Christmas Cheer

In lieu of yet another blog post, I decided to share a few photos that best capture how much fun we enjoyed this past Christmas season. All of our immediate family came to Bear Lake to celebrate the holidays and as you'll see, we had a great time. My brother and his wife and daughters joined us, as did my youngest sister, and her hubby. My mother (who lives in nearby Montpelier) loved seeing everyone, especially her two great-grandchildren.

We began our festivities by meeting up with some of Kennon's family in Pocatello for a fun feast on the 23rd of December. Then we journeyed to Preston, Idaho with our son, Devin, and his wife, Emily, to enjoy the traditional festival of lights.

The next day was Christmas Eve and some of our clan enjoyed another tradition: the annual Crane Trapshoot Adventure. (Shooting at clay pigeons, they determine who is the marksman/woman of the year.) Kris, Devin, and Emily had a blast, literally. ;)

That night we enjoyed our annual Christmas Eve Feast. We prepared a plethora of tasty finger foods, plus Kennon cooked up some lovely tenderloin steaks, and our sons steamed up shrimp to go with everything. Here my mother, Genevieve, and my daughter-in-law, Emily, are posing with some of our creations.

Since the next day was going to be a bit crazy (Kris had to leave early the next morning for work; the rest of us were planning on attending church in our ward, etc.) we opened most of our gifts that night. Here Kris is enjoying an entertaining family photo book that Snapfish helped me put together for everyone this year.

Devin is showing off one of his favorite gifts, a fancy new phone.

Kennon looks on as I unwrap the gift he surprised me with: tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Salt Lake City on the 28th.

 Derek and Kristen arrived with their cute offspring on Christmas Day. Here my granddaughter is posing with the adorable "Minion" hat her talented mother made.

Our grandson was also sporting a cute "Minion" hat. He took great delight in yanking it off in time to pose with his parents.

 We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Dinner, and then visited, played a variety of games, and watched a few fun movies. The next day, it was time to play in the snow. Here my nieces are posing with my granddaughter before playing in the white fluffy stuff.

 These girls had a great time riding the four-wheeler and hanging on for dear life in the attached sled.

Round two of the annual trap shoot. Kris drove back down for a couple of days, and he, Derek, and my brother, Tom, had a wonderful time blowing up clay pigeons. Later on, they would network between 3 computers and play an old school game, "Myth." A good time was had by all.

 Here I am, sporting my new Christmas Apron, a gift from a good friend. It came in handy as I continued to prepare delightful cuisine for everyone.

In this shot, my sister, Trudi, is posing with her new camera. 

 The next afternoon, Kennon and I left Hotel Crane in the care of our offspring, and headed to SLC for the concert. That night we toured Temple Square and enjoyed the beautiful lights.

 On the morning of the 28th, we enjoyed seeing several of the sights of SLC. Among other things, we journeyed up to explore "This Is the Place" monument, and visitors' center.

 We even made it out to the Tracy Aviary Park, which neither of us had ever seen before. It was a lot of fun, but things were turning off cold by then.

I think even the birds were a little bit chilled that day.

 We had tickets for the afternoon concert, so we headed to the Energy Solutions Arena shortly after eating lunch. It was a pleasant surprise to run into a couple of my cousins who happened to receive tickets to this same concert from their kids. Their seats were one row ahead of us. Quite the coincidence. We all had great seats and loved the show.

It was an awesome concert, something Kennon and I thoroughly enjoyed. If you ever get the chance, it's well worth seeing this band perform.

The holiday fun wasn't over yet. We enjoyed hanging out with some of Kennon's family at their condo over by Bear Lake on New Year's Eve. The next day, we savored New Year's dinner with my mother, and our son, Derek, our daughter-in-law, Kristen, and our wonderful grandchildren who were on their way home after spending a few days in Wyoming with Kristen's family.

Despite a silly camera battery snafu, we were able to recapture one of our 4-generation shots that was lost on Christmas Day. (Yes, I'm still pouting over that one. Grumble . . . grumble . . . complain some more.) We'll have to retake the one of Kennon's mother posing with Derek and his children. (Verdene had come down to join in the fun the day after Christmas.)

I think everyone had a great time. I apologize that not everyone's pictures made it into this post. My silly camera had issues during the holiday week and not all of the shots taken turned out, or even survived. (See grumble, grumble, complain some more comment above.) It was great seeing everyone, and to me, that's what the holidays are all about: spending time with loved ones.

Happy New Year!

Onto the New Year

I always rejoice in the beginning of a new year. There are endless possibilities and countless opportunities that lie ahead. I've decided that this year I'm keeping my New Year's resolution simple: Enjoy each day as it comes and make the most of it.

As the fearless leader in our ward's YW organization, it fell to me to teach yesterday's group lesson. It is a new tradition in our realm (we started doing this 3 years ago, actually) to begin the new year in YW by breaking down the new scripture theme into layman's terms. This helps us all to understand and treasure the new theme, savoring the comfort it can bring into our lives on a daily basis.

I've loved all of the scripture themes for YW so far, but this year's selection is a particular favorite. It is as follows:

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

There is such comfort to be found in those inspiring words. No matter where we are, no matter what is going on in our lives, God is with us. There is no need to fear.

At the time that this scriptural gem was given, Joshua was in the process of taking over the helm from Moses. Moses had passed away and it fell to Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. This was a daunting task. I'm sure in the beginning, Joshua lay awake at nights, worrying over everything bad that might take place. I suspect most of us are guilty of doing that when a tremendous challenge lies ahead. ;)

What Joshua learned, and what each one of us must realize is, we never face trials alone. It is important to be strong and of a good courage, to avoid feeling depressed or discouraged, knowing that the Lord is in our corner and all things are possible with His guidance and help. We simply have to place our trust in Him.

I recently read a wonderful article in the December 2009 issue of the Ensign magazine. (It is entitled "The Prince of Glory," by Elder Bruce D. Porter, pages 26-30 if you'd like to take a gander.) In this inspiring article, we are reminded that our Elder Brother descended below a world of light and glory into extremely humble circumstances. He did this for two reasons: to provide the means for all of us to eventually enjoy eternal life, and to experience every trial, heartache, and challenge anyone of us would ever face. He endured more than we can ever imagine during the time He spent in the Garden of Gethsemane. I tear up whenever I ponder the sacrifice He made on our behalf.

In Elder Porter's article he states: " . . . the power of Christ is not limited to payment for our sins. Through that power, He also took upon Himself the pains and sicknesses of His people, and He took upon Himself every negative consequence of a fallen world. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, 'Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved [Christ's] bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins.'

"Serious illness, family tragedies, and emotional struggles do not happen necessarily because we have sinned. Adversity and heartbreak happen to good people; such is the fruit of a fallen world. But having experienced tragedy, sickness and disappointment in His own life, the Savior knows how to strengthen us in such trials as well . . . We pay no eternal price for things over which we have no control, including harm done to us by others. The Atonement can heal us. The only thing for which we pay a spiritual price is misuse of our own agency, and for that the Savior has given us the Atonement."

The comforting peace that fills my heart whenever I think about all that our Elder Brother makes possible for us is a huge spiritual boost. The knowledge that no matter what happens in my life, I will have the help of heaven to survive, gives me the strength to continue forward.

Other ways to attain the strength we need for the challenging days ahead: prayer---truly a life-line to our Heavenly Father. I remember hearing several times that there are numerous blessings our Father longs to give us, but we need to ask for His help to receive those blessings.

Reading the scriptures daily fills my heart with peace, and strengthens my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It also helps me keep an eternal perspective when life happens and things don't turn out the way I had envisioned.

Temple Attendance is crucial during these turbulent latter-days. There are moments when I wish I could live within those sacred walls. And while I don't always receive the answers I might have been seeking while there, I always come away feeling fortified. More often than not, though, my heart and mind receive important promptings with regard to current challenges.

Keeping a positive outlook. I, for one, think this is important. Attitude is indeed everything in mortal mode. I suspect we often sink our own boats when we dwell on the negative side of things. Believing in ourselves and others is the way to succeed in life.

Build others up, don't tear them down. Emulate the Savior's example in reaching out to those around us who are struggling. We forget our own pain when we help someone else.

I could go on and on, but I think by now you're getting the gist of what I'm trying to say. This new year will be what we make it. True, we can't control the actions of others, but we can control ourselves. And in my opinion, if each one of us tried to make a positive difference this year,
2010 will be a year we'll remember fondly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Resolve to be Resolute =)

This time of year we tend to take a hard look at ourselves. A new year is on the horizon---what can we do to make it a better year than the one we just survived? ;) We look for ways to improve, perfect, and polish. That said, here's my take on things.

I suspect that we're a bit too hard on ourselves at the beginning of each new year. We ponder what we can to do be better people, not realizing how wonderful we already are. True, there's always room for improvement, but I think it's more important to compose an inventory of positive aspects, rather than a daunting list of items we can do to make ourselves the new, improved version. That way when we're having a bad day, or a series of bumps in the road during the new year, we can pull out our composition of "things I have accomplished" and bask in the wonderment of proficiency, instead of suffering pangs of discouragement for not meeting our goals for the new year.

If I were to create such a list it would include the following:

This past year I:

Survived the heartbreaking loss of a loved one.
Explored Zion's National Park for the first time ever.
Survived girls' camp despite a slight head injury. (Don't make fun---it could happen to anyone. Tents fall on people. Even tents with heavy metal poles, but I digress.)

Enjoyed several fun family reunions, including two that took place in Lava Hot Springs. Way cool!
Picked lots of huckleberries. (My family rejoiced over this item---this means awesome desserts for special occasions.)
Out-fished my husband. (I caught my limit and part of his. This is a secret.)
Camped . . . a lot.
Became a professional blogger. =) {again, don't make fun}
Grew one of the best gardens ever with my limited green thumb capabilities and our area's climate handicaps.
BECAME A NEW GRANDMOTHER!!!! Truly the highlight of my life thus far. And I'm sure my little granddaughter is the cutest baby ever. =D
Encouraged my missionary son to take better care of himself after a brief episode of dehydration. Silly him.
Talked to this same beloved missionary son three times this past year. Most excellent. I can't wait to see him this coming May.
Spent precious time with the rest of my kids. They are amazing people and I love hanging out with them.
Improved my average blood sugar level. (Quite the balancing act for a Type 1 diabetic with a crazy life.)
Exercised when life permitted.
Read the entire Book of Mormon, again. It was a challenge we gave the youth in our ward, so I figured I'd best be willing to tackle what we had asked of them.
Spent quality time with the young women that I serve. (I'm currently their fearless leader)
Made Christmas gifts for each member of our family this year. (Yep, I was crazy, but in a good way.)
Enjoyed this holiday season with our clan.

Wow! Now in my opinion, that's an awesome list of things accomplished. So during this next year, when life periodically takes a dive, I can reflect on what has transpired and know that come what may, I may actually love it. (Borrowing from Elder Wirthlin's last conference talk.)

So, as this new year sallies forth, don't come up with a list of resolutions that will cause discouragement. Pick one thing (if you want) that you would like to improve upon. Don't expect perfection. Do the best that you can and enjoy this new year. =)

Here's a poem I wrote last January that I think sums things up nicely:

Resolute

It’s January season
I survived the holidays
But now I have a reason
To feel some strong dismays.

It’s time for resolutions
I can’t even remember last year’s vows
I’m pondering solutions
That won’t lift local brows.

“It’s tradition!” is the war-cry
“Get yourself in gear!”
I feel like I’m on stand-by
About to get booted in the rear.

“I resolve to never worry!”
Oops, I already blew that goal
Making resolutions in a hurry
Took care of that loophole.

I promise to lose weight!
To only eat healthy food.
I won’t tempt an ugly fate
I’ll strive to be so good!

Does it count if I ate naughty treats
To celebrate New Year’s Day?
Or late-night snacks or sugary cheats
I met along the way?

What if I promise to never swear
Even if I’m in great pain—
Oh, yeah, I already kicked a chair,
It caused me to profane.

There’s always good old exercise
Working out to tone some flab,
Or getting enough rest to make me wise
And perhaps not such a crab.

Both of those take effort
Both take strength of will
Maybe I’m not such a sport
I think you know the drill.

Inspiration arrives at last
I resolve to dutifully prepare
Next year’s goal forecast
When I’m sure I just might care.

Cheri J. Crane January 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR OUT THERE!!! =)

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