Holiday events

One of the reasons I haven't blogged in a while is because we've been so busy with various holiday events. Without going into a ton of detail on any of them, here's a quick recap.

Thanksgiving: we spent Thanksgiving with the Franz family (formerly mentioned as our new Arnie and Brenda). Joyce suffers from extreme fibromyalgia, but is a wonderful homemaker and friend. Wolfgang (originally from Germany) loves telling stories and has been sharing his wisdom with Graham from the stock market to good places to camp and ski in the area. I baked/took a pecan pie and a pear pie, both of which turned out delightful! We had a wonderful day and couldn't have asked for a better day despite being far from family.

Lighting of the Downtown, Friday after Thanksgiving: after a candle lit walk, the entire town enjoyed free cookies and hot cider as Safeway lit their Christmas tree. Then we continued on to the famous Davidson building for live ballet in the window, a stroll through the "Streets of Bethlehem" and decorated trees inside the Clymer Museum. The weather was FREEZING (literally), but everyone said it was the biggest turnout yet!

International Office Potluck: Someone once told me that community isn't something you wait to happen, it's something you build. So I decided to plan an office potluck since there seemed to be so much separation and people who didn't even know each other. The event turned out great, and we not only had tons of delicious food, but everyone was so happy to meet each other. After introductions, Mike (my boss) introduced me as the new social events coordinator for our office, a title I'm very pleased to hold.

Percussion concert: last Wednesday we attended the CWU Percussion Ensemble winter presentation. They only performed five pieces, but one was a 15-minute marimba sextet. Needless to say, IT WAS AWESOME! Gideon enjoyed seeing the tympani and actually sat still for two and a half songs. A big thank you to Graham for letting me indulge while he entertained the kids in the lobby for the remainder of the concert.

A Christmas Carol: Graham and I had our first date night in Ellensburg on Friday. Joyce and Wolfgang watched the kids, so we were able to enjoy a live performance of "A Christmas Carol." We sensed a hint of the true meaning of Christmas being emphasized, particularly in the end when the audience was encouraged to joined in the singing of "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." Afterward, we got a chance to try out one of the locally owned coffee shops which have to admit was quite good!

So that was our last two weeks. This week is finals week at school, so things are going to get pretty quiet around campus which means time for projects! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy these next few weeks as you prepare to celebrate Christ's birth!