Happy New Year

      As 2013 comes to a close and we are just hours away from rolling into 2014, I find that a little introspection is cathartic and good for the soul. Yep....... 2013 was a year. Now that I have the introspection out of the way I can write what I want......

      2013 was truly a banner year for us. We started out the year finding out that Jessie and Garrett were expecting a baby. What exciting news it was, since he is our first grandchild. In January, I also decided that I would retire at the end of the school year. With that decision made, the rest of the year flew by. So many times. I would think, "This is the last time I will......." and while I wasn't sad about it, it certainly made me recognize that the end of a season in my life was coming fast upon me.

     As we moved through the Spring, I would constantly badger Jill that she should retire with me. My line was "C'mon Jill, grow old along with me." It took until Memorial Day for her to make the decision to jump off of the employment train, but I am so glad she did. The past six months have been truly wonderful as we have played hard and not driven each other crazy.

     June saw the end of my teaching career and a trip of a life time. We left on June 14th for a one month tour of the National Parks in the west. Up to this time I had only been west of the Mississippi twice. Once 40 years ago when I flew to Hawaii, and again in the late 90s when the girls and I were in Memphis. We crossed over the Mississippi into Arkansas, drove up to the next bridge and drove back into Tennessee, just to say that we had been in Arkansas.

    Driving across the country to Breckenridge, CO in 3 days was a push, but we needed to get out there. Once there, we slowed down and visited:
  Moab Utah, and Arches National Park.
  Mancos, CO and Mesa Verde National Park
  Four Corners
  The Painted Desert
  The Petrified Forest
  Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ
  The South Rim of the Grand Canyon
  The North Rim of the Grand Canyon
   Zion National Park
  Bryce Canyon National Park
  Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake
  Yellowstone National Park
  Cody, WY
  Little Bighorn National Battlefield
  Colstrip, MT
  Trails End Mansion, Sheridan, WY
  Devils Tower, WY
  Mount Rushmore, SD
  Custer State Park, Custer SD
  Wind Cave National Park, Custer, SD
  The Lincoln Home, Springfield, IL
  4 days driving home.
We traveled with Jill's sister and her husband, whom we vacation with frequently, and the four of us had a truly phenomenal time. To be gone that long traveling with another couple and still be friends says a lot about how great the Nivens are!  We got home on July 12 and left for five weeks at the beach on July 13th.

     While we were away Jill released her second novel, Will Power II: The Courtship.
On August 18th we celebrated 35 years of marriage AND the birth of Benjamin Randall Copeland.  We cut our beach trip short and came home to welcome Benji.

     August saw some not so happy events as well. On August, 4th, we went to Irish Eyes Restaurant in Lewes, with Jane and Mike,  with  after eating a half dozen really tasty raw oysters and a really delicious soft shell crab, I went into anaphylaxis and left the restaurant in an ambulance. They determined it was a shellfish allergy, and my days of clams, crabs, oysters, shrimp, scallops, and lobster are now behind me........ sigh.......

    On August 17th, Jill's mom broke her leg. After a stay in Chester County Hospital, and Bryn Mawr Rehab, she came home, and Jill and I moved in with her until she was on her feet again. Literally on her feet.  We found ourselves keeping the roads between Unionville and West Chester hot as we cooked dinners and helped Jessie and Garrett out with a newborn at home, and stayed with Mom as she convalesced.

    October came along and Jill found out she had food allergy issues that we are still dealing with.
October also found us reclaiming the yard from landscaping that had gotten out of control. 1000 pounds of brush, weeds, branches, and bushes were taken to the dump, and we were able to claim a partial victory! Spring will see us cleaning up and starting over as far as replacing plantings go.

     November and December were a blur as we moved in a blink from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Jill released her third novel, The Long Climb Back and had a book signing the 22nd of December in Rehoboth. This third book, while not a part of her Will Power series, is her best story to date.

     We got home and Christmas was upon us. It was a warm happy Christmas season that was spent with family.

    That brings us to tonight, New Year's Eve. Jill had another allergic reaction to something, so we spent 4 hours in the ER, and another hour in the pharmacy. So it has been quite the exciting time all the way around.

     I have enjoyed this year and retirement immensely. I tell everyone that asks that it is the best gig ever. I highly recommend it to all. I also realize that having Jill by my side in this adventure helps make it so exciting, and I am so happy she decided to retire as well.

     We are starting 2014 by driving to Florida to visit friends for a couple of weeks and attend the wedding of my nephew in Charleston, SC.  I am looking forward to the warm weather and the fellowship of good friends and family.
I wish you all a  happy, healthy and blessed,  2014, I pray that it will be as exciting as this year was for us.

So there is my 2013 in review. It really was a very good year, and I am okay with that.

Stopping by Traffic on a Snowy Day

Stopping by Traffic on a Snowy Day

(with apologies to Robert Frost) 

Whose cars these are, I have no clue

I could have stopped right next to you.

You would not see me stopping though

As the road filled up with snow.

The crazies drove without a thought,

Of possible mayhem they could have wrought.

While speeding on their icy way

This slippery cold December day.

I gave the horn a little toot

To let them know their speed's not cute.

They did not pause, they did not linger

So I waved goodby with my middle finger.

The snow was lovely, but there's a rub

I've joined the Snow-stopped Traffic Club,
With miles to go to to my hot tub

    With miles to go to my hot hot tub
 

          We drove up from the beach on Sunday with Jill's sister Jane and her husband Mike. What should have taken us an hour and forty-five minutes turned into a four hour ride.  It was a fitting ending to a weekend of unfortunate events.  Between the snow that quickly covered the highway, the crazy drivers who drove with wild abandon, and the overly cautious drivers that were barely driving, we were constantly entertained on this long ride home. The only good thing was Mike was driving, and I was not.

         A few weeks ago as we were closing up the beach houses for the winter, Jill and I saw an advertisement for the Lewes Christmas House Tour sponsored by The Lewes Historical Society.  We thought that it would be a lot of fun to come down and see some of the fine old houses of Lewes all decorated to the teeth. It would be a great way to fill us with Christmas Spirit and Holiday joy. We asked Jane and Mike, our constant traveling companions, if they wanted to go, and they said they were in. We made reservations at the Rehoboth Boardwalk Plaza, bought tickets for the tour, and let the anticipation build.

         We left early Saturday morning and decided to just take one car. Mike volunteered to be chauffeur.  With coffees in hand we made it from Unionville to the beach in what seemed like record time. Since the tour didn't start until 10:00, I asked Mike to stop by the houses so I could check to see if the plumber had gotten the water turned off and the pipes winterized. He was supposed to have taken care of it on November 11th.  We pulled up to the house, and all looked well. I unlocked the front door and saw that the check I had left for the plumber was still on the table. Moving quickly to the kitchen, I turned on the faucet and water came out. This was not good.  I immediately put in a call to the plumber and asked him to get back to me as soon as he got my message. With temps in the low 40s and a stiff breeze blowing, thoughts of frozen pipes danced through my head.

         Not being able to do any more, we left, me with a slight feeling of unease, to start our Christmas House Tour. Picking up the tickets, we found a parking spot and noticed long lines forming outside some of the houses on the tour.  People were bundled up against the cold wind that was sweeping down the street. We hustled over to the Historical Society's complex at Shipcarpenter Square and thought that we would start out tours in their collection of historical buildings and homes, which were all open and staffed for the day. As we walked down the street, the plumber called and apologetically let me know he dropped the ball, but would take care of the houses that afternoon.

        We chose the Doctor's office first, and we were greeted by a very knowledgeable gentleman who told us more than we would ever want to know about amputations in the 18th century. Other than saws, scalpels, and other implements of destruction, there were no decorations in the doctor's office.  We braced ourselves against the cold and moved to the next building and, you guessed it. No decorations. Hmmmmmm........ is this a Christmas House Tour, or a house tour at Christmas?

         Our next stop was a few blocks away. The line wrapped around a relatively new home. As you approached the front porch, you had to put booties on over your shoes. As we approached the Booty Box, they ran out. The smiling docent told us our other option was to take our shoes off.  The home had some Christmas decorations, but it was not decorated in an Over the Top /In Your Face way that we were expecting. It was however an interior decorator's dream. With architectural accents and furnishings that screamed of form and function combining seamlessly. It was beautiful, artistic, but not real Christmasy. 

          
          With our shoes back on we bundled up and headed back into the cold. Long lines greeted us at every house. Some longer than others. Most of the houses were more than a few blocks apart so we did get a good amount of exercise in. They were close enough to walk to and not worth the effort of trying to find parking each time. By 11:45 we were ready to find some lunch and warmth. A Touch of Italy, on the corner of Savannah Road and 2nd Street became our haven from the cold.

         Lunch was very good. Jill and I shared a Caesar Salad, bowl of Escarole/Bean soup, and an Eggplant Tower. They were all delicious and none had any shellfish or cilantro. We asked. But.... there was parsley, which is in the cilantro family. Jill noticed that the roof of her mouth was a bit itchy. She could feel some swelling in her throat, so she popped a Benedryl, and that took care of things. We need to be more complete when asking about ingredients. 

         We finished the tour and found it to be consistent. High on interior decorations, light on Christmas. Stopping by the beach house to see if the plumber had stopped by, I saw that his check was gone, but the water was still on....... Oy. We headed for the hotel and had a great dinner, and stay. The evening ended without incident. 

       Sunday morning greeted us with some cloud cover and the promise of a dusting of

The view from our room at The Rehoboth Boardwalk Plaza

snow.  Could there be a better way to get us in the Christmas Spirit? We did Cracker Barrel for breakfast and watched the flakes begin to lightly fall. It was beautiful.  We left at 11 and headed for home. The snow began to worsen around Dover and we slowed to a crawl. Although, there were some crazies that felt they could travel at 40 mph and weave in and out of traffic. We passed no less than 3 BMWs that were just stuck in their lane spinning their wheels. Once made it to Limestone Road, traffic was almost at a stop. With some clever navigating we wound our way through neighborhoods and back roads avoiding the heavily traveled routes. 

         For those of you familiar with the Kennett Square area, Kaolin Road presented the greatest challenge with cars stuck coming both up and down the hills. This caused people to go around into the oncoming lane of traffic and then try to get back to the correct  side all while their wheels were spinning merrily and the back end of their cars were weaving from side to side. It was the stereotypical snowy windy back country road. 

      We finally pulled into our drive shortly after 3:00.  Mike was slightly frazzled after such a long and stressful drive, and still had to drive home another 12 miles to East Fallowfield along more snowy and windy back country roads, but he did a masterful job of piloting us safely home. We sent them off with grateful goodbyes, and I set out to put the plow on my tractor and remove the 7 inches of snow that were in the driveway.... and since I didn't have to drive through it, I was okay with that.

For those of you not familiar with Robert Frost's stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, here it is reprinted below.
        

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.    - By Robert Frost

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

     Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
My very favorite of all Advent songs. 

     Today was the first Sunday of Advent. For Christians this is the beginning of the ramp up to Christmas. As many of you may know my faith runs pretty deep. What you may not know, is that my theology, like my politics lies slightly left of center. I sort of lean to the Christian Left. Have no fear, this post is not a discourse on cardinal doctrine or a platform for my espousing my thoughts on whether we are pre-millennial, millennial, or post-millennial. It's about music.

     We currently go to Willowdale Chapel near Kennett Square. About a 1000 people attend the two services each Sunday. We have been attending since 2006 and really love the church. It is very contemporary in its worship music, sermon delivery, and hospitality. Which appeals to my worship style.  The dress code is casual, and jeans, or shorts in the summer,  are the norm. I don't know if I have ever seen the Senior Pastor in a tie.  Coming in the front door you are greeted warmly. A cafe with several different flavors of coffee lies just off the lobby, which is big and bright and airy, and the Worship Center is furnished with comfortable cloth covered chairs. It is just a warm, friendly, loving, non-judgmental come as you are church.

      I love Willowdale. I love the message, the music, and the people. If you are looking for a church, and are in Southern Chester County, I can't recommend it enough, and encourage you to stop by and check us out. If you are a little uncomfortable give me a call or shoot me an email, and I'll meet you at the door at either the 9 o'clock or the 11 o'clock service.

     All that being said, me, being me, I can get my knickers in a twist over stupid trivial things. It is who I am and something I need to get over. And really, they aren't all that twisted. Just a little. So the thing that poked me a little today was the fact that today WAS the first Sunday in Advent, and we didn't sing one Advent song. I love contemporary Christian music equally as much as the venerable old hymns.  The Praise Band is a group of people who are worshippers that happen to be top notch musicians. They strive for excellence while serving as a conduit for worship to flow between the congregation and God. And they are really, really good. Always.

     Today they did 5 songs, "Let the Praises Ring," "Loves Come Down," "To the Cross," that old classic, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," and 'My Hope is You." All of them are great worship songs. All of them were nailed by the band. The first and the last really rocked. BUT none of them are advent songs.

      Maybe because I was brought up in the Episcopal Church, and there was a certain amount of ritual and ceremony, especially when the big holidays were coming up, I have certain expectations.  Jill and I attended a Methodist Church for awhile since she was brought up Methodist. Later, when we moved back to PA, we became Presbyterians. Then, after 16 years at Kennett Pres, we came to Willowdale. As my faith evolved I found I really enjoyed contemporary worship, not to the exclusion of more traditional styles, but it is my preference. Except for when it comes to Christmas and Easter. Then, I am a "dyed in the wool" traditionalist. Why? I don't know. I just know that I want the traditional stuff twice a year.

     So today, this beginning of the church's period of expectation, I was expecting at least one song that spoke of that expectation, traditionalist that I am at this time of year, and I didn't get it.  No "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, " no "Immanuel, " no "Comfort, Comfort You My People," nor my favorite, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." (It is the link at the top of the page if you want to listen to it.) Did it detract from my worship experience?  No, worship was great today, as usual.  Did I get all lathered up about it and fire off an angry email to the Worship Leader? No, although I let myself have a bit of a rant here.  Did my boxers get in a bit of a bunch? Well......... maybe..... but I am learning to get over this kind of stuff. I know they didn't do it just to annoy me. I know it's not about me ....... most of the time..... Will there be Advent or Christmas music next week?  I am pretty sure there will be. At least one song. I hope. ..... but it's not about me..... and if there isn't, the music they do have will be great, and  I can always listen to some traditional stuff at home..... and I am okay with that......