A December to Remember--2018
This is Sophie's second year singing with the Salt Lake Children's Choir, directed by Ralph Woodward. Being part of this group has had such a positive effect on Sophie and we love to hear her sing, especially in the Christmas concerts at the Cathedral of the Madeline. These children truly sing the music of heaven and it always moves me to tears. That's how awesome it is.
Soph and I post-concert.
Sophie with neighborhood friend, Hannah Snow after a cathedral performance.
Sophie and neighborhood friend, Rob, after a cathedral performance.
On December 5th, my sister Mary and I flew to State College, Pennsylvania to be with my Grandma White, who'd been put on hospice three weeks previously. When Grandma was put on hospice, my brother, H.B., sent out the bat signal, and we all planned on gathering in State College at the same time to be with her one last time. I knew that this would be one of those bitter, mixed with sweet, experiences.
Mary and I, just after landing in the tiny State College Airport.
My Uncle Hubie (my Dad's older brother) picked us up and shuttled us right over to see Grandma at Juniper Village, the care facility where she was staying. Grandma was asleep when we got there and we didn't try to wake her up. Looking at her that night, I could see that her spirit and body were in the process of separating and I knew that it wouldn't be long before she passed. Hubie shuttled us to the little town of Bellefonte that night, where we'd lived for 2 or 3 years as kids, and after dinner at The Governor's Pub, Mary and I headed to The Queen Bed and Breakfast, just two doors up the street from our old house, for a night in the attic.
Shenanigans at The Queen.
Meanwhile, back in Salt Lake, Casey and my mom were busy herding kids. Casey really levelled up when he took the kids and their friends to our favorite live nativity in Bonneville Glen.
The old family house on Linn Street in Bellefonte
A little shop, still there and owned and operated by the same people, where my siblings and I would go to buy penny candy. Bellefonte is such a small town that we could walk anywhere, so "downtown" was just a couple of blocks away.
The Bellefonte courthouse--the center of many community gatherings.
Spring Creek (the same creek that runs through Grandma and Grandpa White's homestead) running through Tallyrand Park in Bellefonte.
The YMCA where I learned to swim. I remember walking home after swimming lessons with my older sister Kristen in the winter, by ourselves (like all kids did in the 70s and 80s) and arriving home with frozen hair,
One of my favorite shops as a kid, still there on Bellefonte's main drag after more than 35 years.
Spring Creek, running through the dam that Grandpa White built on his property when my dad was a little boy.
Mary, in the "outhouse"--just a little one-room building that Grandpa constructed in the backyard and the location of every cousin sleepover at his house in Lemont.
These cards, made by Sophie, Zeke, and Lindy, and sent just a couple of weeks previous, were hanging on Grandma White's corkboard at Juniper Village. The second day that I was in State College, two more siblings--H.B. and Kristen--arrived. (Nate was out of the country, deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army, and Newel was flying in on Saturday, just after Mary and I were planning on flying back to Salt Lake.) Grandma, when she was awake, was agitated and in obvious pain. She was continually calling for help, voicing her discomfort, and seeing people in the room, not visible to us. They upped her morphine dose to keep her calm. Being with her that day reminded me so much of watching a woman in labor--literally travailing--but instead of bringing life into the world, she was working through the exit process. It was a special day when we all gathered around her bed and took turns holding her hands, rubbing her back, and reassuring her. Her legs were purple and cold and again, I knew that her time on earth was short. She passed away the next morning.
After Kristen and H.B. flew in, we stayed all together at a hotel in State College. It just happened to be right next to the Centre County Memorial Park where Arthur Dale (the town hobo turned family friend that my dad would invite in from the cold to sleep in our warm basement) is buried. (He passed away earlier this year.) Mary and I walked over one cold morning to pay our respects to the man at the center of many beloved family stories. Mary picked a few choice items out of a nearby trash can, in true Arthur Dale style, to adorn his grave.
Mary and I at the Centre County Memorial Park.
Mae Mae's inheritance--Grandma White's favorite sweater. She literally wore it all the time.
On Saturday morning, Mary, Karen, H.B., and I woke up early to hike the infamous Mount Nittany, family tradition. My grandparents and their kids (my dad included) literally blazed the trail up this mountain near their home in Lemont, Pennsylvania.
The "White" Trail, appropriately named!!
Mary, H.B., and Karen, brass-monkeying atop Mount Nittany at sun-up.
Looking down on Penn State from the summit of Mount Nittany.
Friday morning, December 7th, Grandma White passed peacefully out of this world, just a few minutes before we got to her room. Kathleen (Hubie's wife) and Bernard (my Dad's dog) were with her. That was a somber day. We waited with GG until the guy from the crematorium came to pick her up in the afternoon. (Both of my Grandparents White wanted to be cremated and their ashes spread atop Mount Nittany, in Spring Creek, and at the family burial plot in Amherst Massachusetts.)
"Feeding" and feeding heartily and well is a White family tradition. Friday afternoon, we all headed over to the Tavern Restaurant on Penn State's campus for dinner. My Grandparent's would take my dad and his brothers here on special occasions when they were kids.
H.B. on the stairs of our childhood home in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. The current owner let us in for a quick tour before Mary and I headed to the airport to fly home.
In the old living room.
Uncle Hubie Photoshopped Newel and Nate into this epic porch photo of the old Bellefonte house.
Mar and I headed home.
The day after I left and after Newel flew in, this happened. My brothers, Uncle Hubie, and Arden (Newel's oldest) entered the frigid waters of Spring Creek on a sub-freezing day as per family tradition.
My Grandad White would get in on January 1st so that he could tell everyone that he was the first person to swim in Spring Creek that year (and every year). Crazy man!
Proof
Lindy and Sean, sitting at Uncle D's house (and eating bags of M&Ms) while the rest of us loaded things to help my mom move into her new apartment.
Casey and Lindy, backed up by a hot air balloon while I was in PA.
Every December calls for a family Trax ride downtown, dinner at the Lion House, and a tour of the Christmas lights strung on Temple Square.
Waiting for the train.
We met my Mom downtown for the yearly spectacle.
Another December tradition, not to be missed, is making gingerbread houses from scratch. (Read: a whole lotta work!!) This year we had our friend, Catherine, and two of her grand children come over for the fun.
Casey took the three well (at the time) Sullivan children to see Grandma Tiede just before Christmas.
Making molasses popcorn balls to give away to friends, teachers, and neighbors. We also made dozens of Aunt Patsey's "Gila Valley special recipe" popcorn balls at Casey's request.
We celebrated Winter Solstice with our annual fancy dinner and some esteemed guests--a couple of Best Avenue widows and my Mom. This year, since the solstice fell on a green air day, we took our liberties and started a fire and then we all wrote down on slips of paper things that had brought darkness into our lives over the past year and then in an act of defiance and renewal, we burned them all. Bring on some more light!!
Sean did not want to be one of the three wise men (or anyone else).
'Twas the night before Christmas . . .
My Mom joined us early on Christmas morning
This is what it looks like to see people's dreams comin' true.
We literally spent the latter half of December as the quarantined sick house. Baby Sean got some crazy week-long fever virus; Casey and I got nasty week-long head colds; Hallee, Zeke, and Lindy got a killer multi-day sore throat and fever, which I now think could have been strep throat because now I have some evil strep throat myself. Thank goodness for Instacare and antibiotics to kill the beast. Zeke and Baby Sean still have runny, stuffy noses and Baby Sean broke out in strange and unidentified sores under his nose and around his face that are still healing. Although we missed numerous holiday events and a couple of Sundays at church, somehow, no one was too sick during our 5 day trip to Saint George (the kid's big gift this year), which we headed out on the Friday after Christmas!! Woo hoo! That was a blessing indeed. In our effort to give experiences, not things, we gifted the kids a 5 day trip to Saint George. Humorously, it was actually pretty darn cold down there too, but we still had a great time hiking, exploring, swimming in the outdoor heated pool, soaking in the hotel tub, and ringing in the New Year. It's been one crazy December!
We stopped by the Meadow Hot Springs just because who wouldn't. Seriously. This was the most crowded I've ever seen the place though. Wow!
Zeke, Sophie and Casey were doing the "Abominable Snowman." That means you exit the warm springs, run off into the snow-covered grasses, roll around like a crazy person, then jump back into the water.
During our days in St. George, all of Utah was experiencing an unseasonably cold few days. The trip was still awesome though. Here is why:
Clean air + Sunshine + Plenty of places to hike and explore = Sullivan nirvana.
Sandstone and sun
And a game of family soccer on the dunes:
(my personal favorite picture of the trip)
A flat tire precipitated a trip to the tire shop. While we waited for the tire to be fixed, we hiked up this little butte, conveniently located across the street, and Casey hosted an impromptu arch building symposium.
We could walk to the Virgin River from our hotel. Lindy pronounces that "Birchin River," by the way.
Down by the Birchin River. These guys found where the homeless people like to camp down there.
Sunday, after church (the meetinghouse was located directly adjacent to our hotel--the convenience!!), we went to Pioneer Park for some sandstone exploration.
Lindy, atop a small arch at Pioneer Park.
We all had to go TOUCH the Saint George temple and collect pecans from the pecan trees on the grounds, another family tradition!
We rang in the New Year with a load of junk food (from the Walmart, which was also right next to our hotel--the convenience!!!) and a movie-a-thon of all of the old Herbie movies.
On Monday we drove down to Arizona to hike near Sullivan Canyon, a family favorite. Our explorations involved fording the mighty Virgin River in near freezing temperatures, but the team was undaunted. (Mostly because Casey shuttled the kids across. Zeke crossed one direction, but opted out on our return. I wonder why. I myself lost feeling in my lower body for quite sometime upon crossing. But these are the things that are required when hiking with Casey.)
Exploring in the Arizona desert
We found a little slot canyon and climbed up several dry falls to explore an area that we hadn't seen before.
Crossing the mighty Birchin River!!
Crossing under I-15 on the family walk-about in AZ.
We were jamming to some primal African drum beats and running through this conduit.
Lindy Loo.
Baby Sean.
CBS.
Sophie Gene.
Zeke.
Hallee!
Me.
On our drive back to Salt Lake we hit two small town family cemeteries--one in Virgin and the other in Hurricane where Casey's forefathers and mothers are laid to rest. A bitter wind blew all morning, so our visits were made in haste!
Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year to you too! I for one am ready for a nice quiet January, especially after reading about your busy December!
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