It's all good . . .

I Love Reading - 2021

For me, reading is life.  In fact, this year I even read a really fabulous book about people like me, who LOVE to read called The Reading Life.  I know, I am hopeless, but it gives me joy and feeds my soul. I always have three or four books going at once: an ebook, a physical book that sits on my nightstand, and one or two (or sometimes three) audiobooks. I read almost every genre (except horror - I don't have time to terrify myself and have nightmares), and like to mix things up, never reading too much of one type back to back. And I love, love, love talking about books. Perhaps that is why I have to be a part of a book club no matter where I am, even if I have to start one.

For many, many years now, I have rated and reviewed every book I have read on Goodreads.com, which I love doing.  It lets me not only think about each book when I finish it, but allows me to recommend books to others knowing exactly why I did or didn't like a book. And starting in 2015, I began doing reading challenges through Goodreads each year. It was really fun to see how my numbers have fluctuated and changed, especially knowing what was going on in my life at the time, like 2018 when my husband was deployed and my book numbers were over 200.  Good times.

And so, like it has been my tradition for more years than I can count, here is the list of books I read this year.  And if you want to know my ratings and reviews, be sure to follow me on Goodreads.com. And if you want to know my favorites from this year, scroll to the bottom of the post.

*** - a book I read with Arthur

** - a book I read with Derek

^ - a reread, which means I loved the book enough the first time to read it again

# - an audio book

1. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ by Joseph Smith Jr. (Translator) (531)^
2. Doctrine and Covenants by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  (295)
3. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (128)***^
4. Jacob T. Marley R. William Bennett(202)#
5. The Santa Suit Mary Kay Andrews (224)#
6. A Boy Called Christmas Matt Haig (240)#
7. Where Treetops Glisten: Three Stories of Heartwarming Courage and Christmas Romance During World War II Tricia Goyer (352)
8. A Redbird Christmas Fannie Flagg (193)#^
9. The Spirit of Revelation David A. Bednar (160)#
10. The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden Karina Yan Glaser (336)#
11. Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell M.C. Beaton (256)#
12. The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street Karen White (374)#
13. Meet Me Under the Kissing Bough Josi S. Kilpack (268)#
14. Frederica Georgette Heyer (437)#^
15. The Story of Diva and Flea Mo Willems (80)
16. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President Candice Millard (339)#
17. Born This Happy Morning John Bytheway (128)#
18. All Hearts Come Home for Christmas Sarah M. Eden (304)#
19. Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks Annie Spence (244)#
20. News of the World Paulette Jiles (240)#Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Elle Cosiman (355)
21. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Elle Cosimano (355)
22. Anxiously Engaged: A Biography of M. Russell Ballard Susan Easton Black (416)#
23. Heart in the Highlands Heidi Kimball (273)#
24. A Castaway in Cornwall Julie Klassen (400)
25. The Attic on Queen Street Karen White (384)#
26. Plot Twist Bethany Turner (321)
27. Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam M.C. Beaton (197)#
28. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict Trenton Lee Stewart (470)#
29. Crosstalk Connie Willis (480)#
30. A Place to Hang the Moon Kate Albus (309)#
31. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster Jonathan Auxie (368)
32. Charming Artemis Sarah M. Eden (340)#
33. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives Caitlin Alifirenka (392)#
34. Beyond the Shade of the Mango Tree: Reflections on What God Sees in Us Edward Dube (157)#
35. A Solitude of Wolverines Alice Henderson (320)#
36. The Switch Beth O'Leary (336)#
37. Ender's Game Orson Scott Card (324)#^
38. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages Trenton Lee Stewart (391)#
39. This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live Melody Warnick (308)#
40. Lovers and Madmen Nichole Van (164)
41. An Inconvenient Beauty Kristi Ann Hunter (373)#
42. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma Trenton Lee Stewart (391)#
43. The Matchmaker's Lonely Heart Nancy Campbell Allen (336)#
44. Remembering Jamie Nichole Van (382)
45. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey Trenton Lee Stewart (440)#
46. Ungifted Gordon Korman (280)
47. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Maxwell King (416)#
48. Flying Magic Stephanie Burgis (17)
49. How Do I Know If I Know? John Bytheway (144)#
50. Moroni's Guide to Surviving Turbulent Times John Bytheway (159)#
51. Regency Gold Marion Chesney (196)#
52. Best Friends Shannon Hale (250)
53. A Heart So Fierce and Broken Brigid Kemmerer (464)
54. Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson (337)
55. A Curious Beginning Deanna Raybourn (352)
56. Some Kind of Courage Dan Gemeinhart (234)#
57. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue V.E. Schwab (444)#
58. Seek This Jesus Neill Marriott (112)#
59. Real Friends Shannon Hale (224)
60. Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden M.C. Beaton (196)#
61. House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones (404)#
62. The Merchant and the Rogue Sarah M. Eden (368)#
63. Courting Magic Stephanie Burgis (105)
64. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart Stephanie Burgis (247)#
65. Glitch Laura Martin (384)
66. Powder and Patch Georgette Heyer (208)
67. The Bookshop on the Corner Jenny Colgan (368)#
68. Fish in a Tree Lynda Mullaly Hunt (288)
69. Loving Lieutenant Lancaster Sarah M. Eden (256)#
70. It Started in Budapest Julie Daines (176)#
71. The Gospel at 30,000 Feet Dieter F. Uchtdorf (128)#
72. Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham M.C. Beaton (196)#
73. Castle in the Air Diana Wynne Jones (298)#
74. The Wife Upstairs Rachel Hawkins (290)#
75. Howl’s Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones (329)#^
76. The Off Limits Rule Sarah Adams (291)#
77. The Invention of Wings Sue Monk Kidd (384)#
78. The Second Coming of the Lord Gerald N. Lund (462)#
79. Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death M.C. Beaton (184)#
80. Secrets of a Charmed Life Susan Meissner (386)#
81. Stolen Magic Stephanie Burgis (400)
82. Renegade Magic Stephanie Burgis (338)
83. Louisiana's Way Home Kate DiCamillo (240)
84. Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist M.C. Beaton (212)#
85. Emma Jane Austen (474)#^
86. The Education of Bet Lauren Baratz-Logsted (192)
87. Marilla of Green Gables Sarah McCoy (320)#
88. Savvy Ingrid La (342)#^
89. Minor Adjustments Rachael Renee Anderson (217)
90. Beach Music Pat Conroy (800)#
91. A Curse So Dark and Lonely Brigid Kemmerer (507)
92. A Silent Ocean Away: Colette's Dominion DeVa Gantt (416)
93. Isabelle and Alexander Rebecca Anderson (324)
94. Kat, Incorrigible Stephanie Burgis (295)
95. Love Your Life Sophie Kinsella (432)#
96. Frankenstein Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (352)#
97. A Madness Most Discreet Nichole Van (397)#
98. I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life Anne Bogel (156)#
99. Unwind Neal Shusterman (337)#
100. Lightning Struck Nichole Van (330)#
101. The Dreadful Debutante Marion Chesney (199)#
102. Target Acquired Don Bentley (480)#
103. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy(128)
104. Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters in the Book of Mormon John Bytheway (128)#^
105. The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Stuart Turton (482)#
106. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage M.C. Beaton(196)#
107. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation Anna Malaika Tubbs (261)#
108. Love's Shadow Nichole Van (369)#
109. Now That You Mention It Kristan Higgins (416)#
110. East of Eden John Steinbeck (600)
111. Candy Experiments Loralee Leavitt (160)
112. The Beekeeper's Promise Fiona Valpy (306)#
113. A Conjuring of Assassins Cate Glass (475)#
114. Manor for Sale, Baron Included Esther Hatch (247)
115. A Foreign Crown Jen Geigle Johnson (240)#
116. Women and the Priesthood: What One Latter-day Saint Woman Believes Sheri Dew (224)#
117. The Dark Unwinding Sharon Cameron (318)#
118. Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley M.C. Beaton (192)#
119. An Illusion of Thieves Cate Glass (352)#
120. The Persian Pickle Club Sandra Dallas (196)#
121. Bellewether Susanna Kearsley (448)
122. Delirium Lauren Oliver (441)#
123. In the Shadow of Vesuvius Tasha Alexander (304)
124. The Things We Cannot Say Kelly Rimmer (448)
125. Mirage Clive Cussler (401)#
126. The Caller Juliet Marillier (480)#
127. Dragonflight Anne McCaffrey (299)#
128. Silver Dollar Duke Sally Britton (320)
129. The Cater Street Hangman Anne Perry (287)#
130. The Breadwinner Deborah Ellis (171)
131. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl Stacy McAnulty (294)#
132. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (407)
133. In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks by Richard E. Turley Jr. ()#
134. Double Fudge by Judy Blume (224)***
135. Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker (320)#
136. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (243)
137. The Consequences of Fear (Maisie Dobbs #16) by Jacqueline Winspear (352)#
138. Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier (416)#
139. Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume (176)***
140. Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton (256)#
141. Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright (336)#
142. The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz (406)
143. The Jungle by Clive Cussler (406)#
144. She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (402)
145. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (288)#
146. Mariana by Susanna Kearsley (395)#
147. Reaching for the Savior by Reyna I. Aburto ()#
148. Making the Marquess (Brotherhood of the Black Tartan #4) by Nichole Van (351)
149. The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (309)#
150. Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier (410)#
151. The Guest List by Lucy Foley (330)#
152. Transformed: The Perils of the Frog Prince by Megan Morrison (373)
153. Forever Phoebe by Chalon Linton (224)#
154. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny — Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath (248)
155. Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton (244)#
156. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (439)#
157. Loving a Lady by Nichole Van (366)
158. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl (261)#
159. Lady Knight (Protector of the Small #4) by Tamora Pierce (416)#
160. Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison (416)#
161. The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1) by M.C. Beaton (246)#
162. Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering (336)
163. Superfudge by Judy Blume (192)***
164. The Cerulean Queen by Sarah Kozloff (495)#
165. Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison (384)
166. The Best-Laid Plans by Sarah M. Eden (134)#
167. Winter Town by Stephen Emond (336)
168. Chaos Rising (Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy #1) by Timothy Zahn (336)#
169. The Unexpected Deliverer by David Butler, Emily Belle Freeman (96)#
170. American Royals by Katharine McGee (448)#
171. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (341)#
172. The Foundling Georgette Heyer (406)
173. Misleading Miss Verity by Carolyn Miller (352)
174. A Broken Queen (The Nine Realms #3) by Sarah Kozloff (419)#
175. The Enemy Between Us by Melinda Sue Sanchez (288)#
176. Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (226)
177. Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (464)#
178. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate (388)#
179. Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s by Jennifer Worth (340)#
180. Well-Mannered Assassin by Aline, Countess of Romanones (336)#
181. Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber (272)
182. The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen (448)#
183. Close to You by Kara Isaac (384)
184. Be Not Troubled by Ronald Rasband (112)#
185. The Light We Share by Harriet R. Uchtdorf (48)
186. The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden (284)
187. Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive #4) by Brandon Sanderson (1232)#
188. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume (144)***^
189. Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (192)**
190. A Christmas Courting by Jennifer Moore (240)

Top Nine Children's and Young Adult Books

There were so many wonderful stories, from the heart wrenching to the fun and quirky, and I loved them all.

*A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

*Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber

*Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

*Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

*Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart

*Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis

*The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

*Best Friends by Shannon Hale

*A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Bridgette Kemmerer

 

Top Ten Adult Fiction Books

 

There was everything from heavy and emotional, to historical fiction, to delightful and fun. Note: some of these books were conclusions to or part of a series, so be sure to read the other books in the series first .

 

*Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

*The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

*Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

*The Foundljng by Georgette Heyer

*The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

*Making the Marquess by Nichole Van

*The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

*Remembering Jamie by Nichole Van

*Close to You by Kara Isaac

*Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgess

 

Top Ten Nonfiction Books

 

Once again, there was a little bit of everything, from spiritual and uplifting, to eye-opening history, to fascinating, to just plain fun - like the book about people like me who love to read .

 

*I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel

*The Spirit of Revelation by David A. Bednar

*Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright (written pre-Covid)

*In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks by Richard E. Turley Jr.

*This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live by Melody Warnick

*Anxiously Engaged: A Biography of M. Russell Ballard by Susan Easton Black

*Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950’s by Jennifer Worth

*Women and the Priesthood: What One Latter-day Saint Woman Believes by Sheri Dew

*Beyond the Shade of the Mango Tree: Reflections on What God Sees in Us by Edward Dube

*The Second Coming of the Lord by Gerald Lund

A Happy Christmas!

One side effect of our kids getting older, is that they actually sleep in on Christmas morning now, and so I got up and got Christmas breakfast in the oven and by then they were awake and ready to get things started.  (I had to take my picture of them of on the stairs, even though there were random unpacked and unhung things in the background, since our upstairs is still not all put together.  Oh well.  That is reality.)

Soon, it was time for stockings!  One of my favorite things ever is watching my kids open their stockings and get excited about all the random things in them.  I always end up opening my stocking long after they are done, because I just sit there and watch them.  Good times.

Then we had our yummy caramel rolls for breakfast, a family favorite and a tradition passed down from Kevin's family.

After breakfast, we all got dressed and ready, and then it was the main event - opening presents.

We surpassed our kids with tickets to see Hamilton, and each of them opened up presents with puzzle pieces in them, with the final piece that showed it was Hamilton in a box for the three of them.  They were so excited!

And soon enough, everyone was building with Legos - all three kids building theirs, and then Kevin built his Baby Yoda.  So much fun!!

We had a wonderful and relaxing rest of our day, playing games, watching movies and taking it easy. And then today, we all dressed up in our festive Christmas Sunday best, including a gorgeous new green dress my mom gave me for Christmas. We had a lovely Christmas program during sacrament meeting at church, and didn't have any of the rest of our classes, so we had extra time together at home. It was the perfect way to finish up our Christmas celebrations.

Leading Up to Christmas

The last few days leading up to Christmas were not only fun, but very full, especially since Kevin and I had been out of town for 4 1/2 days. We still managed to sneak in some holiday fun. We also very much enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous weather.  In fact, my mom enjoyed just sitting out on the front porch to enjoy it.

I also discovered my new favorite Christmas song, "Like It's Christmas" by the Jonas Brothers.  It is so fun and happy, and I just keep playing it on repeat.

We have also been watching as many Christmas movies we can fit in between other things. 

One day, my mom brought out some super cute ornament crafts to make with Arthur.  Lily even joined in and made some, and they each ended up with a cute little set of them.

That night, we went out in search of Christmas lights displays with the family so Arthur could do his Christmas lights scavenger hunt.  We didn't want to go anywhere too crowded, and so it may not have been the best neighborhood, but it still had some fun displays. And with driving around our neighborhood a bit, we managed to find everything on his list.

And since it was Christmas Eve Eve, the kids had their traditional slumber party by the Christmas tree.  And in what has also become a tradition, none of them actually stayed the night by the tree, all of them giving up and sleeping in their beds at some point.  Ha ha!

Christmas Eve was such a fun day. After making sure that all the presents were wrapped and ready, I worked on cooking our Christmas Eve dinner. We had ham and all the trimmings, and we had the sister missionaries over for dinner and our celebration. Arthur was so excited to break open our Christmas crackers.  (Earlier in the day I realized that I had completely forgotten to buy them, and had to send Kevin out to Hobby Lobby to get some. That was one disaster averted.)

After dinner, we played Christmas carols on the chimes, sang a few carols around the piano, and then read the Christmas story in Luke and Matthew while Arthur acted it out with the Little People nativity.

Then we had our dessert, curtesy of Costco - the tuxedo mousse cake for me and the vanilla cake for Kevin. Then the sister missionaries left and we settled to watch the Tabernacle Choir Concert I had recorded on PBS, which is another tradition of ours.

Then it was time for Christmas pj's.  Usually the kids are the only ones to get new pj's, but when I asked Kevin to find me some fun pajamas at Bucees, he ended up buying matching pajamas for the entire family, even my mom.
They were pretty hilarious, especially the back. We had to get pictures of the six of us all dressed up in them.  Good times!
After everyone was in bed, Kevin and I brought out all the presents and I filled the stockings, with Kevin and my mom filling mine.  And since one of the things that Kevin got me was way too big for the stocking, he got creative.

It was a wonderful few days leading up to Christmas, and an especially magical Christmas Eve together.

Merry Christmas 2021

The Brown Family Adventures of 2021

This past year was full of milestones and wonderful adventures for our family, but the biggest adventure of 2021 for our family, was one we had not anticipated, but has turned out to be a huge blessing for all of us. In August, we moved to San Antonio, Texas.

Arthur: Going to Extreme Escape Room with the family; Seeing the Broadway musical of The Lion King, Having Mom substitute teach at his school – in Pennsylvania and Texas; Making lots of great friends in Texas; but most importantly, getting baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Derek: Getting to see the Broadway tour of The Lion King; Being in the Dallastown High School production of Beauty and the Beast with Lily; Getting his driver’s permit and learning how to drive; and making lots of great new friends in Texas,

Lily: Graduating from High School; Passing all three of her AP tests; Her senior trip to Disney World with Lisa; Beating the video game, Origami King; Going to Aunt Cheryl’s family Halloween party; and going to college – Brigham Young University Idaho (even though it was scary)

Lisa: Getting to substitute teach for Arthur’s class (and teaching in both PA & TX); Having an amazing trip to Disney World with Lily; Taking my mom to visit her childhood homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; starting a book club with my new friends in Texas; Celebrating 20 years of marriage with Kevin.

Kevin: transferring to San Antonio so that his commute to work went from 1 ½ hours each way down to 20 minutes; and a once in a lifetime golf trip with his dad and brother, Scott, where they played 7 rounds in 6 days, including a round at TPC Sawgrass and Harbour Town Golf Links.

We are so grateful for all of you, & especially for our Savior, Jesus Christ, His gospel, and the gift that He has given to all of us.  May you all have a very Merry Christmas & a wonderful New Year!

Get Away Adventure: A Fun Flying Visit to Maine

Because we had been making our plans for our trip as we went, we still had an open day on Tuesday to have some fun. First, we thought of going to another show, and went to get tickets to see the recent production of "Little Shop of Horrors," but the site kept doing funny things when we went to finish our purchase.  It turned out that it was because they had just canceled all their shows for the next week, since too many of their cast had Covid.  Plan B was to get tickets to see "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," and so we bought tickets, only to have the show canceled an hour after we purchased them for the same reason.  

At that point, Cliff turned to us and asked if we wanted to fly to Maine for the day to get some lobster.  Kevin and I, both having never been to Maine and having never tried lobster, decided that sounded like an awesome plan. And so we switched things around, checked out of our hotel in the city early and booked something closer to JFK for our flight on Wednesday.  Then we headed to Penn Station and hopped on the Long Island Railway to get to the airfield where Pamela and Cliff had their plane.

Cliff is a very experienced pilot and has been flying for over twelve years with over 2000 flight hours, which is amazing for a pilot who isn't a professional. In fact, he has flown in all fifty states, which is pretty cool. They have a six seater Malibu Jetprop (Piper Meridian), and it was so much fun to fly with them.

Cliff decided to take the route along the Hudson River so that we could not only get up close and personal with the city, but so that we could circle the Statue of Liberty, or as the tower called it, "the lady."  While we were headed out along Long Island toward the city, we passed Coney Island and even had two Hawkeyes, these cool military planes fly past us.

It was so cool to have this view of the Statue of Liberty!! Not to mention seeing Ellis Island from above as well.

And let me tell you, there is nothing quite like flying alongside all the gigantic and towering skyscrapers, especially since we were pretty high up, and many of them were still higher than us.  Craziness!

I also loved getting great views of the bridges and other cool things along the shoreline, like the floating park and the aircraft carrier.

We flew past Boston and up the coast, and before we knew it, we had already made it to the beautiful and snowy coast of Maine.

We flew into Portland, Maine, and aside from sneaking into a cool Stonewall Kitchen shop with Pamela, we headed straight to the Highroller to get lunch and for Kevin and I to try lobster. Kevin had a lobster cheeseburger and I had a fried lobster pop. I didn't mind the lobster, but I had made a mistake in what I ordered, because it was like a lobster corndog, and I really can't stand corndogs.  Sort of ruined the experience for me, but it's all good.  

Our next stop was the LL Bean flagship store in Free Port, Maine.  It was a giant campus of different buildings and was so cool.  I have always loved LL Bean and loved wandering around and finding amazing coats, and then reminding myself I don't need them anymore now that I live in Texas. (And probably even if I didn't, as I have a lot of coats.
We wandered through a bunch more fun little shops and found some cute things to bring home, and then stopped at "Wicked Woopies," a store that only sold whoopie pies.  They were such good whoopie pies, that we ended up buying some to take home, and I guess they are famous.  Who knew?

Before we left Maine, we had to visit the Portland Head Light House. I wish we could have seen it during the day, but wow, it was gorgeous at night all lit up. The only problem was that my phone camera is awful in the dark, and my pictures were blurry and black.  Luckily for me, not only did Cliff take some gorgeous pictures with his much better phone camera, but he shared them with me.

As we drove out to the lighthouse, the sun was just setting and it looked so beautiful along the shoreline and waterways.

We flew back to New York in the dark, which was a whole other kind of beautiful, especially the lights outlining the shoreline. Another favorite part of the flight back was learning so much from Cliff about flying and all the things that go into it.  It was so cool. And he is such a good pilot that Kevin and I weren't even nervous for a second.

It was such a fabulous and unique adventure, and we felt super grateful to Pamela and Cliff for inviting us along for the ride. It was the perfect way to finish off such and amazing few days of fun with them.

We said goodbye at the airport, and we hopped on the train to take us to Jamaica, New York to our hotel. By the time we got there, it was after 9pm and I was starving, as other than some French fries and a little bit of lobster - and the whoopee pies - I had been surviving all day mostly on the free hot cocoa at the small airports. We found a chicken place across the street from our hotel where we got a very late dinner.

The next morning was rainy and dreary, but we were up early and on the train to JFK with plenty of time.  And thank goodness we did, as the airport was insane, but then again, it was three days before Christmas. It reminded me once again why we usually never travel around Christmas, and definitely never fly places around then.  It was one of those times when we were especially happy that we had TSA precheck, as we were able to pass the hours long line for the normal security line.

Just like when we flew to NYC, our flight to San Antonio was delayed. And then delayed again. We did eventually make it back to Texas and my mom and kids, and we although we were so happy to be home, we will be forever grateful for the fun times we had and the amazing memories we will have of this fantastic adventure with each other and with Pamela and Cliff. 

Get-Away Adventure: NYC - Day 3 and Hugh Jackman Day!!

On Monday morning, after a quick breakfast at our hotel, we walked to Bryant Park to check out their Christmas market, but since we were already walking that way, we had to stop by the Macy's on 34th Street. It was decorated so beautifully and had really cool window displays, some of which were interactive, and Kevin and I played against each other. I even beat him one of the times.

The other windows told a story, and inside the store, the decorations were spectacular.  I was so glad we stopped by.

When we got to Bryant Park, it was lovely and fun, and I almost decided to go ice-skating, but instead I shopped. I found the most beautiful hand painted Christmas ornament, and I also found the prettiest navy blue felt hat. I was in love with it at first sight, but never would have bought it if Kevin hadn't encouraged me to do it. I ended up wearing it the rest of the day :). He found some warm gloves and a very nice scarf, and we were set for the rest of our adventures.

At one point, we walked past the New York Public Library, and although I have passed it many times, I was never able to go in before.  It was truly amazing, and I could have explored for hours. I did buy a book in their bookshop though, a lovely edition of "The House at Pooh Corner."

After that, we made our way to the shopping district, with all the cool stores, like the Nintendo store, the Lego store, and FAO Schwartz. All of them had lines to get in, and so we only waited to get into FAO Schwartz. I even found the Zoltar machine and had my fortune told.  Unfortunately, the other people in the store were so loud, I couldn't hear what it was - ha ha!

Then we explored Rockefeller Center as we hunted for the Giving Machines.  We saw the ice rink and the giant tree, and Kevin and I may have wandered around in the depths of the Rockefeller building as we followed incorrect instructions from the nice security guard on how to get to the giving machine.

Eventually, we finally found it, and we had somehow walked right past it without seeing it. It was turned sideways, and so you had to look hard to see it. It was so exciting when we found it though.  We called my mom so that she and the kids could help us pick what we were going to donate.  If you haven't ever heard of the Giving Machines, but our church puts them in cities around the US and they are like a vending machine of service for others from local and worldwide charities). For example, the things we donated as a family, were building a well (giving clean water to an area in need) which was $150 to change the lives of an entire community. The other two things we chose were 100 Polio vaccinations (only $20) and two chickens for someone to use to earn money selling eggs (only $25).  I can't tell you how exciting it was to get these things for others, especially the chickens.  Ever since I heard about these machines, I have always wanted to get someone chickens.

After the giving machine, we wandered around and visited different shops and things - like the store where I tried on the gorgeous sparkly silver shoes. Unfortunately, not only were they not in my price range, but they didn't have my size in the store.  Which I guess it made it easier not to get them. After a while, we walked to get dinner at Prince Street Pizza. It was so very delicious!! It was more of a deep dish type pizza, than the normal flat crust NY pizza. 

While we were eating, we got a message saying that it was our turn to go inside the Harry Potter store, and so we hustled back across town so we could go.  It was the coolest store, and yes, it is not as amazing as the whole village at Universal Studios, but it was pretty fantastic, and you could even buy butter beer. So much fun! We finished up just in time for us to stop by our hotel before we headed to the Winter Garden theater for our show.

We got to the theater early and got into line to get in. It was so incredibly exciting to finally be there to see the show, after almost 3 years of waiting. Pamela and I were giddy with excitement. And not only was it exciting to get to see the show, but it was the FIRST performance! They even passed out special commemorative pins to all of us.

The theater was beautiful, and once we got inside, it made it seem so much more real that we were REALLY going to get to see it - especially since shows on Broadway have been closing right and left because they didn't have enough healthy cast to perform. I was so excited, I was literally bouncing in my chair. And just look at the playbill - it even had a gold sticker on it saying "First Performance."

When the show actually started, I was entranced - really. But when Hugh Jackman stood up to say his first line, it was like electricity shot through the whole audience and we all started clapping and most of the audience stood up and cheered for about five minutes straight. really, his charisma was palpable, and it is no wonder he makes the big bucks - ha ha!  (And don't worry, I didn't take these pictures. They were screenshots from instagram. I would never have risked getting thrown out.  My phone was OFF.)
The performance was absolutely spectacular, and every single person in the cast was stellar, from the 6 or 7 Tony winners, to the young kids that were in their first Broadway show. We were truly blown away.  And seeing the joy on Sutton Foster's and Hugh Jackman's faces was amazing.  Just like we have waited forever to see the show, they have been waiting even longer to get to perform it. 
One fun side note, but during intermission, Hugh's wife, Deb, totally walked past us!! She was there to see the performance and it was so cool to see her in person. When the show was over, we joined the crowd by the stage door to wait for the cast to exit - AKA: wait to see Hugh Jackman. I was way back, but I held up my phone to video and take pictures, and it was so much fun to see how touched he was by all of us being there to see him.

After leaving the theater, we decided to celebrate by going to get cheesecake at Juniors. Oh, my goodness, it was so good!!! And Kevin's milkshake with a slice of cheesecake on it was epic.

After eating, we decided to walk back to the hotel so that we could see some more of the city at night. New York at night is so much fun to wander around - less people and all the lights and Christmas lights everywhere. We even got a picture with the library lions at the NY Public Library and the 2022 sign that will go up on New Year's Eve. It was so cold, but it was totally worth it. And luckily, earlier in the evening I popped into a shop and bought myself another new hat, but this one was a warm and cozy hat that helped fight the bitter cold as we explored.  It was the perfect way to end a pretty spectacular day.

Celebrating our Sixteen Year Old, Derek

It is really hard to believe that our little Christmas baby has turned sixteen, has a deep voice, is learning to drive, and is much taller than me now. Time sure does fly, and although I can still picture him as the tiny baby or incorrigible toddler, I am so grateful for the amazing young man he has grown into. Because Kevin and I were going to be in NYC for Derek's birthday, we decided to have our family party the night before we left town. And the extra bonus was that Lily was there :).

We started out our celebration with presents - new Legend of Zelda mangas, a new Garmin watch, some other fun things, and his first electric razor. He loved them all.

I love seeing the joy and gratitude on his face as he makes his way through the present train.

The last part of the celebration was cake - and what a cake! I made Cake by Courtney's cookies and cream cake, and I worked on it bit by bit over the week. It wasn't quite as pretty as I hoped, since I forgot to put the ganache on before the dollops of frosting, but Derek didn't notice or care - and hey, it tasted fantastic!

On his actual birthday, I left Lily in charge of decorating his door, but she couldn't find the streamers in the closet, and so Grandma came to the rescue and made him a poster for his door.  It is the cutest!!  I think I will save it.

On his birthday, they played games, watched movies, and went to Olive Garden for lunch. And that night, we were able to FaceTime with him to wish him a happy birthday. We sure do love our Derek!!

Sweet Sixteen for Derek

Isn't it amazing how you can blink and suddenly your babies are taller than you and growing up faster than you can process it. Derek just turned sixteen, and we are so proud of our boy. This has been a year of new things, challenges and transitions for Derek, and he has faced them all with faith and fortitude.

One of the main reasons we moved to Texas, was because we felt it would be better for Derek, but although we felt that way, it broke Derek's heart to leave Pennsylvania and the life he had built there.  That said, after we talked things through and our reasons for moving, he accepted it wholeheartedly and was amazing.  And when we got here, he quickly got involved in his Priest's quorum, his high school choir, and the computer club. He even took driver's ed and is working on getting his driver's license. We are so incredibly proud of him.

Derek has a strong testimony of the gospel and loves getting to learn more as he studies - especially in his early morning seminary class. In fact, he is loving the fact that he has a large church seminary class of kids his age that go to his same high school.  It is so different from when he was one of only six members of our church at his high school in Pennsylvania - one of which was his sister. He is also so happy to live so close to the San Antonio Temple and that he will get to go there more often than he ever did before. (Fun note - as we were taking Derek's portraits, we noticed that the temple was dedicated in 2005 - the very year he was born. So cool!)

Derek is such a hard worker and such a great helper. This past summer, he had six people in the neighborhood whose lawns he mowed regularly all summer long. The lawns were huge and it was hot, but he worked so hard, and never let his clients down. I also love how he looks out for others.  My mother has been staying with us since November, and any time he sees her, he asks her if she needs anything or offers his arm to help her around. It makes my heart happy.

Derek is a fabulous brother.  He is best friends with his older sister, Lily. One of the biggest trial of the year for him has been his sister going to college. and having it happen at the same time that we moved to Texas and he was starting over from scratch. Luckily, they were able to call and text, even with the distance, they have stayed close.  Derek is also a wonderful big brother, and he is Arthur's hero. He is so great at playing with him and spending time with him, even though he is seven years older than Arthur.

Derek really is an amazing boy. We love him so very much and can't wait to see what the next year brings for him. And how much taller he will grow - ha ha! (He is growing like crazy!!)

Derek's Favorites: (He couldn't narrow things down to one choice, just like his mama - ha ha!)

Food: Bowtie Pasta

Dessert: Cookie Dough Ice Cream 

Color: Red, Green, Blue, and Purple

Season: Winter

Movie: Any Star Wars Movie , Dear Evan Hansen, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Spider Man: Far From Home, Dune (1984)

TV Show: Pokemon Journeys, Sonic X, Miraculous, Avatar:The Last Airbender, 

Game: Villainous

Video Game: Legend Of Zelda:The Wind Waker/Breath Of the Wild/Skyward Sword HD/Ocarina Of Time 3D, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Pokemon Y/Ultra Sun, Portal 2 

Video Game to Watch: PGA:2k21, Diablo II: Resurrected, Mario Golf: Super Rush, Skyward Sword HD

Sport to Play: Golf, Cross Country 

Sport to Watch: Baseball, Football, Basketball

Thing To Do: Read, Write my story, Play with my family , and singing

Thing To Do at School: Math, Reading, Chorus and STEM

Place to Be: With family

Place to Visit: Idaho

Vacation: Disney World (specifically Hollywood Studios because of Galaxy's Edge)

Toy: Pokemon trading card game and Legos

Book: Twilight Princess manga, Dune, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites

Singer: Keith Urban

Song: Wild Hearts, Centuries, and Good Mood 

Thing to Do with Mom: Read books, and watch movies and shows

Thing to Do with Dad: Read books, watch movies and shows, and play video games

Thing to Do with Lily: Play pretend, play video games, watch movies and shows,  and  talk about random ideas

Thing to Do with Arthur: Read books, play pretend, play video games, play the Pokemon trading card game,  and watch movies and shows

Scripture Story:  The war chapters in Alma of The Book of Mormon

Wants to be when he grows up: Something in computer science/ singer/ Actor 

Most excited about for this next year: Getting my drivers license, Splatoon 3 , the sequel to Breath of the wild, and the Super Mario Bros and Sonic 2 movies getting released, and getting to see my friends perform in The Sound Of Music 

Best moments of 2021: Getting to be in Beauty and the Beast Jr with my sister and for my first speaking role, Baptizing my little brother, Beating my second Zelda game, Making new friends in Texas, watching my Choir Director get taught how to play a video game called Dark souls III, and learning that the Mario Movie is coming out on my birthday next year.

Most Looking Forward to in the Future: Starting a family of my own

Get-Away Adventure: NYC - Day 1 and 2

Way back in the summer of 2019, I bought tickets for Kevin and I, along with our friends, Pamela and Cliff, to go and see Hugh Jackman perform in "The Music Man" on Broadway in September of 2020. Well, we all know what happened to Broadway in 2020, and so it was pushed back to April of 2021, and then it was for December of 2021. And then we moved to Texas, which was no longer a 3 hour car ride from NYC, but we were not going to miss our show. so we bought plane tickets and met Pamela and Cliff in the city for a fun get-away. Let me tell you, traveling a few days before Christmas is no joke between the crowds and all the delays, and I wouldn't have done it for anyone less than Hugh Jackman ;).

By the time our plane finally arrived and we took the train in from JFK, we got to our hotel after 7:30 pm. It was misty and a little rainy out, but it made the city look magical as we walked through the streets. And I loved that our room was on the 17th floor, and so we had a cool view. (Oh, and it is hard to see, but behind the church in my picture, is totally the Empire State Building.  It was so hidden by clouds that I didn't even realize it was there.)

After getting unpacked, we met up with Pamela and Cliff in the city for dessert.  We got ice cream, because nothing says a treat on a rainy and cold December night like ice cream - ha ha! I forgot to get a picture of the four of us together. After getting ice cream, we went on a quest to find an Insomnia Cookies for Cliff, as he didn't want ice cream. After walking to the one nearest us, we arrived only to discover that they were refusing to serve people in person.  What?? The led us to walk all over the city until we found him one that was actually serving people. Along the way, we passed this gorgeous old building, and I was shocked to look up and see that it was a CVS. What the what?? I had to go inside and get pictures of the inside of what had once been a spectacular bank, and is now probably the fanciest CVS in the world. What a place to buy your vitamins.

Sunday morning, we started outright and early and looking our best for church. We took the subway to the Upper West Side to attend a scarament service at the chapel at the Manhattan Temple.  

Although I have attended that temple many times, I have never attended church there, and it was so cool.  I especially loved all the amazing and unique artwork on the walls of scripture stories and all done by the same artist. The meeting itself was a gorgeous Christmas program complete with primary children singing, but because of the location of this ward, the violinist who played was obviously in the symphony and the soloist was definitely from the Metropolitan Opera. Wow!! And there just happened to be a visiting member of the first quorum of the seventy, and he gave the most inspiring testimony.  We definitely left there feeling lucky to have been a part of it.

After church, I changed into jeans because it was FREEZING - especially coming from our beautiful Texas weather, and we walked across Central Park, exploring along the way. It was such a great trip, because although we had ideas of things we wanted to do, other than the show on Monday night, we didn't have anything set in stone, so we were free to do whatever. I love Central Park, and I loved getting to see some parts of it I hadn't been to before, like the little boat pond and the Alice in Wonderland statue.

When we got across the park, our first stop was Levain Bakery.  Kevin had never been, and their cookies are one of my favorite things.  Since it was essentially our lunch, I also got a yummy roll and a large slice of coffee cake, which was so delicious! I was so full after the roll and warm coffee cake, I got to save my cookie for later.

Our next stop was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kevin had never been, I hadn't been in 11 years, and there was a really amazing exhibit there about how Walt Disney used European influences in his cartoons that Pamela and I really wanted to see.  It was spectacular, but we weren't allowed to take pictures there.  We did make sure to visit their amazing Christmas tree and village, as well as lots of other amazing things. (I even found a tiny snake for Lily.

And Pamela and I had to get a picture in the beautiful rotunda, and Kevin took a picture of Cliff taking our picture, as well as the statue that was behind us.

One of my favorite things at the Met, is the Egyptian exhibit.  It is so cool with all the mummies and sarcophagi, and especially the amazing statues.

After we finished at the museum, we sat on the steps outside and ate some more of our yummy baked goods, and then walked on, exploring along the way. Because we were walking around and exploring, we happened upon this small gallery that intrigued Cliff because of the instrument panels from cool airplanes. We came inside and ended up spending almost an hour there talking to the owner.  It was so much fun and super fascinating, but my favorite part was hitting the button that was on the one panel to deploy the nuclear weapons. Crazy!

After that, we were starving for a real meal, so we found this cute Italian restaurant for an early dinner. It was delicious, and while Pamela and I entertained ourselves trying to get the perfect selfie - and trying out silly filters, we had to laugh because both of our husbands were watching different NFL football games on their phones. Good times!

After dinner, we stopped back that the hotel to bundle up a bit more, and then we hopped on a train to Brooklyn to go to Dyker Heights to see their famous Christmas lights display.  Wow! It was spectacular.

The only bad thing was that I accidentally left my phone in our hotel room when we stopped there before leaving, and so I either had to borrow Kevin's phone to get pictures, or get them from Pamela and Cliff. The lights were so cool, and we had a fun, albeit freezing, time wandering around.  I may have splurged on the $5 hot cocoa because I was so cold, but it was totally worth it. I am so glad we got to experience it, and it made me happy we were there at Christmas time.

The train ride back from Brooklyn was really cool, as we road into the city after dark. I love looking at all the different sites.  And of course, there are always interesting characters in the subway stations, like the guy dancing with the lady skeleton. Yep.

When we got back to the city, we stopped at this fabulous Italian pastry shop.  It had too many amazing things to choose from, and I truly wanted to try them all.  I did cut myself off though, but maybe still got too many treats.

It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day in New York.

The Third Week of Christmas

What a jam packed and crazy week this has been. We had something almost every day, starting with Sunday, when the boys had their piano recital. They looked so nice, that I had to get a picture of them with grandma, and while I was at it, I got one of the two of us together as well, since we were looking all Christmasy.

Tuesday night was book club at my house.  I love Christmas book club!!  It is my favorite, and I loved getting to host it, partly because I love having parties, but mostly because it meant that my house (at least the downstairs) was fixed enough to have people over. Hallelujah! And in true book club fashion, I took pictures of the food, and forgot to take pictures of the people.  We were having too much fun - ha ha! And to make it all better, my mom even joined us.

On Wednesday, we had the sister missionaries over for dinner, which was so much fun! They are just awesome, and it was fantastic having things settled enough to have the missionaries over for dinner.

After they left, I rushed like mad to get ready for Activity Days. My new calling at church (other than teaching the four year olds at church on Sunday) is to be an activity days leader for the girls.  For our activity, we invited the boys to join us to go Christmas caroling.  It was wild and crazy, but they had so much fun!! And they brought so much joy to the people to whom they caroled. And let me tell you, that we were in short sleeves and shorts on a night in the middle of December.  I love this weather!

Thursday was an extra special day - my sister, Wendy, and her daughter, Megan, as well as Megan's two babies, Avery and Jack. Avery had so much fun meeting her great grandma. My mom took her for rides on her walker, read her stories and gave her fun presents.  They had a blast.

Since Derek didn't have a second final on Thursday, he was home when they came, and so he even got to play with Avery, which he thought was so fun.

In between all of that, we had a yummy lunch of lemon chicken orzo soup and homemade bread. Then I made Christmas cookies with Wendy, Megan and Avery - that is, when she wasn't playing with her great grandma ;). We made some of Wendy's favorite nostalgic favorites, like spritz cookies and coconut drops.

And when I wasn't working on baking and frosting cookies, I was cuddling my great-nephew, Jack. He was squishy and cuddly and kissable.  And he was totally obsessed with Kevin's beard - ha ha!

All too soon, it was time for them to head back to Austin. After they left, Kevin, my mom, and I went to the San Antonio Temple. It made an already fantastic day even better.

Unfortunately, in all that goodness, there was a very stressful thing going on throughout the day. Lily was supposed to get on a plane in the morning and to be home right after dinner.  That morning, she sent me a text saying that her first flight, the one to Salt Lake, was canceled!! Cheryl was there trying to help, I was calling and messaging trying to figure things out, and they were saying that it would take two days before she could get on another flight to SLC. Craziness!!

That was when Cheryl decided to take Lily to the airport and talk to someone in person, and they said that they could book her on a later flight out of Salt Lake if she could get there on the bus, the Salt Lake Express.  That was one miracle. The other miracle was that there was a no-show on the earlier bus, and so Lily was able to get to Salt Lake with plenty of time to go through security and eat before her later flight. Lily arrived around 12:30 pm, and Kevin had to joke with her that her first day home, and she was already staying out late.  Ha ha! We were just so grateful that she finally made it home.

Friday was another crazy, but good day. I was in charge of Arthur's class party, and it was so much fun! We started things off with me reading them "The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza" by David Shannon. Then we had a super fun book exchange, where I read the a version of Twas the Night Before Christmas with a bunch of extra lefts and rights written in there, where they would pass the books around.  They loved it.  Then we played a fun winter bingo game while they had snacks. 

When we got home, it was time for me to finish preparing for Derek's early birthday party, since Kevin and I are going to be gone for his birthday. I made him a special Cookies and Cream cake that was delicious, even if I messed up the ganache and so it didn't look quite right.  He loved it though.

To finish things off for the week, Friday night, we received an anonymous gift - a manger and a treat.  I have a feeling that we were going to be getting pieces of the nativity each night.  So much fun!! What a great way to end a fun and crazy busy week.