We have had a wonderful Christmas Eve at home together today. Tom came home from work this morning and we had our family Christmas today. In years past, Christmas has been on whatever day Tom was home, so the kids are very good at being flexible with our holiday celebrations. Plus, who would complain opening presents a day early?!
After gifts, we had all planned to go to Crestview's Christmas Eve service today, however, Amanda was feeling too bad to go, so only Thomas and Brandon went. She is currently on Tamiflu after being exposed to the flu this weekend. I am not sure if it is because we are in that time of her chemo cycle when her counts start dropping or if she is experiencing possible side effects from Tamiflu, but she has not felt good today. She feels yucky, but praise God, she is fever free. So a low key day at home today and tomorrow is just what she needs.
We were able to attend worship together on Sunday morning and I had a fabulous birthday, even involved a little kidnapping for a small, impromptu birthday party with some of my favorite ladies. I have some amazing friends that made me feel special and loved and I appreciate it so very much.
I have stayed busy since we got home and it is a little hard to believe we have only been home five days, yet at the same times it feels like Montana was so long ago. I was worried that while on the trip, it would feel like we were on display. It was just the opposite. It seems to be a standard question of, "What brings you to Big Sky?" so the reply got easier and easier as the trip went on and it usually went something like this: "Actually, we are here for a Make A Wish trip for our daughter." Instead of pity and sadness that I thought we might encounter, we were met with excitement and genuine interest of what her wish was and how we were enjoying the trip. Plus, it seemed like if there was something they could offer or help us with, they did. Thanks to the colaboration of Make A Wish, Pepsi, Big Sky and the generous Montana natives, we had an unbelievable vacation.
In the song 'Meet Me in Montana' by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond, there is a line that says, "I've had all of this life I can handle, meet me underneath that big Montana sky." I can't tell you how often we would sing various parts of that song while we were there, but that line in particular was one of my favorites, especially in the days before our trip. It seems that music was a big part of our trip. We took along a Christmas album to listen to while we were in the car and I will always relate our wonderful trip with that CD. It was the Robertson's Christmas album, 'Duck the Halls' and is now officially my favorite Christmas album. A wonderful blend of humor and traditional, it is an album that we all enjoyed.
I know I shared pictures each day of our adventures while we were there, but I still have more to share! I hope you don't get tired of them.
Tomorrow morning the boys will go hunting and then it is another day of family games and spending time together. Please pray that we will all stay well and especially pray for Amanda to stay healthy.
I wanted to share with you something from a devotional that especially spoke to me, and you will see why, but I hope that it is an encouragement to you as well:
Do not fear your weakness, for it is the stage on which My Power and Glory perform most brilliantly. As you persevere along the path I have prepared for you, depending on My strength to sustain you, expect to see miracles - and you will. Miracles are not always visible to the naked eye, but those who live by faith see them clearly. Living by faith, rather than sight, enables you to see My Glory.
From John chapter 11, verse 40 and the story of Lazarus:
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
I am grateful that I do believe. I believe that I see His glory everyday in our family and I look forward to seeing His glory throughout the days to come.
A few extra pictures from day one:
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| These two love flying! |
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| Beautiful mountains from a bird's eye view. |
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| Another huge thank you to the Montana State University Ladies Volleyball team for meeting us at the airport! |
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| Umm, I think we were a little under dressed..... |
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| Just the beginning of our breathtaking experience. |
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| My birthday lunch, so glad she was feeling good that day! |
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| This is how they waited for breakfast to cook this morning. So precious. |
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| Hope you have a blessed Christmas day! |
Merry Christmas!
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