HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Thirty-six years ago, Rod and I were married (sealed) in the Los Angeles Temple (LDS) and it's truly the best decision we ever made!!  Our life together has certainly had LOTS of adventures and amazing experiences, and some have even been extremely difficult.  However, we often say to each, "I'm SO glad we're in this together!!"  Life can be hard, it can also be VERY good!  We are truly grateful to be "in it together!" 

Each year we go out to dinner on our anniversary, and take our "Predictions" notebook with us.  We write down our predictions for the coming year, for ourselves, our children, our country, etc.  And then we look at last year's predictions and see if we got anything right, AND we record all the things that happened that we didn't predict.

A couple of the "non-predictions" for 2015 were our beloved Silverado and her foal dying.  That was awful!  The legalization of Same-Sex Marriage, equally disturbing, but on a very different level.  We are not against equal rights; we are against government declaring changes to what God has established.  

We also broke with tradition this year...by eating at Texas Roadhouse...we usually eat at a Mexican Restaurant.  Next time I'll tell them to "hold the pepper" on my steak, rather than pouring the whole bottle on there...it was cooked really well...just had to wash all the pepper off in my water glass!  Same with the sauteed mushrooms!  Oh well.  Live and learn!

We had gone to a few stores before our dinner...including Deseret Industries where we got a couple of books for $1 each!  We also bought some new towels at Kohls while they were on sale!  We came home and made our own Anniversary dessert of hot fudge sundaes, and had some beautiful flowers and a card dropped off by Nat and Rj...from all of the kids.  

 Another memorable anniversary!!

Christmas 2015

We held our 20th Annual Hunt/Schram Christmas Eve party on the 24th, and it was great!!

There always seems to be SOMETHING we're dealing with, and this year was no different.  Julie was about 10 days post-op after a rather extensive surgery and a difficult recovery.  Yet...she came to the dinner!!  Talk about a trooper!!!

 We held the dinner at Hardison's home next door to us.  We had 25 people there...and all but 3 were adults.

Hardisons had the perfect room for our gathering.  Dave's large recliner chair was perfect for Julie to sit in and was much more comfortable than a regular chair.  I think that's the only reason she was able to stay the whole time.  I was very grateful to Hardison's for their generosity and willingness to host our dinner.

The other's who came were Faith and Devon, Ryan, Holly, Heidi and Michael, & Lydia (Heidi is pregnant and due in June), Rod and I, Kristy, Mil, Hans, Dezmond and Cayman, Nat and Rj, Sharon McPherson, Jackie Coyle, Doris Jones, Roxi Wellhoff, Glen and Norma Hovey, and, of course, Dave and Belinda Hardison.  We missed Harrison and Neldon who both had to work.

The food was good...ham, Elsie's potatoes, pomegranate salad, pretzel salad, apple/banana salad, rolls, tossed salad, and then oatmeal cake with carmel sauce and whipped cream.  Delicious!!

But the program was the best!!
 We dressed up Lydia as Mary (in a linen headdress and a baby)

Dezmond in a beige headdress as Jospeh,


Sticky (the stick horse that gallops and whinnies) which was the donkey that Mary rode.

"Baby Jesus" was placed in the wool-covered carseat (manger), as Rod read parts of Luke 2 while Mary and Joseph and the 

donkey walked in. 

Everyone loved it.  

Nat and I played a violin/piano duet of Away in a Manger

Holly and Heidi sang What Child Is This



Norma Hovey played Silent Night;










Rod played O Come O Come Emmanuel on his flute

and then we all sang several Christmas carols.

Dezmond led with his music stick,  and he also sang a solo of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.   His bowing afterwards was great, too!

 

After the dinner, and cleaning up, the kids and Rod and I went home and opened presents together.   Of course, there were the traditional pj's... 

We got a good laugh when Kristy explained that her gifts were out of her closet and headed to DI, then she decided they would make great gifts!  The really funny thing was when Kristy opened one of my presents, I explained it had been in my closet and was going to DI, but then I thought it might really work for Kristy!!  It was a cool pair of cream and black pants that I just wouldn't wear...Ahhhh, we think alike....and then Amelia and I gave each other the same gift...a Ann Romney cookbook from Deseret Bookstore!!  That was funny too!

Dezmond and Cayman LOVE the marble track we got them for Christmas...and the light sabers that Nat and Rj  got them!!

Rod and I got a new phone system for the house...which I love!  I gave him season tickets for two to Tuacahn; he gave me some beige pants that I really like and some riding gloves.  He also got me some new horse brushes that I really needed!!  Hooray!!

EJ and Lena Patino sent the boys two ceramic fire trucks that are banks...they think they're pretty cool!!

Christmas morning, after opening presents at home with Kristy, we went to Kirchhausen's and had breakfast together, then watched the movie Christmas Eve with Jenny Oaks Baker.  It was a fun and relaxing morning.  Then we headed home and relaxed some more!!!

And to finish things off, Dezmond took Cayman for a Christmas ride in their new Porsche!!!

 

We love making memories to last a lifetime!!