Christmas Reflections

At this joyous time of year when we celebrate the birth of our loving Savior, Master and Redeemer, not only do we find joy in remembering Him, in giving, and in serving, but also in reflection and in resolution.

It has been sweet to quietly reflect in Sundance this week on the true joys of life –

-Testimony and faith
-Lauren, our children and their eternal companions, grandchildren, parents, brothers and extended family
-Health and Capacity
-Opportunities in all things
-Knowledge and Education
-Personal Friendships and Relationships
-Perspective
-Time to experience life together

As it has been said, the most important and cherished things in life are not things at all! In fact the joy in all things is manifest only because of His atoning love for each of us. Grateful we are that He is our Friend.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends…but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…” John 15:13-16

What more can be said than that, that He has chosen us as His friends, and that He loves us. As wonderful and majestic as His birth is, what eternal joy there is in His life and in His love.

May each of you have a wonderful Christmas season, always! And, may each of us continue to express our gratitude for the joys of life, not only in our verbal expressions of thanks, but in how we live, in our resolve to live better daily, to love as He has loved us and to truly be His disciples.

Thanks for the Memories...

Having been tagged by my niece, Chelsey, as she travels to Belgium to be with her sister in the midst of a challenging pregnancy, I have tried to ponder the past to my earliest memories; a difficult task at best, given present circumstances, as things are still somewhat in a haze as to sequence and timing. Please extend our prayers and love to Heather and Aaron.

For you Chelsey: some 50 years ago (I think), we lived with Grandma Coles in Torrance while my dad was early in his career. I am not sure whether he was working for the Merchants and Manufacturers Association or Hoffman Electronics. Even so, there were many memories that were etched into my life from those days long ago, although I cannot recall the specifics as to dates or sequence. Several memories that linger in my mind without order of beginning are the many days that we spent in the backyard of our Torrance home. Although a large yard from memorable perspectives, we later visited to realize it wasn’t large at all; but to a small boy, most things appear large. In any event, we would on many afternoons cross the alley in back of the house to visit Mama Walls and her little dog Suzy. She was a kindly and loving woman who would always welcome us into her home. Of course, there was the time that I thought it wise to tightrope on the chain link fence between my grandma’s house and the neighbors, whereupon I fell (surprise!) and chipped my elbow. The blue cast still lingers in my mind. I can still remember hanging upside down, stuck in the fence; or there was the time that while playing in front I bonked my older brother Bob on the head the steel ladder that was leaning against the tree in the front yard; or the time we spent watching that very new and little black and white TV with the greenish screen. It couldn’t have been more than 9 or 1o inches. Grandma Coles loved to cook us meals with whatever was on sale at the store that week, most often it was hominy. To this day I still don’t know what hominy is! She wasn’t known for her cooking, although an outstanding pianist. We spent many days at the park down the street in the center part of the main business district. But perhaps most memorable were the days spent playing army or Davy Crockett in the yard with my brothers. Perhaps the most memorable was when my mother put me down for a nap (I must have been about 4 or 5), and feeling too old for a nap, climbed out of the bedroom window and snuck off to my friend’s house (Alex) a couple of doors down the street. As a father, I can certainly now appreciate the horror I caused my mother as she checked on me and I was nowhere to be found. I can still remember looking out from the bushes with the police cars in front of the house and the policeman and my mother talking with great animation. Sheepishly I approached them only to be hugged and lovingly reprimanded. Then again there were also the church retreats to Idyllwild. Many joyful memories, in reflection, occurred while we lived in Torrance. Thanks Chelsey, the reflections are pleasant.

It would be interesting to have each of our kids pen their childhood memories; those things that mattered, those things that were humorous or impacted their lives, etc. What a great treasure it would be to see our lives together through their eyes. There is nothing better than reliving experiences shared together through the eyes of your children. You are all tagged, and not just for the blog!

Boston...

We have spent a lovely three days in Boston. We arrived on Thursday and checked into the Four Seasons Hotel overlooking the Public Gardens. On Friday we walked the Freedom Trail and saw the Old North Church and Paul Revere's House.

We also revisited Faneuil Hall and the Bostonian Hotel where we stayed will all 6 kids about 12 years ago. Friday night we had dinner with a certain Governor and his wife, and eighty of his closest friends. Today we had breakfast at the hotel and lunch at Fenway with him and the very capable team that he has assembled. It will be very exciting to be in at the beginning of what could be an historic candidacy, at one of the most critical times in our history. Tomorrow we are off to home in socal and onto to Indy early Monday morning.

Peoria and Springfield, IL

See if you can find the black Volvo in front of Oxford's latest acquisition in Peoria, SVI Hotel Corp. Although home again in California; we just returned from our trip to Houston, Carmel, Peoria and Carmel again. Our time in Carmel was far too brief!! Even so, it was great to spend what short time we had with Sophie, Emma, Ethan and Andrew. They are all so huggable and cute! While engaged in Oxford Board meetings, Mom trundled off to Springfield to visit the home of one of her favorite historical figures. Pictures of Carmel to come later, as we are off to Carmel a week from Monday, following our trip to Boston.



Lincoln's writing desk.

Houston Chronicles - There is joy in Texas!

We had fun yesterday with Parker and Audrey in the park! The weather has been great, but seeing the Horn's has been phenomenal! They are all so cute!

Reflections - What Truly Matters!

These past few weeks have been wonderful! Spending time with family! Lauren and I have been able to visit Matthew and Katie and 3 very cute grandkids in Ladera, Leslie and Stephanie and 5 very cute grandkids, and of course Neal, in Houston (we will catch Mike on the next run to Mesa), Lincoln, Mimi and Julianne in Sundance, and shortly we will see Elliott and Ginger and 4 very cute grandkids in Carmel. Are you noticing the trend - 12 very cute grandkids? Our six kids and their wonderful companions are equally great. We also began what is to be more common, some down time with my parents in Orange. It would be a little easier if we could consolidate locales with all in one geographic location, but oh well; at least we are blessed with air travel to visit in the 5 critical states. Needless to say, it has been "true joy." Our goal for 2006 was to simplify and to seek for more joy in our lives! Little did we know we would have an added impetus to help along the way! Don't ever doubt the love of the Savior and His awareness of each of us individually; and the tender mercies of His outstretched hand in all things. Gratefully, we are reliant upon Him in all things!

These past few weeks have been a time for reflection on that which truly matters! How blessed we are to enjoy the goodness and bounty of a loving Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, for every day is a gift and with each gift we receive greater joy. For the prayers of so many - thank you!

What began some 38+ years ago with a Spring Fling at Disneyland has become the genesis of our eternal family of 25, thus far. Notwithstanding, within our own myopia and/or within the commotion of all things, we often fail to think of the majesty of His plan that binds us all as one, as one eternal family linked through extended generations, both historic and prospective. The finite nature of what we can see or experience is often so limited if not viewed with the perspective and majesty of His grand eternal plan of happiness. Even so, how grateful we are for the blessings of family, and the eternal nature of such.

As we have been visiting everyone, my thoughts have reflected upon specific priorities or efforts that we have strived to preserve and promote during our 34+ years of marriage, each of which have formed the foundation of faith in our family. Some are listed below:

1. Loving Christ through emulation (charity and meekness)
2. Family and Individual Prayer (morning and evening)
3. An appreciation, understanding and knowledge of the scriptures
4. Regular Family Time (without interruption)
5. Obedience to gospel principles (loving and serving others)
6. Respecting our Home as a place of refuge and sanctuary
a. Kind words, no raised voices or shoes worn (it is truly a holy place)
7. An appreciation of the Temple and the promises and blessings therein
a. Regular attendance
8. Uplifting music
9. Maintaining a house of order (D&C 88:119)
10. Tending to that which matters most; that of eternal consequence and not reacting to the things that matter not at all.
11. Loving each other

Sorry for the lengthy blog. I guess this happens when your mind goes away and when partially restored, you begin to think; you try to remember and reflect upon the core values and standards that bring you back and define who you really are, even to those things that really matter. I love and appreciate each of you, grateful for the joy in our lives.

Home Again - Sundance!

The wonders of Sundance never cease. It has been a wonderful weekend spent in Sundance. Views from this morning were spectaular. With long walks through Elk Meadow, picturesque vistas, great food and time with Lincoln and Mimi and Julianne, quiet time reading by the fire, listening to good music and spending time with Lauren. Life is truly grand!



Winter has begun, although we just missed the snowstorm. It will have to wait until Christmas!




It's off to Houston this next weekend for Miles' blessing, then on to Carmel to meet Sophie! Every day is a precious gift!!! 

Mom's New Toy!

The long awaited photos are in. Here is Mom's latest toy! Cool, huh! Who wants to go for a ride?

Twofer in Houston! No problems in Houston

We spent a couple of days in Houston with two of our three gorgeous daughters and their perfect children (as quoted by Leslie, and they are!). The weather was nice and it was brief, but fun. Miles continues to fatten up, and Audrey, Parker, Mabel and Oliver had fun with each other. Neal spent most of his time working. Memories were refreshed and we look forward to Christmas and Hawaii. Back in two weeks for Miles' blessing.

Visitors to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Roger and Stacy and their four kids spent most of the week with us. Not really, they spent most of it at Disneyland. It was good to see them and spend what little free time they had.

Pa's New Toy!

Mom wanted me to post our recent acquisition. A celebratory gift for the closing of Sunchase and Moneyline.

US Tour!

Given recent events, we have modified our calendar through the end of the year. Here is our itinerary for the next few months. All things are subject to change, but we believe the following to be 99% true.

Oct 19-Oct 21 Houston
Oct 26-Oct 29 Sundance
Nov 2-Nov 5 Houston
Nov 6 Carmel
Nov 7-Nov 8 Peoria
Nov 9-Nov 10 Carmel
Nov 16-Nov 18 Mesa
Nov 20-Dec 4 Carmel
Dec 18 Las Vegas
Dec 19-Jan ? Sundance
January ? Houston
Mar 18-Mar 28 Kauai/Maui

Surely February will bring another tour to Indy, Utah and Arizona. Love to you all!

New York, New York!

We arrived on US soil yesterday morning, after a spectacular entry into New York harbor early Saturday morning. The view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, lit up during the pre-dawn was a sight to behold. It has truly been an amazing journey accross the North Atlantic. Graciously, the Harris' picked us up at the Brooklyn pier and are now treating us to the quaint and wonderful environs of the Harris B&B.

It is a beautiful fall in Carmel (NY), great for quiet evenings and wonderful walks.

We are looking forward to a couple of final days of rest before we re-engage, albeit on a significantly different course, when we return Tuesday evening. Life is grand and we are anxious to see everyone. Thanks for the prayers, as miracles never cease and the tender mercies of a loving Heavenly Father continue to abound. We are well and grateful for the renewed perspective of that which matters most. We will call all today between meeting schedules or tomorrow night.

We have posted pictures of the unique places and landscapes of our journey on each of the previous blogs! We tried to post them here, but to no avail.

Security Breach in St. John's! Revisited!

We landed at St. John's, Newfoundland this morning around 10:30am. A quaint little Newfie town that is reputed as the eastern most point of the North American continent. After a walk through the downtown area and a taxi ride to Signal Hill, a lookout point at the entrance to the harbor we returned to the ship. Just in the nick of time, as there was a security breach once we boarded. After about a 7 1/2 hour passage at the dock we were cleared and were able to depart the dock. Many passengers were stranded onshore while they undertook a complete search of the ship, both above the water and below (with divers). Fortunately, all turned out well and we are bound for New York. 2 days at sea and then docking in Brooklyn. We will post pictures from the Harris when we arrive on Saturday. St. John's is a nice place to visit, but not a place to linger long. We are well and love you all!

Sundance in St. John's.

Icebergs!!! Revisited

We woke up this morning after a very rough night at sea to see a beautiful sunrise over Greenland. It's one of those places that you never thought you'd see and when you do it doesn't seem real! We got to the harbor at Qaqortoq about 9:00 and took a tender into the little village. There were icebergs everywhere in the fjord - for those of you that have read that great book The Greenlanders we were in the same fjord as the Eastern Settlement back in the 1200's. There wasn't much to see or do except admire the native Inuit in their lovely costumes and but some souvenirs. The village is filled with multicolored houses all up the side of a cliff. Very little vegetation, just granite mountains, the fjord and icebergs. We took some great pictures and now we have a day at sea until we get to Newfoundland. We realized today that everywhere we go on this cruise is a land - England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. All great Viking country with very rough seas! Being in Greenland today made the fact that the Norse colony lasted from 980 to 1500 even more incredible. Hope you are all well. It was great for Dad to talk to all of you yesterday! Will post again on Wed. nite. Mom

Icebergs




More Icebergs

Qaqotoroq, Greenland

Iceland - Revisited!

Hello from the cold north. We had an eight hour trip around some interesting parts of Iceland today. Dad got tired so I'm down in the internet cafe posting this. We toured Reykjavik which was bigger than I thought it would be. We also saw volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, lots of interesting geology and geothermal activity. Often you will just see steam coming out of the ground in random places. Iceland is basically just the top of several active volcanoes. There are only about 300,000 people in the whole country which is the size of New York state. It was all very interesting as I am very interested in the Vikings and all of that. The best stop on the tour was their national park where their assembly, the oldest in Europe met every year from 930 to the 1800's. It was called the Althing. Right where they met is some very amazing geography - it is the spot where the North American and European continental plates meet and rub together. Beautiful and fascinating. We took lots of pictures with which we will bore you in months to come. Dad is doing okay - still gets tired and headachy. We will talk to you tomorrow and blog again on Monday after we see Greenland.

The Long Glacier in Iceland.

Bramma and an Icelandic Horse.

The Icelandic National Park and Parlimentary Thing!

A typical Icelandic landscape.

At Sea in the North Atlantic - It's a little chilly, but nice!

This has been a quiet day with somewhat calm seas. The temperatures aren't bad, high 50's to low 60's during the day. I have had three solo outings on the ship today! They have been good tests, and I think I have passed with flying colors. We have spent the day reading; a joyful pleasure that neither of us were up to, until now! I am able to remember what I have read, a new experience this week. Mom says that my repetition is down significantly, a good thing. The headaches are becoming less frequent, which is also a good thing. As to our surroundings, the sunrises and sunsets are beautiful in this part of the world. The cloud formations in the sky are spectacular. Tomorrow morning we arrive in Iceland, which should be interesting. We are well and enjoying our quiet times. We love you all!

Northern Ireland - Giant's Causeway Revisited!

Thanks for all of the great comments - we can't wait to hug all of you as well! Each day gets better, although today was a long day. We rode in a bus for a few hours from the port of Belfast to the northern coast to see the Giant's Causeway an amazing geological formation and lots of beautiful seacoast. We sent postcards to the kids with pictures of the rocks. (Although they will be mailed from who knows where so don't look for them too soon.) I am going to call everyone on Sunday when we know where you'll be. That will be a sea day for us between Iceland and Greenland. I can't wait. My head still hurts when I try to think too much and Mom keeps telling me to stop thinking! I am totally under her control from now on after putting her through all of this! Love you lots, Pa.

Revisited - Giant's Causeway

Scotland! Revisited!

Today was a great day. Mom and I left Glasgow south to Ayr and Culzean Castle on the Firth of Clyde. The Scottish scenery was beautiful, with grazing Highland cattle and sheep. A typical Scottish day with misty fog and a slight "smir" (misty rain). We sent postcards to all of the grandkids of the castle. My memory is still a little foggy, but my health is good. I am having a little trouble retaining short term memory, but fortunately, I remember that which matters most! Talk to you tomorrow.

Culzean Castle

Scottish Coast!

Life is Good - Ireland Revisited!

Well, like John Lennon said life is what happens when you're making other plans! A lot has changed since our last blog in Copenhagen. Pa "wigged out" as we are calling it, and made me really worried for a while there. He is gettting back to his old self now, just tired, headachy and frustrated. He wants to get well instantly! We had a good day today. We were docked off Waterford, Ireland and spent a few hours in the Irish countryside at a ruined abbey and picturebook village. It was very nice and green, very much like I expected Ireland to be. Lovely but nowhere near as nice as England, especially the Cotswolds. When we got back Dad took a nap and I went to workout and walk around the top deck. The Star Princess is the same size as the Grand, about 100 feet longer than the Sea Princess that we were on last summer, in other words, massive. You would all be interested to know that they have a pretty decent rock band playing in one of the lounges, but since the average passenger age seems to be 153 there is hardly anyone listening to them! We are going to have dinner in the Italian restaurant tonight where it is a little more private. We usually just eat in our suite because we don't feel like socializing that much. Any road, we are off now to Glasgow Scotland and I think Dad will be up for another shore excursion tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers and love, we feel it way over here! We are especially anxious to see Andrew, Ethan, Emma, Annie, Jack, Max, Audrey, Parker, Miles, Mabel and Oliver when we return. It's going to be the Pa road trip!! Talk to you tomorrow.

Revisited -

The White Cliffs of Dover at Sunset after reboarding the Ship.

Jerrpoint Abbey in the Republic of Ireland.

A small and quaint Irish village.

Copenhagen Temple - revisited!

We have good news and bad news today! The good news is that we found the temple this morning and took some great pictures of it. We made it just fine to our fabulous ship the Star Princess only to find that they do not allow anyone to upload pictures through their computers for security reasons. So the pictures will have to wait until we find an internet cafe on some of our many shore excursions. Otherwise we will post a blog every evening with our days activities and location. We love all of you! By the way, the temple has been built inside the old meeting house that we all attended church in when we were in Copenhagen in 1986. It is very lovely and classical looking with big white columns in a nice quiet part of the city, but very much surrounded by other buildings. We will be in Canterbury England on Sunday when we will blog again.

Blog revisited with a picture of the Temple!

Denmark!

We had a few hours in Copenhagen. We tried to find the Temple on foot, but alas, no luck. Here is the view from our room. We did find Masumasu, continuing our tradition of eating Japanese food in random places throughout the world. We visited the Royal Palace and Tivoli. On to the ship tomorrow.