Normally when we drive to Brooklyn, we stop in PA and spend the night in Bethlehem. Boy what a fitting place to spend the night. So, we arrived on Friday. And before I get into telling about the weekend, let me first say that the State of NY gets a boatload of "attaboys" for getting the highway completed through Staten Island. Boy does that make a huge difference.
The choir show was pretty good. Lots of parents and little kids in the audience. The school doesn't have an auditorium so they use their church for things like this. It was decorated nicely and added lots of atmosphere to the Christmas songs and stories.What better way to spend a Christmas than with your grand kids. Quinn showed us their Advent calendar and told us what it signified. He and Heath also showed us their tree and the ornaments they made for it. I think Vivian wanted to tell us about her role in all of this, but she was having too much fun flashing that big smile of hers and those bright eyes. That was pretty much all she had to do while we were there to get our attention. And it worked every time.
It was really fun watching the youngsters opening their presents. Things haven't really changed a lot from the times of my childhood. Paper goes flying every which way, and mom and dad have to keep track of things for them so nothing gets lost or put in the trash bag by mistake. And no phrase is more important to note prior to even wrapping the gifts is -- "batteries not included." The best way to shut down the moment is not having batteries for something. (It also helps to have the correct size, Grandpa!)
The weather was really nice while we were there. Really unusual for Christmas time. We were able to take some walks and we took Heath up to the church courtyard to play some hide and seek. He took his glider and we had a good time outdoors too.
And did I mention that Miss Vivian was the hit of the show when she broke out that smile ? I would often wonder what the kids were thinking when they would stare at the tree, or the decorations or just smile at us. I know for certain that when I was there age, there was nothing going on between these ears, and I probably wouldn't have to work too hard to come up with an unlimited list of those who would attest to that fact. But when I look at these little ones, I know that they are WAY beyond that, way into deeper things that I ever imagined at their age. Good for them. Keep going.
One night, we went out to look at the Christmas decorations. Doug took us to a place to see lights that put Clark Griswold to shame. They were unbelievable. I noticed TV news trucks there and sure enough, there wea a segment on the NBC nightly news a couple of days later about these lights.
What a great time we had. We left on Monday and set out for Carlisle for the evening. This normally 3-hour drive took 5. The next morning we finished the trip home. Again, this was a long day of driving in the rain and heavy fog, accidents, and sitting in traffic. This leg is normally 6 hours depending on stops and traffic. However, this time it took about 9 hours. Oh well, it was worth it. D,D,Q,H and V were going to spend their first Christmas at home and then they were off to NC to spend time with Danika's parents and some of the rest of the family. I hope their trip is smoother than our drive. The I-95 corridor can be a real bear normally, let alone during a holiday.
May Peace
be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!
Hooah
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