Taking a leap of faith to avoid a literal bursting at the seams

A few months ago, as I sat in my hairstylist's chair solving world problems, we somehow arrived on the topic of my physical scriptures. Keep in mind that I visit Heidi every 8-9 weeks to have my extensions moved up and my hair cut and colored. The whole process takes 3-4 hours, so we cover lots of topics. In this case, I was telling her about my study quad, which is about 25 years old and has been well loved and well used all that time. As I study, I write annotations on small Post-it notes. These comments include my thoughts and perspectives on the text, along with specific questions to ask when I'm teaching. And I stick these Post-it notes to the pages with the scripture references connected to my comments.

It's super efficient; however, I've recently realized that it's not going to work forever. There are so many Post-it notes everywhere that the text, itself, is hard to read without removing and reattaching the Post-it notes (which, of course, is why Post-it notes work well, but still). And, my quad is now so thick that it's difficult to hold in one hand. I also worry the binding won't hold up much longer, but I surely can't get rid of all these notes! They are the result of years of study, and they represent the evolution of my thoughts on so much doctrine.

Heidi suggested I use the annotations tool in the Gospel Library app. Say what? Give up my physical scriptures and move fully digital? Uh, no. I can't do that. But what if there were some sort of hybrid approach? What if I kept my physical quad intact with all the Post-it notes in place, but gradually shifted over to the Gospel Library app? This would take a long time, obviously, but what if each time I read something, whether just a few verses or several chapters, I typed the comments from the Post-it notes into the annotations tool on my phone?

I've been doing this for a few weeks now, and it's actually quicker and easier than I expected. The second step, and the one I'm still not fully committed to, is using the app for all new comments I write and not making any new Post-it notes. This one is more challenging. I don't even know how to study scriptures without Post-it notes and a pen in hand. At home, I'm still doing both: writing new Post-it notes, then typing them into the app. But last week at church, I conducted an experiment. I didn't bring any blank Post-it notes. I was studying the Book of Revelation as we finish up the NT this month. I read Chapters 11-14 and made several notes in the annotations tool, but I didn't write any Post-it notes. I may have made a couple notes with a pen in the margin of my physical scriptures, but not that many. 

How did it feel? A little weird but mostly good? Since then, I've checked the app several times to make sure those notes are still there and accessible. They are!

So thanks to Heidi, I took a leap of faith to save my beloved scriptures from literally bursting at the seams!

All is calm, all is bright. Even though the code was broken.

(Photo cred: Mathew Monson)

After a super fun gingerbread house party hosted by Shulamith on Christmas Eve afternoon, I packed up an overnight bag and drove to Eli and Amanda's. Ever since Shulamith and Mathew got married almost 14 years ago, we have alternated December 25th with Matt's family. On the "off" years, we just move our whole celebration to a different day, and while my sons don't love this plan, it works just fine and they live with it. This was an "off" year, so we scheduled our Christmas Eve for Dec. 26th and Christmas Day for the 27th. Before Eli was married, on "off" years, I would usually just hang out alone on the 25th, reminding myself often that "This is not Christmas, and 25 is just a number." (All true, by the way.) Gerald and the boys would busy themselves with the things they like to do: online work, Dominion, video games, sometimes a movie. It was fine.

However, once Eli and Amanda got married seven years ago, they've invited me to spend the 24th and 25th with them on the "off" years, a blessing I never take for granted. This year was especially magical because their daughter, Jane, recently turned two, and this was the first year she had any idea about Christmas. It was joyous! And so calm with just the four of us. 

All is calm.

Christmas Eve night, we ate dinner and prepped for the next morning. Amanda and Jane left cookies out for Santa, and Eli read us all the story of Jesus' birth from the Gospel of Luke. That was my favorite!

Amanda and I wrapped a few last presents, and we all went to bed. I can't say we went to sleep exactly; Eli and I are still like little kids and find sleep elusive on Christmas Eve, but I think we both slept a little.

I woke up before everyone else and enjoyed the quiet house as I sat in the recliner by the light of the tree and browsed all my friends' Christmas posts on social media, smiling at each one. Eli woke up next, and we wrapped some last-minute gifts for Amanda. Then I headed out to Maverik with three Stanleys in hand to bring back fresh fountain Diet Cokes for the three of us.

At around 10:30, they decided to gently wake Jane. Amanda was so excited for Jane to see her "Santa" gift, a beautiful doll house that Amanda built for her. 

It seems she likes it!

We ate the most delicious cinnamon rolls that Amanda made from scratch, and later some biscuits and gravy. In between, we enjoyed watching one another open presents, one at a time, which is how we do it in our family. I've heard other families open their gifts all at once at the same time, but I want to watch every person open every gift!

I went home for a couple hours in the afternoon and listened to Seth talk through some LSAT prep questions. Then, Gerald, Seth, and I all went back to Eli and Amanda's house for Christmas dinner: pork nachos. It was a perfectly lovely (and calm) Christmas celebration Round 1!

All is Bright.

I think we were all grateful for a "rest day" on the 26th, to prepare for our larger celebration. A friend's Xmas card reads, "All is not calm, but all is definitely bright." This is a spot on description of our Christmas celebration Round 2 yesterday, with the entire family other than our oldest son Luke and his daughter, who live in Maryland. With 12 people, four of whom are age 11 and under, there was nothing calm about it. But it was surely bright: bright with noise, bright with excitement, bright with hope, and bright with love!

Tuesday night we opened our traditional Christmas Eve pajamas, this year navy shirts with a candy cane peace sign and the words "Peace and Joy." 

Then we began the process of getting settled for the night, who would sleep where, etc. Matt is the only one who didn't stay over. I don't think he quite understands the joy of everyone sleeping under the same roof on Christmas Eve, then waking up together on Christmas morning, but for a Christmas mom like me, it's the best thing ever.

The next morning we gathered in the basement to open gifts in our regular pattern of youngest to oldest. Except this year something startling occurred. Each year I create a new code to identify Christmas gifts. I don't use people's actual names on the tags, but instead assign everyone a code name. This is because my children are snoopy. Especially Eli. He is the snoopiest. And I don't want them shaking their presents and trying to figure out what they are. For over three decades, this system has successfully prevented that. No one has ever broken the code. Until this year... 

Take a wild guess who did it? If you are thinking "Swen Webster-Monson," you would be correct. How could this happen, you ask? Well, let me just tell you. A few days ago, this conversation between Swen and me transpired:

Swen: Hey Her, can I borrow your phone. I wanna watch a YouTube video.

Me: Sure! (handing him my phone) 

Swen: Thanks.

After a few minutes, I learn that Swen has found the code and sent a screenshot to everyone in the family. The kid is positively unstoppable! :-)

Nevertheless, Christmas Round 2 was awesome and fabulously bright. Gift opening took until mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day we ate good food and just hung out together. Here are some highlights:

Cookies, lights, and a dusting of Christmas snow!

"And I totally forgot; when are we doing our cookie day? Time's running out!" 

This text from Amanda a few days ago reminded us that we hadn't scheduled our annual cookie baking party. Nor had we chosen a night to drink hot chocolate and drive around to look at beautiful Christmas lights. These are both important traditions!

The season didn't exactly creep up on me; it's more like it gobsmacked me in the face without warning. It's been an intense fall. Trying to keep up with eight classes at three different colleges nowhere near one another has proven just as challenging as it sounds. I only left my phone on the FrontRunner once. The second time it was Trax and it was my entire purse! My Type A, ultra organized personality flew right out the window with this semester's teaching schedule. At the same time, I was abruptly and prematurely released from my church calling, and I can't even describe the level of angst and despair that has caused. All in all, I'm ready for a new semester, and yes, a brand new year!`

But back to Christmas. We decided on this past Friday for both cookies and lights. My final grades were due Wednesday at midnight, so that gave me two days to recover, along with responding to students who expected different grades than what they earned:

"All I'm asking for is a C. I really need to pass this class."

"Dude, you finished the course with 59%, and your final research essay was 100% ChatGPT, so...."

Now that Shulamith's kids are old enough to actually be helpful, I feel like the cookie baking was more efficient than ever before. We cranked out ginger, shortbread, and chocolate crinkle cookies, all in about two hours. 

After lunch and some rest time, we headed out to grab hot chocolate and look at lights. Eli is our driver and personal guide to all the best displays, and he did not disappoint. We saw so many amazing houses, all lit up, in many cases synchronized with music we could hear by tuning our radio to the posted frequencies. We saw lots of snow people, Santa and reindeer, along with several themed displays including The Grinch and Nightmare Before Christmas. All were wonderful, so much fun! But my favorite by far was the picture at the top of this page, a nativity scene with live animals (!) and an audio of someone reading the story of Christ's birth from the Gospel of Luke. It was the coolest! 

Yesterday (Saturday) would be our last shopping opportunity, so Shulamih and I left early in the morning to help Santa with stockings. It has been an untypically warm fall, so when I walked outside to fresh snow, it felt sorta magical. Shulmaith's son Swen was still asleep at that point, but later when he woke up, he called Shulamith and told her that he had "prayed so hard for Jesus to send snow for Christmas, and it worked!" I don't think we'll get a white Christmas, but that dusting of Christmas snow Saturday morning was lovely, and I'm grateful Swen's prayer was answered.

Have I mentioned how much I love unemployment?

As of this past Friday, my fall 2023 classes are officially over at all three schools. Which means I am technically unemployed. Hooray! As an adjunct, my contracts are only ever for one semester. That means no one is obligated to hire me back to teach classes in January. In reality, I already have my offers from all three schools, and my teaching schedule for spring 2024 is set, assuming the classes carry and aren't canceled for low enrollment. That uncertainty is just part of the adjunct dance, a sometimes tricky one to navigate.

For now, though, I am fully enjoying my "unemployed" status. On my first day of unemployment, I woke naturally at the time my body prefers: 7:15 a.m., in sharp contrast to the 5:15 a.m. alarm I set three days a week for the past 16 weeks. I ran downstairs to grab a Diet Coke (Don't judge! People drink coffee in the morning; I can drink Diet Coke), then ran right back upstairs and back into bed. I scrolled through a bit of social media. I played Wordle and Connections. I worked on revisions of our family Christmas letter to be illustrated by Kennedy, printed, and sent this coming week.

Then I leisurely got up and dressed and headed up to the mall in Sandy to walk with my friend Emily. After a fabulous walk/chat with her, I got Flake mini-pies and Zao takeout for Shulamith and me, and arrived back at her house just as she was pulling in the driveway, home from her morning kindergarten job. We ate lunch, and then I left to meet my friend Allie for yet another walk. I sure love to walk! Especially with friends.

I still have lots of grading to do before I can submit final grades and be completely done with the semester. I've been studying the Book of Revelation these past couple of weeks, the current text for our church's Sunday School curriculum. The number "7" in the Bible symbolizes a sense of completeness. That sounds awesome! I can't wait until I can feel that #7, that sense of completeness, as I click "submit" for my eight classes. I'm trying hard to remain calm in the meantime and not stress too much, but rather work on grading consistently for some part(s) of each day. I will finish. I always do. (Though I've never taught eight classes before, so maybe I won't?)

I guess we'll see. Until then, have I mentioned how much I love unemployment?