December

The day after Thanksgiving (it's almost December!) I start getting ready for the Christmas holiday. So first thing of course is getting the house all dressed up in the festive decor. Becky was a big help. She put up the tree, decorating it perfectly and hanging up all 20 socks. I spent the day figuring out what to do with the rest of the house. But when finished, we felt like, OK, it's really Christmas time now!

December......Ahh, the activities with neighbors, grandchildren, and family begins.

December 17.....
Our cute little Allie and Becca are in the Lehi Children's Choir so we've enjoyed seeing them perform for a few years now. Becca does a great job with her violin solo and Allie's got a voice that gets her solo parts, too. They even performed on Temple Square this year. Good job!
December 20........
Lynda's birthday's the 20th. What a special Christmas baby she was. We love her and went to her home to celebrate her day. Dianne, her mother-in-law made a fabulous dinner and the little kids maybe ate one bite of it. But all us oldies loved it!
Happy Birthday Lynda.......and Happy Birthday Mason. His was December 9th. Mason turned 4 and is quite a busy-body.
My Sister Susan also had a birthday this month. We (me, Annette, and Susan) celebrated her's by taking a whole day and evening and just eating lunch & dinner out, going to a movie, and shopping, shopping, oh did I mention shopping? Then we just talked and laughed till late at Annette's house.
December 23....
Megan's on the girls basketball team at Lehi High School, so thought I'd go see her make some baskets and she did! She is their teams best blocker. Never knew I'd see the day when a grandchild would be taller than me.

December 24.....Christmas Eve...
We went to Julie and Todd's home for Christmas Eve. Todd ended up working on call at the hospital all of Christmas Eve. Too many people were breaking bones on the ice, falling off roofs, or driving drunk. Kept him busy all night. Glad we could give Julie and the kids some company for the evening. Mason and Sarah sang some nice Christmas songs for us while sitting under the tree.
December 25.......CHRISTMAS DAY...........
After a nice traditional Christmas breakfast Bernell, Becky, and I opened some presents. Then the kids began to arrive and the gift opening continued.
Lynda, Joe, Liam, Ava, Jonah, Breton

Lots of picture taking took place. Always try to get family pictures in front of the Christmas tree.

Lori, Bill, Isaac, Becca, Allie, Megan
Becky, Bernell, Nancy..........Todd, Julie, Sarah, Mason, Emma

More company came, my sisters and brother with some of their families. About 30 people in all. This is the time when our house shrinks. Got noisy and busy with all the people but nice they all came. Can't imagine what Christmas day would be like without family here. Always have had a good crowd. Love them all!

It began to snow and storm as they all left that evening, so I worried about their drive home. Thank-goodness all got home safely but the roads were pretty bad.

December 26..........
Lots of snow to shovel.......Becky again coming to the rescue, Bernell had to work in the temple that morning; neither one of us can work the snow blower so it was a big job.

Becky's out with me as I try to take a few night pictures. The lights in the bushes glowed red but didn't show up in the pictures very well. Look hard and you might see a little pink showing in the mound in front of Becky.

December 29.....
Reva Beth had her traditional after Christmas family gathering in Springville. She made the best carrot pudding I ever tasted! Enjoyed visiting with Mac's family, Reva Beth's family and all our family except Lynda's came. (She had a bad cold).
December 31......
New Year's Eve.......
After this all the festive lights go out for another year. I'll miss them. They brighten the early dark skies of December. At least the days now will start getting longer.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Pink Jumper

Christmas 1963.
My brother, Garry, was on his mission in Scotland so it was Ken, Susan, Annette, Mom and Dad, and me for Christmas morning. I was all of 19 years of age. My special present was a fuzzy wool pink jumper. I loved it!

I dressed up in it the next day so I could go to the Thursday night dance at the Terrace Ballroom.


The old place was located between 4th and 5th south on Main Street in Salt Lake City. I rode in the backseat of a Volkswagon with 2 other girls to the dance.

I really didn't like going to dances because I wasn't good at dancing and usually didn't get asked but this time it was different......

......a very tall guy wearing horned-rimed glasses asked me to dance and we got somewhat acquainted during the evening. At the conclusion he asked me out for New Year's Eve and I accepted.

My life changed after that evening wearing my new pink jumper to a dance. Six months later, I married that tall guy, Bernell.
Over 20 years ago this old ballroom was torn down. Made me sad. In the 30s it was called the Coconut Grove and changed to the Rainbow Rendezvous in the 40s. Mom and Dad met there at that time. In the 50s, changed to Terrace Ballroom. In 1963, here I met Bernell and a couple of years later after Garry returned from his mission he met his wife, Deanna, there.

Lynda's Birthday

37 years ago today, Lynda made her appearance into our family. A second daughter! Wow, never thought I'd have 2 girls. Nice Christmas present; brought her home from the hospital in a little red Christmas sock the nurses made for all December babies. Lori wasn't quite sure what to make of this new little sister.

So we had a nice Christmas celebration with our family and our new little daughter.

1973 ----- When Lynda had her 2nd birthday, we decided to have Santa come and make it special. Lynda and Lori are having fun sitting on his knee.
1974 ---- Santa came again next year, too.
And again all the aunts, uncles, cousin, grandmas, and grandpas came. This is Lynda, Ken, LaRae, and Sue.
Here are Elwood, Reva, Dad, Mom, Woody, and Annette enjoying dinner at the pool table; we'd add the ping pong board top which then made a very large table in the basement for the numerous crowd.
1975 ---- Another Christmas birthday cake.
.......and again lots of family, cousins, and of course, Santa! Annette is sitting on the fireplace, and children of Arnold, Woody, and Beth look like they are excited to see Santa.
I've introduced our 3rd daughter, Julie, to Santa this year.

1976 ---- This is a special picture of Reva (Grandma Loveridge). It's the last one we ever took of her. She passed away only a few weeks after this birthday Santa party.
1977 ---- Lynda drew a Christmas picture of a snowman and an angel. When I decorated her birthday cake, I copied her drawing and iced the cake with the same figures.
1978 ---- Santa came one last time for Lynda's birthday. And again, everyone had a good time with him. We continued to have a big family gathering on her day celebrating her birthday and the Christmas season.

Lynda is a special daughter, now with a busy family of her own. I am so privileged to be her mom and love her very much.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNDA!