A Very Merry Christmas
A lot has happened during the past week! Benson traveled all the way home from Aviano, Italy for Christmas (with a surprise in store for Kylie at the airport); we spent a wonderful Christmas together with half of our family here in town; and then we had a WEDDING.
My beautiful little granddaughters down in Texas are shown here - all ready for Christmas! I can't wait to see them in 2 weeks!
I took Kylie down to Salt Lake City with me on Tuesday, Christmas Eve with plans to pick up Benson from the airport that evening. We drove down extra early so we could spend time at Temple Square and pay a visit to the #lighttheworld vending machines. I've always wanted to do that, so this was a perfect opportunity! When we arrived at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and went inside, we expected a long line for the vending machines, but there were only about 5 people in front of us. A missionary handed us a large laminated card with purchasing options on both sides, so I hurried to send pictures of the front and back to my children and Scott so they could weigh in on what we decided to get.
Options included: eyeglasses, or eye exam, vaccines, sports equipment such as a basketball or soccer ball, baby resuscitation kit, menstruation kits for young ladies, school supplies, chickens/sheep/pigs, food/meals, etc.
The original plan was to get a goat, because that's what I've been wanting to do for 3 years! But Scott found a phenomenal deal online (savethechildren.org) where if we buy a goat and 2 chickens ($80) then a wealthy sponsor would match our contribution because it's the Christmas season. He took care of that so we could pick out something else at the machine. We decided to get a baby resuscitation kit as well as the 6 menstruation kits so that some young ladies could continue to attend school instead of being banned.
Then, since we had a LOT of time to kill while we waited for Jacob and Hannah to join us at Temple Square, we relaxed upstairs in the Legacy Theater and watched some short church films where it was warm and comfortable.
Once we met up with Jacob and Hannah, we found some delicious dinner at the Blue Lemon and then walked back over to Temple Square to marvel at the Christmas lights while it was lightly raining.
We didn't spend a long time looking at the lights because the rain was increasing and it was pretty cold. Benson was about to land at the airport anyway, so we hopped in our cars and caravan-style we drove over to greet him. His plane landed almost 30 minutes early, but an issue at the gate prevented him from disembarking for an additional 45 minutes. Kylie was very nervous with excitement to see him after 5 months of separation, but the rest of us were excited for a much different reason! We knew that Benson planned to officially propose to her right away, since their wedding date was just 2 days away. (When he left this summer to return to Italy, it wasn't in the plans for them to get married over Christmas break. They wanted to get married next summer. But then plans changed, and he had not been able to propose in person yet)
So this is what happened . . . (click here for the video)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UCZMeU8mmH1hpUJt7
I asked her later if she knew it was coming, but she didn't! So Benson's surprise worked! :) If you look closely at the video, you'll see how I had to motion him to move closer to me so that I could hand off the ring to him. He ordered the ring online and shipped it to our house, so I was in charge of making sure it got into his hand during the long-awaited hug at the airport. Mission Successful.
It was fun to caravan home to Idaho Falls with all the kids. Benson and Kylie rode home with me, and Jacob and Hannah drove their car. We made a few stops along the way for food, gas, etc. and arrived safely around 11:00 pm on Christmas Eve. It felt so good to be out of the car and to all be together, so naturally we stayed up for a while. Like 2 more hours.
I had done most of the prep for our Breakfast Casserole in the crock pot before we drove down to Salt Lake, so all we had to do was add the eggs/milk mixture and turn it on low for the night. I filled up the stockings and convinced us all to go to bed around 1:00 am. I had trouble going to sleep for some reason. I think I finally quieted my thoughts around 2:00 am. And then, true to form, my brain woke up way too early at 7:30 am. Probably because the entire house smelled like the Breakfast Casserole, ha ha.
After a delicious breakfast together, and gifts were exchanged, we just relaxed for a while.
Jacob and Hannah were eager to help me in the kitchen as we made contributions to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner later in the day. I wanted to "invite" Scott to our table somehow, so after some research on Middle Eastern dishes earlier in the week, I decided an easy dish to make would be Hummus. So we made it from scratch. It was delicious! I also wanted to make something from Togo since Assan and Marissa would be there, too. I settled on a dessert-type recipe called Togolese Bananas. (more on that in a minute)
We headed out a little early to do a special errand before dinner. The idea for this popped into my head the day before Christmas, and I knew it was a beautiful idea and that it would be a special Christmas gift for Amber and Weston from all of us.
We drove up to the Rexburg Cemetery to pay a visit to Jonny's grave. They sure have a lot more snow up there than we do in Idaho Falls! We didn't wear the best shoes to go traipsing out in the cold and crunchy snow, so as Jacob began trudging out and fearlessly making a path, everyone just fell into line behind him and stepped in each of his footsteps.
Jonny's headstone was completely buried in the snow, so we had to improvise in order to dig down and find it. I grabbed the windshield scraper from the car and Jacob went to work.
Then we did what we came there for.
I had no idea how much it would mean to Amber, but I knew it was a beautiful errand. She later wrote on Instagram and Facebook:
"My favorite Christmas present is illustrated by the following images. (same ones above) Thank you, my family, for doing this for me. I love the snow here. To me, it's purity. Heavenly, unblemished. Because of Jesus Christ, this is what Jonny is, and what we all can be. 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow' Isaiah 1:18. In another stunning way I am reminded that I cannot be close to my son without also drawing closer to my Savior, letting his Atonement work in my life. Then brushing the snow away and enjoying what is, to my spirit, Home." #jonathanwhitworth
I'm so glad we did that. Together.
Then off to dinner in Rigby with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a beautiful spread of food: (hummus in the foreground - red dish)
And a beautiful group of family to share it all with!
(Left to right: Jacob, Hannah, Grandpa Phil Harmon, Benson, Kylie, Marissa, Assan, Grandma Coy Harmon)
Marissa and Assan's baby, Azure, sure did light up the evening! She is so darling and happy and easygoing. She is almost 6 months old and is trying so hard to crawl. I was able to coax her a little by using my cellphone to record her attempts. She wanted my phone so badly that it was a great motivator, ha ha. Video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UF5rxfWQ54sMEkeu9
After a fantastic Christmas dinner, we all migrated downstairs to watch "The Fighting Preacher". I was very touched by the movie, based on actual events that took place about 85 years after Joseph Smith and his family left Palmyra under a dark cloud. A married couple, Wallace Bean and his wife (?), were asked to serve a mission for the church to befriend the people of Palmyra. It was no easy task! It took them a very long time to win everyone over, trying many tactics along the way. They ended up staying there for 25 years! I would highly recommend the movie to everyone.
Once the movie was done, and our bellies had settled, we came back upstairs for dessert. Jacob helped me finish up the Togolese Bananas, and I had also made 2 pumpkin pies for a more traditional dish. The bananas bake in their peels for 20 minutes. They looked like this:
You remove the peels carefully once they've cooled off a bit, and then put them on a plate. Drizzle on a little bit of lime juice, sprinkle a small amount of brown sugar, ladle on some heavy cream, and garnish with crushed nuts. The recipe called for crushed peanuts, but I had pecans, so that's what I used. They were DELICIOUS!! I was trying to be all careful with the cream by not adding too much, but Assan helped me to understand that you almost need to drown the banana in cream because it's so good that way! ha ha
The day after Christmas, Jacob and Benson took on a special project together: changing the brakes on Jacob's car. It was freezing outside, and even when they moved the car into the garage and turned on a space heater, it didn't seem to make much difference. What was estimated to be a 2 hour project, turned out to be about 5 hours instead. I guess Ford made things a little complicated in how they designed some basic parts, so it required a lot more effort and patience in the process. But the boys sure bonded and spent some good quality time together! I'm glad Benson has learned so many helpful skills in the Air Force and could take the lead in helping his brother with this. Scott was so proud of them, too! I was able to show him over a couple of video calls how things were coming along throughout the day.
Kylie and Hannah were each able to help in the process by pumping on the brakes while the boys watched the brake fluid squirt out. It was necessary to flush out the old rusty fluid until it had a nice clear color, indicating that the new brake fluid was fully integrated.
I took several pictures of the boys, but most of them shows one or the other blurry because they were constantly in motion! What good workers!
Friday, December 27th, was a very special day because Benson and Kylie were married! They chose to be married at the Bonneville County Courthouse since Kylie is only 17 and needed to emancipate from her mother, which required a judge to oversee. They went to the recorder's office first to get their marriage license, which allowed some early photo opportunities while we waited.
(Benson with Grandma Coy Harmon)
(Benson with Grandma Coy and Grandpa Phil Harmon)
(Momma Michele and her baby boy)
(Beautiful Kylie Merkley)
(The eager Bride and Groom)
It was a short ceremony, with just immediate family members in attendance. And even with that, some were missing. Scott of course could not be there, and Amber and her family were unable to come up to Idaho. Some of Kylie's siblings were unable to attend as well. But her father, Todd Merkley, and step-mom Nicole were there with their young son, Jackson, and Kylie's mother, Tamra Brewster, was there. For the groom's side, I was there (of course!), with Jacob and Hannah, and Grandma Coy and Grandpa Phil Harmon.
Benson and Kylie - getting everything in order before the ceremony . . .
Coy Harmon, Phil Harmon, me, Jacob and Hannah Harmon
I even got to do some family history that day! I was a witness to the ceremony and got to sign my name on the official documents! How exciting!! Todd Merkley was the other witness.
Judge Cook was very friendly and accommodating, with a cute sense of humor. Her parting words of advice to the newly married couple were: "Just because you're old married folks now, doesn't mean you have ESP. Use words to communicate with each other."
After the ceremony, we all (the Harmons) headed back to our house to hang out and rest for a bit. Mid-afternoon we met up at the Johnny Carino's Restaurant in Idaho Falls for a small family reception and lunch. Kylie's step-mom, Nicole, went to a great deal of effort to line everything up and do some decorating. It was nice to visit with some of Kylie's extended family and get to know them a little better.
I enjoyed some mother/son time.
And we even had a chance to share some of the festivities with Scott on a video call during the lunch!
I'm glad Benson found someone as sweet and fun as Kylie. She is kind, hard-working and spunky, all wrapped up in one tiny little frame. So now I have 3 daughters and 3 sons!! It's a great feeling to know that my children have all chosen a wonderful spouse. I wish all the best to Benson and Kylie and hope they continue to grow in their love and friendship!!
Scott had a good Christmas in the Middle East, too. Several packages arrived from the families of his Army buddies, with goodies, games, and gift cards to Audible.com.
(Scott is in the red shirt near the upper left)
The chow hall was decorated beautifully for Christmas Day, complete with swans made out of ice, and they got a nice visit from the Colonel.
My gift for him was a flop, sadly, but I learned an important lesson in the process. I bought a FoodSaver (to vacuum seal food items) so that I could send the boys cookies and other items in the freshest way possible. For Christmas, I had a grand idea to make Scott some Jalapeno Cheese Bread, since it's his favorite. I baked it while at my mom's house in CA and read the instructions first before sealing it up. It "suggested" that for baked goods you should freeze it for 1-2 hours before vacuum sealing. It did not explain why. I was in a little bit of a hurry, so I decided to skip that step. I sealed it up and mailed it off. Yeah, it shrunk a lot in the bag, but I figured that once he opened it up, it would perk up and expand to its former glory. NOT SO. He got it eventually and opened it up. Alas, it was just a hard, dense brick. I was SO SAD!!!! It's a good thing Scott loves me no matter what! Lesson: freeze the bread first. Then vacuum seal it. That way, you won't suck all the air out of the BREAD!! You'll just suck all the air out from AROUND the bread!!
In addition to Scott's latest job assignment where he works from 5 pm to 1 am six days a week, he finds time to work on mathematical computer programs for fun. He's been working on a project lately that he shared with his former colleagues at BYU-Idaho, as well as with College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) and Idaho State University. Everyone is very interested in it. I'm so proud of him that he has such a capacity for creating things that are useful and helpful to the math community. I hope that the colleges and universities appreciate his brains, and I hope that they will be moved to offer him money for his inventions. He sure deserves it! I told him he must be channeling his Great-Great Uncle Carlisle Harmon, who was also an inventor. Carlisle invented and patented "dry-weave", what we now use in disposable diapers and feminine hygiene products.
Wow. What a week. I can't believe how long this post is! But when so many good things happen, you just can't leave anything out!! I'm so grateful for my family, for my blessings, for my Savior, for my life, and for all that I have. I'm ready to ring in the New Year and make some amazing memories in 2020!! Happy New Year everyone!!
My beautiful little granddaughters down in Texas are shown here - all ready for Christmas! I can't wait to see them in 2 weeks!
Options included: eyeglasses, or eye exam, vaccines, sports equipment such as a basketball or soccer ball, baby resuscitation kit, menstruation kits for young ladies, school supplies, chickens/sheep/pigs, food/meals, etc.
The original plan was to get a goat, because that's what I've been wanting to do for 3 years! But Scott found a phenomenal deal online (savethechildren.org) where if we buy a goat and 2 chickens ($80) then a wealthy sponsor would match our contribution because it's the Christmas season. He took care of that so we could pick out something else at the machine. We decided to get a baby resuscitation kit as well as the 6 menstruation kits so that some young ladies could continue to attend school instead of being banned.
Then, since we had a LOT of time to kill while we waited for Jacob and Hannah to join us at Temple Square, we relaxed upstairs in the Legacy Theater and watched some short church films where it was warm and comfortable.
Once we met up with Jacob and Hannah, we found some delicious dinner at the Blue Lemon and then walked back over to Temple Square to marvel at the Christmas lights while it was lightly raining.
We didn't spend a long time looking at the lights because the rain was increasing and it was pretty cold. Benson was about to land at the airport anyway, so we hopped in our cars and caravan-style we drove over to greet him. His plane landed almost 30 minutes early, but an issue at the gate prevented him from disembarking for an additional 45 minutes. Kylie was very nervous with excitement to see him after 5 months of separation, but the rest of us were excited for a much different reason! We knew that Benson planned to officially propose to her right away, since their wedding date was just 2 days away. (When he left this summer to return to Italy, it wasn't in the plans for them to get married over Christmas break. They wanted to get married next summer. But then plans changed, and he had not been able to propose in person yet)
So this is what happened . . . (click here for the video)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UCZMeU8mmH1hpUJt7
I asked her later if she knew it was coming, but she didn't! So Benson's surprise worked! :) If you look closely at the video, you'll see how I had to motion him to move closer to me so that I could hand off the ring to him. He ordered the ring online and shipped it to our house, so I was in charge of making sure it got into his hand during the long-awaited hug at the airport. Mission Successful.
It was fun to caravan home to Idaho Falls with all the kids. Benson and Kylie rode home with me, and Jacob and Hannah drove their car. We made a few stops along the way for food, gas, etc. and arrived safely around 11:00 pm on Christmas Eve. It felt so good to be out of the car and to all be together, so naturally we stayed up for a while. Like 2 more hours.
I had done most of the prep for our Breakfast Casserole in the crock pot before we drove down to Salt Lake, so all we had to do was add the eggs/milk mixture and turn it on low for the night. I filled up the stockings and convinced us all to go to bed around 1:00 am. I had trouble going to sleep for some reason. I think I finally quieted my thoughts around 2:00 am. And then, true to form, my brain woke up way too early at 7:30 am. Probably because the entire house smelled like the Breakfast Casserole, ha ha.
After a delicious breakfast together, and gifts were exchanged, we just relaxed for a while.
Jacob and Hannah were eager to help me in the kitchen as we made contributions to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner later in the day. I wanted to "invite" Scott to our table somehow, so after some research on Middle Eastern dishes earlier in the week, I decided an easy dish to make would be Hummus. So we made it from scratch. It was delicious! I also wanted to make something from Togo since Assan and Marissa would be there, too. I settled on a dessert-type recipe called Togolese Bananas. (more on that in a minute)
We headed out a little early to do a special errand before dinner. The idea for this popped into my head the day before Christmas, and I knew it was a beautiful idea and that it would be a special Christmas gift for Amber and Weston from all of us.
We drove up to the Rexburg Cemetery to pay a visit to Jonny's grave. They sure have a lot more snow up there than we do in Idaho Falls! We didn't wear the best shoes to go traipsing out in the cold and crunchy snow, so as Jacob began trudging out and fearlessly making a path, everyone just fell into line behind him and stepped in each of his footsteps.
Jonny's headstone was completely buried in the snow, so we had to improvise in order to dig down and find it. I grabbed the windshield scraper from the car and Jacob went to work.
Then we did what we came there for.
I had no idea how much it would mean to Amber, but I knew it was a beautiful errand. She later wrote on Instagram and Facebook:
"My favorite Christmas present is illustrated by the following images. (same ones above) Thank you, my family, for doing this for me. I love the snow here. To me, it's purity. Heavenly, unblemished. Because of Jesus Christ, this is what Jonny is, and what we all can be. 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow' Isaiah 1:18. In another stunning way I am reminded that I cannot be close to my son without also drawing closer to my Savior, letting his Atonement work in my life. Then brushing the snow away and enjoying what is, to my spirit, Home." #jonathanwhitworth
I'm so glad we did that. Together.
Then off to dinner in Rigby with Grandma and Grandpa. We had a beautiful spread of food: (hummus in the foreground - red dish)
And a beautiful group of family to share it all with!
(Left to right: Jacob, Hannah, Grandpa Phil Harmon, Benson, Kylie, Marissa, Assan, Grandma Coy Harmon)
Marissa and Assan's baby, Azure, sure did light up the evening! She is so darling and happy and easygoing. She is almost 6 months old and is trying so hard to crawl. I was able to coax her a little by using my cellphone to record her attempts. She wanted my phone so badly that it was a great motivator, ha ha. Video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UF5rxfWQ54sMEkeu9
After a fantastic Christmas dinner, we all migrated downstairs to watch "The Fighting Preacher". I was very touched by the movie, based on actual events that took place about 85 years after Joseph Smith and his family left Palmyra under a dark cloud. A married couple, Wallace Bean and his wife (?), were asked to serve a mission for the church to befriend the people of Palmyra. It was no easy task! It took them a very long time to win everyone over, trying many tactics along the way. They ended up staying there for 25 years! I would highly recommend the movie to everyone.
Once the movie was done, and our bellies had settled, we came back upstairs for dessert. Jacob helped me finish up the Togolese Bananas, and I had also made 2 pumpkin pies for a more traditional dish. The bananas bake in their peels for 20 minutes. They looked like this:
You remove the peels carefully once they've cooled off a bit, and then put them on a plate. Drizzle on a little bit of lime juice, sprinkle a small amount of brown sugar, ladle on some heavy cream, and garnish with crushed nuts. The recipe called for crushed peanuts, but I had pecans, so that's what I used. They were DELICIOUS!! I was trying to be all careful with the cream by not adding too much, but Assan helped me to understand that you almost need to drown the banana in cream because it's so good that way! ha ha
The day after Christmas, Jacob and Benson took on a special project together: changing the brakes on Jacob's car. It was freezing outside, and even when they moved the car into the garage and turned on a space heater, it didn't seem to make much difference. What was estimated to be a 2 hour project, turned out to be about 5 hours instead. I guess Ford made things a little complicated in how they designed some basic parts, so it required a lot more effort and patience in the process. But the boys sure bonded and spent some good quality time together! I'm glad Benson has learned so many helpful skills in the Air Force and could take the lead in helping his brother with this. Scott was so proud of them, too! I was able to show him over a couple of video calls how things were coming along throughout the day.
Kylie and Hannah were each able to help in the process by pumping on the brakes while the boys watched the brake fluid squirt out. It was necessary to flush out the old rusty fluid until it had a nice clear color, indicating that the new brake fluid was fully integrated.
I took several pictures of the boys, but most of them shows one or the other blurry because they were constantly in motion! What good workers!
Friday, December 27th, was a very special day because Benson and Kylie were married! They chose to be married at the Bonneville County Courthouse since Kylie is only 17 and needed to emancipate from her mother, which required a judge to oversee. They went to the recorder's office first to get their marriage license, which allowed some early photo opportunities while we waited.
(Benson with Grandma Coy Harmon)
(Benson with Grandma Coy and Grandpa Phil Harmon)
(Momma Michele and her baby boy)
(Beautiful Kylie Merkley)
(The eager Bride and Groom)
Benson and Kylie - getting everything in order before the ceremony . . .
Coy Harmon, Phil Harmon, me, Jacob and Hannah Harmon
I even got to do some family history that day! I was a witness to the ceremony and got to sign my name on the official documents! How exciting!! Todd Merkley was the other witness.
Judge Cook was very friendly and accommodating, with a cute sense of humor. Her parting words of advice to the newly married couple were: "Just because you're old married folks now, doesn't mean you have ESP. Use words to communicate with each other."
After the ceremony, we all (the Harmons) headed back to our house to hang out and rest for a bit. Mid-afternoon we met up at the Johnny Carino's Restaurant in Idaho Falls for a small family reception and lunch. Kylie's step-mom, Nicole, went to a great deal of effort to line everything up and do some decorating. It was nice to visit with some of Kylie's extended family and get to know them a little better.
I enjoyed some mother/son time.
And we even had a chance to share some of the festivities with Scott on a video call during the lunch!
I'm glad Benson found someone as sweet and fun as Kylie. She is kind, hard-working and spunky, all wrapped up in one tiny little frame. So now I have 3 daughters and 3 sons!! It's a great feeling to know that my children have all chosen a wonderful spouse. I wish all the best to Benson and Kylie and hope they continue to grow in their love and friendship!!
Scott had a good Christmas in the Middle East, too. Several packages arrived from the families of his Army buddies, with goodies, games, and gift cards to Audible.com.
(Scott is in the red shirt near the upper left)
The chow hall was decorated beautifully for Christmas Day, complete with swans made out of ice, and they got a nice visit from the Colonel.
My gift for him was a flop, sadly, but I learned an important lesson in the process. I bought a FoodSaver (to vacuum seal food items) so that I could send the boys cookies and other items in the freshest way possible. For Christmas, I had a grand idea to make Scott some Jalapeno Cheese Bread, since it's his favorite. I baked it while at my mom's house in CA and read the instructions first before sealing it up. It "suggested" that for baked goods you should freeze it for 1-2 hours before vacuum sealing. It did not explain why. I was in a little bit of a hurry, so I decided to skip that step. I sealed it up and mailed it off. Yeah, it shrunk a lot in the bag, but I figured that once he opened it up, it would perk up and expand to its former glory. NOT SO. He got it eventually and opened it up. Alas, it was just a hard, dense brick. I was SO SAD!!!! It's a good thing Scott loves me no matter what! Lesson: freeze the bread first. Then vacuum seal it. That way, you won't suck all the air out of the BREAD!! You'll just suck all the air out from AROUND the bread!!
In addition to Scott's latest job assignment where he works from 5 pm to 1 am six days a week, he finds time to work on mathematical computer programs for fun. He's been working on a project lately that he shared with his former colleagues at BYU-Idaho, as well as with College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) and Idaho State University. Everyone is very interested in it. I'm so proud of him that he has such a capacity for creating things that are useful and helpful to the math community. I hope that the colleges and universities appreciate his brains, and I hope that they will be moved to offer him money for his inventions. He sure deserves it! I told him he must be channeling his Great-Great Uncle Carlisle Harmon, who was also an inventor. Carlisle invented and patented "dry-weave", what we now use in disposable diapers and feminine hygiene products.
Wow. What a week. I can't believe how long this post is! But when so many good things happen, you just can't leave anything out!! I'm so grateful for my family, for my blessings, for my Savior, for my life, and for all that I have. I'm ready to ring in the New Year and make some amazing memories in 2020!! Happy New Year everyone!!
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