Back from Boston

Winter in Boston

Boston at dusk

I was so happy to be in Boston and to be welcomed into Michael and Maggie's cozy home with open arms. They were so generous in their hospitality.

Highlights include: being treated to a massage, telling stories about my extended family, seeing some of the sights of Boston, eating at quaint or scenic restaurants, seeing Boston lit up at night, eating donuts, brownies with Nutella and topped with chopped hazelnuts, playing Scrabble and Poker around the kitchen table, chill time with a book, seeing where Michael teaches, worshipping with their church, seeing a movie and sharing a Bloomin' Onion from Outback, and watching 24 on t.v.

There are some things though that are a phenomenon about Boston. First, there are Dunkin' Donuts EVERYWHERE! I checked my GPS and found them as close as every tenth of a mile and sometimes on both sides of the street. It's unbelievable. Also, the driving is unforgettable. They have these forks in the road that are called Rotaries. You have one second to make up your mind if you want to go left or right, without warning. If you don't know your way around the area, you're out of luck and could find yourself going around in circles. Also, drivers don't stop at stop signs, and even red lights at times. Turning left when oncoming traffic has the right of way is standard as is pulling out in front of another car because you don't want to wait your turn. My massage the first day was almost wasted after being in traffic!

I was privileged to be there when 8 inches of snow fell and what a winter wonderland we had. It was sent from Heaven and that made an already wonderful trip even better.

The best part for me was seeing how well matched Michael and Maggie are. They were truly made for each other and are so much in love. I couldn't have wished for a more suitable mate for my son. They are so blessed and so am I.

Reflections on this Christmas

Instead of writing this post, I should be doing a hundred other things....like setting up for house church, cleaning up the house, preparing food for tonight, writing thank-you notes, sending emails,starting to make lists for those I'll be leaving behind when I go to Boston next week, uploading pictures from CD's to my computer so I can post them, etc, etc, etc.

Before I get to all that, I have a few memories floating around in my head from Christmas that I don't want to forget. You'll get a better picture of our Christmas if you go to Maggie or Rachel's blogs. (links to their blogs are on the left)

I wanted to "shorten" things a bit this year on Christmas morning because Michael and Maggie weren't arriving till close to noon and Rachel , Jason and Reagan were coming over approximately the same time and had to leave in the afternoon to head to Michigan to celebrate the remainder of Christmas day with the Wing family. When I mentioned to Michael a couple weeks prior to Christmas that Tom, Becca and I may get things started by opening our gifts that morning before they arrive, I noticed some hesitation in Michael's voice and later heard from Maggie, via her blog, that it always meant so much to them they way we start Christmas day off with gathering around the Advent wreath and having a time in the Word and reflection on what the day is all about. So I put aside my concern for time and we did everything as we've done with the kids for 25 years. Advent, sticky buns, stockings and presents. The older we get, the more our kids love the traditions they were raised with.
We loved having Mom and Chris with us for Christmas and it was so nice to see how much she enjoyed the digital picture frame that her three children gave her. We uploaded pictures and video clips to the frame for her. Chris was especially interested in finding pictures that he was in! Ending our time with them at Clifton Mill was so nice. It's not often we find something to do that Mom really enjoys. Despite the cold, she and Chris had a good time taking in the light show, displays and reindeer that looked real.
Another joy was sharing Christmas Eve with Scott and family. We had a nice day that ended with a touching Christmas Eve service at APEX. They joined us at Clifton Mill and Wendy brought hot chocolate for all of us. How thoughtful was that?
Watching Reagan open her new baby doll was precious. She moved into "mommy mode" immediately and it was impossible for us to get all those twist ties off of the doll fast enough to satisfy her. She loved on the baby doll in such a way that moved us all. I have no doubt she will be a loving baby sister to Gideon.
Soon (this weekend) the Christmas trees will be down and all things Christmas will be put away. Tom will still be playing Christmas music and we'll still be wishing for snow.
It was so hard saying good-bye to Michael and Maggie this time. I know how much they miss spending time with the Dayton families and how much we treasure every minute we can spend with them. Maybe sometime in the future we can all live close by. Now that would be a blessing to top all!