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Friday, December 9, 2016

Tree decorating, Christmas pageant, $118k - just the usual Christmas happenings.

It's been a busy week y'all!  Lots of school activities, PTO work, Christmas shopping, etc.  You know - the usual December craziness.

But first, before I delve into all the highlights, a quick Dan update.  Apparently his boss said "We need to try to get you home for a few days."  So, NEXT Saturday (not tomorrow, but NEXT Saturday) he is scheduled to be home after taking the red-eye Friday night. 

That means, he will arrive home on the 17th.  But I'm not sure when he leaves again.  Will he be home two days and head back to Seattle for a few days and then come back for a couple days for Christmas and then head back?  Or will he be home for a week and go back after Christmas?

Dan's not sure yet.  Although he feels like unfortunately it will be the former and not the later.  :(

But again, I'm thankful he has a job, thankful he's healthy, but most of all - I'm thankful the kids are old enough to give themselves a bath and put themselves to bed!  :)  But seriously though, if you could keep Can in your prayers I would appreciate it.  He is working 12 hour days (including weekends) and I know he's worn out.

On Sunday the kids and I headed to one of the local Christmas tree lots to pick out the perfect tree.  My brother went with us because there was no way I was getting a tree home and in the house without some manpower.

Since we always take a picture in front of the tree when we cut it fresh from the mountains, I thought we needed to continue the tradition even if though were at the tree lot...


The big brick sign in the background adds an extra special touch, don't cha think??

Then the kids and I decorated the tree and we took all the usual cheesy tree-decorating photos.
















We even set the timer to take one of the three of us...








And here's a picture of our house with the lights and wreaths.



On Tuesday night we had the school's Christmas pageant.

Here are a couple of phone snaps from the evening:








And at the end of the pageant, the school revealed the final results of our Giving Tuesday campaign.  Not sure if I mentioned that here or not but a donor told the school that if we could raise $25,000 on Giving Tuesday, he would give the school an additional $50,000!!!

And we raised (including the $50k match) a whopping $118,000!!!!  That is HUGE for our little school.  Here I am with the Principal, the Director of Advancement and the other PTO board members!   


So now the PTO has been busy getting tee shirts printed for every student to wear next Friday which is going to be called Mercy Pride Day.  And we are also planning a special lunch - free Chick-Fil-A for everyone and an afternoon of movies on the big screen.  The big kids will get to watch Elf and the little kids will watch Santa Buddies. 

I need to get back to my online shopping! Have a great weekend everyone!

4 comments:

Billie Jo said...

Congratulations Beth!
That is amazing!

Ok...your tree is beautiful.
And so are you and your children.
I love the time you all spend together.
I will keep your husband in our prayers...
Hopefully he will be home sweet home soon.
Have a relaxing weekend!

Madeline said...

Wow, that is a great total! I am so so impressed. I will pray for Dan, and your whole family. It must be hard on everyone. I hope he is able to be home for a good stretch and not just popping in before Christmas! Your tree is gorgeous, I love Rebecca's ornament shining so bright in that picture with you. It's like she was there decorating with her family. She probably was. Have a wonderful weekend!! (Oh, and how tall did Peter get?! Goodness he towers over everyone!)

Mari said...

Your tree is really pretty! I can't believe how tall Peter has gotten!
Such exciting news for your school - that's really incredible.
Praying for all of you - it's hard to have your hubby gone, even when you understand and appreciate his work.

Busy Bee Suz said...

What a fantastic fundraiser for the school....wowza!
The tree looks absolutely lovely! I hope Dan gets a much needed break and can enjoy some family time.
I forgot to tell you that I've loved your Christmas wreaths every time you've shared/posted about them. Guess what? I got wreaths for all of our windows (that face the street) and I just love them! I copied you 100%!!!!
Have a great weekend.
Suz