Thanksgiving dinner was at our place; and we were happy to have part of our family here. Scott & Kristine's family came from Denver, Curtis & Marla's family were here from Mitchell, and Sarah and her fiance Derek came from Provo. They all arrived Wednesday evening. Brent & Tauna's family went to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with Tauna's family.
Roy & Barbie and Chad shared our turkey dinner with us, and all of the moms helped prepare food for our traditional menu of dishes we have come to expect and enjoy each year.
The Smiths had to leave Thursday evening, because Maggie had show choir practice Friday morning and Curtis & Marla and Derek & Sarah went to the Winter Quarters Temple on Friday.
I took this picture as we were saying goodbyes to Curtis & Marla's family Thursday evening. (Scott, Kristine, Maggie, Marla, Sarah, Derek, Curtis, Haley, Maren, Jenna, and Kennedy)
Scott's family was able to stay until Friday afternoon, and Scott and Trent went pheasant hunting Friday morning and "walked the trees" in the afternoon before leaving.
Cleaning pheasants after the hunt. (Sam, Scott, and Trent)
Pheasants are plentiful this year, and the hunters had a good time. (Scott & Trent)
Jenna and Shannon enjoyed the kittens and being with the Smith cousins.
Before eating a piece of pie, we played a Thanksgiving game. Each person had six different colors of M & M's, and we took turns naming a blessing before we could eat each piece of candy. We all could easily have named many more blessings, but it was good to express thankfulness for some.
Among my many blessings, I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for His gift of the Atonement. I am thankful for the love and support of family and friends. I am thankful for living in this beautiful world and for the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America. I am thankful for our mission in Russia and for dear friendships made there. I am thankful for our good health, for our comfortable home, for good music and good books to enjoy, and for much more.
While preparing for a talk I gave in church the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I read an article by Darla Isacson entitled, "The Higher Law of Gratitude." Here is a quote from that article: "I now believe that expressing thanks for all that makes my life pleasant, or for what I appreciate more because others have less, is living only the preparatory law of gratitude." The higher law of gratitude is found in the scripture, "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things" (D&C 59:7).
I am trying to see more clearly the blessings that come from even the hard things, recognizing that there are lessons to learn and spiritual growth to be realized from these experiences as we turn to our Father in Heaven for comfort and support knowing He loves each of us and wants us to have joy. An inspiring YouTube video features a young college student who is blind and wheelchair bound. His life is an example of how adversity need not limit blessings and happiness for which to be thankful.
We are pleased to announce that our 31st grandchild has arrived safely. Todd & Beth are the proud parents of Rebecca Elizabeth who has joined her siblings - Jared, Megan, Amanda, Ethan, and Joshua.
* Rebecca Elizabeth Graham * Born Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 5:36 p.m. 6 pounds 14 ounces 19 inches
Beth has taken some darling photos of Elizabeth that are posted on their Graham blog.
We returned home from Branson, Missouri, with happy memories of being with such special friends whom we were reunited with after having served missions together in Russia.
Of course, we missed those couples who were unable to be in Branson with us, and they were in our thoughts. We hope they can join our group on the next reunion wherever it will be held, as this reunion was the first of more to come as a tradition we want to continue.
How fun it was to be with dear friends we had last been with in Russia: The Abrams, Hadleys, Prices, Shepards, and Yorgesens. Sam and I were pleased to have this opportunity for visiting and wholesome entertainment.
We arrived Monday, November 2 and were together until Friday, November 6. This was the beginning of the Christmas shows in Branson with no apology for remembering that Christ is the reason for the season.
Joe & Nancy Abram, Gordon & Maxine Hadley, Greg & Chris Shepard, Sam & Narene Ireland,
David & Sharon Yorgesen, Al & Barbara Price (photo taken at the Dutton Inn)
The Shepards came in their motor home, but the rest of us stayed in the Dutton Inn two nights; and we had discounted tickets to see the "Duttons" Monday evening. (As rooms were not available for some of us at the Dutton Inn for Wednesday and Thursday nights, we then moved nearby to the Days Inn.)
The Redhead Express This group performed briefly before the Duttons came on stage. They are talented sisters who are part of a performing family consisting of the parents and seven children. They are from Alaska, are also LDS, and have their own show at the Dutton theater.
The Duttons are a favorite. They are an LDS family with the parents and six children and one son's wife currently performing. This is the fourth time we have seen their show, and we enjoy it every time.
The Duttons are talented musicians. They include one number where they pass their instruments down the line playing each instrument as they receive it. They also like to include using their violin bow to play on the violin of the person standing next to them.
The Duttons play instruments, sing, and dance.
Chris, Al, Barbara, and Greg - visiting during the Duttons' intermission.
David & Sharon, Maxine & Gordon at the Duttons' show.
Sam, Nancy & Joe
In addition to the "Duttons" on Monday, most of our group went to three shows on Tuesday and again on Wednesday and two more on Thursday. Since we arrived in Branson early afternoon, we decided to see the "Pierce Arrow" show Monday afternoon with the Shepards.
Pierce Arrow They have nice harmonies, and their bass singer holds the Guinness Book of world records for being the lowest bass singer.
The Brett Family Singers In our informal voting, this show received the most votes by our group as their favorite pick of those we saw.
The Brett Family All Branson shows we saw included a tribute to the veterans.
Joe and Al are both veterans and stood up to join other veterans several times during these segments at the various shows.
During the Brett's veteran tribute, Briahna Brett came down and sat on Joe Abram's lap while she sang to him. Hey, I just had a thought - maybe that's why Joe voted for this show as his favorite!
Maxine & Gordon and Sharon & Dave look on as Joe is serenaded by pretty Briahna Brett during the veteran tribute.
The Bretts receiving their applause.
The Bretts are friends of the Shepards; and we were privileged to have a group photo taken with the mom, daughter, and son. (Andrea Brett, Dave & Sharon, Joe & Nancy, Briahna, Sam & Narene, Maxine & Gordon, Chris & Greg, Al & Barbara, and Garon Brett.)
The Spirit of Christmas This show is advertised as "the most delightful and enchanting Christmas extravaganza this side of New York."
The Spirit of Christmas is a professional show featuring Christmas songs, special costumes and scenery, singers and dancers, and a high-stepping kick line resembling the New York Rockettes.
Our evening entertainment on Tuesday was the "Hamner Barber Variety" show. We were not permitted to take pictures at this show, so the three photos that follow were obtained from their web site.
The Hamners have twice been awarded the Merlin Award for their magical illusions.
The Hamner's beautiful Macaws and Cockatoos appear magically and fly over the audience.
It is humorous to see Jim Barber appearing to be the dummy rather than the ventriloquist. He also is a singer. This was a fun show.
Jim Barber was awarded the International "Ventriloquist of the Year" Merlin Award for his combination of magic techniques and ventriloquist. He is considered one of the world's great ventriloquists and was recently featured on CBS's David Letterman show.
Shoji Tabuchi has become the must-see show in Branson.
Shoji is a virtuoso violinist, but he also hires professional musicians . . .
. . . and talented dancers (Shoji's wife is the choreographer)
. . . with elaborate costumes and stage decorations.
Another cute segment with Shoji's outfit matching the penguins.
Shoji with marionettes.
Shoji changes his sparkly jackets frequently, and he even exchanged his violin for a white one (jokingly found at Wal-Mart), which glowed in this black-out scene.
A corp of drummers added by Shoji.
Flying angels traditionally make their appearance at the conclusion of Shoji's show. In the photo, one of the angles has landed.
Dancers and singers join Shoji in a wave to the audience as the show ends.
Even the restrooms are beautifully decorated where people visit with their cameras. I was no exception and took these photos on this my fourth year to marvel at the elaborateness of the ladies' room in the Shoji theater.
These angels are seen as one enters the restroom. We even saw some men looking in to get a glimpse of the decorations.
The full-size Santa (or to our eyes, a Grandfather Frost).
Santa seems stuck in this fireplace.
Baby changing area
Chris washing her hands at one of the wash basins, each decorated with a real orchid in a small vase.
Here I am taking advantage of the several lotions and perfumes available to try.
How did Barbara know the right color to wear for a perfect photo by the tree in the ladies restroom!
Sam took the camera in the men's restroom so we could see the billiard table there.
The wash basins in the men's restrooms at the Shoji theater.
Chris, Barbara, and Narene have a photo taken by the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the lobby of the Shoji theater.
Our next event was the Dixie Stampede Dinner Show on Wednesday; but we had some spare time before the show, so we drove around to see some of the countryside.
Showboat Branson Belle on Table Rock Lake
I like bears and couldn't pass up this picture.
The pre-show juggler/comedian at the Dixie Stampede Dinner Show was good, and the live Nativity was a highlight; but I was otherwise disappointed in the remaining entertainment and dinner for the price we paid.
Some might enjoy having the opportunity to walk by the horses in open-air stalls before entering the building and then watching competitions between the north and south riders, but I had expected the show to be more entertaining and to include country musicians.
The food was served quickly with friendly service and was okay if you wanted to eat a small whole chicken, but the meal wasn't anything special in my estimation. I don't have any photos to post either, since we were not permitted to take them. I guess it is evident that Dolly Parton's show is obviously the one I would rate last in my list of the shows we saw for the price we paid (and we had a discounted group rate).
However, on a positive note, we appreciated having a good friend join us for this dinner show. Steve Luehrs' wife was one of my Reginal Directors when I worked with AYUSA, an international exchange program. She was super to work with and always so cheerful. Sadly, her second bout with breast cancer took her life in June. When I retired from AYUSA, DelRae took my place as Regional Manager and later had started her own foreign exchange company. Steve and DelRae moved from Nebraska to West Branson where Steve and his son have a thriving business.
Our next show Wednesday evening received positive comments from all of us. "Six" is a unique show of six brothers harmonizing with an "orchestra-of-human-voices." They are amazing and are another LDS performing group.
Six I bought a DVD of their show, because you want to see them perform to appreciate knowing these sounds are coming from vocals with no instruments producing the percussion, bass, etc.
"Six" perform a variety of styles - all enjoyable.
On our last day together as a group, our morning show was "Twelve Irish Tenors." On two previous visits to Branson, I have rated "Dino's Extravaganza" as my favorite show. This year, for reasons I will explain below, Dino's was not my favorite show. I enjoyed all the shows we saw (while acknowledging the disappointment already expressed about the Dixie Stampede Dinner Show), but I voted for the "Twelve Irish Tenors" as my favorite this year.
Twelve Irish Tenors We were not permitted to take pictures during the show, so this photo comes from their blog. (I have no idea who Mr. & Mrs. Hill are in this photo.)
Our last show to see during this visit to Branson was "Dino's Extravaganza." I love to hear excellent piano playing, and I have several of Dino's CD's where he plays beautifully with full orchestra accompaniment. In fact, I saved his music on my laptop to have while we served our mission in Russia.
Dino is only in Branson for the Christmas shows, and we have seen his show twice before when it was a close contender to Shoji for having elaborate stage sets and costumed dancers. This year, however, although the excellent piano playing was there, the quality of the dancers, stage sets, and costumes were not up to the earlier standard. Dino has a weekly TV show and does not have his own theater in Branson, so I wonder if this has a bearing on this year's Branson show. I still added two more of Dino's CD's to my collection.
Dino is promoting a young violinist on his show this season. He was good.
Dino and his wife, Cheryl
The portion of the stage with the piano has the capability of moving back when the dancers/singers are performing up front.
The closing Nativity Scene was impressive. Dino always includes a spiritual message about Christ before ending with the Nativity. The finale of Dino's show does leave Christians with a good feeling, and so it was a fitting one to be our last show.
Gathering in the lobby after "Dino's" show: Jorgesens, Irelands, Prices, and Shepards. (Somehow the Hadleys had already gone, and the Abrams had not selected this show.)
Our final meal together was at McFarland's. I chose an appetizer for my meal, and it was yummy: fried green tomatoes and sweet potato fries with delicious corn bread. (l to r: Al, Greg, Hadleys, Abrams, Yorgesens, Irelands, Chris, and Barbara)
Greg had made arrangements with Tom Brett for us to meet at the LDS church where we officially ended our reunion Thursday with a Family Home Evening. Each of us shared a special experience from our Russian mission and an experience we have had since coming home.
We discussed the desire to hold a reunion next year, and possible suggestions were shared for where to go, but left open for further consideration. We want to include those who were unable to come this year because of conflicts in schedules or still being in Russia. We sincerely missed George & Beryl Curbishley who had planned to be with us in Branson, but Beryl needed more time to recuperate from her knee surgery. It was great to have Al with us and to see his return to good health.
Family Home Evening Dave & Sharon and Barbara & Al
Joe & Nancy and Gordon & Maxine
Greg & Chris and Narene & Sam
We had such a good time with everyone; and we had a bonus of being able to spend extra time with the Shepards, since they parked their motor home and we provided them with transportation in Branson.
The Shepards also arranged for a Skype visit in their motor home with Vlad & Lena Nechiporov in Rostov, Russia, where Vlad is now serving as the mission president. This was great. Vlad was our Area Regional Manager in Moscow; and it was so nice to have this visit with him, his wife, and their daughter.
Okay, senior missionary couples who served in the Moscow West or Moscow Missions, where shall we go next year?
I took this picture as we were saying goodbyes
Cleaning pheasants after the hunt.
Pheasants are plentiful this year,
Jenna and Shannon enjoyed the kittens
