New Year's Day

We'll be hosting our traditional New Year's board game marathon on Tuesday--anytime after 2 p.m. I haven't decided on food yet, but if you want to bring something to munch on feel free! Jared will be off with a bunch of people in our stake shooting things, but we can certainly have fun without him. Hope you can come!

Nativity picture

Here' s a picture taken at the 2007 Arlington Stake Nativity. Aren't we cute?

Update on Everman Football

Playoff game is this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mesquite. Highland Park is 35 students short of being 5A and Everman is barely 4A. Of course, Highland Park could buy the whole city of Everman out of pocket change but the Everman players want to win SO BAD - not for the championship - just to beat the little rich snots! We’ll see what happens. If they win it will truly be a miracle they can make into a movie.

Family Christmas

Merry Christmas - Christmas is two weeks away and some decisions have to be made. I will cook, as usual, ham, turkey, etc. but we have to decide when we are going to eat so out-of-towners can make plans. Please respond TODAY, if possible, so plans can move ahead.

It appears that doing turnovers for breakfast and then having lunch in a short while just doesn’t work. What about doing turnovers at your house with your kids and continuing the tradition? Dad would be proud! So, we can have lunch at 11, 12, 1 or 2 but maybe no later for those who are traveling. We can do stockings first and gift exchange after or we can do something different. Nothing is set in stone except that Christmas is on the 25th, so think outside the box!

Please post suggestions or your time constraints ASAP so decisions can be made. Please keep your spending to a mimimum. The gift exchange is supposed to have the theme - ENTERTAINMENT with the gift costing $10 to $15. Be creative!

I look forward to suggestions!

Action Group Update and Calendar

It is only a week until we begin Action Group activities (lke we haven’t done that all year). On Tuesday, Dec. 18, sometime after 5 p.m., we will move everything from Headquarters (Fowkes’ Garage) to the Church. Jared is bringing the Scout trailer but we have other pickups, if needed. At the Church we will set up a zillion tables and sort all the stuff into categories. One of us will whip up some signs marking each section. On Wednesday, Gary will ramrod the collection of canned goods. We are getting stuff from Super1 (their bin is nearly full) and the two schools as well as the Methodist Church. (Connie and I will pick up canned goods at Super 1 tomorrow after craft class and bring them to Headquarters.) The Methodist Women are also giving us $100 which will help with last minute stuff. Super 1 Manager Ron Williams is trying to get the schools to have their stuff ready but that seems to never happen. He said if we have to, he will assign a couple of his employees to help. Michael Farr will be on hand to help, also.

Back to the schedule. Connie and I will be there most all day and Damaris is taking the day off, we hope. Wednesday after noon, Mandie, Melinda, Ginny, Suzy, Meredith, maybe Missy and anyone else who can, will come to help do the families. We will start with the biggest first and the biggest this year has 9 kids - a record for us! We will work that evening and again that next morning to finish up. We have over 150 kids now, I believe, and several are large families. However, we have a lot of stuff, so we believe we are OK. At some point, Ginny will spearhead the cosmetic assembly or whatever we call that. We also have a lot of stuff for that!

I need to know who can help and when and we need suggestions for food. Those coming after school will most likely be hungry a little later. We will also invite local officials, Lions Club, etc. to drop by and see the operation. Bishop Kokenes was very impressed last year and I believe it will help with our support if some of them see what and how we are doing. I will fill the Elijah Basket and bring that for snacks and we will buy drinks and water.

Anyway, back on track... Gary is picking up the hens early Thursday morning but he will probably have to work. Pickups for clients will begin at noon and should go quickly. We will have to eat again so I am still looking for ideas.

Please let us know for sure who and when you will be there and give us suggestions for food.

Here is the schedule in a capsule:
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m.
Move stuff to Church and sort onto tables.
Wednesday, 9 a.m.:
Pick up food at Super 1, two schools and Methodist Church, if needed.
Sort groceries. Finish sorting toys.
4 p.m. or ASAP, work on families starting with biggest.
Sort books for each family (Meredith)
9 p.m. or sooner if we are too tired.
Go home
Thursday, Dec. 20, 7 a.m.
Gary picks up 85 hens
9 a.m. Finish families. Get ready to distribute starting at noon.
Thursday afternoon - later
Move leftovers back to headquarters.

Root, Root, Root!

I must update you on Everman football. First of all - they are 4A now, not 3A and they beat Wichita Falls Saturday (12-8) at Texas Stadium. They rallied from a 13-0 deficit and won 21-19 in the last quarter. Reminds me of Sunday’s Cowboys game. Winning in 4A means a whole lot more. They are 14-0 for the season! They will advance to State Semifinals and will play Highland Park on Saturday, 12-15, place TBA. That will be when the BIG DAWGS meet the GOT ROCKS - sure would be worth seeing, but I bet it is already sold out! Root, Root, Root for the Home Team!