Happy Things

• Chad's arrival home
• In church (with everyone else) singing the chorus to "In a Cave" "No hell, no hell, no hell . . ." instead of "Noel, noel, noel . . ." because of the story of the little boy who got mixed up and sang it that way. We sang it that way to remind us that Jesus' coming and salvation made it so we never have to experience hell
• Jose telling us about the movie he made about Grandpa, and how he may have made Grandpa's life out to be more colorful than it actually has been--then trying to imagine Grandpa Sandford getting busted in the military for bringing a girl on base!
• Hearty CK Sandford family singing
• Finding one little spot of Sprint coverage between our house and the Hansens'--praying that I wouldn't be attacked by a cougar, wildcat, mountain lion, or whatever might be lurking on a dark winter night when I went out in the pitch black to send two text messages
• Bright stars
• Adam P. recommending that Clyde, for his 21st birthday, buy a handgun and a bottle of wine--and SHOOT THE WINE!
• Chad telling us about his self-appointed fashion advisor student: "Your tie doesn't match today!"
• Ice on the reservoir
• Seeing Aunt Linda again for the first time in more than a year
• Dad labeling a gift to himself from "Mom." He meant Grammie (Mom's mom), but I was wondering if it came by special delivery from GranBeth in heaven
• Clyde to Chad: "How late were you hoping to sleep in in the morning?"
  [Chad gives Clyde a quizzical look. We all know that he doesn't like it when Clyde tosses too violently in bed if Chad is trying to sleep.]
  Chad: "You can get ready quietly. What time are you getting up?"
  Clyde: "6:45, but I set three alarms to get me up!"
• Chad to Clyde, regarding his application to St. A's, Chad's alma mater: "Do they know you're my brother? . . . You have to know how to work the system!"
  Clyde: "Yeah, I told them on the application that you were my brother and were valedictorian."
  Chad [incredulous]: "They had a space for that on the application?!"
  Clyde: "No, but I wrote it in."
  Chad: "Oh, Clyde! That's over the top."
  [Me dying laughing because Chad had just instructed Clyde to "work the system," which it seemed like he did far too well without prompting]
• Discovering Postum laced with agave nectar and coconut milk
• Marveling at Patrick Doyle's musical genius on yet another soundtrack
• A beautiful concert of Christmas music on TV, performed in the Trondheim (Norway) Cathedral, and knowing that I've been there!
• Trying to figure out why the beautiful concert music blanked out on the phrases "Christ is born in Bethlehem" and "Jesus, our Immanuel," until I remembered that we were watching on a system with TV-G
• The sense of awe and worship I feel on Christmas Eve--and thinking about how Jesus, King of Kings, came to earth to live and die for me
• Celebrating Grammie's 100th Christmas with her