Here comes 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!-click me click me

Hello United States

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year from the beautiful land of Calgary, Canada!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and got everything you had hoped for, I did! All I wanted for Christmas this year was a Hippo, and the Holmes were caring enough to purchase one for me! lol He is so cute-I love him!

I am having a wonderful visit. The weather has been at like -10degrees C. Everyone just laughs at me, but its just sounds so cool! Christmas was so much fun and the gifts I recieved were priceless...We have gone skating on a lagoon, sat in a spa when it is was snowing, what an experience and have just had a splendid time. I will be returning to Sacramento the 1st of January =( I mean =)....

Hope and pray your holidays have been shared with friends and family making many memories that will last for a lifetime to come.

God Bless!

more pictures to come

Sincerely yours,

a.rose 2007

So this is Christmas.....

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.~Dr. Seuss *


Christmas is quickly approaching and the shopping malls are screaming with mothers, fathers, and procrastinating gift givers. This year there has been an unusual excitement regarding the holidays, yet an odd feeling has been lingering in my mind day in and day out. I have been shopping since October for the perfect gifts for everyone on my list. The problem has been, "What is the perfect gift that will be socially acceptable yet useful, and not thrown out by Valentine's?" Though my packages are all wrapped and long since sent out, the giving feeling still exists, but what kind of gift would be meaning full. Sunday night was answer to my question. I learned I was not the only one with this unsettled feeling of useless gifts, Bro Ben Vandiver as of December 16th still had not purchased any gifts for his family, but instead was impressed by the overwhelming need in Ugaunda. There are over 6000 orphanages ran by Bishop John and they are in desperate need of supporters. It takes $150 to feed an entire orphange for one month, housing over 150 children, mothers, and widows. Bro Ben sat down with Sis Young and calculated the estimated amount that it would take to feed, clothe, educate and provide shelter for a child for one year. I was sickened by the total...$30 a YEAR per child is all it takes. $30 dollars feeds our appetites in one fine setting, it's 5 happy meals...Tears were useless, I was sickened. So this Christmas in the name of my family members, I gave them the gift of a child's life. The 2-five club is an amazing program, and our Boston Young is one of our contact persons.

This Christmas sit back and create lasting memories with family, friends, and take a moment to recognize the importance and signifance of this blessed season.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Blessed New Year!

Sincerely yours,

a.rose 2007

*Thanks for the thought Sarah! I love the Grinch!

Let me burn out for Thee, dear Lord,

Burn and wear out for Thee;

Don't let me rust, or my life be

A failure, my God, to Thee,

Use me, and all I have, dear Lord,

And get me so close to Thee

That I feel the throb of the great heart of God,

Until I burn out for Thee.

Bessie F. Hatcher

Sincerely yours,

a.rose 2007

The "W" in Christmas

My daddy came across this story the other day and I thought it was too cute and too true to keep to myself.

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Still I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's Winter Pageant. I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production, unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation, all parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come at that time. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for hristmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love." The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together.
A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "C H R I S T W A S L O V E" And, I truly believe, He still is.

Amazed in His presence....humbled by His love.
Sincerely yours,
a.rose 2007

Thanksgiving Day Pics

Uncle Jeff, the good ole turkey, and Daddy

Poor Dad, he's tired....

Thank you Lord for our link-n-log mansion!

The boys were a little "tied" up outside...lol

Joey and Tamsen jump roping in the living room for Jesus!

The ride of my life...oh wow!

Daniel thinks he's the hottest guitar player in Sacto...too bad he doesn't know how to play!

Woo...Tammi after a long night of shopping!

Around 12:30am, after our Thanksgiving meal , Bubbles, Caren, Tamsen, Ayla and myself packed up my car with snacks, gas, and blankets and headed to Gilroy, which is about 2 1/2 hours away. From 3:33am to 8:30am we shopped till we literally dropped. The mall had opend at 12am with some great deals, we couldn't resist! After returning home at 11a we crashed. It was so crazy, but soo much fun!

Miss Santa

Lil Hairy Cutie! These hats were great-considering how cold it was outside at 5a!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree?

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today I found out, thanks to the Internet. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.

Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children & gt; could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindn ess, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today.