Thanksgiving at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Eric & I were empty-nesting this Thanksgiving and were determined not to be Losers! I suggested altruistic options (feeding the homeless, inviting a soldier) but we compromised (?) by celebrating at Disneyland. It's been years since we have been and this was our first venture sans children. There are lots of benefits when there are just two of you - it costs less, you get to move to the front of the line quite often and instead of seeing the world through the eyes of a child, you get to rediscover your inner child.

We awoke that Thursday morning to a torrential rainfall. We were resigned to staying home and being low key about the day, but the heavens parted and we decided we'd drive to Anaheim and see what the weather looked like away from the coast. All the tourists were thinking the same thing because when we got there it was starting to get crowded.

We got our tickets and joined the surging throngs of holiday participants and made our way up the festivally decorated Main Street. Making a snap decision we headed to our right and started toward Space Mountain without any agenda in place. As we jostled our way through the mass of humanity, the crowds parted and I saw a familiar face standing alone. Surprised I said 'There's Clark.' Eric thought I said park and followed my gaze questioningly to see that I actually was pointing at his brother!!! Amidst all of the hubbub, within five minutes of entering the resort we see family! We couldn't have planned a rendezvous better, in fact if we had planned it, I'm sure someone would have been late or missed the designated meeting place. Clark, Christie, Patrick & Olivia had sneaked into California with Christie's family and had decided to keep their visit on the down low since they didn't have time to visit us on the tight extended-family agenda. We spent a few minutes chatting and then went on our merry way.

We enjoyed all of the usual rides and endured the lengthy wait times. We utilized FastPass for several popular spots, but as the day proceeded the lines actually got shorter.

We enjoyed the opening day of the Holiday Parade on Main Street. It was very beautiful and was funner then a ...

We found a short line at Splash Mountain as the sun was setting and figured we'd go for it. As we approached the loading area I altruistically took the back seat because it was wet and I didn't want Eric to be uncomfortable. Big Mistake! I got DRENCHED! Fortunately I had a sweater in my soaked backpack so I was able to change out of some of the wetter clothes. However my jeans were splattered and I spent the rest of the evening trying to dry out! Fortunately there are no embarrassing pictures of me with my pants looking like I wet them.

We enjoyed dinner without worrying about the price or a child's finicky choices. Young Eric's famous Disney story involves leaning over the balcony at the Carnation Cafe and throwing up! His father whisked him away before the unsuspecting people below them could even respond - (fortunately that inner child stayed home!) My greatest fear is that some day we are going to meet some family with the memory of being on the receiving end of this story! Years later family food history repeated when youthful Ben ordered kabobs in New Orleans square and choked on the meat, forcing Eric to do the Heimlich. Within seconds they were surrounded by Disney employees making sure everything was OK & no lawsuits were being formulated! It was funny that as we sat down to eat in New Orleans Cafe, Ben called to wish us Happy Thanksgiving. We enjoyed a laugh at his timing as we reminisced.

We got to all the attractions we wanted including Thunder Mountain, the Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise. At the appointed time we reconvened at New Orleans Square and found a spot to watch Fantasmic and the nightly fireworks display. As an added holiday bonus we were feted with snow! As a teenager growing up just blocks away from Disneyland, nightly sparkle and distant rumbles are part of my heritage. You could almost set your clock to the 9:20pm fireworks from the resort.

I've included a couple of videos to share the joy of our Disney adventures.

If you haven't done so yet register now for Free Disneyland admission on your birthday in 2009.

Fun & Games

We've enjoyed many varied activities with family and friends this holiday season. I keep waiting for a chance to write more satisfactorily (is that really a word?) but have decided to post pictures and at least enjoy the visuals that go with the good memories. If I never get the written component in place at least I have shared the good times.

Dana Harbor Christmas Boat Parade with Carl & Ivy

The Christensen's and Johnson's headed to Dana Point Harbor for the annual boat parade of lights. The crowd favorite was a yacht with a sound system blasting music & dialog from Ghostbuster's. As we wandered along the boardwalk we encountered Bishop Kirk and Janet Lindahl. Afterwards we took a stroll around the harbor enjoying the lights, people and good company. Then we headed home to enjoy Trader Joe's gingerbread cake and cider.

Dinner at Aunt Karen's

Aunt Karen invited us to dinner the weekend before Thanksgiving. She was quite the prepared hostess and pre-ordered Prime Rib and the works through Ralph's Grocery Store. When she arrived at the designated time to pick up her food she found that they had failed to place the order. She was livid. We ended up going out to dinner at a great little steak house, but she emailed and followed up with a phone call to Ralph's headquarters with her complaint that they had ruined her dinner party! Needless to say they comped her a lovely Prime Rib dinner and we got two meals for the price of one invite! While awaiting the rescheduled pre-Christmas meal, Cassy Ginn & I helped decorate the house and tree and learned about the German tradition of hanging a pickle in the branches. Karen's is a beautiful glass version.

Spaghetti & More

On Sunday we were invited to the Goodsell's for a lovely meal of spaghetti. (Yum! Eric's favorite) We stuffed our faces, played Christmas Catch-Phrase (women dominated) and the children decorated train cookies and watched funny videos on the internet. We love the fun people here in the area.

I have tons of hilarious pictures of Michael Story making faces and playing with the kids. I'll either post them in a separate entry - or get some good ransom payoff for not posting them!

Eric & Kid Elflings

Eric & Kids Elf Themselves

Check This Out!

Just a silly little something to entertain you during the holidays. Enjoy!

My Christmas Miracle

I had a special spiritual experience in connection with the OCMCO concert on December 3rd. I have had a cough for the past month and had been using Airborne for two weeks which seemed to keep it at bay. But I had a setback last week (Splash Mountain-Disneyland, wet through to the bone for the rest of the night) and was having a difficult time talking and singing. During the final run through the day before the concert I tried some cough suppressants but they were not consistently holding down the tickle in my throat which turned into intense coughing spells, but it was easier to hide behind the bell chorus in the cultural hall and take a quick sip of water to ease the throat. During the dress rehearsal on Wednesday afternoon in the Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall I mostly lip synced to the music. When I tried singing to warm up my voice I started coughing violently and it took a while to get it under control. It's hard to be inconspicuous when you stand front row center in a hall known for its acoustics and have the added bonus of a microphone inches from your head. There's no escape from the 2000 pairs of eyes that will be watching in just a few hours. Sipping water eased the tickle but would not be allowed during the concert. Sucking cough drops was my only solution as the cough syrup was not doing much. My head was throbbing from the pressure and I felt totally spent.

I was totally dependent upon Heavenly Father for a reprieve and support. I asked Eric for a blessing Wednesday morning and in it he promised that I would be able to participate fully. I spent the hour before the concert fluctuating between faith & fear. I believe in a God of Miracles but I didn't know if my learning experience was to sing or to step aside. I didn't want to ruin the experience for others while selfishly moving forward, but I also didn't want to let anyone down including myself. I was physically & emotionally exhausted and sat quietly pondering and seeking solutions. Minutes before the start of the concert fate placed me inches away from the director and I debated my last chance to tell him I was going to sit it out. But in that moment I knew that I would regret not allowing God to bless my life through this experience. Faith & fear can not coincide & I was trying hard to live in faith.

I went on, sucked cough drops throughout, sneaked a water bottle in (which was my just-in-case-can't-use-unless-'choking-to-death'-back up). I sang throughout the evening without a tickle or cough. God heard my pleas and allowed me to participate. I felt His enveloping presence throughout the evening as he buoyed my tired, pensive soul and as he cleared my throat and voice. I was able to talk after the performance and share my experience with my choir friends and family who had been praying for me, today however I have little voice and am coughing again. Nevertheless, last night the windows of Heaven opened to show me Father's love for a desiring daughter who wanted to offer her meager talents in connection with this magnificent event.

Man I feel blessed!

The concert was wonderful. The venue was sold out weeks in advance. Two days before the concert Segerstrom opened up additional seats that were situated above and behind the choir loft which they rarely do and they sold out as well. The music was beautiful, the children's choruses cute and well rehearsed and O Magnum Mysterium was incredible. I'm hoping that I can get a copy of the audio or video recording to relive the beauty of the evening.

Our next concert is on Saturday March 21st. We're doing Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Overture to Candide along with Rachmaninoff's Piano Concert No. 2, 'riveting' African-American spirituals and Easter selections. The directors are really excited for the new music. Me? I am a clueless neophyte of choral music so it's all a learning experience that I love!

Temple Message Shared

This was forwarded to me from our friend Ed who is working in Afghanistan. It's amazing that it went around the world and then returned to us in California. It was written by a person who works at the LA Temple and brings that peace that surpasses all understanding back into our world. Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and meets them in His way.

My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders:

My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share this with you. As most of you know, I am a Temple ordinance worker and work the morning shift in the LA Temple every Saturday. Today, I had the privilege of translating Sister Martz-the new assistant Matron's-message during our devotional. She started like this "The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand would be able to stop this Work from progressing. These past few weeks when mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has protected His house". She went on to say that those, like her, who were inside the Temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the House of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant. After Proposition 8 passed, the Temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it. They were warned that more than 5000 people would come to the Temple and burn it to the ground, and stop its work.

The first Thursday when the mob came, the new LA Temple President called the Salt Lake City Temple Offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to insure the safety of those attending the Temple by closing the gates. The assistant Matron said today, that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the Temple Presidency's summons and patrolled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful all around was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and they promised they would.

On Thursday, November 13th, Sister Campbell, a secretary in the Temple, was opening the mail and upon opening a large manila envelope found inside a smaller one. When she opened this one, a white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related to the demonstrators and feared the worst-ANTHRAX. She contacted the President, who in turn called the Salt Lake City Temple office again for instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again in the grounds to investigate, and the Temple once again had to close from around 11:30 AM to 5PM. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to remain in the parking lot. Those entering the Temple had to remain in the first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the Celestial Room.

Then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day is a Microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every day. He was the first to say the white powder in the envelope was only talc, and put everyone at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said "They said we can't go down but no one said we can't go up, and I have many people in the Celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some sealings?" As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four sealing sessions non stop while the Temple was closed. Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the Lobby to do some initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike. Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do Baptisms for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when the Temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home. The Temple reopened in time for the 5:30 PM session.

The next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the Temple. Once again the assistant matron reminded us of the words of the prophet Joseph Smith, "No unhallowed hand can stop the Work from progressing..."

But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was set apart by President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency, he received a blessing and these words were pronounced: "The time has come for the LA Temple to come out of obscurity and become an Ensign for Righteousness to the world under your presidency." The pictures of the Temple have been shown on TV, newspapers and the internet, not only in this country but worldwide. People of other
faiths have called and sent letters to the Temple thanking the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting how impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the Temple looks . One minister of an African American church, who by his own admission had harbored ill feelings against the Mormons before said " I am impressed by your integrity and Christ like behavior, and even if I am not ready to consider you my brothers and sisters in Christ, we can be first cousins!".

I asked the assistant matron if I could share her comments and she said to go ahead. I can only add my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth. God Lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we stand firm, steadfast and immobile while the prophecies of the signs before His Coming are fulfilled. "Be not afraid, only believe." He has said, and also " What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." I testify that this is true and testify it in the Holy Name of Him Whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer.

Your sister in Christ,
Patricia H. Arnazzi

Letter to a Friend

I recently received a letter from a friend informing me that he was voting No on 8. His reasoning was based on his desire to accept all people without judgment and was written with love for his friends in the Yes on 8 camp. There was a response from a mutual friend that outlined her beliefs on why she was voting Yes - basically that a word she knew to mean something specific was being usurped and compromised. I felt a need to respond as well but was uncertain what to say. During the night I awoke and received the following words to share. In respect to their privacy I have edited out names:

M**,
I, like A**, love you for your boldness in sharing your reasoning and admire the compassion you have for all mankind.
I have thought long & hard during the course of this struggle and gone through the same mental exercises in determining how I feel about this Proposition. I love the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann – ‘Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.’ Like many Americans I fluctuate between the ‘live and let live’ attitude and the ‘whatever’ mindset that is the greatest freedom we enjoy in this country. But the phrase without surrender seems to haunt me. Do I go along to get along and surrender my values as the price to pay?
I truly accept and empathize with others. I look at the word marriage and think, like Shakespeare ‘a rose by any other name’ – what does it matter what we call it - civil union, domestic partnership, marriage? I’d prefer my many gay friends be in committed relationships.
For me, what it first and last came down to was that I believe Heavenly Father knows best and He is the one who defined the term and set the rules. And thirteen years ago, foreseeing the path Satan would take to lead his children astray, He inspired a Prophet to clarify His position through the Declaration on the Family.
And astray, or away, is why I’m voting Yes. Because that’s what this has come to mean to me. If we move away from God’s holy, eternal definition of marriage we move away from Him. We can be tolerant and loving and accept our brothers and sisters for choosing other paths, but ultimately those choices will lead them and others farther away from true, lasting happiness.
Fair is the term that Dianne Feinstein uses in her Vote No ad. But fair is a relative term. Many times you set a rule or standard to protect your children, only to hear them whine & complain ‘That’s so NOT FAIR!’ To their limited understanding, that’s how it may appear. However, you in love and with more knowledge know that (*one son*) is too young to drive and (*another son*) is too young to drink. Because you love them you set boundaries whether they understand the reasons or not.
As a society we have set standards on marriage. Originally those standards were God-given. Over time they have been incorporated from religious reasons to moral, societal, traditional and legal boundaries. There are many forms of love – not all warranting or deserving of marriage designation: Parent-child, brother-sister, cousin-cousin, pet-pet/lover, groups of people. Last week in Japan a man launched a campaign to allow humans to marry cartoon characters because he prefers a two dimensional world. Again how do we define fair?
To me, voting yes acknowledges the God given agency to choose to live in domestic partnerships and receive all the government benefits, while at the same time allowing me to stand up for the more significant issue of family. The most important eternal unit is family. It’s interesting that Satan has worked long and hard to make his final battle strike at the very heart of the Kingdom of God. We come from a family with a Heavenly Father and Mother and brothers and sisters. Ponder on the love you have for your own children and then imagine it through Heavenly Father’s eyes. He sees us with even greater love, compassion and clarity and wants only the best for each of His children. He doesn’t want any of us to settle Esau-like for a ‘mess of pottage,’ when he has a feast planned.
My feeling about working on the Yes campaign, as challenging as it has been, was to educate others to quietly go along in their non-confrontational ways, being at peace with all men while at the same time giving courage to voters to step inside the voting booth and know that how you vote is between you and God. No one else will know. I think that’s the time to come to terms with how you stand, and ultimately where you stand and with whom you stand.
I know there are some who may be voting Yes on 8 for other reasons – there are those who are homophobic, some who abhor change and some who see a decline in societal standards. I’m voting Yes because I want to stand with God. And though that may make me appear intolerant and sets me up to the finger-pointing mockery of Lehi’s large and spacious building crowd, I know that I don’t stand alone. And the crowd I stand with includes others who have been persecuted for standing for truth.
And I’ll live with that…
I love you M**. You’re a good person and I know that God knows your heart and your intent. May you find peace and joy in this life as you exercise your God-given agency to choose how you see fit.
Take care & God Bless