Josie's First Visit with Santa

I love this picture. Santa came to the ward Hawaiian Christmas party last weekend. Josie did pretty good-- just looked worried. But I love this picture! Brother Turpin is the best Santa ever.

Mehwee Kithmath

Thanks for the Christmas cards! I love getting Christmas cards! I have had good intentions of sending some, but I'm now doubting whether that will, in fact, happen. I first started thinking that we would take a family picture in front of our little tree. My mom bought Josie a taffeta and velvet Christmas dress, and I was picturing things Dan and I could wear to match it. And that made me tired. Our tree is already wilting. Hmm. It's so lame to get a Christmas card AFTER Christmas. I got a postcard from Andrea today, and a letter from Jen with a cool picture. Oh man, love it.

Who wants a Christmas card?

Dancing with Rose

I've been meaning to go to book club in my ward for who knows how many months. Well, this month all we had to do was show up with our favorite book. I didn't actually bring my favorite book, and I have a problem with committing to anything "favorite". So when it came time for me to share my favorite I talked about My Antonia, which everyone had already read a few months before for book club. But I digress.

Anyway, a couple of the ladies said this book, "Dancing with Rose", was a wonderful "life-changing" book. A journalist felt guilty about putting her mother in a care center when she got Alzheimer's. Anyway, she ended up working at a care center and wrote about her experiences and what she learned. I went out the next day and got it from the library. I was interested because my Grandma Mary took care of her husband who had Alzheimer's for a couple years until he passed away. A couple months after he died, her brother came to live with her who has the same disease. Well, it's just wearing her out completely. (She's 72ish years old, and also the Relief Society President, etc. etc. etc.) I thought about giving it to her for Christmas and wanted to read it first. (I read it in a couple days.) It might make her feel better about having her brother go stay in one of these care centers-- last time I checked she was dead against it. Anyway, I'm still not sure if I want to give it to her, but I think if anyone has ever known anyone with Alzheimer's, they should read it. It gives you a new, healthy perspective.

Has anyone read it?

Would it be weird if I gave this as a Christmas present?