The next few days are going to be a blur. Tonight is rehearsals with my choirs at church, then the program and Christmas with my sisters after church which is always fun. Friday morning opening gifts, brunch with the grandparents and Todd's family, then hanging out. Saturday my extended family comes, close to 40 of us, then Sunday Ted's family comes. Whew! When Christmas is on a weekend, it all hits at once !!

Carli and Jeremy are in Michigan. Hope that they are enjoying time with the Braun's. They will return in time for the craziness with the Kohler's!! I would love a white Christmas, but at least it looks good for those who have to travel.

Please keep my friend Lois in your prayers. Cancer is so ugly.

I would like to wish all of my dear friends and family that read this a very blessed Christmas and health and peace in the New Year!!

I am in tears as I write this and I don't quite know if it is the holidays getting the best of me or just shear joy...Carli's chest xray was clear and her blood count was back to normal! Dr. STallings took her off of her iron pills for now and said that he doesn't think that she will need another chest scan of any kind until June!! And then he thinks he will just do a Chest X-ray and not a CT scan. She was so happy when she called. She absolutely hates the CT scans because of the prep that she has to drink (the "nasty"), so every time that she doesn't have to drink that stuff she is so thankful.

I am so thankful for continued healing for her so that she can continue to get on with a normal 24 year old life. She is now on break from school and said that she was going to spend the rest of the day cleaning b/c their apartment is a disaster! Studying, finals and Jeremy being gone on the road has taken it's toll. Then this weekend she is going to Washington, DC to visit Rachel, and then next week to Michigan for Christmas...she really doesn't have time to deal with any type of illness :) Praise God that she doesn't have to :)

Kelsie is upstairs still trying to unpack and figure out where to put/store things. Quite a task with limited space. And trying to get ready to move back to GCC. She had a great time visiting last week.

Tara and Todd were home over the weekend and all of us, Todd, Tara, Carli, Jeremy, Kelsie, Ted and I went out to dinner Saturday night and then to see the musical "Wicked". We had so much fun! We count every time that all of us are together such a blessing. It was so fun to be crammed in the van, laughing and talking the whole way to and from Cleveland.

Sunday was spent going to church, going to lunch with Carli and Jeremy and then caroling with a fun group from our church. We had 4 year old twins with pink guitars, two ukeleles, guitar, rhythm instruments and lots of willing voices singing to folks from our church and to folks at Glendora Nursing home. We even sang a Hawaiin Christmas song! It was weird to be at Glendora knowing that is where my Dad was supposed to be. But, he is having a much better Christmas in heaven!

Then everyone came back to our house for sloppy joes and hot chocolate. It just is so fun to have families and those of us whose kids are grown coming together and sharing something as simple as caroling. We are so blessed!

Kelsie is home...and isn't feeling well today. I think that it's just a bad cold. I hope that's all it is! She has been pretty good at adjusting, better than I thought. She really liked it in Florence, and misses her friends. They are so fortunate to have Facebook, email, texting, etc. They can stay connected so much better than in the "olden" days.

She was, however, checking flight prices to Florence already today! I told her when she is gainfully employed and can afford it, she is welcome to return. But not on my dollar !! This past semester cost enough!

She is talking little by little about her experiences. I'm sure that she is a changed person after all she did. How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm??? (or even in Ohio?)

Other exciting news...Tara and Todd are "80%" sure that it's a girl!! Mighty exciting considering there haven't been any girls in Todd's family in a very long time. This is gonna be fun...

Carli has an appointment with Dr. Stallings on the 15th...prayers, please. She has finals this week, and finishes for the semester on Thursday, her birthday.