With Lights all A-Glow

Since Thanksgiving I have been wanting to visit the Idaho Botanical Gardens for their "Winter Garden aGlow" display. We learned about it when Dan asked his boss about ideas of things to do while my parents were visiting over Thanksgiving. We didn't make it while they were here but I suggested we brave the cold and go see the display on the 26th.

It was their 16th annual display and they boast: a "dazzling display of nearly 270,000 sparkling lights artfully displayed." I know Christmas lights are Christmas lights but it's still fun to see how each place decorates with them. The Botanical Gardens did some things I found very creative (though I didn't think to take pictures, what was up with that?!) such as bunching the lights together to appear like grapes hanging from a vine, shaping them to look like ears of corn on a stalk, and combining them to look like other summer fruits and vegetables.

Even if I didn't get pictures of the more creative displays, I did manage to capture some fun pictures that evening:

 

This is what happens when you hand your camera to someone who doesn't know touching the screen on the back will take a picture.

 

The displays by the entrance were the most amazing. But the further you strolled from the entrance the fewer the lights (probably the fewer the outlets too). They have a trail that takes you above the garden where you can look down on the lights and see some of the Boise Valley in the distance but there weren't many lights along that pathway. Having been to Temple Square's light display, this wasn't as impressive throughout and it lacked the spirit that is present when strolling through Main Street Plaza and Temple Square (not to mention that it wasn't free and I think it was overpriced); however, we had a great evening out together and ooo'ed and aaahhh'ed at many of the lights and the creativity of those who put it all together.

 

The World Didn't End So Christmas Did Come

For Christmas this year Dan and I stayed in Boise. We really wanted to be with the kids this year, however, finances made it difficult for us and Amanda and Jake to be together. Sid came for a visit the Friday following Christmas to attend a wedding in the Boise Temple and stayed a few days extra with us. (A post to come; all things in their proper time and order.) He was kind enough to be our delivery person for all of our out-of-state gifts this year. No Post Office lines for us!

Our celebrating began on Christmas Eve as we joined a few others from our ward at our Bishop's home for dinner, visiting, children running everywhere, singing carols and a mostly reverent reenactment of the nativity.

Dan with the Three Wisemen...the threesome of Elders currently serving in our ward.

Dan was the narrator.

Everyone had costumes, even if they objected at first.

 

Since the Bishop, and other families, had younger children we left their home fairly early. We then headed over to Dan's brother's where we visited together, frosted some sugar cookies, delivered a Secret Santa gift, then looked at a synced light display (along with several others in the area-it took us about 30 minutes to get in front of the house and 10 minutes to see the lights syncing with their personalized radio station).

 

 

Even if their neighbors didn't like it, we found it quite spectacular!

 

Then we headed home to finish our final preparations for Christmas Day and get to sleep so Santa could visit us as well.

 

An advantage of not having young ones any more, we slept in until we woke up which ended up being about 7:45 am. We then got ready for the day and started our gifts about 9:00.

 

Santa found us and left us some practical and traditional items in our stockings. The gum is a different brand but keeping with tradition.



 

The gifts were dispersed....then opened to see what treasures they held:

 

Blankets for both of us from Lynette's family. We love that the their girls helped with our gifts.

 

After we opened our gifts we tried to take a picture of both of us together, this was our best attempt...

Time for the traditional breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon (instead of sausage this year), orange juice, and cinnamon pull-apart. It doesn't get much better than this: YUMMY!

We ended our day by watching my new movie, We Bought a Zoo. It was relaxing and enjoyable to be together and visit with so many of those we love!

Another Apple...

What is it with them and this attraction??!! I mean seriously...I'm beginning to get VERY worried about them!

 

 

This was NOT part of the agreement when I joined the family.

(Didn't I just blog about this??? Oh yeah, right here.)

Can You Say, "Close but no Cigar?"

My sister-in-law surprised me with a gift certificate for flowers from one of the national, on-line companies. Here's what the website said I ordered:

This is what arrived at my place:

Not quite the same...not even close...

I realize some of it is the local florist used and stated as such in the review I wrote (which, by the way, magically disappeared between the survey they sent and their website). Oh well, the were still pretty and nice to have even if not quite a precise replica of the image used to sell the arrangement.

The Prodigal Blogger's Departure-Part II

I just looked and I'm not nearly as far behind as I thought I was. Yay me! Before 2012 comes to a close I'll do my best to get through Thanksgiving and then post on Christmas festivities after they have come to an end. Here goes nothing...

The end of September we did a quick trip to Utah to visit with Dan's Uncle John and Aunt Norma before they left on their mission to Kentucky. We spent part of Saturday with them visiting at their home and reacquainting ourselves with our cousins on that branch of the family.

Before heading up to Poctello for more family time we stopped in South Ogden to see Amanda and Jake's new house. They closed the day before so it was now officially theirs (well, theirs after 200 +/- monthly payments to the bank). It's a cute home that needs some updating (the previous owner was the architect and he passed away in his 90's without making many updates) so they will be busy making the house their own. It's been a big project but they have enjoyed the renovation process thus far and moved in shortly after Thanksgiving.

 

While in Pocatello I borrowed a dress from my sister-in-law and then used it to put together our costumes for an upcoming Roaring 20's themed birthday party. The weekend before Halloween we stayed with four Andy & Angela's children while they were out of town to watch their oldest complete at the State Cross Country Tournament. Our ward held a Trunk-or-Treat party so we donned our costumes once again and to our nieces and nephews with us to the party. I think the highlight for them was when we walked into McDonald's for dinner all dressed in our various costumes.

Dan even did a little trick-or-treating too...

...and was given our Bishop's son, but on the condition that he eventually be returned to his parents. Bummer!

Also on our stop-over in Pocatello, we were finally able to see Neal's trophy hippo mounted on his bedroom wall:

A couple years ago he decided that hippos were cool, so cool that before he graduated from elementary school others were sporting hippo things as well. His mounted hippo was one of the birthday gifts he received earlier in the year on his 12th birthday.

October was also filled with opportunities to be involved with the Boise Temple Open House as tour guides. That carried over into November with both of us being chaperones for the young men and young women involved with the Youth Cultural Celebration. Both were such amazing events! We feel so blessed to have been asked to participate.

The Cultural Celebration was spectacular and the highlight of the Temple Dedication weekend for me. To be in the arena with over 9,200 youth was both a privilege and a blessing. They were so excited to perform the dances and songs they'd spent weeks practicing in front of our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. After, I found this quote regarding the Cultural Celebration performances: “On Sunday, Elder Bednarsaid there was enough energy during the program ‘to power every home in the United States for six months.’” (Original source) I would agree 100%!

Shortly after being asked to chaperone I received a letter describing our responsibilities. One of the things it said was to help keep the youth excited. Keep them excited?! I was more worried about keeping their excitement contained! The girls in our ward have been so excited from the moment we told them they'd be able to participate in a Cultural Celebration and the excitement returns whenever we talk about the event. It was one the the highlights of the year for them and for me. I don't know if of us will be able to participate in something similar in the future or that we'll ever forget the experience. Truly a tender mercy that I was able to be involved.

Whoa, I just might get things caught up here...Blogger, don't fail me now!!!

Monday immediately following the Youth Cultural Celebration and Sunday's Temple Rededication (see...huge events for me), my parents arrived in Boise to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had a good time visiting and being together. It was their first time in Boise so we did what we could to show them our "home town." We visited, strolled through the mall, attended the Festival of Trees, visited, watched our niece clog, visited, ate yummy food, and just enjoyed time together. Before they left we met for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We made sure to snap a photo by in the rockers out front:

 

(The sign in the back is my maiden name and one of 5 or 6 signs they have with my maiden name on it!)

Well, except for the onesey, twosey things that might come to mind, I am saying that I am now caught up enough that I can say good-bye to the Prodigal Blogger (hopefully forever but we'll have to just see about that). Now it’s onto my final preparations for Christmas then the posts about what we finally end up doing. (I can't wait to find out what we do because we can't seem to make up our minds.)

 

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far...

Not really sure where she gets it, maybe you can help me out...?