Our ship-Navigator of the Seas with Royal Caribbean

We celebrated our 35th anniversary by taking a cruise to the Caribbean this year. We had a wonderful time together and enjoyed the sun and warmth in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

This ship was huge and had an ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, miniature golf, pools, theaters, and a shopping mall in the middle. So fun.

Cruising

This is the boat that was used to ferry us over to the Grand Cayman.

Tom enjoying the view from the Windjammer restaurant. We both had plenty to eat!

Each night before we went to bed our room attendant had little towel animals in our room. This is the monkey.

Shauna at the ruins in Cozumel.

The very grand dining room that we ate at every night.

On our way to swim with the stingrays.

The view from the windjammer restaurant.

Hurray!!!!!!

We had the best Christmas gift this year. The Boise Millers are moving back to the area. I was so happy to know that we will have the gift of kids and grandkids close by. Jordan accepted a position with a company in Spokane. Tom and I are thrilled.

Blessings

It is snowing outside and Christmas carols are playing on the radio. The house is quiet. Tom is upstairs taking an afternoon nap. It gives me some time to reflect on the wonders of the season.

Today in church I heard the children sing with their angel voices. The choir sang and gave a beautiful rendition of several favorite Christmas hymns. The speakers expressed many heartfelt messages about the Savior and his birth. I was renewed and thought how lucky I was to celebrate another Christmas season.

We plan to visit friends and family over the next few weeks, take in a movie or two and give thanks for the precious life that we enjoy.

Happiness is contagious!

Today I was seated on a plane from S. Cal to home and ended up sitting next to a very happy man from the Philipines. He sat in the middle seat right next to my window seat when plenty of other seats were available. I knew he must have had a reason for snuggling up next to me.

After one hour on the plane I realized that he needed a listening ear because he talked the entire plane trip. This was a pleasure because he was full of kindness, enthusiasm, positiveness and intelligence. He had a smile that did not stop.

I was blessed by his presence and felt like spreading his cheer the rest of the day. I loved how he talked of his blessings despite losing his wife to lung cancer two years ago. He also used the word Wow quite often and gave me a friendly nudge when he did so.

Thank goodness for good people. This was a great ending to a wonderful trip to see my new granddaughter Ayla Jean. She is a beauty and is going to have a wonderful life ahead of her with such attentive parents.

I was welcomed home to a blanket of snow on the ground, fresh flowers, a clean house, my Karli and Tommy.

It's good to be home!!!

Gingersnap Recipe

Here is my favorite recipe for Ginger Snaps

1 C shortening
2/3 C molasses
1/3 C brown sugar
2 t. soda
2 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1 t salt
3 C flour

Add the flour slowly at the end after mixing the first ingredients. Dough should stick together and not be crumbly. You may only need 2 1/2 cups so be careful. Bake at 350 for about 9-10 minutes.

My mother made these cookies all the time and they are yummy if you like that crisp taste. I remember eating these by the handful with a tall glass of cold milk. Good memories

New Grandma

Another baby granddaughter in the Miller family just yesterday. Welcome to the world little D. Mom and Dad are doing well and we look forward to seeing our new little one very soon.