Family Ski Day

WE managed to escape 9 degree temperatures and 15 mile an hour winds by driving south to Blue Wood Ski Resort outside Dayton.  It was the most beautiful day!  The snow was perfect, the temperature was perfect.  Wilson's girlfriend Stephanie also joined us for her first time on a snowboard and she did great!

Wilson and Stephanie-  boarding buddies.

Good News!  They had a pair of size 16 boots!  Bad news, they only fit ginormous skis.

Snowboard Ninja Wilson

Cooper took Marcos on a run and so I grabbed my snowshoes and had a wonderful tromp through the snow with Jack Johnson.  

Marcos wore three pair of sweat pants as well as his snow pants!  He was plenty warm and padded for his falls.  He did so well this year!

Christmas Blessing

I saw the Savior twice this month. I didn't see his face. I saw two poignant Christ-like behaviors and recognized Him in two special people.

One Saturday Wilson was angry, agitated and defeated. His broken brain was more than he could handle. He was overwhelmed with lost privileges, failed classes and demotions. After shattering glass all over my bedroom and chasing me down in the car to hurl epithets, he curled up on the couch in fetal position and gave up. I was too hurt and afraid to show him compassion or kindness. Cooper could. Coop packed up Wilson's basketball clothes, gave him the Gatorade he had bought for himself and gently persuaded him onto the sports bus, minutes before departure. He did this with no expectation of gratitude, no acknowledgment of his kindness and only meanness in return. It was an act of pure love, like the Good Samaritan.

10 minutes before his basketball game, Wilson's anxiety shut him down again. He threw his jersey in the locker room and walked out of the gym. His behavior was inexcusable.  The coach came by the house late that night. I expected to hear anger, yelling and Wilson getting kicked off the team. Instead I saw the coach open his arms wide and embrace Wilson. With undeserved compassion, he gave Wilson a second chance and told him he would see him at practice on Saturday.

I saw the Savior when I saw unmerited, unreciprocated, unconditional love and kindness. I saw the Savior with the offer of a second chance. I saw mercy. I saw grace. I saw Jesus Christ this Christmas.

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Christmas 2014

This is the last Christmas with all of my children living in our home.  I've tried not to think about it too much, but that fact has motivated me to live in the present more often.  I'm glad we have traditions for December.  They make me feel safe and secure and bring back happy memories of years past.  Here are a few of my favorites


Winterfest weekend:  Fireworks, shopping on main street, Christmas parade

First Presidency Broadcast:  Unexpected company showed up for dinner this year and we experienced a miracle of the "loaves and the fishes"  with plenty to eat, even on a fast Sunday!  The broadcast and music was beautiful.

Rocky Road:  Tony toasted the almond to perfection and the marshmallow was straight from heaven.  Tony's nurse reports that it makes her "toes tingle."

Gingerbread cookies:  We cancelled the traditional house and the train and invited the neighborhood to come make cookies. It was a diabetic coma waiting to happen, but a lot of fun.

Ward Party:  No traditional ham dinner for the Colfax ward!  This year we had build-your-own burritos.  It was as stressful for me as it's always been and I relish the fact that I only have one more to do as Bishop's wife.  Delegation and efforts to include others increased my  stress, but were a great opportunity to involve people we don't often see at church.

School Christmas Program:  Our SJE choir was a great addition to the Christmas program.  As always, the highlight was ending the evening with the whole town singing Silent Night, our choir sang the harmony part!

The Nutcracker:  Our cousin Evalie performed in the Nutcracker this year in Moses Lake.   She was a beautiful angel and we were enthralled with the sets and costumes!

Ice Skating on Christmas Eve:  This might have been the most brilliant idea ever.  It is so fun to see all the cousins and have fun on the ice.  What a Christmasy way to start the day!

Family Christmas program:  I found a perfect Christmas program book at the second hand store for .25 cents and now we have a traditional program.  Of course the men singin , "Guard Him Joseph" always makes me cry.  This year all four of my boys sang with their Dad and it was a lovely Christmas gift.  Since no one in my family wears pajamas,  everyone received Nike sweatshirts and sweats and slippers.  Our dinner was delicious.  The kids all helped with the veggie tree.  Grandma brought chips and dip.   Jill is a pretzel jello expert and Stacey has mastered the potatoes.  We missed Tyler and Chelsea, as we always do.

Christmas morning:  Last year of 5 kids on the staircase waiting to see what Santa brought.  Marcos, our sole believer,  left carrots and cookies out for Santa and the reindeer.   Everyone was happy and thankful with their gifts and had fun giving gifts as well.

Christmas Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa

12th year at the beach

This year's trip to the beach was particularly bittersweet. Things will be different next year. Betsy will be going to school in Provo, Wilson will not be living at home and missions will be on our minds. This Thanksgiving felt like the last chapter of 12 beautiful years, and it was perfect.

We made good time to Portland, even with a delicious stop at Burgerville in the Dalles. We loaded up at Betsy's and were at the beach by 6;00. Hainsworths were right behind us and the hungry pilgrim feast kicked off by 7:30. Some of us enjoy the hungry pilgrim feast even more than the Thanksgiving feast!

The turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning was cancelled due to gale force winds and a deluge of rain. Only Tony, Betsy, John and I were crazy enough to brave the wind and rain. Later, when it cleared, we had football on the beach.

Our feast was perfect, and simple. Andrea did a great job with the turkey, Rhodes made nice rolls, and Costco offered perfect stuffing and gravy. After the feast we went to the movies and even managed to eat popcorn. When we got home we shared what we were thankful for. It was a tender moment as we remembered happy memories with James and our kids expressed gratitude for this yearly tradition. We spent the rest of the evening in the hot tub and playing games. Screwy Louie was the game of the weekend, a Lundberg family favorite from Las Vegas.

Friday morning was a delicious sleep in day. The weather was even worse than the day before, but we were undaunted. Lughesworths do hard things! We went to Tillamook to fuel up on ice cream and cheese and drove to Pacific City. In pelting rain and gale force winds we climbed the dunes to the top in an activity Jackson described as both "moronic and asinine." We were sopping wet, cold and happy. The grownups ditched the kids with cup of noodles soup and went to dinner for some great fish. It was a dinner to remember. Tony decided to share his grand views on environmentalism while we were held captive in the restaurant. Of all the areas of concern in our lives, it was remarkable that Tony chose paper plates as our area of. On wen. He may never live it down.

Saturday was the big shopping day. We started at the Goodwill and had a contest to see who could find the best deal. I think I won with the Cole Haan shoes for Andrea, but she found me a Cold Water Creek Christmas dress. Even the teenagers had a ton of fun. We spend a lot of the day (and a lot of money) at the outlet malls, but got lots of things ready for Christmas!

We snuggled in that evening and played games and finished application essays. Betsy Andrea and I sat in the hot tub until we were prunes trying to figure out complexities. We are such different people than we were in our 20s, but thankfully we have done it together. It was some serious vulnerability and brutal honesty.

Sunday we drove to The Dalles, went to church and then met Pres Pennington in Moscow. Somehow the loser Lundbergs failed to recognize that an ecclesiastical endorsement included an interview with the Stake President. It was a final hour interview, but we got it done. Now we just pray with all our energy that Wilson is accepted to the college where he will have the most success.



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Location:Lincoln City Oregon