Thanksgiving Week

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  Elijah took the whole week off, and we played board games, cooked delicious food, stayed inside talking, and went outside exploring.  In one of those days, I took the family to San Francisco.  I had packed a lot of fun activities and we positively had a good time being with each other.

First, we went to visit the Legion of Honor Museum of Art.  Gillian and I had wanted to see the exhibition from the Louvre of the Royal Treasures, and so we took the whole family to see it.   As we were about to enter, the family surprised me by posing with the Thinker, lovingly mocking my passion for taking pictures.

The collection of these decorative arts was dazzling and included treasures of the the French monarchs from Louis XIV to Marie Antoinette.  They had never before been taken out of the Louvre so this was a fun experience.  The vases, cups, bowls, frames, snuff boxes, and many other household or personal items were each decorated with precious gems and crafted in perfection. We were not able to take any pictures, but here is one I was able to find on line:

 Elijah enjoyed the craftsmanship of the pieces and the beautiful art work, but he couldn't identify with the desire of these royals to decorate their everyday objects with such lavish riches.  He said it made him feel sick to see all that money used to demonstrate your power and authority.  Ah, that husband of mine, so righteous and sweet.  Truth be told, neither of us, not having being raised that way, would feel comfortable with such an excessive lifestyle.  Although I do understand the reasons and the evolution of art into various branches, (and royal treasures are a magnificent art!), I also feel that each of us have our own little "treasures" we would like to collect and perhaps do collect in various degrees.  Mine is books, Elijah's is old cars, and yours might be exquisite china.  The great blessing for our family is that even if we had the money (and I'm sure we would be tempted to spend excessively), we have the gospel as our guidepost.  In fact, we had just read to our kids Jesus' admonition to all of us to have pure desires in our hearts, desires that will make us truly happy and guide us to eternal life with Heavenly Father:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where ^amoth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;

 20 But lay up for yourselves ^atreasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 22 The ^alight of the body is the ^beye; if, therefore, thine eye be ^csingle, thy whole body shall be full of light.

(3Nephi 13:19-22; see also Matthew 6:19-22)

After the Royal treasures were fully explored, we took the kids to see some more works of art that we could truly appreciate.  I always enjoy looking at the superiority of Rodin's work, and without a doubt the Kiss is my favorite.  The story behind it is sad, but the portrayal of the feelings expressed in this sculpture are undeniably the work of a genius.  I saw a bigger version of this work in Paris, in the sculpture collection of the Tuileries Garden.

We enjoyed the rest of the museum, and I was impressed at my children's interest in these great expressions of human soul.

Observing Charlton trying to find a comfortable seat to lay down was a clue for us to get out of there, and although I could have stayed there all day, it was time for me to continue with my itinerary.

We stopped at the fountain in front of the museum to throw some coins and express wishes.

Then as I was driving toward Fort Point to get a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge at night, we were greeted by this wonderful sunset at Baker's Beach.

The view of the bridge from Fort Point didn't disappoint.  The kids stayed in the car, however, since it was getting dark.  I forget how fast the night falls nowadays.

We drove toward Pier 39, found a close-by parking, and took the kids for a stroll.

We stopped at Boudin's for much needed nourishment, and then treated the kids to some ice-cream.  The day had been a success, and we had loved being with each other.  You can tell though that these are truly my kids, because even after we had visited and explored this much, they were sad to go home.  They wanted more!   Not Elijah though; he was ready for some hot chocolate by the fire.  We all thought that sounded good, so we headed home pleased and happy.

We spent Thanksgiving day at home cooking, laughing, and yes playing some Christmas music.  I just couldn't resist!  This year it was just us, and I thought the kids wouldn't be so interested in a full menu, but they all helped and we cooked everything.  I'm so glad I did, because these kids are growing and eating well.  The kids set the table beautifully, I laid down the food, Elijah said the prayer, and the kids gave me the gift of happiness when they said they were so grateful for their parents.

I'm grateful for my health, energy, and love for life.  I'm grateful for my family -  my patient and kind husband and my sweet and obedient children.  I'm grateful for Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ, and for their love for me.  This year I most grateful for this life that God has given us to grow, have experiences and develop our talents.  I'm happy to be alive.

Our riotous bash at the Wiederholds

 As soon as Gillian's performance on Pier 39 was over, we said goodbye to San Francisco and headed home to collect the boys.  Elijah wasn't happy to let us go, but he had planned a couple of meetings for that evening, so I didn't feel quite that bad for leaving him alone.  He had taken the whole week off, which meant we were going to have plenty of time to be together and enjoy the holiday.

Traffic wasn't that bad, and the ride to Sacramento didn't feel too long.  Maybe the excitement felt by everyone for being able to finally see our sweet friends eased the wait in the car.  When we got there, each of us found our companions, and started talking and catching up with each other's lives. At times, they would all play together in a bunch with Joshua trying to get some attention in his own way; and at times Mary and Gillian would talk with each other in Mary's room undisturbed sharing secrets and asking private questions, Caleb and Jefferson would share their video game tips, and James and Zoe would renew their friendship and love.  Charlton would try to play on his own or with the boys, but Joshua kept trying to get his attention by ways that were not quite appreciated by Charlton.  The whole scene of our kids renewing their friendships was adorable and memorable.

I helped Amy cook dinner by keeping her company and talking her head off.  Fortunately, she likes that.  We shared our fun times, discussed life issues, and contemplated our dreams for the future.  I also loved seeing my friend's touch in her home decorations.  What a fun time for her.  She sure deserves it.

After eating dinner, we let the kids watch a movie, and we retreated for some dessert.  With the exception of Joshua, and a bit later Charlton, the rest of us didn't go to sleep till 2:15.  I guess we had truly missed each other.

The next day, after breakfast the kids played some video games, and then went outside in the yard.  Amy and I looked on line for French furniture, and talked.  After a while, we decided to take the kids out at a nearby park and lake.  I couldn't get enough of the stunning colors manifested alongside the road.  I had to take a few pictures, especially when I had such exquisite models.  Mary and Gillian totally surprised us by politely asking us to take their picture.  They even suggested ideas for different poses.  I loved it that our girls were being so open.  They look so beautiful, and yes, I don't want to admit it, but so grown up as well.

This park felt like a piece of heaven - serene, pleasant, enchanting.  I could have stayed there all day.  But even in the garden of Eden, kids could find mischief.  They found this gargantuan fig tree surrounded by enormous rocks down the hill where a laughing brook ran through.  They climbed it in all the three levels that the rocks provided; they went down the creek and threw stones in the water and sprinkled each other; they found a little tree house and climbed that by hanging down the branches; and they got dirty with mud, moss and water.  They had a stupendous time.  What fine childhood adventures!

Although I had been taking pictures of the kids throughout their ventures in the woods, I asked them if I could have a sit-down with all of them.  The spot they chose was a bit sunny, but that one pose led to others, and I'm so grateful for their cooperation.  I know they will appreciate these memories captured in pictures when they grow older.

When we left, Gillian was very sad, and I could see tears coming out of her eyes.  I told her it will be okay, and that we'll be able to see them again.  She responded with a lugubrious sigh that nothing is okay when your best friend leaves far away.  I couldn't think of anything to say after that, except quote Gillian's favorite Shakespeare line: "Parting is such sweet sorrow..." She smiled at that with a very mature understanding peering out her teary eyes.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust