Pictures from my Lesson with Egbert Schoenmaker

Christmas at Our House

Christmas is for Family

We're just getting back from a trip to Virginia to see my mom's family. Family is what makes the holidays special to me. Now we've seen all 5 of my mom's siblings in the last week and 5 of my 15 cousins.

First stop was Washington D.C. where my Aunt Sharon works a block away from the White House.My cousin Erin is home from Togo, Africa for 3 weeks in between her 2 years of service with the Peace Corps. We went to see the National Christmas tree in the freezing cold and found the smaller tree for the state of North Carolina. The White House looks awfully pretty at night with the Christmas tree out front. We also walked around the Kennedy Center but couldn't get into anything since nothing was going on that night. We saw my Uncle Ronnie while there and had my grandmother's chocolate cake. He made enough cakes for us to take to all the other aunts and uncles along the way.

We ended the trip in Waynesboro, VA where I lived from age 0-4 and the only place on earth that feels like home to me. My grandmother lived there along with my Uncle Kit's family my whole childhood so it's where we came to for most vacations and big family events. It's the only place that's never changed in my life. My uncle has Parkinson's and just had a surgery where they stick 4 electrodes in the brain that give off small shocks which help with muscle control. My uncle has a remote that he can use to turn the electrodes up or down or off. He turned it all the way off for us and you could see the tremors of Parkinson's take back over. Then when he turned it on his face contorted like he had eaten a lemon and his body got tense and then he was back to himself. As long as I can remember his face has looked like a mask, almost in a daze and he's had bad tremors. Now he smiles and laughs and can make facial expressions, and he can walk at normal speed. My cousin Lindsey, who's never known him when he wasn't sick, doesn't really even know who this dad is. It's hard to describe how amazing the transformation is, all from shocking the brain. I'm sure it will be even more amazing when my uncle gets to heaven.

So here's some pictures from the trip:


Stephanie, cousin Lindsey, and me

Although this picture doesn't do it justice, this is how I remember my childhood:
Outside in the beautiful mountains playing with my cousins.
(That is my sister and Lindsey sliding on the ice wearing trashbags by the way.)


Me and my cousin's dog Laddie (I want one of these one day!)


My favorite picture of Grandma, the person that ties us all together, just as I remember her...

Thank God I'm not an only child!

My sister got home today after being at Pisgah for the weekend. It's so nice to have her home. I've realized this weekend how nice she is to have around and how thankful I am that I have a sister... How do single children do it?


So here's some things sisters are good for:

Sharing the pressure of entertaining Mom and Dad
Sticking up for you and taking your side
Liking the same things
Remembering which movie a line comes from
Making standing in lines interesting
Keeping the other side of the bed warm
Disliking the same things
Taking a break away from the parents
Being from the same generation
Liking the same stores
Giving fashion opinions
Comic relief (mine is especially good at this one)
Liking the same food
Being embarrassed about the same things
Knowing things about Mom and Dad that nobody else does
Making long trips more interesting
Breaking up the monotony
Understanding your world

Weekend at the Palace

I never knew North Carolina had it's own little colonial palace but this weekend I found out there is such a thing at New Bern. Apparently, New Bern was the colonial capitol of NC during the revolutionary era compete with a palace built by Governor Tryon, the first governor of the NC colony. George Washington even stayed in the town once and danced at the palace. Unfortunately, the original palace burned down so the one people visit today is a reconstruction. They have interpreters dressed up in period garb; some act like they are from the time period and talk in the manner of the 1770's. Saturday night was the big Christmas Candle lighting; the whole grounds lit with only candles, an African American jamboree, a ball inside the palace with dance demonstrations, an acrobat from Italy, a puppet show, cider and ginger snaps, and a nice fireworks display at the end.

My family always loves to visit historical places so we are suckers for this kind of trip. Besides visiting the "palace" and grounds you can visit several period homes within the block. There are also several homes from the Civil War time period. They don't build houses like those anymore. Such beautiful high ceilings, wanes coating, and elaborate woodwork. Terrible to heat though I'm sure. I think I would love to live in one some day if I could afford it... All this history has made me break out another revolutionary biography (John Adams by David McCullough) and want to take another trip to Williamsburg... Maybe next Christmas...

The Party Back at My Place

And after the graduation we came back to my apartment for refreshments...

And a little card playing...

Carrie loved it, as you can see.

So all in all, I think it was a pretty good evening. I'm all graduated, except that I don't have the diploma as yet but I'm sure with Southern's mail reputation, I should receive it sometime within the next 10 years, provided they mail it to the correct address.