Today we cruised the shops of Williamsburg and then took a carriage ride with a gentleman named Tom and two horses named Captain and Ranger. It was another beautiful day with crisp air and blue skies.

As the sun set on Bruton Parish we headed to the Court House for the ceremonial firing of the guns and some caroling prior to the lighting of the Christmas tree.



















The crescents were lit for illumination and a bonfire was lit for warmth. We sang some carols, after which the tree was lit with 5000 lights. There was a huge crowd present and a warm sense of community permeated the event even though we were all technically strangers.





From the Court House, we headed back to Bruton Parish for a Christmas Eve service. It always moves us to think that George Washington and other founding fathers sat in this very sanctuary over two hundred years ago, trusting in God to direct their paths as they planned and accomplished events that would change world history forever.

Have a Glorious Christmas!

Several months ago we decided to take an honest-to-goodness vacation at the Christmas holiday, so we made reservations for a week at Colonial Williamsburg. On Tuesday we loaded the van and headed for Virginia. The drive was one beautiful snow scape after another, but the roads were clear. We checked into our hotel, a beautiful room in a newly refurbished Hampton Inn, and had a lovely dinner at a local restaurant. Then we headed to the Governor's Palace for a candlelit concert. Five musicians in period attire played period instruments, and a soprano sang several arias. It was a great start to our holiday.

This morning we got up when we felt like it, had a monster breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then headed to the restored area. If you've never been here, I highly recommend that you visit at least once in your life. There's something for everyone, whether you like architecture, history, horses, crafts, trades, guns, or just a relaxed atmosphere, it's all here.

In the photo below, we are standing in front of the Governor's Palace just prior to touring it. Later in the day we attended an "Irish Christmas" musical presentation which was also very excellent. You meet the nicest people at these activities, and it's good to see families with small children. The kids really seem to enjoy the whole experience, despite the absence of electronic diversions.

We'll keep taking pictures and try to post a little something each day. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

This morning we woke up to a coating of wet snow that enrobed every branch and twig. For us, this really makes it feel like Christmas time. If you live in an area where you might play volley ball in your shirtsleeves on Christmas, you might not understand. Weird as it sounds, we prefer snuggling by the fire to grilling over a fire this time of year. May you have a Merry Christmas, where ever you are!

Have you ever seen a herd of reindeer cupcakes? Well, feast your eyes on these seasonal creatures that Michele made for the kids at Coshocton Christian School! They were such a big hit that Tim didn't even get any leftovers.

Recently Michele had the opportunity

to help make costumes for a local theater group. She made two bonnets and two vests for a production of "The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge". We attended the opening night show and enjoyed seeing the actors wearing her handiwork. During the intermission she was taken backstage to meet the cast. It was a great night!

Thank you for your perseverance to continue to check this blog despite the infrequent posts! We intend to do better, but the pace of life just keeps pushing the blog to the bottom of the list of things to do.

Speaking of things to do, we are in process of mailing out our recent newsletter. If you're not on our mailing list, or want to get a jump on things, here it is...

One of the recently completed projects at MMS is a Cessna R182, owned by Moody Aviation for pilot training. It had a nose gear collapse on landing and was trucked to us for repair. When the repairs were complete, Moody's director of flight training traveled to MMS to fly the plane back to Spokane, Washinton. Here is a video of the plane's departure prepared by Paul Jones, one of the men who worked to restore the plane to service.

#22 The Moody Bible Institute Cessna 182 Returns to Service from Paul Jones on Vimeo.