Santa Claus- Part 1

I came across this story and was touched by it. It means a lot to me this year. I haven't changed the music for a while so if the background music doesn't fit, please just mute it.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big
sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even
dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day
because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told
the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier
when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they
were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her
everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she
snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around
for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and
let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second
world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store,
the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we
walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle
in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone
who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked
out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but
never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and
crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar
bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the
kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He
was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs.
Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that
because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always
wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew
that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I
fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby
Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real
warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter
asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly.
"It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a
good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag,
smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the
coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and
wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over
to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever
officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept
noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a
nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on
his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and
Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.
Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering,
beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that
those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they
ere -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Luke II

First Day of School

E woke up happily and started to get ready for school. His hair always sticks out to different directions every morning so he put a hand full of mousse on the hair to create this crazy hairdo. Of course mama had to smooth it out.

His grandma and aunt actually came knocked on our door and rushed us to leave. They were as anxious as we were. We walked to the bus stop. (E actually ran all the way.)

His backpack looked so huge on his little body. Fortunately he doesn't usually need to carry anything but a folder. There were mixed feelings when I saw the bus leaving. I was glad that he felt good about school and welcomed this new adventure. I was not sure if he's ready for this but I had confidence in his intelligence and energy. With our help, he will enjoy this learning experience.

To celebrate this big day, we did a treasure hunt to reveal his gift. There were 7 clues for him to follow and he had fun running up and down the stairs to find all the clues and his final treasure. When he found the soccer ball, he said with great excitement, "I can't believe it!" I love his expression and happiness filled our hearts.

Shawnee Lookout

E is starting school tomorrow so Mama decided to take him to go hiking. He was saying the Pledge of Allegiance in front of the sign. I guess he felt the need to do so. This is the longest trail in the park, about 2 miles. I was not sure if E could finish it by himself. I thought it might end it up with me carrying him somehow.

It was really intriguing to see this in the middle of the path. Obviously someone found the turtle shell and arranged this. I hope the poor turtle that lost this shell did not have a sad story to tell.

E was chasing all kinds of bugs and picking up rocks for protection. His backpack was so heavy that he decided to do some rock-skipping down the hill in half way. He loved this beetle. I looked it up on the web and found it was net-winged beetle.

E took this picture and I think he did a good job.

There were two lookout spots of great view of Ohio River and northern Kentucky. This park has lots of Indian history and burial mounds. I got to teach E about showing respect of the place and he talked about the Nephites and Lamanites.

E was complaining about the hike until he saw the steps. He ran most of the second half of the trail. After that he was exhausted.

A lady with a dog we met on the trail gave us this, a buckeye.

She cracked another one for us. We had never seen this before so it's a good learning for us since we live in the Buckeye State.

E managed to finish the trail all by himself. He even played in the sand and playground after the hike. We both enjoyed this special day!

Utah Trip

She was my mission daughter, which means I trained her when we were missionaries in Touliou 12 years ago. She was one of the most loving persons I met. She shared her Christmas gifts with me and taught me everything about service, charity and hard work. When I moved from Touliou, she put lots of "love" stickers on my giant luggage. I had the pleasure to visit her parents 11 years ago and I had strong connection with her mom. I was so happy to attend her wedding at Manti temple where I prayed that I could feel her mom and mine as well. I believe they probably talk about us in heaven from time to time. I was the guest of honor in the sealing room and the spirit was so strong. I am grateful for the friendship we have and am happy that she found her eternal companion. The wedding was so beautiful and everyone felt honored and appreciated, just as my sweet friend had prayed.

We were about to leave for our hiking trip to American Fork Canyon. I brought my smallest hello kitty backpack for convenience and my friend had to borrow from a 11-year-old girl. We got kicked out of our appearances.

The water in the mountain was nice and cold. Right after we stopped by this quiet place, something dramatic happened.

My friend saw a snake in the grass and screamed. As soon as I heard her, I screamed like crazy without seeing anything and tried to pass through it. We laughed so hard for 10 minutes after that. This was actually another snake we came across on the trail. We saw four in total, which I didn't expect it at all. The snake is officially the animal I am scared of.

I thought it would be fun to do some yoga poses on these two logs and it turned out to be very challenging. The surface was not flat and there was this fear of falling into the rocks and water. I don't know how those yogis always have the shots of doing arm balancing or handstand at the edge of the cliffs. I certainly need more practice.

Guess what we saw. It was right in front of us on the trail and then moved to the woods. It was a MOOSE and it's huge. We were very careful watching it's movement to make sure it would not come charging us.

The view was breathtaking. When we got to the top, a beautiful lake appeared.

It's sitting so quietly in the mist of the mountains. I had to call it "Lake of Shining Waters"(When Anne Shirley saw the Barry's lake, she called it by this name.)

What a great day we had!!! The smell of the trees was so refreshing. My friend told me all these aspens came from the same root. That made me think about everyone on this earth came from the same Father, our God in heaven. It is amazing!

This was Silver Lake Trail and it's about 3 to 4 miles. It took us about 4 hours because we stopped a lot on the way and also at the lake. It's a great place to visit.

Happy 5th Birthday

E had his 5th birthday last month and he's a happy, energetic and healthy 5-year-old boy. He insisted making his own cake this year. The theme was the robot cake but the images were too small to see. He decorated the cake with his dad and they had fun. E told me that I made the best icing in the whole wide world. He is not reserved when he gives compliments and I love that about him. :)

He has been learning to swim and ride the bicycle. He also likes to go hiking. We enjoyed watching fireworks in the backyard together on the 4th. He seemed to like the things I have been showing to him, the world that I learned to appreciate and enjoy. Of course, he likes to watch movies and play with the toys like every other kid. There is part of him growing inward, more aware of his surroundings and people. I have been trying to stop to smell the roses from time to time to enjoy the moments of life and feel from inner self. That also helps me feel calm and serene.

Hearty Broccoli Dip

This recipe came from Taste of Home. I made this for a couple times and everyone loved it! It's not the healthiest thing of my choice but certainly a favorite of the crowd. I use ground chicken instead of beef.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cubed
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 3 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• Tortilla chips

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add cheese, soup, broccoli and salsa; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through, stirring after 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 5-1/2 cups.