A belated "Merry Christmas!" is well in order, and I wish that to all of you with all my heart. I was kept from doing so earlier by a nasty fever that kept me at home for four consecutive days over Christmas Eve and Day. We still had a good time at home with the cats and a roaring fire, but it just wasn't the same without the joy of seeing family.
As you can imagine, I was quite ready to get out of here as soon as I recovered. I get terrible cabin fever (no pun intended), and it felt good to be on the road again when we took off towards Desert Hot Springs on Thursday night. We drove through the night, and arrived at my Spencer grandparents' house at around 8:00 AM the next morning. My parents opted to take a nap, but I can't sleep during the day. So, I had fun breakfasting with my grandparents, catching up with them and showing Grandpa some shortcuts in PowerPoint. When my parents woke up, we had a nice, big lunch with Walla Walla loaf and other tasty dishes in the company of my aunt Dolly and my two cousins, Tommy and Theo.
They left with Grandpa, and my parents, Grandma and I played that wonderful game, Hand and Foot. My father and I teamed up against Mom and Grandma. We lost spectacularly, but had a good time in the process. There's a family tradition that I hope never ends. I was very sleepy after dinner, but it was time for presents. I think I saw Grandma tear up over the portraits of my brother and I we gave them. As the family watched a 3ABN Christmas broadcast from Andrews University Church, I turned in early; it had been a very long day.
We lingered in Desert Hot Springs a while the next day, enjoying a good breakfast. Then, we headed to our hotel in Burbank, stopping at Hadley's along the way. The room had a beautiful view of the airport, and Dad enjoyed watching the airplanes take off. While he was at the rehearsal dinner for Krista Miller's wedding, Mom and I stayed back at the hotel. We had a good time, just the two of us, watching Dreamgirls and Music and Lyrics, eating at the hotel's grill. Over gazpacho and grilled vegetables, we had a very nice conversation.
After checkout the next morning, we brunched at the worst Marie Callendar's we've ever visited (slow service, poorly-done buffet, that sort of thing). Over this hapless meal (save for a really good pasta that actually turned out right) Dad revealed he wasn't feeling so well. When we got to the Eagle Rock Church, we found the place beautifully decorated for Christmas and for Krista's wedding.
As Dad played music on the organ for Krista to march in to, I was touched and awed at how beautiful she looked, walking next to her father. It was really cool to see that Nadine, who is wheelchair-bound by a medical condition, was in the wedding party as well. As the pastor recounted the way Krista had met her now-to-be husband, it made me smile to find that I'm not the only one with meddling friends.
My poor father was feverish, so we sadly opted out of the reception to get home sooner. Despite Mom and I's protestations, he drove the hundreds of miles through the fog and the dark night. I stayed awake with him out of sympathy, reading a book he had given me for Christmas. The sleep he got at home did him good, and he seems to be feeling much better today. I wish you a very happy New Year, with lots of joy. Or, at least, the patience to deal with whatever comes along.
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