Best Wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year!
Our church worship service was held yesterday morning, so I'm enjoying a leisure New Year's morning at home today. Yesterday's sermon was about finding our purpose and fulfilling it in 2017. It prompted me to pull a book from my bookshelf that I was gifted with in 2003 by a dear friend. It's a great book that's well-worth re-reading to remind myself of my true purpose for living. May 2017 find me pointing others to the One who can truly give purpose and meaning to life - our Creator and Heavenly Father, God Almighty.
Our son, Steve, his wife, Sharon, and granddaughter, Brooke, came over for a simple lasagna dinner on New Year's Eve, and we had a fun evening together.
Brooke brought her ukulele that we gave her for Christmas. What fun she's having with it!
Brooke brought her ukulele that we gave her for Christmas. What fun she's having with it!
[Jerry and Brooke]
We watched a cute 2001 movie, Wedding Planner, while we ate up the caramel corn I made earlier in the week. Steve and Brooke are hid by the Christmas tree in the photo below - only Brooke's head and Steve's leg and foot are visible. ;-)
[Sharon and Lori]
The kitchen clock behind us reveals we were playing the game Catch Phrase at 10:40 p.m.
Before welcoming in the New Year with the televised crystal ball drop in NYC's Times Square, Steve prayed the last prayer of 2016 over our family, and asked for God's guidance and blessings in 2017.
Here's a bit of trivia about the crystal ball:
* Roughly 1 million people crowd together in Times Square to attend the free ball dropping event, and roughly another 100 million watch it on TV from around the US.
* People began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square in 1904, but it wasn't until 1907 that NYC began dropping the ball from a flagpole.
* The first ball was adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs, weighed 700 lbs., and was 5 ft. in diameter.
* In 2007 the ball became much more elaborate as it illuminated the night sky with 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs.
* Its current size is 12 ft. in diameter, weight 11,875 lbs., and it's covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles.
* It descends 141 feet in 60 seconds from a specially designed flagpole.
* It has dropped at midnight on New Year's Eve every year except 1942 and 1943 when WWII blackouts cancelled its annual happening.
How did you spend your New Year's Eve?
Today Lori and I plan on watching The Royals on Netflix. Praying Queen Elizabeth II recovers from her 'heavy cold' that has kept her indoors at Sandringham for the past 12 days, and missing both the Christmas Day and New Year's Day church services.
Here's a bit of trivia about the crystal ball:
* Roughly 1 million people crowd together in Times Square to attend the free ball dropping event, and roughly another 100 million watch it on TV from around the US.
* People began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square in 1904, but it wasn't until 1907 that NYC began dropping the ball from a flagpole.
* The first ball was adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs, weighed 700 lbs., and was 5 ft. in diameter.
* In 2007 the ball became much more elaborate as it illuminated the night sky with 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs.
* Its current size is 12 ft. in diameter, weight 11,875 lbs., and it's covered with a total of 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles.
* It descends 141 feet in 60 seconds from a specially designed flagpole.
* It has dropped at midnight on New Year's Eve every year except 1942 and 1943 when WWII blackouts cancelled its annual happening.
How did you spend your New Year's Eve?
Today Lori and I plan on watching The Royals on Netflix. Praying Queen Elizabeth II recovers from her 'heavy cold' that has kept her indoors at Sandringham for the past 12 days, and missing both the Christmas Day and New Year's Day church services.
May 2017 be a tea-filled year for you. This morning I'm raising my Christmas teacup from Izzy in gratitude to all my faithful blog followers.
Because the post '2016 in Review' was so lengthy, I didn't mention that I had the privilege of meeting three of my blog followers in 2016.
Connie Armstrong came to Michigan last April all the way from the Philippines where she and her husband are missionaries. I had the privilege of having her and her husband, Clark, in my home for high tea.
In July I met Jill while my daughter and I were touring an exhibit at the Edsel/Eleanor Ford House. Jill was there with some of her friends.
Maybe I'll have the privilege of meeting YOU in 2017. If you should be at an event I'm attending or presenting, please introduce yourself to me. Nothing is more rewarding to a blogger, than meeting a follower.
May God bless all of you in 2017!
Connie Armstrong came to Michigan last April all the way from the Philippines where she and her husband are missionaries. I had the privilege of having her and her husband, Clark, in my home for high tea.
In July I met Jill while my daughter and I were touring an exhibit at the Edsel/Eleanor Ford House. Jill was there with some of her friends.
My most recent meet-up with a blog follower was last month when Kathryn and I met for tea at Royal Treat Tearoom.
May God bless all of you in 2017!
I would LOVE to meet you in person in 2017! Whether or not it actually happens, we shall see...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your new teacup is lovely and it is wonderful to bring in the new year with your family all around you, and bid farewell to the old year with prayer.
I was at home and asleep when the ball dropped, since I had to be at church at 8 AM on New Year's Day. But I had a nice day on the 31st and another on the 1st, and am looking forward to a wonderful year.
I am happy to see the ukulele was as big a hit in Michigan as the one was for my niece here in Georgia! Also loved reading about how your family ended the year with a prayer. Wonderful idea! We spent New Year's Eve at home watching TV and eating Alex's Red Beans and Rice, and I shelled some of the 15 pounds or so of pecans that my dad gave me! (Still not finished, either.) Happy New Year!
ReplyDelete