Not Your Average Joe – A Christmas Sermon

I love Christmas music. Some of you might be groaning right now, or think it’s a little weird, but I happily embrace all of it. No, wait. I take that back. You can keep “Santa Baby”. If I never hear that one again, I’ll be fine. As for the rest of them, I play them the day after Thanksgiving until I take the tree down. I love the joyful and the sentimental, the oldies and the newbies, the classics and the carols. Almost anything or anyone can be (and most likely is) the subject of a Christmas song. Trees, stars, Bethlehem, reindeer, snowmen, Santa, Mary, shepherds, Wise Men, Jesus, a drummer boy… Only one person is missing from this list. Joseph. There are almost no songs written about him, and those that exist are pretty obscure. Can you think of one off the top of your head? Go ahead – I’ll wait…
He is mentioned in the 4th verse of Angels We Have Heard on High. If you are a ‘For King and Country’ fan, you’ll know they wrote one called “The Carol of Joseph” that’s quite good. But how many people know that one or can sing it? You get the point.
I think Joseph is the forgotten hero in the Christmas story. For much of my early life I struggled with my identity, or really, with feeling like I had an identity of my own.  I often felt I was only known by who I was related to. As a child I was Larry and Betty’s daughter, or Rebekah’s sister. As an adult I was Barry’s wife, or Tyler and Kelli’s mom. In modern times, Joseph has a similar plight. (Mary’s husband. Jesus’ dad.) Mostly he’s just the tall guy in the nativity scene.

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Finding Christmas

“and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! ” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

This summer, I was talking to our daughter about our plans to become nomads. She understood, of course, like everyone else did. Barry and I had done long distance for several years, and my traveling with him would allow us to be together. She did have a few questions, and one of them hit me the hardest. “Ok, so Mom,” she said, “what about Christmas? You love the holidays. That’s your time of year. Are you going to be ok not doing Christmas?”
Honestly, nobody else brought that up, and I love that she knows me so well. It was something I had contemplated, but my only possible response at the time was that I didn’t know, and I would figure something out.
Because she was right. I do love the entire Christmas season. The day after Thanksgiving always kicked off the festivities for our family. Traditions morphed over the years as the kids grew and circumstances changed, but the heart of the holidays always stayed true. Some years we went Black Friday shopping, some years I was working in retail so the family would visit me at work. When we lived in the Northwest we went to a tree farm to cut our own tree and drink hot cider; after we moved to the South, Lowe’s or Home Depot became our tree shopping destination followed by a trip to Starbucks. Once the kids moved out and Barry was traveling, I had to switch to an artificial one, because buying an 8-foot tree by myself and bringing it home on top of my Mini Cooper seemed a little unrealistic. Putting up the lights and decorations on the tree and around the house feeds my creative side. Each new house brought its own challenges and opportunities. One year when the kids were small, we didn’t have money for decorations, and I took some of their Christmas artwork and crafts, bought some dollar store frames, and hung them on the wall. They loved it, and I’ve hung them every year since. And then let’s talk about food. I’m a baker, and since nobody is on a diet in December, it is my time to shine! I make my grandma’s fudge recipe, and the kids’ favorite cookies. We’ve continued a tradition I had growing up – “birthday cake for Jesus” for Christmas breakfast – in the early days it was pineapple upside down cake – now that everyone is of legal age, it’s pineapple upside down rum cake. There’s concerts and Nutcracker performances, parties, the midnight Christmas Eve service, and watching Home Alone together. On a quiet evening I’ll sit with a glass of wine and read Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol”. Every year.

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A Legacy of Pie

Happy Thanksgiving friends! In an effort to distinguish myself from every other recipe blog post, I’m going to post the recipe first. Also, this saves me from spending an hour on google and YouTube trying to figure out how to add a “jump to recipe” button. You can read the story after – while the pies are in the oven. 😉🥧

The Gould Family Pumpkin Pie Recipe (makes 2 of the best pies)

THE CRUST

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/8 cups shortening
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp vinegar
  • cold water

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender. Beat the egg in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and stir in vinegar. Add enough cold water until the mixture equals 1 1/2 cups. Add just enough liquid to the dry ingredients so the dough holds together, a few tablespoons at a time – usually about 10-11 tablespoons. Divide dough in half, roll out on a heavily floured counter, and place in a greased pie pan. Makes 2 crusts.

THE PIE FILLING

  • 2 – 15oz cans pure pumpkin
  • 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the center has puffed up.

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Hello Kansas

Well, our destination for the next few months has been determined. Not the Arctic, and not the beach. (for reference, see my post “ok God, so what’s the plan?”) And now the packing has begun. One day we were told we’d have a little break between locations, and the next day we were asked how soon we could get to Kansas. Once a friend and I were talking about being flexible, and they told me sometimes being flexible is still too rigid – you have to be fluid. That really fits how we’re living right now. I keep hearing Ross from Friends shouting “PIVOT!” 😂

We’re traveling with a bit more than just clothes. In an effort to make each temporary place feel like we live there, we have some books, boardgames, framed photos. We’ve got the record player and some vinyls, just for fun. And of course a few kitchen things we couldn’t live without, you know, like the espresso machine and my cheesecake pan 😉.

So now we pack for a few days, and say a prayer that everything will fit in the truck and the jeep. We do some research, make some calls, submit some requests, and hope we can find a place to live for the winter. And then we’ll drive for a few days, until we get where we’re going.

Some fun facts about Kansas:

  • It’s known as the Sunflower State 🌻
  • It was the first state to ratify the 15th Amendment, giving African American men the right to vote
  • It is home to the largest ball of twine
  • It is illegal to hunt whales (That one should be pretty easy!)
  • It is also illegal to shoot rabbits from a motorboat (I’d really like to know the backstory on why this law is necessary)
  • It is one of two sources of helium in the U.S.
  • The Icee was invented in Kansas, and the first Pizza Hut opened there.

Honestly, I wasn’t too excited to hear about this next move. The thought of having a month or two off during the holidays did this thanksgiving-loving-Christmas-loving mama’s heart good. Still, we know that to be nomads means to be fluid – we adjust, we pivot, we move forward, we look for the silver linings, for joy and laughter and all good things. After all, Kansas’ motto is “Ad Astra per Aspera” which means “To the Stars through Hardships”.
That seems appropriate.

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Ok God, what’s the plan?

Both the leaves and temperatures are falling; our time in New York is coming to an end. We have one, maybe two weeks left here. We don’t have a final date yet, or a destination. A beach town? (Please God, pick this one!) The Arctic winter? (Nooooooo!) I know the uncertainty and spontaneity is part of the package deal of nomadic life, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. On this rainy Wednesday afternoon, I’m struggling with wanting to know details for the next few months – after all, the holidays are coming – and the reality that those details are wholly dependent on Barry’s employer. And as I wrestle with the unknown – the lifestyle I signed up for – I begin contemplating what God says about making plans. Bits of a Bible verse are dancing around in my head and lead down the following rabbit trail…

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Maple whiskey cider

I don’t usually end up playing bartender – that’s Barry’s job. 😉 But we had a whiskey that neither of us really cared for straight, and I saw this recipe on Pinterest I thought might redeem it. We had all the ingredients, so I tweaked it a bit to our taste, and it was a hit! I think it would be a great sipper out by the firepit, or maybe an after-Thanksgiving-dinner cocktail. Let me know if you try it!

Put several ice cubes in a shaker.
Add:
4 oz apple cider (spiced cider is even better)
4 oz whiskey or bourbon
1 oz maple syrup
Shake well and pour into 2 glasses.
Top each with 1 oz ginger beer
If you’re feeling fancy you can garnish with a cinnamon stick and an apple slice. Enjoy!

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5 day itinerary for New York City

Over Labor Day weekend, Barry and I were able to take a trip to the Big Apple! I had only been there for a day when I was 13, and Barry was a toddler on his only trip, so we really counted this as the first time for both of us. I’ve spent time in other large cities, like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston, but New York is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The contrast of old and modern, the history and the industry, the sheer number of buildings and people and cars…

With the enormity of the city, the history, culture, shopping, and tourist sites, you could easily spend a month there and not see everything you want to. So many people have asked me, “Oh, did you see (this)? Did you go (there)?” And often my answer is no, because we only had 5 days! 4 1/2 really, because the last day we had to head home after breakfast. But we tried to pick a little of the best of everything – activities and events that were important to us and lots of fun!

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Tips and Tricks for NYC

Here are a few things we learned along the way:

Transportation

  1. If you are picking up a rideshare from the airport to get to your hotel, make sure you do it through the app on your phone. The guy standing near baggage claim holding up an Ipad with the Uber logo does NOT work for Uber. He will happily steer you to a car outside where his buddy who may or may not speak English will hopefully drive you where you need to go. Yeah, this was a rookie mistake on our part. But hey – we didn’t get kidnapped so there’s that…
  2. I do NOT suggest renting a car. The traffic is as crazy as you see in the movies. Lanes are merely a suggestion, five cars will squeeze into the space of three, and everyone’s honking. Pedestrians mostly cross with the lights but not always. Pretty stressful! So add some money into your budget for rideshares and the subway, and bring your walking shoes.
  3. Don’t be afraid to take the subway – it was not as bad as we thought it would be. One of the trains was a little smelly, but only one! Rides are $2.90 each and you just tap your debit/credit card. Or you can buy a metro card which will give you unlimited rides for 7 days for $34. I did notice several people having difficulty getting the metro cards to work going through the turnstiles. We ended up just paying by the trip. The MTA app gave info on scheduling, which trains to take, and how to get to the stations.
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The trip that wasn’t

As I write this, I’m supposed to be driving home from Vermont with my husband in our Jeep, fresh off of a 10-day Leaves and Lobster New England road trip. Where am I really, you may be wondering. In the coffee shop down the hill from our apartment, sipping a nonfat caramel latte, and trying to make sense of the roller coaster that is my life!

The bags were packed, the fridge cleaned out, arrangements made. The itinerary had been tweaked, and re-tweaked, tours booked, hotels paid for. It was a bucket list trip, and our “one big trip” for the year. We were going to start in Boston, drive up the coast of Maine, then through the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont. We had planned a visit to Plymouth, (because my 9th great grandfather landed there on the Mayflower), a train ride to the top of Mt. Washington, hiking in Acadia National Park, a hot air balloon ride over the Vermont countryside. We were going to stay in historic inns, a mountain cabin, a houseboat. We were going to eat lots of lobster and chowder and buy fresh maple syrup and take lots of pictures of dying trees (lol!).

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Hello world!

And a blog is born! This post is really not about anything; it generated automatically when I first reserved this website. I decided not to delete it because it marks the birthday of The Sunnydaze Diaries. You’ll notice there are no other posts in August, and I was traveling a good bit in September, and didn’t have time to do the design work for the blog. Here we are now in October, and I should be launching in the next few days with some real posts. It’s just a teeny bit intimidating, but as I told my friend Andy, “Go big or go home!” (We were planning his tattoo at the time, which he has never let me forget… but that’s another story!)

Let’s live with boldness and intentionality, and shine bright, friends!

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