HOLIDAY TIME!

No snow - yet! I am so excited for Christmas time. I love the lights, candles, goodies, yummy drinks...but the most wonderful thing about the season is family! I have a whole new huge appreciation for FAMILY. FAMILY - it is something we get stuck with, go through hard times with, get angry with, have a blast with, make memories with, encourage each other, admonish one another, support in hard times, cheer in successful times, and can't leave out ~ make fun of.

There are grandparents, aunties, uncles, in laws, cousins, nephews, nieces, um....is there more? oh yes! haha sons and daughters, moms and dads. As children, we don't choose who our family is, but we choose to remain with them - or - the unthinkable - leave them.

I am so so thankful for my family - my parents Gene and Shirley Vanderhoff, sisters Judy and Janice, brothers Del and Earl, (By choice, my husband Joseph), sister-in-laws Susie, June and Agnes, brother-in-laws Todd, Jeff, and Dick. Sons Jason, Jordan, Jaron, and daughter Julianne. Nieces Jill, Paige, Stacy, Katie, Jody, Jessi, Dolly. Nephews Adam, Andrew, Ben, Andy, Tim, Charles, Luke, Ryan, Drew, Jeremiah, Josh. There are niece-in-laws Maki, Cheyenne, Esther, Shirley, Terra, Rose...and nephew-in-laws Ethan, Jared, Dave, Bryan, Jeremy. We cannot stop there - the grand nieces are Sophia, Lydia, Annie, Arisa, Erika, Hannah, Georgi, Ruthie, Olivia, Anna - grand nephews are Isaiah, Devon, Ben-Ben, Abraham, Gideon, Chandler, Jake, London, Will, Jaxon.

Wow - this sounds almost like the genealogy of Jesus!

Merry Christmas to my dear family. May God bless each and every one of you!