I’m sitting at the kitchen table where the smell of potato soup still hangs in the warm air. When I look outside, it seems like a one-horse open sleigh should be jingling down the hillside but all I actually see is beautiful white snowflakes falling gently against the evergreen trees. There’s a lovely amount of snow on the ground, covering the brown grasses and leaf remnants of fall. The skates are being sharpened and sleds sit by people’s front doors. Winter is here and I’m overjoyed! Yay!

We arrived home – a loose word for us these days- from Conference a week ago Friday night. We moved out of our bus for the winter the day before we left for Conference so there has been a lot of in between the last few weeks. Due to a lovely offer from friends, we have a cozy basement and house to stay in until April so we are really excited about not sticking it out in the cold all winter, although the outdoor shower in 8*F certainly was exhilarating while it lasted.

Conference. How do you sum it up in a few words? It was amazing. Reconnecting. Rethinking. Reminders. And the warmth of everyone walking towards the same goal. Things seem easier when you’re with all those people you want to see in Heaven. Now we’re home and I think of the things we are in this battle against as I go through my day and remind myself that my all must be on the altar. Simple as that. I have been impressed this week because I have pulled my phone out for various reasons and our time in Tupelo came rushing back (bet not many people say that and want to remember Tupelo) and I remembered why we’re here and the peace surrounding the decisions of all of us. But the fight isn’t going away, so let’s pray extra much for each others battles. And if you happen to have notes to share from Conference, I would love to read your thoughts. We shared a room with Mom and Madison and Dillons and the boys were next door. It was so fun. Soaked up time with the cutest nephews and family and the whole week was just what we needed. We ended up across the road from some of Morgans family too so we had meals with Mom in law and sat together some.

This week has been kind of crazy. I was sick a lot of the week, and everyone else in BC is sick as well so we canceled school from last Tuesday through the end of the week. This week we’ll hopefully be back in business and the bugs will have gone through everyone by the time all the Christmas activities come around. Morgan has been fine and worked up at the ranch a couple of days, but this morning isnt feeling well so who knows. I have been working on Christmas school things since there’s not much else to do . We are doing a Walk through Bethlehem nativity for our school Christmas program this year which requires a bit of gathering supplies and making odds and ends so there’s been plenty of that to keep busy with. I’ve made a few trips to Value Village already and I’m not complaining.

Yesterday marked six months that Dad-in-law Kevin has been gone. I sometimes feel like I don’t know who I am anymore or who I was before our Dads were gone. We miss Morgans Dad every day. We’re looking into buying a house and I selfishly think we need him here so much. He did so much good and helped with our questions and was an underlying support for so many people and now he’s gone. Our evenings get long, for sure now that it gets dark at 4 in the afternoon. So we end up at Lance&Tashas alot or ask people if we can stop in for coffees so we don’t go crazy sitting and overthinking. I do a lot of comparing from where I was 6 months after my dad died, to now when it’s 6 months after my spouses dad. It’s not healthy, I suppose. But I tell myself if I got through it once, we will get through this again. We do request your prayers. Having no dad in either of our lives is just a shock and leaves a huge void we don’t know how to replace. Also tomorrow, Monday, would have been Dad Kevins 59th birthday so just a lot of heavy stuff the last couple days.

Yesterday we both felt well enough to go for a drive so we got coffees at a new coffee shop in Armstrong- London fog was maybe 3/10- and then we drove up to Farmstrong Cider which is a cider place obviously but with a huge cool barn you can eat supper in. They had a Christmas market so we sat in the entrance line for half an hour and sipped our drinks and talked. We toured around the market for awhile and found some Christmas gifts and a lovely pottery coffee cup for ourselves that is just THE perfect size and shape so of course if you’re lucky enough to find that you buy it immediately. This morning we are looking forward to church and a busy school week ahead of us. May or may not put out a little Christmas idea list this week. Wishing you all a courage-filled week.