Ethan and Ehlana:
While we expected some early updates over the holidays; three in a row to start with wasn’t our plan – just how things are working out. We had a lot of fun last night with Cassie, Michael, and all of the teens and kids staying with them from dinnertime that included Pizzeria pizza through the babysitting, video gaming, Christmassy crafts and games, movies, and music play time until we eventually got some sleep that didn’t include any co-ed napping. We helped with a lot of the work; played when we could; and managed a bit of cuddle time too – though that was usually also while holding a next-gen kid or two! ;^)
After not getting much sleep; we needed to be up early today; Tai Chi was indoors and only a short workout due to next-gen kid needs; and then we worked through until we went to church helping with cooking, cleaning, and getting everyone ready for the service and Sunday school. Having another nap by then would have been nice, but not an option; and Ehlana and I were part of the teen group helping with the morning service music – a teaser for the show tonight.
We came home from church with Mom and Dad; had a quick lunch; and then headed back to the church to set up for the evening showcase. That work included the sanctuary sets and also the reception hall for both overflow seating and the social hour that will follow the show. While we took care of sound checks too, we didn’t do another rehearsal – we’re saving our voices for tonight to be at our best. That brings us up to now and we’re home again to get cleaned up and ready for both the show and the buffet dinner we’ll be at with our family at the Inn. They went with special times today so that they can close early-enough to get everyone working there to the church on time too – including some of the teens in the showcase; so we need to move this along and go meet up with Mom, Dad, and our dinner dates. We do want to mention that Mom and Dad have been busy today too with Dad getting work done in the office while Mom did some more pre-cooking for the holiday with some help from our grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Cassie and Michael didn’t come over too, but then they might have needed an afternoon nap after their night with all of the kids! Okay, they actually still helped with Jake’s and Rebecca’s kids this afternoon, but we don’t need to let facts get in the way of the jokes.
We are happy now; so let’s keep the world news update short – even though there has been a lot going on over the weekend. Unfortunately, none of that news is good. Our military has stolen another oil tanker near Venezuela; taking stupid risks that continue to damage our national reputation; the war in Ukraine continues to go horribly-wrong for Ukraine while the leaders let it happen with no care for their own people; and the Middle East is still a mess with a flare-up in Syria thanks to the bombing attacks on the country from our military in retaliation for the three Americans that were killed earlier in the past week. There are more incidents of unrest and conflict in countries around the world, and as people get more desperate; that trend is sure to continue. Let’s stop there before we do get into a rant that we don’t have time for now and wrap this up.
The Christmas music video pick for today isn’t one that we’ll be singing at church tonight, but it is a favorite because we loved it when it came out as part of a Christmas song competition hosted by one of our favorite online content creators – Peter Hollens. This version of the song won that contest, so while we loved many of the entries we’ve heard; this one is our favorite and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
