New Year's Eve Day

The unpacking continued full-throttle at the parsonage and at Charles' office at the First UMC - McCamey. It is a lot of work, but the house is coming together quite nicely. Charles spent about four hours this morning clearing the pastor's study at the church and preparing for his moving in next week.

Belinda was up early this morning and marveled at the stunning sunrise over the bluffs to our east. Charles took a few minutes out of the cleaning/unpacking mode to visit with our neighbor's (Jug & Sylvia) horse and goat. Quite the duo to spend time with!

In the afternoon, we set out for San Angelo where we'll be spending New Year's Eve with Belinda's mother. On our way through Big Lake (on the road to San Angelo) we noticed a monument to Florene Miller Watson, one of the pioneer pilots of the WASP's (Women's Air Force Service Pilots) who grew up in this tiny west Texas town. We were more than glad to pay our respects to this representative of these heroic women.

To Fort Stockton and back

The unpacking effort at the parsonage took a break today as we went to return the U-Haul truck. We headed south and went to Fort Stockton (about 48 miles from McCamey) where we eventually located the most out-of-the-way U-Haul center imaginable.

We took advantage of being in a bigger town (7,500) and got some necessary items and followed a tip from a local resident and had lunch at "K-Bobs" (can't believe that they don't have web site!!!). We just had a little bit from the "salad wagon" and walked away stuffed! We saw some other patrons with huge steaks and the famous kabobs, wow, they sure do things in a big Texas-way at K-Bobs! We're already looking forward to our next visit to Fort Stockton and the rest of this historic frontier town!

Making our way back to McCamey, we found ourselves continuing to marvel at the stark beauty of the west Texas scenery. It's been a long journey here, stay tuned for 2010!

Unpacking in McCamey

Our unpacking efforts continued today. It was easy to stay indoors today as the weather in west Texas was decidedly wet and chilly all day long. The work of turning a house into a home is fun, but tiring, we'll be glad when it is completed.

Moving Day!

Moving day is here! Six months ago, we loaded up a truck at the parsonage of the First UMC in Sidney, Nebraska and headed out on the road to adventure. Today, we loaded up another truck at the storage facility in San Angelo, Texas and headed for our next stop on our journey. Thanks to a bit of help from a young man from Affordable Movers (Josiah), Charles was able to get the truck re-loaded and ready to move out. After picking up our remaining items at the home of Belinda's mother, it was time to drive to McCamey (about two hours west of San Angelo & about 50 miles south of Odessa) and our new home!

We were met by eleven members from First UMC (McCamey), they helped us to quickly bring our possessions into the parsonage. What a blessing they were to us! To have such a generous welcome was a real treat for us.

Continuing our welcome this evening was Bobbie and Bill Lester who took us for a welcoming meal at Elena's Restaurant. We were joined by our neighbors, "Jug" and Sylvia, which made for lively table conversation!

Tomorrow the unpacking begins in earnest... Charles' first Sunday at the First UMC - McCamey and First UMC - Iraan is January 3rd.

First Sunday of Christmas

We spent the First Sunday of Christmas (otherwise known as the last Sunday of 2009) in the company of the faithful at First Salem Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Roscoe, Texas. Roscoe is a small town west of Abilene and about 83 miles north of San Angelo.

Charles preached here on December 13th and was due to do so again Christmas Eve. A surprising snow fall on Christmas Eve caused the cancellation of that service. So this morning, we held our Candle Light Christmas Eve Service with communion. It was a wonderful spirit, and we are blessed to have been able to share this time with these special people.

After worship, we returned to Tita's, a fantastic Mexican restaurant in Roscoe with some of the First Salem members. We are sure happy to have had the opportunity to experience some of the best food and fellowship in west Texas today!

Happy Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day! Today is also the second day of Christmas, and it was a quiet day for us here in San Angelo, Texas. Belinda and her mother went out into the post-Christmas Day shopping frenzy and got some bargains for Christmas 2010!

We're heading up to Roscoe tomorrow morning, where Charles will preaching at the First Salem Lutheran Church.

Happy birthday, Charles!

 

Today is Friday, Dec. 25th, the 359th day of 2009. There are 6 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

In A.D. 336, the first recorded celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome.
In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
In 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, N.J.
On Dec. 25, 1818, "Silent Night," written by Franz Gruber and Father Joseph Mohr, was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
In 1946, comedian W.C. Fields died in Pasadena, Calif., at age 66.
In 1977, comedian Charlie Chaplin died in Switzerland at age 88.
In 1999, Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts finished their repair job on the Hubble Space Telescope and released it back into orbit.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Tony Martin is 96. Actor Dick Miller is 81. Author Anne Roiphe is 74. Actress Hanna Schygulla is 66. R&B singer John Edwards (The Spinners) is 65. Actor Gary Sandy is 64. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 63. Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka is 63. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 61. Actress Sissy Spacek is 60. Singer Annie Lennox is 55. Country singer Steve Wariner is 55. Singer Shane MacGowan (The Pogues, The Popes) is 52. Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is 51. Rev. Dr. Charles Alkula is 51. Actress Klea Scott is 41. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The Cranberries) is 38. Singer Dido is 38. Rock singer Mac Powell (Third Day) is 37. R&B singer Ryan Shaw is 29. Country singer Alecia Elliott is 27. Pop singers Jess and Lisa Origliasso (The Veronicas) are 25.

Thought for Today: "It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you ... yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand." -- Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997).

Christmas Morning in San Angelo

 

After being out so last last night (or was it early this morning?), we surprised ourselves with rising so early (relatively speaking!). Being the kids, we opened our stockings before Belinda's mother got up!

We enjoyed our morning, opening gifts from family and friends, and sampling some of the goodies that were available.

Hope your Christmas was a special one and that what was under the tree is but a taste of the real gift Christmas brings your way.

Christmas Eve, part 4

Our Christmas Eve journey was quite the experience, from soup to nuts! From the snow flurries of the early morning to the chill of the late evening, we kept moving in anticipation of Christmas!

Belinda and her mother joined Charles downtown at the Cathedral Church of the Sacred Heart, San Angelo's Roman Catholic cathedral, for the Solemn Pontifical Midnight Mass. There is simply no better place to be as Christmas Day begins than to be in the community of God, worshipping the Savior of us all.

After Mass ended, it was back to the dark streets of the Rio Concho West community (where Belinda's mother lives) and putting ourselves to bed at 2:00 a.m! From the look of the presents under the tree, someone must have been good this year -- we wonder who it was!

Christmas Eve, part 3

Alkula family tradition holds that Charles celebrates his Christmas Day birthday on Christmas Eve between worship services. This year, having already shared the traditional birthday meal of Cincinnati Chili with family in Florida, he decided to take advantage of the wealth of worship opportunities in San Angelo, by attending his second worship service of the evening.

He selected the 10:30 p.m. service offered by Emmanuel Episcopal Church in downtown San Angelo, being drawn by the rich liturgy in which the service would be shared.

What a beautiful music! And what a breath-taking worship space to enjoy it in! There is something so moving in seeing Christians share the experience with those new to the Christian journey in such a gentle fashion.

Christmas Eve, part 2

As mentioned in the previous post, our trip two hours north to Roscoe was cancled due to the adverse weather. So... given the boon of a "free evening," we returned to San Angelo, to attend Christmas Eve worship services. We so many styles and denominations to choose from; we were quite spoiled for choice! We attended Sierra Vista United Methodist Church's second Christmas Eve service of the evening at 7:00 p.m. with Belinda's mother at her home church. The sanctuary was filled with poinsettias, the sounds of excited children and the beautiful music of the season.

The senior pastor, Dr. Steven Sweet, seated in a rocking chair, read to the congregation a tender message about unexpected gifts of Christmas. A Christmas Eve communion service, the ringing of little bells by the congregation while singing the "Gloria... in exelsius Deo" refrain of "Come All Ye Faithful" and the lighting of candles during the singing of "Silent Night" at the conclusion of the service... all mad for a very special service, indeed!

Christmas Eve, part 1

Our return to San Angelo, Texas, on Wednesday evening (on a rather bumpy flight from Dallas!) was enhanced by rain. And Christmas Eve greeted us with a light dusting of snow and very chilly winds!

Not to be swayed by such things as the weather and the promised crowds, Belinda and her mother, Sheila Hammitt, decided to venture out and enjoyed some shopping. They picked up some neat bargains at their favorite haunt "West End Collectibles."

Charles spent most of the day focusing on his sermon for the Christmas Eve service at First Salem Lutheran Church in Roscoe. It wasn't until we had left San Angelo did we get the message that the service there had been canceled due to several inches of snow!  Charles ventured out long enough to pick up some coffee and Belinda and Mo did some after-Christmas shopping. 

Back to Texas

We left the Suncoast of Florida this afternoon and are back in Texas this evening. Our time in Florida passed oh, too quickly for us. Charles really appreciated the chance to "touch home base" again after an absence of two + years. Before we left Dunedin and Charles' mom's home, there was time for a final serving of "Aunt Karen's Pink Stuff." We even got a serving of the history behind the name of this family favorite desert(named in honor of cousin Karen Schultz).

We flew from Tampa and had a lay-over in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Belinda introduced Charles to the wonders available at Cousin's Bar-B-Q... about as good BBQ as you'll find in the Lone Star State! If you happen to pass through DFW and are in the B Concourse, come on over and have a bite, tell them Belinda sent you!

It was raining when got back to San Angelo this evening, a better welcome than the white stuff up north! Tomorrow evening, Charles is leading a candle light communion service at First Salem Lutheran Church in Roscoe (Texas).

Florida Vacation, day

7

It was another picture-perfect day on the Suncoast today - we're really going to miss this green, pleasant land!

Most of the day was given over to preparations for Charles' birthday observance (part 1) For those who don't know, Charles' birthday is December 25th!!! We had Charles' traditional birthday supper: Cincinnati Chili, cornbread, coleslaw, "Aunt Karen's Pink Stuff" and the Charles' favorite birthday cake: Cheesecake!

Charles loved the buttons from his brother Dale, a Ten Commandments plaque from Mom & Tom, and the evidence from two shopping trips to Cokesbury (courtesy of Belinda!).

We leave here tomorrow, bound for west Texas. Time to get back to work!