Christmas and Sledding

Christmas at the Hanson's - after several delays and waiting on planes we ended up in Minnesota late Saturday night with Leanna and William facing the chilly evening to pick us up.  Christmas was coming and there were lots of last minute preparations and shopping that needed to be done and as with tradition, we found ourselves at Target filling up our baskets with lots of goodies and gifts!  What a fun time we had - Christmas eve we attended the late service and then cooked up some pasta and other yummy sides for dinner.  We shared our meal then played games and watched a movie and when the kids where finally tucked in, us grown-ups headed up to wrap and watch 'Christmas Vacation'  We laughed and wrapped till 2am and finally went to bed in anticipation of what Christmas morning revealed!

Christmas day was spent enjoying our gifts and each other, movies, games and ping pong and more food.  We celebrated with double chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, compliments of Gillian, the baker!  The next day held a soccer match at Brit's and celebration of William and the arrival of J, Corynn and G.

Finally all together, the Stuck and Hanson's celebrated and caught up with all the happenings and as we all gathered around the table, sang Happy Birthday to Will who turned 11 years old!  What fun.

We decided to sled the next day and headed to Staring Lake for some winter fun.  It had been snowing all night and day so the ground was covered and promised some fresh snow for sledding.  And, it has been snowing on and off the last few days as well.  Enjoying FAMILY TIME for sure.

Packing Day and Snow!

As I sit here listening to the sounds of pots clanking, tape tearing and paper crinkling, I watch the soundless snow falling to the ground and my mind is already traveling to California where the warmth of the sun's rays will soon be hitting my face.  Today is the first day of winter, and boy it sure rolled in with a vengeance, it is cold and the wind chill probably has the temps in the low teens.   It is hard to keep the chill out and seeing the house slowly emptying of its contents the cold sets in a little further.  Deep in my heart I long for the sunshine of California, but I know I will miss the beauty of Pennsylvania and all the wonders we have seen, even on days like today.

 

The emptiness of the cupboards and bare walls remind me that as easily as things come, they also go so I need to enjoy this moment.  I am looking forward to the time in Minnesota with family, but I am here now in this moment, enjoying the sights and sounds that surround me on this chilly winter day.

So, wow, it is really happening.  We are moving, again.  What a whirlwind of activity that has brought us to this moment.

As we close out the last few weeks of 2012 we look forward to whatever God has in store for us in California and along the way but we remain ever grateful for our time here in PA.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

California Here We Come!

Okay folks, drum roll please!  We are moving back west and will land in Riverside (well J and Corynn's) the first week in January.

It's been rough recently trying to get our arms around this move and make some life-changing decisions.  But, it really wasn't that hard as family was beckoning us home.  And, with the birth of our 6th grandchild next summer, well that kind of sealed the deal!

Today the 14th of December Otto gives notice at Supervalu, I inform my employers and the next chapter for the Stucks begins.   Otto starts work with Kroger/Ralph's @ the Riverside DC on January 14th.

And, as we say good-bye to Pennsylvania, the state that welcomed us with the beauty of fall colors, amazed us with the promise of new things in spring and the fun-loving greens of summer, we head to the west with anticipation of memories to be made and adventures waiting to be had.

Although we say so long to the bone-chilling winter, and sadly some very cool and awesome friends and neighbors, we leave with our hearts full of this town and the many wonderful and amazing memories of our time here in the east.