The Tree of Christmas Past

We have had a lot of interesting Christmas tree's over the years. Do you remember that one tree that tossed off the ornaments when no one was looking? There was also  "Ilean" who was so drunk all the time she couldn't stand up straight, and the very emotional tree that made you cry because it was the last one with all four kids living under the same roof.

Well this year with ALL we have going on we needed to choose wisely, we do not have time for all of those shenanigans. 

Also this years tree would be very important. She/ He would be the only Christmas decoration we have as we shipped everything else to Italy already. The responsibility was large. Paige and I went a lone to choose. I think we needed the quiet to really think hard and meditate, feel the tree's ora.

 I would like to introduce you to Maude, our Christmas tree. The tall blonde is Tori's room made who you might also like to meet - CeeCee!

Note: Its helpful to have a tall blonde around when doing jobs short brunette have a hard time with!

Paige is learning the ancient art of Popcorn and cranberry stringing

Maude is perfect in every way, symmetrical , full, the perfect hight, and is actually drinking the water we are giving her to not loose her needles. I really think she knows we need to have a great Christmas without any tree antics and is willing to do her part! 

Without any decorations we had to create our own, so borrowing a style from days of the past we strung popcorn and cranberries and everyone had a great time while we watched a movie (Except Seth- He didn't think it was fun or a good use of delicious popcorn)  Our strings look so great on Maude, I think she has always wanted to be a very natural old fashioned tree!

We did haul all of our Christmas lights here for 2 reasons, 1) they won't plug in to the outlets in Italy 2) Logan needed the white ones for the wedding.
She very nicely went through the box of lights and dumped out the colored ones she didn't want to use. We were more than pleased to have them and to put them on Maude and be able to appreciate her Christmas glow. (as far as Christmas glows go our choice was her glow or the neighbors yard lights coming through our windows -and this seemed more "our own")


Thats when the Christmas miracle happened. At the bottom of the box of lights we brought over was a smallish brown box that we did not know what it was, or how it go there. We pulled it out and opened it up.

It was 3/4 of my nativity set - The most important pieces!
Maude wasn't the only Christmas decoration any more, or even the most important.
You would think this might make a tree jealous or miss behave for attention.
Not Maude- NO - She seemed to stand taller, and greener and her lights seems to glow stronger.
It was like she knew the little pieces placed on her skirt were significant and precious.
They were a gift that made her want to be more than she already was and to deserve the right to stand next to them.
It was almost as if she knew THIS was the reason the whole family would gather around her soon and share gifts of love and appreciation and these little statues represented the reason those gifts had so much meaning. I think she is happy to be gathered around by a loving family that knows the significance of the gift they received long ago of one small baby who was born the Savior of the world and the light and path for us to be able to be together forever.

May you find the gift that touches your heart this year and makes you want to be more than the amazing you already are.

Merry Christmas - Love The Strode Family
(and Maude)

A pre- mission farwell

I think it was my mom that pointed out that is would be different for Tori leaving from Italy where we do not know very many people and none of our family would be there to give her a good send off.
She is right, so we decided before the Christmas hustle and bustle which will be quickly followed by wedding hustle and bustle we would give her a send off.

We had a lot of fun with lovely friends who came to show their support and love for Tori. It meant a lot to us for her to know that she has such a great support group and so much love backing her!

Tori issued a few challenges to her friends.....

1) Read The Book of Mormon cover to cover in the 18 months she is gone
2) Write your testimony of The Book Of Mormon in the cover and share it with a friend
3) Write a missionary ( maybe her) every month

(She provided The Book of Mormon and the envelopes and a pen as a favor for anyone taking the challenge)

 Then there were gifts! Everything from Umbrellas and ponchos ( El Salvador gets lots of rain) to skirts and traveling items. She received a handful of gift cards to go pick out clothes and shoes, as well as some spending cash.

 Great friends and old YW leaders came to hug her and tell her how great she was going to do!

As always we had lovely decorations and yummy food!

We had all of Tori's favorite:

Mom's crock pot stroganoff
Buscetta
Homemade rolls
and wrecking balls (Cookie dough wrapped in brownies and dipped in chocolate)

We also had some El Salvadorian Pupusas with Rojo salsa and Queso Fresco

We are so excited for her and the work she is going to do and pleased to have been able to have a show of support!

Happy Fall you all!

We started our fall by carving pumpkins roasting the seeds.

We roasted a few pumpkins for our favorite pumpkin bread and the whole house smelt like fall despite the 100 degree AZ weather.

 In November we did a fund raiser to be able to donate to the church's humanitarian aid project to help Syrian refugees. We sold 35 pies and were grateful to be able to raise $741.00

Then the real Thanksgiving. Although Dan attended via Face time for the blessing on the food, we still missed him a lot!

Matt and his family and Mikey and his wife all came over and they all cooked some parts of the meal.

 It was delicious and fun to have everyone around!  We played games and danced to "Just dance 16"
Everyone had a very good time!
It is actually starting to feel cool and fall- ish !

Dessert is always the best part! A lovely way to usher in the Holiday Season!
Very Grateful for all these blessings!

Just a spoon full of sugar

This semester Seth auditioned and got a part in the schools fall musical. Marry Poppins!

He played a lot of extra parts and had a few spoken lines in the back ground and one out front and center spoken line, but he LOVED every minute of his time on stage, you could see the joy on his face.

 Every, expression and musical number he sang his heart out and jumped and danced with such incredible jubilance it was pure joy to watch!

During intermission, Seth took the opportunity to share with his cast mates how much he appreciated them and the time on the show. He told them how when his older sister performed at that same theater he hoped he would have that opportunity some day and this was a dream come true.
They were so happy and yet sad that he would be moving soon. So at the end of bows and greetings, they hoisted him up and marched him through the lobby!

Musical review :
The absolute best High School  play I have ever seen. huge cast all singing and even tap dancing all in unison. They even had a lift system so Marry Poppins could fly in and Burt could climb the side of the roof tops.

Happy 19th Victoria

A thousand apologies for being nearly a month late on this post, though I am sure anyone reading this knows me well enough to not be surprised. Momma asked me to write a post to sum of the past 12 months, since she wasn’t there for all of it. So buckle up and hold on tight, kids. 

My 18^th birthday found me on the horribly gross old couch in my grossly horrible old house I’d rented a surprisingly decent room in, sitting next to the surprisingly older, horribly decent, (and dare I say it?) undisputedly the most handsome man in the ward. And I was pretty darn happy. 

I had hair to my waist, a job shaving ice, a Tuesday/ Thursday schedule, a nice guy who let me read to him, and an unprecedented excitement to be doing it all at once, and succeeding, at that. I remember one time I got home from work around midnight, took off my shoes that were permanently covered in rainbow colored flavored syrups, and saw my poor veiny little feet that just wanted me to sit down. I looked in the mirror. My hair was sticky and falling out of its bun, my shirt was half untucked and covered in grime from doing some nasty closing chores, and much to my dismay, one of my earrings was missing. But I thought I had never looked lovelier. 

In this past year or so, I attended mission prep classes for 3 semesters, which I’m 62% sure is some kind of record, because people don’t usually go there by choice for one semester. Anyway, I was looking for some kind of confirmation from God that I should go on a mission, or even some kind of sign that I shouldn’t. In this time I also auditioned to be a missionary in the Mesa Pageant and in the Nauvoo Pageant and vignettes. After all, I have been acting since I was 6 years old and can’t seem to shake it from my life, Heavenly Father gives us gifts to benefit others and the Mesa Pageant generates enough baptisms each year to fill a new branch, surely this is why I was given the gifts I have. 

I prayed to Heavenly Father if this is what I am supposed to be doing, and even if one of these pageants was to be my mission. I auditioned for each one with stalwart faith in being cast. My prayers were answered by two rejection letters in my mailbox within weeks of each other. Heart. Break. 

And while we are on the subject, my insistence to audition for these part time missions, and my reluctance to fly to Virginia to meet his family, eventually tipped off the most handsome man in the ward that I would not be marrying him any time soon. He lives in LA now and is now the most handsome man in someone else’s ward.  

In my studying I came to section 9 of the Doctrine & Covenants:  “8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. 9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought…”

And I had my answer. Stupors of thought were all I ever had when considering a mission. Actually at this time, stupors of thought were my way of life. I was a stupor star. So I told my mission prep teachers, that I would not be serving a mission, but thanks for making the most prepared missionary in probably the whole world. 

Fast forward to July 2015, in the indescribable holy land that is Missouri. Like what more do you want me to say? It’s Zion. I made celestial friendships there and started to glimpse what true charity feels like and under the motivation of friendship and charity, we did mission work. It was born out of pure love for our branch members and I began to see the gospel in the raw. I’d come to Missouri to spend time with my family but I was hardly ever home because I was always out with the missionaries, or the branch and time spent hanging out with friends and time spent at church and branch activities began to blur because it was all the same. Conversation easily and naturally flowed between the best burgers in Kansas City to simple and profound truths about eternity. And that’s how I fell in love with the work. 

I was standing at the sink doing dishes (because I am an angel child and a gift to my mother) when my dad said something to the effect of “Coming up on your 19^th birthday.” I nodded. I’m not stupid. I know where this is going. “That’s a big one.” No, not really. I nodded again. “Are you going on a mission?” He finally came out and asked it. And I asked it of myself. Are you? 

Do I have the faith to pick up and leave my friends, my family, my prospective lovers, my school work, an amazing acting opportunity, my beloved desert home and give it all to people I have never met before? No. I do not. Am I capable of living off of weird food, the same 8 outfits, and diverse living conditions for 18 months? No, I don’t think I am. Am I prepared to leave a situation I love, knowing it will never be the same again, knowing I will never be the same again? Certainly not. Do I love the Gospel? Do I trust in The Lord? Do I believe that all things are possible through Him? Do I have faith that He will make weak things (me) strong? 

I nodded.

At the time I just had enough faith to tell my parents I had a desire to serve. And after some time and studying, my faith grew to be just enough to tell my Bishop I had a desire to serve. And though I was unsure it would, the day came where I had enough faith to print out and begin my mission papers. And so it went, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. And when my medical papers were giving me problems and I was 84% sure I had butt cancer, I simply took a deep breath and asked, “Do you have enough faith to go into that doctor’s office one more time?” and that much I did have. 

Those neat friends I told you about gave me a priesthood blessing and in time I had my mission call in hand, standing in front of the people I love, I read aloud the country that I know I’ll come to love. And I had sufficient faith to write an acceptance to my call to El Salvador, Santa Ana mission, which has grown into sufficient faith to begin studying Spanish again. And I believe that it will still grow into faith enough to board a plane, and then faith enough to get out of bed and shower the next morning and faith enough to stick it out for one more day when I am at the end of my rope and faith enough for one day after that. 

My 19^th birthday found me sitting at the table of my lovely new home in Mesa, eating Chinese food, and drinking an Italian soda with a close friend who’s trying desperately to explain basic physics concepts in a way that will stick in my slippery head so I can have a chance at graduating before I head south to teach and preach and work as missionaries do. And I’m downright joyful. 

"You have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord"

"Your purpose will be to invite others unto Christ"

 Thats what it said in this envelope, and it also said this will happen in the country of:

El Salvador (Santa Ana)

International snacks gift basket for who ever guessed closest

Both Aunt Kara and Logan found these books (Companion books found at two different houses) just  today.

Food was ready and guesses were made- We had no idea!

So many great and supportive friends came to support Tori and her efforts to serve

We had many attending via technology 

 45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and enviethnot, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Moroni 7:45-47

 45  Y la caridad es sufrida y es benigna, y no tiene envidia, ni se envanece, no busca lo suyo, no se irrita fácilmente, no piensa el mal, no se regocija en la iniquidad, sino se regocija en la verdad; todo lo sufre, todo lo cree, todo lo espera, todo lo soporta. 

 46  Por tanto, amados hermanos míos, si no tenéis caridad, no sois nada, porque la caridad nunca deja de ser. Allegaos, pues, a la caridad, que es mayor que todo, porque todas las cosas han de perecer; 

 47  pero la caridad es el amor puro de Cristo, y permanece para siempre; y a quien la posea en el postrer día, le irá bien.