Merry Christmas

Joyce and I wish each one of you a very Merry and blessed Christmas. We trust you are having as much fun and experiencing as much blessing as we are. To God we give the glory. You will notice in this photo that there are shadows in the picture? You know what that means? Yes, sun!!! It is a beautiful sunny day in LA -- about 70 degrees. This is our campground for about another month. Jana and Korak's house is on the left with our pickup and fifth wheel waaaay back in the driveway. Notice how narrow the driveway is? Just a little wider than the RV.

Our joy quotient topped out Wednesday evening with Ginger's arrival. We picked her up at the airport about 10:00. All of us are having a blast shopping for each other, playing with kids, enjoying the weather, visiting, and just being ALL together. This is the first time in many years that the four Mumaus have been together at Christmas -- and even then it was for only a day or two. And to top it off, we get to have Korak, Josiah, and Lilly with us.

Our friends, Rhonda and Eric with their children, Andrew and Katrina, flew in from Japan Monday morning. Rhonda is Joann's daughter (this is the Joann of the "knock out the closet and make a bigger kitchen/dining room" job last October). They are very special to us. Rhonda was a little girl when we moved to Newberg and met her family. She and her brother grew up with our girls and we've kept contact over the years. I married Rhonda and Eric and rejoiced in the births of their children. After a couple years in Japan as single missionaries, they married and are there now with Asian Access helping to plant a new church way down in the southern part of the country. Anyway, they flew in, rented a car, and headed for Lake Havasu, AZ where his family lives. We were able to meet them at Avis and take them to lunch before they started out. In a week they'll go up to Oregon to see Joann and connect with their supporting churches.

I want you to know I have been very spiritual lately (is that why Santa was so good to me? Naw.) Sunday I went to church at Marina with the kids -- two times. We went to the early service because Josiah, Korak, and I lit the fourth Advent Candle (the 3 generations of guys). But the ladies had nursery duty for the second service so... church again. Actually it was good because they had a lot of music -- really good music. They DO put together some awesome worship experiences. Then last night Korak and I went to the Christmas Eve service at 6:00 and Ginger, Jana, and I went to one at 10:00. The girls and I have a "tradition" of going to a midnight Christmas Eve service together -- sometimes we can't because we're not together and sometimes it's not midnight, but we always try to find one we think will be really good. Last night we went to Belair Presbyterian. This is the church that was pastored by Don Moomaw and is where Ronald Reagan attended. It is big, grand, and stately -- and it was a good candlelight communion service.

Oh well, how about a couple more pictures! Top is Officer Josiah is his new uniform about to give Grandfather Gene a citation for unauthorized picture taking. Bottom are the bakers, Ms. Jana and Miss Lilly in her new cooks uniform. They are making an apple pie of which I need to sample. So I've blabbed on long enough.

The weather is great and it's time for a walk. The Lord is good and it's time for a talk. Always remember, you are loved, even if from a distance. Be careful, be grateful, be useful.

Grand Kid Pictures

Ok, I promised some grand kid pictures so here they are. Josiah is eating popcorn and watching TV. Lilly is cuddled up with daddy. Of course! They are the cutest kids in the world. Josiah is the smartest kid in kindergarten and Lilly is simply charming. She is also stubborn and strong willed! So now this has become a brag blog! Well what did you expect?

Our trip down was enjoyable and uneventful. Uneventful is good. We decided to travel down 99 instead of I-5 because we hadn't been on that route for a couple years. For those not acquainted with the area, look on a California map south of Sacramento and you'll see that the two roads parallel each other.

Some will want to know about diesel prices. I paid $3.36.9 at the Flying J is both Corning and Bakersfield. Here in LA, I've seen it for 3.49.9 at a Shell and something like 3.65.9 somewhere else. Not as bad as I thought it might be.

Tuesday night we stayed at an RV park in Bakersfield. This allowed us to dump our holding tanks and soak in a hot tub. They also had winter rates! It also allowed us to get to Jana's at 11:00 the next morning. This meant less traffic on the freeway and fewer parked cars on the street in front of her house. That was important for backing in. This all worked real well except that I didn't do a very good job of backing in. After being over the curb and on the grass, I finally got in. Their driveway is very narrow; at least that's my excuse.

So I've been busy fixing the mud flat I tore off and putting together a doll cradle we brought for Lilly. This is a cradle that my uncle Ken made for Jana. When she grew out of that stage we took it apart and saved it. So I sanded, glued, put it together, and painted it. It is almost finished. I've also done of a bunch of "daddy dos." Those are like "honey dos" except they come from one's daughter. And there are more!

This last picture was taken Saturday evening. Josiah and Lilly are on the left, middle and back rows. The Taylor clan celebrated Christmas early because one of the brothers and his family can't be here at Christmas. So they all shared their gifts and the kids had a blast. These are the cousins -- plus there are two more in Portland.

Today we went to worship at Marina Christian Fellowship where Jana, Korak and family attend. It was a great time of worship. Good music even if I didn't know all the words. Two young ladies shared the message with the central theme of Joy. One told her story of disappointment in her earlier life. The other became a quadriplegic two years ago. She shared how God had brought her through all the emotions to one of joy. Good, good, good.

Well, some it happens to us, some of it happens because of us, but all of it happens as God watches over us. What is happening in your life? Where is God in it?

Off We Go

I am posting this on Monday, December 10 at almost 9:00 p.m. from kinda warm, kinda sunny, kinda southern California. Actually central California. We are boondocking in Bill & Kathy's parking lot. That is a restaurant at the Dunnigan exit a little north of Sacramento. It is not exactly warm but it is warmer than the 37 degrees we had when we left Grants Pass at 12:45 today. It is also windy. We'll get rocked to sleep tonight!

I guess I can't say the last week has been exactly boring. Lots to do in getting ready to leave plus a funeral Friday. And on top of that a dear lady we became friends with many years ago is in the hospital dying from the effects of a stroke. She lives between us and the church so we often stopped to see her. Her health has never been very good but she is a wonderful person. So Joyce and I made numerous visits to see her in the hospital -- even though she didn't know we were there. We left her in the good hands of her granddaughter, many friends, and the professionals in the hospital.

Yesterday we attended worship at the local Mennonite Church. They changed their name a few months ago -- I think they call themselves New Hope Christian Church, which is logical since they are located on New Hope Road. It was a really great service. They have lots of Hispanic people who attend so the first part of the service was bi-lingual. The sermon was only in English however. The pastor is a friend who is part owner of Farmer's Building Supply and he has always helped supply us with materials when we went to Ensenada with Allen Creek Church.

Today I sold the car. It had quite a few mechanical problems, the biggest being the transmission. I mentioned this to Don, Joyce's brother. He asked if I wanted to get rid of it because he knew a guy who needed a car and he thought he could fix it. The short version, is that I sold it to the fellow after telling him the problems. He found a used transmission and knows how to take the old one out and put the new one in. So it was a good deal all around. But all this had to happen early so I could get Joyce to a lab work appointment and then back to do the last minute packing (maybe the word is stuffing) of the RV and the pickup. One of the things we stuffed in the RV is an 8 foot noble fir Christmas tree we are taking to Jana and Korak. They are cheaper in Grants Pass than in California! So the RV really smells nice. It is still wrapped in binding twine so it will be like opening a Christmas present when we get there. Hope it looks good!

So this is how this new chapter in our world is developing. We commit it go God and expect to have fun experiencing many of new things. Grandkid pictures next week! And what's in your world?

Calmness Prevails

Wasn't last week's blog boring? I'm afraid this one won't be much better. I guess I'm used to more excitement. It has been fun having my sister here. She has spent many hours each day helping Joyce with craft. Saturday evening we went to the "big" Grants Pass Christmas parade. It really isn't very big and we didn't even see Santa Claus -- found out later he was riding in a car with the window rolled up. Oh well, what can you expect for a small town! It was cold enough that we bundled up real good. All the downtown Christmas lights were lit and everyone was in a festive spirit so it was a lot of fun. Even if we are in a small town, I think we have the most beautifully decorated downtown of any I've seen (except maybe the theme towns like Leavenworth, WA).

So, it's coming along. I mowed the lawn yesterday during the little bit of sunshine we had. It started raining today and is supposed to do that for quite a few days. I've started on the little things on the RV like putting a new rod in the closet and making a better bracket for the VCR and DVD.

A real strange thing happened in the church here. Maybe instead of "strange" I should say "unusual." For many years two ladies attended who knew each other but were not close friends. One was very involved in church life, the other was simply very faithful in Sunday morning attendance. During the past year both began to suffer health problems. Their ailments were different but both ended up in the same adult foster care home. Then as the days went by and their health continued to deteriorate they both were in the same room. On the Monday before Thanksgiving I went to visit them (at the request of a family member) and they were comatose with labored breathing. The next day they both went to be with the Lord within a hour of each other. It was like they were racing to see who would get to see Jesus first. I was asked to participate in their services so Pastor Dan and I have been planning for them. Because of Thanksgiving and because of a wedding in Hawaii the services were delayed. Yesterday we had the memorial for the lady active in the church. Next Friday we'll have the service for the other lady. But those things have kept me out of trouble for a little while!!

Today we attended worship at Redwood Country Church. The pastor is new but we know some of the people. It was a good traditional service. They had the church decorated for Christmas and we sang carols. It was fun.

It will be a busy week -- mostly getting ready to head south. And now you know what's in my world. What's in yours?