Christmas in Illinois!

Christmas is coming!!  As I am typing this, Andee and I are packing some last minute items for our super long Christmas Vacation back home in CANADA!!  So so so excited and happy to by making the trip up North!!  But before we head home for the holidays, lets recap the many wonderful Christmas festivities occurring in Illinois these last couple weeks!

Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to sing as a part of the Worship Team at Harvest!  Singing is the best, and I am so so glad to be a part of this amazing group of people who just love to worship our Lord with singing!!  My Small Group leader Lisa just so happened to snap these pictures!

The following Saturday, upwards of 400 ladies attended the Women's Christmas Brunch at the church!  With the years past averaging about 150 women, this year it was just crazy!  Carrie, Sally and I also had the amazing pleasure of singing in worship for this event, and we were able to sing some Christmas carols!!  Nothing gets me in the spirit of Christmas more than Christmas carols!!  It was such a great morning, and I am excited to be a part of it next year!!

After the brunch, Andee and I ventured out to a local mall to do a little Christmas shopping!  On the way, we passed a little zoo, which just so happened to be FREE in the colder months!!  Of course, we couldn't just pass by a free opportunity to hang out with animals, so we headed in!  There were horses, cows, pigs, llamas, donkeys, coyotes, foxes, and even a couple bobcats.  Bob and Robert the cats.  YAY!  We will have to head back when the weather gets a little warmer!

I was also able to sing a few Christmas songs for my small group leader Lisa and a local organization that she is a part of!  More Christmas carols!!  And tonight I attended a Christmas Party for the Worship Ministry!  It was a lot of fun, with games, some more singing, and lots of great people!  A great last night in the US before our trip home!

So it is now getting a little late, and I am too excited to write anything further, so I am going to get ready for bed, sleep for a few hours, and then head home!!!!  AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!  See you soooooooooooon!!

November

Cold weather is on its way.....NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!  Andee and I have been trying to prolong fishing season as long as possible before the lakes freeze over, and so have been making fairly regular "fishing stops" whenever we take the car past Bass City!  It has been especially cold these past couple weeks, but that doesn't stop a true fisherman!  Haha.  One day in particular the fish just were not biting, probably just too cold, but across the lake we noticed a fully intact frog lure stuck in a tree that someone must have lost.  And so, we headed out on an expedition - rescue the lure!  After climbing a tree that we were only about 50% sure would support his body weight and that hung over top of the lake, Andee was successful in obtaining the lure!  Even though the fish may have al"lure"d us (get it?) on that day, the frog lure certainly did not!  Count it as a successful fishing trip!

This past week was also our first American Thanksgiving in America!  And to make it even sweeter, Andee got 4 days off in a row!  Hooray!!  We started off the day with the Macy's Day parade, which was awesome as usual, filled with many Broadway and singing performances and lots of other amazing things!  We did a little fishing in the afternoon, since it was an unseasonably warm day, and then we headed to James and Maria's house for a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!  It was wonderful getting to spend some time with others who are also away from home for this holiday season!! 

Andee and I also experienced a little bit of Black Friday shopping, but on Sunday!  Bass Pro Shop was having a promotion that included the first 100 customers receiving a 3-pack of lures!  We spent about an hour waiting in a cold line for these coveted items, but it will be well worth it next year when fishing season begins again!!  6 free lures, yay!!

Not too much else to blog about at this point, but there are so many exciting Christmas and Holiday adventures coming up!  I am singing this weekend for Worship Team, and later on for a couple more Christmas themed events, and have a Christmas Party and a Christmas Brunch!  Then it is off to Canada for even more Birthday and Christmas celebrations!!

Countdown:  We leave for Canada 2 weeks today!!  So excited!!  See you all soon!!