For the Journey


Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance." ~Psalm 65:11
We began this year's Advent celebration by attending the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Choir's Home for the Holidays concert.  Oh, it was perfectly lovely and wonderful in so many ways . . . the BEST way to start our Advent season.

I didn't exactly tell my people about this.  I purchased the tickets awhile back and then told them last night that we had plans this weekend.  I love the performing arts, especially music and theater.  The first Christmas that Seth and I were dating, I got us a pair of tickets to see The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.  That was the very first time he had ever been to a musical performance of any kind, a ballet of any kind and probably a performing arts theater.  At that particular time in his life, he spent most of it in a deer stand or in a boat.  Let's just say that he and I haven't been back to see The Nutcracker since.

I gave him a few years to recover and then decided in 2004 that I wanted to purchase season tickets to Baton Rouge's broadway series.  The first production that year was Fiddler on the Roof, which is one of my favorites.  It was also the time I found out I was pregnant with Mason.  So I didn't purchase the season tickets because I knew I wouldn't be going with a baby.  I did, however, purchase tickets for that performance of Fiddler on the Roof.  I think Seth enjoyed that one a little more than The Nutcracker.  He would still probably rather the deer stand.

I'm still holding out hope that my children will (one day) enjoy and appreciate the performing arts as much as I do.  I'm also hoping I will (one day) have at least one or two of them who can't wait to accompany me to the musicals and orchestra concerts.  But, until then, I would be remiss if I did not expose them as much as possible to evenings such as these!
The performance was outstanding!  I've thought long and hard about what my favorite piece from the evening was, and I really can't decide.  The opening number of Christmas favorites was outstanding, the arrangement of We Three Kings was absolutely beautiful, Handel's Messiah was fabulous, the Jingle Bells variation was impressive and Children, Go Where I Send Thee was the most fun.  One day I would love to be sitting at that piano!
As we were driving home, I asked each of the children what their favorite part of the performance was.  Silence.  

And then Seth says, "The end."

Sigh.

But you know what?  For someone who enjoyed "the end" the most, he videoed at least four of the selections on his phone!  Mmm hmm.

And you know what else?  Last night he looked at me and said, "Lane has to go to the teddy bear thing this weekend.  At the Roosevelt.  You know what that is?"

Of course, I lit up.  I explained to him that's the annual Teddy Bear Tea at the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.  That's the one you see in all the magazines with the beautifully lit Christmas trees lining the expansive length of the lobby every Christmas.  We visited last year.  So he begins smirking because he can imagine no worse place to be than the Teddy Bear Tea!  I looked at him and said, "Well, you can tell Lane that he might be going to the Teddy Bear Tea, but you're going to the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra concert!"

An hour or so later, he looked at me and said, "Where are we going again?"

Yep.

So, y'all know I'm a sucker for tradition.  And last year I began looking for a new tradition to add to our annual Christmas festivities.  I didn't quite find what I was looking for.  But I think tonight I did.  I think I'll wait until next year to tell them the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra is going to be an annual tradition for us!

Advent.

It's a Latin word that means "coming."  It's a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ.  This has become such a special time for our family, and it's something that we look forward to each year.  I'll not tell you how long we've had our Christmas decorations up.  But this morning I set up our Advent wreath and Jesse tree.  The kids were so excited, especially Ellie.  I can't tell you how many times today I came in here to find her looking at all of the little ornaments on the Advent calendar and flipping through the Advent book.  She can't get enough of it!    
That's the way I hope it always is for her, for us . . . that we just can't get enough of Jesus!  Each new Advent season seems even more special and meaningful than the last, and I'm especially looking forward to this one.  

We are waiting in expectation . . .

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.  The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.  And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious."  ~Isaiah 11:1-2, 10