Family Christmas

It's great being with family and friends for Christmas. Dot celebrated with our family, as every year. We went to the Rockettes Christmas show several days before ... and enjoyed seeing a fountain out on the Hillsborough River, and palm trees. Only in Florida for Christmas! The towers of the Univ. of Tampa are in the distance.

I gave Heather and Bruce a German greeting sign: "Willkommen" (welcome).

It was good hearing Bruce preach on the weekend... the stage was fixed up really fun with brightly wrapped gifts.

Let it SNOW

No, these are not REAL snowmen in my apartment-- they are made from toilet paper & much imagination. The one to the left "bobbed" from left to right, as if plugged in, during the judging by our little "jury."

For Christmas our Connexxion group had a fun party in which 3 teams were busy at work -- here are the results.

You can also see us singing a few Christmas carols!

Candy canes, Cookies & the Christmas Season

This time of year is marvelous for having little (and larger) get- togethers-- to sing carols, bake cookies, decorate and celebrate the Reason for the Season! Recently 4 of us made festive tea light holders out of a special transparent paper, wallpapering glue and old jars. Marlen was the "artist in residence" showing how everything was done.

We capped off the evening by baking cookies! Mom and Dad, this is a recipe from the Martha Stewart Living cookbook you gave me!

This Friday our campus ministry, along with the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group (called Christian Union, in England & Australia) handed out about 500 candy canes, along with a description of their meaning. We were inside the lobby entrance of a main univ. cafeteria.I am pictured with Tommy, who is an exchange student from OU. A major THANK YOU to all my friends who sent them in packages from the States quickly during this crazy mailing time of year.

Last but not least... here i am at the Christmas Market in my city, with my friend Miriam and her parents. Funny enough, on the same Sunday I had TWO friends whose family was visiting... and they wanted to celebrate Advent together and also visit the market!