December 1981

December 1 -- Kelli, Abbi and I went to Sea World with LeRon and Colleen and their three children (M, C and H). Kelli was really brave about feeding the walruses, seals, dolphins and whales. She wasn't a bit afraid to put her fish down for the animals to eat. We saw the whale and dolphin shows and looked at a lot of other sea creatures. Kelli was really excited to see some real alligators, but she didn't get too close, because she didn't want to be their dinner. When the four children and I left, everybody was so tired and had had a really good time at Sea  World!

Kelli feeding a dolphin at the petting pool.

Michael T. and Kelli before the Shamu Show.

(Editorial comment: So what can we learn from reading between the lines of that paragraph? For one, I took all the kids home and let Colleen and LeRon enjoy some adult tourist time!)

December 7 -- Grandpa Conrad took all of his descendants out to dinner at Sir George's [to celebrate] mine and Bruce's birthdays. Then we went to Auntie Arlene's, and Uncle Michael videotaped everybody. [Another archival item to wonder about: where is this?] All the children [almost all] said what they want to be when they grow up.
Michael T.: farmer
Craig: farmer
Kelli: doctor
Jenna: nurse
Abbi: didn't say anything!

December 19 -- this was such a busy day! At 1pm, Kelli, Abbi and Jenna were in a dance recital at Edgemoore Geriatric Hospital in Santee. Kelli danced in "Chicken Chow Mein" and "Chicken Pox for Christmas". Grandma Lund videotaped it [yet another tape--I wonder where it is?].

Then, at 7 pm, for our ward Christmas program, Kelli's class sang "Christmas don't be late" [aka The Chipmunk Song]. Her class wore paper bags that were decorated as Christmas presents. Kelli sang so good! Bruce and I told her that if she would sing out her loudest, she could have an ice cream cone. She earned one! Several people, notably Brother Robey, complimented me on Kelli's singing. Kelli did the actions the very best, and sang out nice and loud for everyone to hear!

Kelli and Abbi testing out the Christmas Package costumes.

 [Bruce drew the artwork for the front of the program.  I was heavily involved with the music and also wrote the entire program.  That was back in the day when I had the confidence and energy for such things! It was so much fun--I did arrangements of A la nanita nana and The Wassail Song and Sleigh Ride and Must be Santa--I can't remember all of them. And we had rehearsals at Stefani Sadler's house; she was the pianist and I was the music director for our group of carolers.  It was a blast! When I got back in touch with Stefani a couple of years ago, she had expected me to have been doing awesome things with music in the intervening years. I guess I still do awesome things, but not quite as awesome as I used to do!]

December 23 -- Kelli went to her first tithing settlement. She has paid $3.00 tithing this year. She told Bishop Matern that she is a full tithe payer. Then she sang "The Chipmunk Song" for him.

December 24 -- Christmas Eve! We had a very nice time over at Julie Grover's house. We had Christmas dinner with Julie and her family. Kelli and Abbi had fun playing with Julie's nieces Renée and Vicki, and her nephew Daniel. Then the children were given their Christmas gifts. Julie gave Kelli a Barbie Doll and a bear that, when wound up, marches and plays a saxophone.

[I had forgotten that we went to Julie's -- Bruce and I both worked for a company called Visutron, owned by our friends Bob and Sherry Joyce. (Well, we didn't know them when we started to work there, but they became our friends.) Julie was the receptionist from the office. She was about my age, single and recovering from a pretty abusive marriage. I liked her a lot. Visutron was a home security company that had visual alarm settings. No one else had a visual system at the time.  Besides installing alarm systems, we monitored them 24/7.  Which is why, that year, we celebrated Christmas Day at work.  Santa brought the kids presents and left them under the work tree, and Bob and Sherry brought us Christmas dinner, which was Ham and au gratin potatoes.]