Happy New Year!

We had a nice New Year's Eve by going to see "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."  We really liked it!  It was funny, and uplifting with some romance.  It was clean--just a feel good movie.  We had dinner at Wendy's--not so fancy, but that was okay.  A lot of places had closed up so their employees could have the evening off.  Good for them.

We didn't stay up to see the New Year roll in.  I remember the first year we were here.  Our stake had a celebration out in the Everglades.  Everyone brought food to share and chairs.  There were lots and lots of mosquitoes, but people gave us bug spray.  It was nice to meet new people and visit.  Several people had brought their old Christmas trees and when they got thrown into the fire, boy did they burn!!  There were fireworks at the stroke of midnight.  It was so damp out there, no one worried about a fire hazard.  That was a fun evening.  We felt welcomed right away.  We'll take many memories like this away with us when we go home.

New Year's day, we enjoyed the Rose Parade while we cleaned and put away all our Christmas and cleaned the house.  I haven't really watched the Rose Parade for years, so it was fun to see it.  The work that goes into those floats are amazing!

We spent a couple of hours at Walmart and ended up getting groceries there.  We found some movies for $5.00, so we bought "Second Hand Lions," "Pride and Prejudice," and "10,000 BC."  We watched the last one while we ate pizza.  It was pretty good, actually.

We had a lovely Christmas.  We had been invited to spend Christmas Eve with the Christensen family.  Mindy is the Stake Young Women's President, so Mark and I have both worked with her, I at girl's camp and Mark because he is involved with the scouts in both wards.  They served "roast beast" (The Grinch) and Yorkshire Pudding, which I'd never had before.  I brought a fresh fruit salad with whipped cream on the side.  Everything was delicious.

Best of all, however, was just being part of a family celebration with young children.  It was boisterous, noisy, happy and filled with the excitement of Christmas.  It's what makes Christmas so much fun.  We really look forward to being home with family this year.  

Christmas day, we made our traditional biscuits and gravy breakfast with scrambled eggs and orange juice.  We had invited our neighbors below us, Jimmy and his son T.J.  We had also invited our friend's brother, Lance, who is here alone going to medical school, while his family is in Utah.  He brought sticky buns.  Yum!

The rest of the day was pretty quiet.  We ended up at Ft. Lauderdale Beach, walking along the water.  It was windy, so there were waves.  But it was fun people watching and just walking.  There were a lot of people out, especially in the picnic areas.

One of the most wonderful parts about this Christmas was the amazing generosity and kindness that was shown to several of our family members who have been struggling financially.  The Lord has truly blessed and looked after our children while we have been so far away!  One was blessed with the 12 Days of Christmas, another with anonymous gifts and money.  I am so grateful for the sweet service that was given!

Every good thing has to come to an end, and it seems to fly by much more quickly these days.  We're already several days into the new year!

There's not much more to be done at the temple--just odds and ends things.  We should be able to finish the celestial room chandelier in a couple of weeks.  It is so beautiful on the inside, especially now that all of the furniture and paintings are in.  It's difficult to describe the wonderful spirit I feel there, especially in the Celestial room.

I know our time here in South Florida is winding down.  I think one of the best things about being here, besides the temple, is how much I have come to treasure, even more, my relationship with Mark.  He truly is my best friend.  I love the time we get to spend together, even if it's just walking around Costco and Home Depot.  There really is something to be said for being married to and having a history with the same person for over 38 years!  Maybe it's an age thing.  Still, it's nice to know we still love each other after all these years.  He still makes me laugh!

So have you all made New Year's resolutions?  I need to quit mulling over mine and just do them!

Happy New Year, everyone!