazing entertainment. The coast is never without entertainment of some sort and we are always on the look out for anything new.

All in all, it was a nice birthday for my sweetheart and we closed the day feeling like we had celebrated sufficiently. Happy Birthday, Dean!

One More Time...

The Mickelsons are moving! Yep! We just got so tired of living in a cracker box with nothing but a baby grand piano in our living room (that's all that would fit), and it doesn't look like the Brookings house is going to sell any time soon, so we decided to move into something a little bigger and more comfortable.

We move this Saturday! Our new address will be 2750 NW Jetty Avenue, Lincoln City, Oregon, 97367. Our phone number will not change!

OK, now I promised more pictures of my new great-grandson. Here are a couple!



He's a real cutie and "mom" and "grandma Kim (mimi)" are smitten! Life is good! See you all after we get moved!

Just in case you're wondering...

I got a terrific picture from Aubrey of the new addition to the Messick-Bracken clan. Here's little Dallen Scott Bracken, in the arms of a pretty proud Auntie, Aubrey. More pictures later, as I get them -- and I'm sure I will! He's a cutie! Look at that perfectly round little head! That is the result of C-Section births!

I wrote him a little poem:
NEW!

Like nothing else in the world,
A NEW life fulfills ALL purpose ~
NEW hope
NEW dreams
NEW challenges
NEW directions.

And a heart once thought to be full
Expands to make room for this
NEW little one...
And it is a NEW heart.

And we pause to reflect
On God's amazing plan.

One more link added to the eternal family chain ~
A chain that reaches back to infinity,
And will stretch forward for eternity.
...Florene Henderson-Mickelson

I'm a Great Grandma!

Last night (October 8, 2008), at 11:45 pm, my granddaughter, Jacki, had (I am told) a beautiful baby boy, weighing in at 7# 4oz, and 18" long. She had to have C-Section, because he was a stubborn little guy and just wanted to hang out in the breech position. The name they chose for him is Dallen Scott Bracken. With a name like that, he will probably grow up to be an Attorney, like his dad! Both mom and babe are doing fine. I haven't heard how "dad" is doing, but I imagine he is walking around without touching the ground! When I get pictures, I will post them!

With this birth, there are a lot of firsts! Jacki is a first-time mom, her mom (Kim, who is my first born) is a first-time grandma, I am a first-time great-grandma, my mom would be so proud to be a first-time great-great-grandma, and there are a number of first time aunts, uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles! What a joyous day this is. I'm still pinching myself. I have had 9 months to get used to this title, and it really is a neat one. Another generation has been added to our bulging family tree! I wish Gerry could have been here to witness this momentous event! Life is good!

An Amazing Concert...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the music that is coming out of Iceland, but last night Dean took me to a concert of one of the bands called "Sigur Ros" that we were introduced to way back in 2002. They are the ones who have had the biggest influence on Billy and his music. Now, you have to understand that my generation grew up with "Big Bands" and the romantic music of "Johnny Mathis" and "Barbara Streisand," etc.; but I do have a little maverick in me because I can appreciate all kinds of music. This amazing band is multi-talented. They are all experts in a variety of instruments and their drummer is absolutely crazy!



AND, you all know that Dean and Billy and Eliot took a trip to Iceland this past summer and in driving all the way around the entire Island of Iceland (over 3200 kilometers in 17 days!) they visited several of the sites where Sigur Ros had filmed for their video "Heime (Home)." This made the concert especially important to Dean. He even wore his Iceland sweater.



Even though the concert was top notch, the best was yet to come! Dean had brought some of his better pictures from Iceland with him (8 x 10's) and we took them to the stage door to ask the guy on duty there (George M.) if he could get them to Sigur Ros to sign them for us. He was very kind and he did that for us. We stood at the Stage Door lobby and waited and waited, until the drummer came out and introduced himself to us. He recognized Dean's sweater as Icelandic and we talked, and in fact he said he had spotted the sweater in the audience from the stage! He got us Stage Passes and took us back to their private party and we met the bass player "Goggi" and talked with him for quite a while. We even got our pictures taken with him! Then, the pictures were located and they were all signed! It was a great experience. I wish Billy could have been there for that. He would have loved it.





All in all, it was an amazing evening and one that we will not soon forget. My amazing husband does some of the craziest things that turn out to be quite unbelievable memories! Thanks, Dean!

Reflections of a Perfect Birthday Weekend

It was a wonderful weekend! Dean outdid himself (as always) in making my day a perfect one. The cards and remembrances that I received took my breath away -- I'm including only a few here. Thanks to all! Then, we went to see the "Traveling Viet Nam Wall" which was hosted by our local Indian Nation Casino. We have visited The Wall in Washington, D.C., so we were already prepared for the emotion we would be feeling and we weren't disappointed. Though it is just a replica, none-the-less it was a humbling experience. Along with the Viet Nam Wall replica, there were placque after placque of remembrances of fallen WWII, Korea, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom names. When you look at the amazingly long list of our fallen heroes (and they truly are that!) and look around us at the freedom that we enjoy as American, it is most humbling. We shed many tears. We spent 2 very emotional hours there.

After The Wall, Dean took me out to dinner at one of our favorites, here in Lincoln City -- the Sunflower Grill. It was yummy! And for desert, they treated me to a delicious Marionberry Cobbler that was out of this world. There goes my diet!

After filling up on delicious food, we went to the movie, "Nights on Rodanthe." We were prepared for a love story with Richard Gere and Diane Lane, but had no idea just how emotional this movie would be! It took our breath away. So many truths about relationships and getting to the bottom line of what a real love feels like. We loved watching a mother and daughter heal their badly fractured relationship through a loss; we cried as a Doctor shared the grief of a husband who lost his wife in surgery; we felt the deep anger and hurt of a son who had alienated himself from his father; and we were amazed how deeply touched we were when in the end it was love that got them all through each individual crisis -- not self-centered love, but the deep, caring kind of love that Christ offers each and everyone of us whenever we are hurting. For my emotional day, I can honestly say this was the frosting on the cake!

God bless you all and God bless America! We are so blessed to live in this great land!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Yes, it's true! Today I am 69 years young! (Yes, Kim it is hard for even me to believe that I have reach such a landmark.) When I was a little girl, I didn't think I would be alive even to see the turn of the century, let alone live to be such a ripe old age! Back then I thought anyone over 50 was ancient and falling apart! Ah! The misconceptions of youth! I feel better than I have in a very long time and plan to just keep on going. Life at this end of the calendar is actually better than I ever could have imagined it to be!



I want to take this time to personally thank all of you who have expressed your greetings on my Birthday. And to all of you who come to visit me for a little while here in my little blog and leave with me your wonderful comments, a great big THANK YOU! You don't know how wonderful it is to read what everyone has to say. It warms my heart and keeps loved ones close. And to those who can't figure out how to leave a comment -- not to worry, I appreciate your visits, too.

I have to share a wonderful card that I got from my little sister, Patti! It is one of those Hallmark "talking, music" cards that you can record your voice on. When I opened it up I heard Patti's voice wishing me a happy birthday. I cried, it was so neat! Now, whenever I miss my little sister and want to hear her voice, all I have to do is open that little card. It is a keeper!




Again, THANK YOU ALL! Now, I'm going to go out and enjoy my day!