12/26/2006

Christmas 2006

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Arizona Christmas

There are 28 Andersons together this year for Christmas. Garrett, Jeanie, Solomon (4) and Jeremiah (1) have joined Garrett’s family in Arizona for the holiday. This includes Grandma Susie and Gramps (Bruce); Taylor and Teresa Anderson, and their kids Danielle (9), Leah (5), Andrew (3) and Jessica (<1); Trent and his girlfriend LaRae; Julia and Brent Crenshaw, and their kids Christopher (4), Susie (4), Evan (2) and Anna (1); Grant and Alena Anderson and their kids Clayton (6), Whitney (4) and Owen (1); and straight from England (with the Air Force) Carma and Ian Sheehan, and their son Jak (<1). Carma is expecting another.

The Andersons get together every other year for Christmas. Jeanie has been coming since 2000 when we were engaged. At the time, we only had 2 grandkids. Two years later we were up to 7, including a newborn Solomon, who was the youngest at the time. Last time, in 2004 we were up to 9, and anticipating Jerry’s birth on January 11th, just after Christmas. This year we are up to 14, and Jeanie is happy to not to be either pregnant or have a newborn.

This is also the first year that we are trying this gathering in Arizona. We have traditionally gathered at Gramps and GrandmaSusie’s house in Bloomington, Illinois. Now we are staying at either Grant or Taylor’s houses in Mesa and Gilbert. It has been surprisingly chilly here the first few days. We are very happy to be here with family, but we have become unaccustomed to the fast pace of the big city. Every so often we turn to each other and bless the non-existent traffic, affordable houses(and forest) and comfortable life we live in small-town Illinois.

Solomon is really enjoying his cousins, especially Grant’s kids that we are staying with. He humors Whitney and plays Polly Pocket with her, and Clayton is probably just as much a Star Wars nut as Solomon, so of course they get along well. Grant has done a lot of work in his yard, including burying his trampoline, and sodding the back yard. I've gotten to help him some, hauling rock and sand from the front yard to the back. We look forward to spending some time laying brick this week. The house looks great, and so does the yard. We are very happy to be here sharing this Christmas with my twin brother and the rest of the family. Sincerely, Garrett

12/15/2006

Midwest Beauty

I am looking out our front window at an amazing sunset, with bright colors streaming through the trees in our front yard. The past four days have been absolutely beautiful here. It warmed up to 60 degrees every day, and the skies were clear and sunny. I know this is sounding like a weather report, but it is more than than. This is California girl admitting that after 5 years out here in Illinios, she has finally learned to appreciate the beauty of flatlands, the corn fields and scattered clumps of trees. I still miss the magesty of the mountains of Utah, and the Pacific Ocean beaches of California, but I have settled in the the beauty around me. We are heading to Arizona for Christmas, and that will be yet another type of beauty that this country has to offer. America is truly an amazing place. There are so many different types of landscapes to enjoy from coast to coast. I hope to one day travel coast to coast and get the whole picture of "from sea to shining sea!" Well, that is all for now. Enjoy the beauty of the season, wherever you may be. Love, Jeanie

About Me

My photo
This blog has been inactive for five years, and I am attempting to get it going again. We now live in Woodstock, IL and the boys are growing way too fast. Life is good.