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Hello All!

It just seems that our lives haven't slowed down since our plane touched down in that snowy winter scene last weekend! After a week in the tropic, bit of culture shock that!

After a few days of recuperating from our trip... including relaxing moments washing clothes, grocery shopping, "what's for dinner, Mom?” dishes, dental appointments (you know... those precious moments sitting around… that can cause amazing amounts of pain, and require you to pay for the privilege)... I did finally manage to get back into the swing of a daily routine somewhat and begin to enjoy the Christmas Season.

Since our Christmas letter was mailed, Den officially resigned from his job and is basically moving across the street to an entirely new position... same pay grade, less time on the job, and less time traveling. No more commuting to DC... all that means more time at home, we hope! He had time the week we came back, to box up his office, since folks have pretty much stopped calling or e-mailing him now... I think that was a definitive statement...I'm leaving folks, no joke! His last official day in this job is the 29th. This past weekend the family spent a quiet weekend in Williamsburg , for some fun and R&R before all the holiday excitement began in Ernest... and so-o-o-o...

Last night we (me, the girls and 3 friends) drove to Staunton, VA to see a production of the the 'Christmas Carol' done by the Shakespeare Blackfriers. This is the only authentic reproduction of a Shakespearean theater in the USA . Tomorrow Den and I are attending a formal military Christmas Dinner dance at Ft Belvor...and today as I type this, our two girls and 3 of their friends are sitting in our darkened family room watching a marathon of Lord of the Rings (LOTR) the extended versions, (beginning at 6 am this morning). They will be joined this afternoon by more friends, for a late afternoon viewing of the third in the LOTR trilogy, Return of the King! After the movie tonight... there will be a LOTR Gala Pizza Party! (I however am going to bed). After a long sleep-in the girls will drive to DC to finish their Christmas shopping at one of the larger malls and then take 2 of the girls home. (a-a-h-h was I ever that young and crazy!)

Personally I think nearly 9 hours of LOTR movies is a bit much for me, so I will just pick a few pieces and parts to watch and go see the movie tonight. The girls have planned this down to the micro second...I even have a program guide in front of me detailing the 3 days of activities and times... :> My shopping is finished, except for Den... Everything is wrapped, almost... just have some baking to finish, and that is abbreviated from past years. Now if I can just set aside a bit of time to finish my Christmas Quilt and also squeeze in time to clean the traffic patterns on the rugs, I'll be satisfied… mostly :>

However it looks as if our holidays will be cut short as Den's dad's health is deteriorating. He has been in the hospital and his physical condition requires him to be moved out of his assisted care facility and into a nursing home by the end of December at the latest. Decisions must be made about his future and what to do with his possessions etc. So either Den will fly out to CO or he and I will drive straight through (42 hours in the seat) beginning on 26 Dec and be gone 10 days to 2 weeks, maybe more...just depends! Because of the change in jobs, he can now afford to take the leave to deal with this situation! God's leading and timing as usual, is perfect.

In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy our special moments with the girls through the holidays and face whatever the New Year brings when the time comes. 

Dennis, DJ, Jenny & Bridget