December- Chapter 1

I am going to have to tell about our month of December in chapters – for my sake as well as yours!  We had some cold days the first part of the month.  One morning, during one of our dog walks, I snapped a few photos of the frost on the ground. 

 
 
The December single adult activity was to ring and sing for the Salvation Army on Saturday, December 10^th in front of Hobby Lobby.  Sheldon Slade is the High Counselor over single adults so he and his family came.  Melanie came.  That was it.  BUT, all the Slades can sing so we sounded REALLY good – four part harmony AND in tune.  And, they know as many, if not more, Christmas carols than Steve and I do.  As a result, I believe the Hobby Lobby customers were very generous that morning.  Boy, it sure was cold, though!  The Slade kids were real troopers.  

Speaking of music, that week was FULL of rehearsals and performances.  Tuesday night, the 6^th , was a Civic Orchestra rehearsal, Wednesday night it was rehearsing with Memorial Baptist Church with their choir that Elise sings in.  It was for a Christmas cantata written by Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant called "Almost There" which we performed on Sunday, the 11^th.  Civic had another rehearsal Friday night and a performance Saturday.  We did excerpts from the Messiah and some nicely arranged carols.  Also, I played a cello solo of The First Noel for church that Sunday.   Just to add more to the week, our ward Christmas party was also on Saturday night and Steve had been recruited to be a wise man so he and Steven came to listen to the Civic Orchestra music on Friday’s dress rehearsal.  Steven also came with Steve to hear the Memorial Baptist performance on Sunday.  My heroes.

Finally, some of the tongue depressor snowmen I painted for my music students….

 

And the note Steve put on the back door regarding our poor, senile, 16-year-old-dog-this-month who forgets she has JUST been outside so she wants to go out again....  (apologies to the author of the Pokey Little Puppy)

The beginning of Christmas music season

The MMCO (Mid-Missouri Community Orchestra) had their Christmas concert at Parkside Manor on Friday night.  Here we all are.  What a great group of people!  We had caroling sheets and we invited the residents to sing along with us.  I hope they had a good time.

 Here I am with Steve and our trombone player, David.

 

  After our performance, we all went to the orchestra librarian's home afterwards for a little party.

I really don't have much to write about the rest of the week.  It was the first of the month but on steroids because we had Christmas decorations to put up on top of everything else.  Elise took me and Steve to see Fantastic Beasts on Monday for our birthdays and we three went tree shopping afterwards.  The rest of the week was spent gradually setting Christmas things out.  I finally finished this morning!

Thanksgiving week was great!

 I saw a physical therapist on Tuesday.  Got some exercises to do at home.  And, I am now walking without crutches or a cane.  Yay!

Turkey day was delicious and it was a day with just family – no random guests.  Unusual.  Emily and Joe and kids came and stayed overnight.  

 

 

 Elise and Sarah both had to work in the morning so we had a 5:30 pm dinner.  Steven came over but Tamara was at her parent’s home where all but one of her siblings had come for the holiday.  A very special Thanksgiving for the Wiles family.  

 Friday, I turned 61.  After a relaxing birthday breakfast, Steve, Emily, Noah, Lucy, Quinn, and I drove down to the Channel 8 studio to visit Steven and to take a little tour. 

 

 

 Channel 8's anchors are ready to read the news!

 Steven and his work space at the station....

 

 I enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner of ham, potatoes supreme, asparagus, ambrosia fruit salad, and pumpkin cheesecake.  I got lots of nice gifts.  I guess if you have to be 61, you might as well have a nice day to celebrate. 

And now it is Christmas time.  I made a bunch of little bowls and mugs and put paper-white narcissus bulbs in them- forcing an early bloom for the holidays.  The idea was to have them bloom by mid-December but they are starting to bloom NOW so I have been delivering early Christmas gifts to neighbors and friends the last couple of days.

Change is in the air...

Here is a photo of the recently released (as of Sunday) Columbia Missouri Stake presidency. 


Here is Steve with President Bateman, the St. Louis Mission president. 

 This is not the first time these men have met.  Back when Steve was about 17 and Michael Bateman was about 10, they met in a hospital room.  Michael had been hit by a car and was pretty banged up.  Steve, who was friends with Michael's aunt Vicki, felt sorry for him and brought all his baseball cards as a gift to the young invalid.  Here they are, reunited again after all these years.  And, who knows where the baseball cards are? 

  Finally, here are the crutches I have been using since Tuesday, the 15th. 
 
 For over two years, I have had a "trick knee" in my left leg.  If I were to sit on a low seat, I would need to support myself because my left knee would buckle.  I could never stand to pedal a bike because the left knee could not support my weight.  But, it never hurt.  It was just weak.  I might have aggravated this knee when Steve and I rode our bikes on the Katy Trail (see last blog) because the next day, Sunday, my knee hurt.  I limped.  But, we did our regular walking/biking routine Monday anyway.  And it still hurt.  Tuesday, I knew I would be walking with bus orientation so we did not do our morning routine.  And, as I walked to various bus stops, it hurt more and more until finally, as we were walking back to the refugee apartments, my left leg just stopped working and I could put no weight of any kind on it without extreme pain.  I had to call Steve on my cell phone to drive around the corner to pick me up.  We went to urgent care where it was determined that I had an inflamed ligament.  Ice, ibuprofin, rest the leg (hence the crutches).   Steve has been wonderful to be my gopher as my leg has healed.  I graduated to one crutch by Thursday and yesterday, I was able to walk without any aid albeit I went pretty slowly and carefully.  I start physical therapy today to strengthen the ligaments - something I should have done a few years ago when I first noticed the weakness.   I just hope I can start our morning exercising again soon because holiday eating is upon us and I don't want to gain too much weight!

Well, I am back....

I left for Arizona the last weekend in October and I hit the ground running ever since I got back!  My best blogging time in Sunday morning before church but last Sunday, Steve was home all morning and he needed the computer so there went the two-week catch-up blog plan.  Now I have three weeks to write about.  Thankfully, the events are few.

First, the trip to Arizona:  I went to be part of Jesse and Kat's wedding celebration.
 
  They married in a very small ceremony (just Jesse, Kat, my sister Juli, and the minister) on Tuesday, October 25th - the anniversary of the day they met.  I flew out on Thursday, the 27th and hung out in Mesa with Jerri and Amy and family until Saturday morning when I drove up to Payson for the reception that evening.  I helped Juli set up the cultural hall in ward meetinghouse when I arrived - I ironed a lot of table cloths!  The reception was very nice. 
 
 They served a lovely meal followed by the cake cutting.

 There was a D.J. but nobody, including the bride and groom, wanted to dance so, after everyone ate cake, the party ended and it was time to clean up.  Jesse and Kat ordered way too much food and most of the post-celebration was spent finding ways to divvy up everything into containers.  The Payson police department got all the leftovers!  (remember that Jesse is a police officer) I stayed up in Payson Saturday night and drove down early Sunday to Mesa to attend Amy and Cory's ward meetings at 11:00.  Juli had to bring Jeremy down to the airport that morning so she came to church with us, too.   That evening, there was a celebration of fall birthdays for all the Bowden clan at Brent's place so it was great to see much of Jerri's family. 

 Brent, Susette with kids Noah, Parker, Luke, Elenore, Brig, Rose, Brielle
 
 Rob and Joanne in back with Chelise and Jason Patterson with Kendall, Drew, and Noah
 
 Cade and Colby in back with Emily and Brig Nichol and their kids, Ben and Lucy
Amy is on the right
 
 Brig with Cade and Colby

 I flew out early Halloween morning - Steve picked up up early afternoon and we celebrated trick-or-treating at Emily's place that night.  It was a nice trip.  It was good to be in Arizona again.  It was great to see family - especially all of Juli's kids.

Juli with grandchildren, Kason and James

Jesse and Jeremy Davies


me and Juli


Three of the four Young sisters:  Juli, Jerri, Jeanne

Steve and I were asked to attend a meeting of the stake presidency and their wives last Sunday afternoon.  There we learned that the stake presidency is being dissolved because Richard Houseman, our stake president, has been called to serve as a mission president in Brazil!  We have a stake conference this coming Sunday and that is when the change will take place.  My mind has been reeling with the possibilities for the future -  having Steve home at night on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,  getting to sit with him in church, maybe leaving much sooner for a mission of our own.

Julina was in town last weekend.  She came to meet Larkin Clementine and just to relax and hang out with all of us.  So great to have her, even for just a short time.

 Emily with Larkin modeling her Halloween costume


Grandpa Steve and Larkin

Steve and I have been enjoying a beautiful fall - even if it seemed to come later than usual.  We drove up to Thompson (between Mexico and Centralia) a week ago Friday to check out a massive flea market / antique shop and then to have lunch in Mexico at a sandwich shop that offers gluten-free bread.  I had an amazing Reuben sandwich!   Yesterday, we loaded up our bikes into the back of the truck and went to Rocheport to ride along the Katy trail.  It was a perfect autumn day!
 

 
 The Moniteau River
 

 
 The beautiful Missouri River

 I had my fall studio recital yesterday afternoon. 




  Finally, I made two quilts for the Southerland girls.  Since Larkin has a gorgeous bird quilt to honor her first name, I made a receiving blanket for her middle name, Clementine


When Lucy was born, Emily was in quilt mode and didn't need me to make her a quilt.  But, she needs one from grandma so I made her a "busy:" quilt with pockets  (zip, velcro, button, tie) and cute animals that she likes.  It is also a sleeping bag so she can crawl in between the top and back of the quilt.  She really seemed to like it when I gave it to her.


OK, I need to quit and get ready to go to church.