A Tale of Two Worlds

It is hard to put into words how things are going here. On one hand, we just had a splendid vacation, which I will talk about momentarily. On the other hand, our daughter Katie is spiraling into more and more dangerous situations. Her choices (which she thinks are just fine) are propelling her into very dangerous waters and have already had a  permanent impact on her life that she will have to live with forever. Her living situation has changed three times since Thanksgiving and over two states; she is relying on unsavory strangers to house her; and she is giving up a great deal to stay in their good graces.  It is simply heart breaking. Also, she will listen to almost no reason. Part of my brain is always trying to figure out her next move or how to stop her downward spiral. But you can throw a million life preservers and if the struggling person won't reach for them, there is nothing that you can do. It feels like playing an endless chess match with the Mad Hatter that I will not win.

As if all of that was not enough, a lovely young teen in our special needs community died very unexpectedly this week. It has thrown us all into a state of shock. 

We struggle on to feel all of the joy of Christmas, but it has lost some of its luster this year. However, there is still joy in between the moments of hardship, and we are blessed to have so much for which to be grateful. 

We made a quick trip up to Washington, D.C. to see my stepmother. She gave Rebekah and me tickets to the Washington Ballet Nutcracker for our Christmas gift. It was stunning. I would rank it in the top five of  productions we have seen, right along side Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King on Broadway.  The Warner Theater was just gorgeous, too. My Mother used to take me there as a child once a year to see a show. 

We also walked around the National Botanical Gardens. They had a huge outdoor train display. We really enjoyed watching the half dozen trains go around and around. They even had some Thomas the Tank engines. 
 

There was also a stickwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty that we could walk through.

Tom and Rebekah look like birds in a nest.

We also walked around the National harbor. Rebekah decided to try ice skating for a while and Tim and Grandma Sue went on the ice bumper cars. 

We also just enjoyed time at Grandma Sue's house eating take out and playing an epic 4 hour game of Monopoly in which Elijah won as usual. We also squeezed in a back porch fire pit visit with one of David's sisters and family.

After 48 hours of fun in Washington, D.C., we headed for Colonial Williamsburg. We had a delightful time walking around the colonial village. I fell in love with huge variety of wreaths on the doors of all of the historic homes.

The blue cone in the middle is sugar and shows the wealth of the family.

Pomegranate and clam shells

Gorgeous peacock feathers

Playing cards and toys

Magnolia and Granny Smith apples

This horse was so friendly

We wrapped up our trip with an overnight at my husband's oldest sister's house. She is an interior decorator and Rebekah and I just drank up all of her clever design ideas. This was the breakfast table.

I hope all of you are finding joy in the season.

Blessings, Dawn