The goings-on of January

January is one of my favorite months. I have mentioned this before, but maybe you still think I'm odd? I love winter, I love the feeling of fresh starts and goals, I love how un-busy it all is. This January is kind of exciting in that 2020 marks the start of a new decade. So many ideas of new things to try and accomplish. 

This month we welcomed Ethan home from his mission. This picture represents the reunion between a Sister Croft (England London Mission), a Hermana Croft (New Jersey Morristown Mission), and an Elder Croft (Michigan Detroit Mission). 

(A shot of a bunch of the cousins at Ethan's missionary homecoming a few weeks later.)

Lilian convinced me to allow her to dye her hair purple. You can tell she must be the youngest child because I'm pretty sure there is no way I would have agreed to this with Rebekah or Julianne. We compromised on weaving it into the lower half of her hair rather than the whole head, and I had my hairdresser, Elizabeth, do it so that it would be a professional job rather than something we attempted at home from a box. Lilian was pretty excited about the results. 

Melissa, Julianne and I had the opportunity to see Bernadette Peters in concert at Utah Valley University. We were more than a little giddy...Bernadette Peters is a Broadway icon. I kept flashing back to my college years sitting on my couch wearing out the VHS tape of Into the Woods as over and over again I watched her play the Witch, a part she originated. My roommate was a huge fan of any and all things Stephen Sondheim and Bernadette Peters, and this combined the two. Into the Woods was on repeat most days in our apartment. Bernadette Peters, now 71 years old, was prancing around on that stage like she was still in her 20's, even lounging across the top of the grand piano. I wish I looked even half as good as she does! She was in phenomenal form and we were treated to a glorious evening. 

In January The Leonardo Museum was hosting an exhibit about Pompeii. I've always been fascinated with what happened there, and visiting this site in Italy has on my travel bucket list for awhile. So one day while Lilian was in school and Bryan at work, I bought myself a ticket and wandered through the exhibit on my own. One of the major draws of course is seeing the casts of the people who died (as morbid maybe as that sounds.) Apparently as they were excavating, they would find the absence of volcanic ash in the shape of a person. They filled those with plaster and were able to create the molds of the people who were caught in the devastating destruction. But beyond these, the exhibit also featured so much of what life was like back then before Mount Vesuvius erupted. It was such an interesting display! 

Lilian and her friend Gavin convinced me to take them ice skating one January weekend. I haven't stepped foot (or should I say skate) on the ice since I got a concussion from my spectacular fall a few years earlier. This rink was the exact spot where it had all happened. So after helping them rent their skates and making sure their laces were tied tightly, I left them to it. Which truth be told I'm guessing they weren't too upset about. I'm not sure either one of them wanted me hanging around and skating with them. 

Hey look! Snow! Our winters are becoming warmer and drier every year. A good snow dumping is always a happy day and I will shovel without complaint.