Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, Kenyon and I hung out with the Senavanh clan.

We ate excellent food.

We watched young ones enjoy themselves.

 Santa made an appearance to hand out the gifts.

Even some big kids received gifts from Santa.

just Sheri, getting caught up from the hectic holidays

Christmas Eve in the District

On Christmas Eve I desperately wanted to get outside. If I had been with my family in New Mexico we would have been walking downtown Santa Fe. So, I thought, "why not start a new tradition?" I convinced Kenyon to join me on this adventure by promising that we would visit the Martin Luther King, Jr monument - which neither of us had seen.

This ended up being a wonderful suggestion...if I do say so myself. The night wasn't too cold. There were only a select few with the same idea. So, there was ample parking and no crowds - a rarity indeed. However, the Park Rangers were on duty and happy to talk to anyone who happened by their post. It was like having a private tour of some of our national treasures. Fabulous!

We walked by the Washington Monument on our way to our first destination. In case you didn't know, the iconic monument sustained damage during the recent earthquake. It is currently marked off with yellow tape as they work on repairs. The cracks are visible from the street.

Stop one: Lincoln Memorial. A must see on any sight-seeing visit to the District...and one of my favorite stops no matter how many times I've seen it.

Due to the lack of crowds, I saw something I have never seen before. Carved in the stone on the steps of the Lincoln memorial is a message commemorating MLK's most memorable speeches. Sort of an X marks the spot. We stood on that spot and looked out over the reflection pool (under construction) to the Washington monument beyond and imagined the crowds of people who came to hear those inspiring words.

It was a perfect lead-in to our next stop, the newest memorial in the District and the only commemorating something besides war and someone besides a president, the Martin Luther King, Jr memorial. The Park Ranger at this stop had flyers about the memorial and was happy to answer my many questions.

Kenyon posed for a picture with this great man looking over his shoulder. All around the edges are MLK's inspiring words. We read the quotes aloud...it wasn't like we were disturbing any one else. When we finished reading the quote about the character of a man, Kenyon said, "that just gave me chills."

Then we made our way toward the White House - though the Obama's were visiting a warmer climate (Hawaii) at the time. Just across the street is green space called "President's Park." This is the only place the entire night we encountered a crowd.

In President's Park stands the national tree. I am told the tree lighting ceremony is fun. Perhaps we will participate in that next year? For now, it was nice to see the tree lit up with 50 trees surrounding it - one for each U.S. state.

just Sheri, establishing new traditions

Chirstmas Ornament Exchange party

When I lived in Kansas my friend Elaine held an ornament exchange party every year in December. She did this for a decade. Each year it grew bigger and bigger and bigger. After year 10 she stopped hosting the party. I loved the party. And I loved pulling out the ornaments each year and remembering the party. So, I decided to host one in our new town.

For those of you who are asking, "what is an ornament exchange party?" Let me explain. First, invite some friends. New friends are ALWAYS welcome.

Second, each person brings a wrapped ornament for the exchange. Numbers matching the number of people in attendance are put in a bowl and drawn to determine gift selection order. Then presents are opened.

This one was a hit...and I am told made it's way back to the nation of Liberia as a souvenir. 

My student, and now my friend Vy, was also present. She met her learning goals so I am no longer her tutor, but we agreed to stay friends.

 This was the night I became discontent with our little apartment. Why? I had to severely limit the guest list beyond what I wanted to...and we still didn't have space or seats for those who came. Notice the large number of folks sitting on the floor. I plan to remedy that problem in the near future...more on that soon.

just Sheri, (re)establishing traditions

just read: same kind of different as me

Last year, someone recommended I read Same Kind of Different as Me. When I saw it on the shelf at a charity book sale, I thought "why not? And, it is for a good cause." I had no idea what to expect.

This is a wonderful, true story focused around two men - who appear different, but share many similarities. One, a rich art dealer in Texas. The other a homeless man, formerly a slave. Brought together by a woman - married to the art dealer.

If you are looking for an inspiring story about how one life can make a difference, I recommend this book. I laughed out loud and literally cried at times throughout the story.

Denver Moore, the former slave, is often full of wisdom. In the final chapter he says:


"We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us. The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final resting place. So in a way, we is all homeless - just workin our way toward home."

As a sojourner, and a former nomad, these words struck a cord in my heart. It was many years ago that "home" was redefined for me. Home is not constructed by men. Home is not a designated geographic place. My home on earth is with my husband, wherever God leads. But, I am still just a visitor passing through on a journey to my final resting place in eternity. That perspective changes everything!

just Sheri, homeless and working my way toward home

Austin, Texas

In early December, I received an all expense paid trip to Austin, Texas. No, I didn't participate in a raffle or anything like that. It was work related. A company we contract with sent out a survey asking for customer input. I replied, not even sure they read those things. Apparently they do. To my surprise, the CEO herself called and said they were holding a user group meeting, flying some folks to their headquarters to share product ideas and I was invited. Nice! This definitely encourages me to complete more customer satisfaction surveys!

I had the opportunity to meet users from all over the US (though this is a global company) and learn from them. I left with many new ideas. Though I was the new kid on the block, one of the ways we use the system was featured as a best practice. Hooray! It's nice when hard work is recognized.

Austin is a great city. I had been there before. The trip was only a couple of days and we hadn't seen anything but the hotel and the corporate headquarters (and the short walk between the two). So, a group of us decided to get out one night. The staff dropped us off at a local restaurant/hang-out that was supposed to have some specialty items. Then they drove away. We walked up to the establishment to learn the entire place was reserved for a private party. Someone had a taxi app on their smart phone and called a cab, that is when the adventure began! 

As it turns out, there is a rule about cab occupancy. A four passenger maximum. We were five. We had requested a large vehicle knowing we wouldn't fit in a normal sedan and honestly didn't know the rule. We had already waited 40-minutes for this cab to arrive. That is when one of the ladies kicked her negotiating skills in to high gear.

She convinced the Cabby to let her ride in the back. She did this on the way to a new destination and on the way back to our hotel.

Here is a photo of the same type of cab outside our hotel the next day (not the same Cabby to protect the guilty and generous).

When travelling, there will be unexpected hurdles. Roll with it!

just Sheri, back to Virginia and my personal vehicle y'all