It is hard for me to imagine that yet another year has passed, one filled with so many changes in our lives. The biggest change for us was our move to Arizona!
It is Christmas time and we are enjoying a wonderful visit from our son, Billy, who drove that gosh-awful distance in 17 1/2 hours (15 of which were "straight through!"). He is the joy of my life and I shall forever be grateful for him.
We also shared a visit from Dean's cousins from Phoenix, Carol and Charlie. They couldn't stay long, so we didn't plan any real touring with them, just a wonderful lunch of homemade enchiladas, salad and Gingerbread Cookies. We had a lovely visit.
Arizona is going to be our home for the rest of our lives and if the ending is as good as the beginning, it will be "A Wonderful Life!" We have both settled into our respective churches...Dean into a little Presbyterian Church that is only about a mile and a half away from our house; and me, into my LDS Church which is a bit further north of town off Highway 89A. Dean will be playing in the Bell Choir for Christmas and also playing his Flugelhorn for Christmas Eve. He will play "O Holy Night," which he has already played for my church's Christmas Breakfast! On Sunday, December16th, I gave my first talk at Sacrament Meeting.
Prescott and Prescott Valley have a boatload of Holiday activities to help "Make the Season Bright." Among them are the Acker Night in downtown Prescott on December 7th, which is a fundraising activity to help support the Acker Music Park Association. The money helps provide music programs for the local schools. Every shop around the courthouse square opens their doors at night and hosts some form of musical talent on display! We had a wonderful time at this activity.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hosted their 7th Annual Community Christmas Concert and Nativity Display on December 9th. For us, it was our 1st attendance and we were treated to the beauty of the various Nativity collections from all around the world and a wonderful Christmas Concert! I love a good Christmas Concert and it was so nice to be in the audience, enjoying the talents, and not up there singing. The Church also launched a "Light the World" campaign the beginning of December to bring awareness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our Communities, neighborhoods, families and to ourselves.
Dean and I attended a lovely Installation of Officers meeting at his new Lodge, Aztlan Lodge 1 in Prescott. He is delighted to have found a new lodge where he can become active again. The luncheon was delightful.
With Billy here, we drove to the Prescott Inn to view a nice display of Gingerbread Houses from the community. Some of them were quite creative and several ribbons were awarded. After that, we drove through "TheValley of Lights," which is about a mile long display of lights for the Holiday Season. There was the "Twelve Days of Christmas," Charlie Brown, various cowboy scenes, a Nativity and village, and many, many others, finishing up with Santa in his sleigh. We drove through tunnels of lighted Poinsettias, Candy Canes and Snowflakes! Well done, Prescott Valley!
On the 26th, the three of us attended a concert given by "Manheim Steamrollers!!" We all enjoyed that amazing night of entertainment. I love their iconic blend of musical treats and we were not disappointed. It was fun to realize that only a few days earlier, this same event center was where we took Billy to enjoy an hour or so of ice skating! He is very good, and he had a great time! Now, at the concert, the ice is covered up with a floor and hundreds of chairs for the audience. This is the modern day we live in!
We filled our eight days with Billy with as many activities as we could, and enjoyed a lot of family time at home, having deep discussions and playing games. It was hard to say goodbye to Billy as he drove away on the 29th to face that long 17 hour drive back. We will miss him.
I have filled this year-end blog with our new adventure, but as I count our blessings, they include many others from the first day of the year to the last. We will miss Newport. The coast of Oregon was our home for nearly 14 yers and the state of Oregon for 20! We very nearly put down roots there, but I guess the ground is just too soggy. We shall see what Arizona and its sand has to offer us for the rest of our lives.
We had a joyous Christmas, and now look forward to an interesting New Year -- 2019!
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