January 2 – “Aplomb”

Well, over the course of the last few days we have rung in the new year with the usual Vaughan Family aplomb (It’s a real word.  I’ve always wanted to use it, so I thought I’d start the new year off with a brand new one.  I looked it up, by the way.  It means assurance, confidence, and cool).  Freddy protected her territory against “evil cousin dog” Lucy.  Which is really kind of ridiculous.  Lucy is a very sweet animal, and so old she can barely see where she is going.  But I guess tiny little Freddy, the newbie to the pack, felt that she had to prove her worth.  We managed to get in a quick round of the hot new game “Heads Up.”  I really had to chuckle at this one.  See, I checked back through my Journal posts, and on January 1, 2013 I posted about the game that was all the rage back then called Head Bandz.  How to play that one?  Same as Heads Up except it involved words instead of pictures and you had to buy it instead of locating it on your cell phone.  Ah, the miracles of modern technology.

All of the grandkids and some of the adults went to the Dickinson Festival of Lights a few nights ago.  I did some comparing with the Moody Gardens version here in Galveston, which is, generally speaking a much bigger production.  But then it has a much bigger budget.  And a hefty price tag to get in.  The one in Dickinson is run totally by volunteers, so it is free.  Chalk one up for Dickinson. 

Next, in Dickinson they provided free transit (school busses) from a remote parking location.  Now who doesn’t like a nostalgic ride in an old yellow school bus?  Plus, it was great to not have to fight local parking lots and walk a mile and a half to the attraction where the idea is to walk a mile and a half looking at lights.  Then, the Dickinson attraction was overtly Christian.  Not just the one or two politically correct nods to a nativity scene.  The every first exhibit spelled out “Happy Birthday Jesus.”  Nice. 

Here’s one that would have been true no matter where we went … I was with my gorgeous wife.  Always a plus, and always a positive factor wherever we are.  Add to that we were with a boatload of grandchildren.  Not much better.  Oh, yeah.  Lights.  And they had these lights.  They were nice.

Oh, and the New Year’s kiss story?  Sure thing.  Chris and I snuck a quiet little peck when we were doling out donuts to grandkids on New Years’ Day.  Happy New Year to us.

1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

Father, thank you for one more year with my wife and the youngsters she works so hard to pamper.  Amen.