A church in our area holds an interactive play each year during the Christmas season: Journey to Bethlehem. We’ve gone four times over the past several years; last night was our fourth annual visit. It’s become a bit of a family tradition that both our boys look forward to.

We get to the church “campus” around 6:00 in the evening, stand outside in the long line waiting to get into the fellowship hall for hotdogs and snacks, and then wait some more for our turn to enter the event. Once our group is called up, (everyone is divided into groups of a dozen or so), we hook up with a guide who explains the premise of the event.

The cast and set throughout the church depict the ancient people and town of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. There is a rumor going around about the birth of a new king and savior, and our guide takes us through the Jerusalem marketplace where we can hear some of the rumors. We can also buy little stuff, (small snacks and trinkets), here with the “shekels” given to each visitor for participation.

Then the tour goes on to King Herod’s court where we witness the king’s distress over the rumors.

The path to each scene is through the corridors of various church buildings — it’s a pretty big campus — hung with curtains to look like the stone walls of ancient streets and paths.

The story takes travelers out of Jerusalem, and on to Bethlehem. On the road, we find the magi camped outside the small town.

After hearing the wisemen, we go through a few scenes in Bethlehem, all directing us, eventually, outside to the fields to look for the shepards…

where we witness angels in the sky.

After another couple of scenes, tracking down the rumors of the new baby, we eventually end up in the stables where Joseph, Mary, and the baby everyone is talking about are found.

(Each year, it looks like they have a real baby, but how they manage to keep it peaceful and sleeping through every group’s visit, I just don’t know.)

After this last scene, the group exits the church, and we go home.

Most of the cast, (all volunteers from the church congregation, from what I’m told), do pretty well with their parts. And all the staff outside the actual scenes, (mostly before each tour), also do a really good job. Overall, it’s a pretty cool event. It’s run smoothly and professionally, and we’ve never had a bad time. The only unfun part is the sometimes very long wait in the line outside to get inside. But the discomfort there is purely due to the December weather — was 55-65 degrees the day before our visit, but 35-45 degrees the day of.

Bullgrit

By Wifegrit

We lost my father-in-law a year ago to cancer. He lead a very courageous fight. He never give up hope or his faith. He had a wonderful sense of humor. I don’t think I ever saw him mad. Yeah, he was a great man.

His wife and his sister were by his side throughout the whole ordeal. And we are talking over a year of chemo, several major surgeries and 55 days at a major hospital in and out of ICU followed by a stay in a rehab facility.

It hasn’t been an easy year. Holidays and birthdays are sad. He used to call me every year on my birthday and sing “Happy Birthday.” If I wasn’t home, he would leave it on my answering machine. I really miss that. And our boys miss their granddaddy.

We lost my husband’s step-dad in 2007. My husband often stated he was lucky to have 2 dads. His step-dad was also a wonderful, caring man. He loved his family and really enjoyed having all of us together. (All of us would be about 20 people for holidays.) Still not over losing him. His wife, my mother-in-law is such a special person to my family. It was been so hard watching her grief, but she has been so brave and we love her so much.

Nothing is ever the same after you lose a loved one. The pain lingers. Visits, holidays, birthdays. Life changes. After a while you adjust to the new routine and change with it. But sometimes you step back and think to yourself how it would be if your family member was still alive.

I am no stranger to loss: my dad passed away, when I was 23 yrs old, to cancer. You never stop missing.

Yes, you move on. New memories are made, and we smile and laugh. I am sure Bullgrit’s dad, step-dad, and my dad are proud of all of us. And it is a comfort knowing we have so many angels looking after us and our boys.

On a side note: My husband was the executor of his dad’s Estate. When the Clerk of Court tells you “You don’t need a lawyer, you can do this without one.” Of course the Clerk of Court could do it on their own, they understand and know what to do. It is their job! But the average person does not. Do not listen, go hire a lawyer! It will save you a ton of time and headaches. When you have young kids, work full time, have a wife that works weekends and trying to start your own business, time is everything.

Hug your family and have a great day.

By Wifegrit

My husband, Bullgrit, started this blog in 2007. He started the blog as a creative outlet, as a hobby.

He has a degree in English and is a writer/editor for his full time job but he doesn’t always get a chance to do creative writing.

Last year he added his t-shirt designs/store to his blog. Now his goal is to make this his full time job and work out of our home. Selling his tee shirt designs and writing his blog is his dream job. His tee shirts are hilarious and he gets positive comments every time he wears them. Yes, people actually stop him and comment on his tee-shirts. At the grocery store, Target, the airport, even at Walt Disney World and The Great Wolf Lodge. It is so much fun to see people’s reactions and hear their comments!

But I don’t hear all of them. When we are out together, I often miss the comments. Yes, I have heard some, but between dealing with the boys and shopping, I miss others. I miss enough that it has become a running joke with us that he claims he only gets comments when I step away from him for a moment.

So the next step into turning this into a successful business is to start marketing the website/shirts . You can have the coolest product in the world, but if no one knows about it, you can’t sell it.

He is working with a great, local company, Triangle Direct Media, for guidance and advice. Because we have no clue about marketing.

Starting your own company is not an easy task. It takes so much time and effort. It is a huge commitment. Bullgrit comes home from his full time job, spends some time with us, then goes to his home office and works on his website. He also spends time on the weekend working. He really, really enjoys designing t shirt slogans and writing his blog. He loves it. I am confident all his hard work will pay off in the long run for our family.

Why are you reading my thoughts and not his? I am trying to give Bullgrit more time to work on getting this business up and running.

I want to thank you for reading and following my husband’s website. And taking time to read my thoughts.

By Wifegrit

Am I getting old? According to my kids, I am!

My youngest stated, “Mom, I am the active one in the family. Calfgrit10 sits and reads books. I like to move around.”

My oldest stated “Yeah, and no offense mom, but you and dad are old and sit around a lot.”

My reaction in my head: I sit around a lot?? When do I sit? I rarely sit down!!! Huff huff!

My husband said something with the saying, “You brought everything except the kitchen sink.” Looking at the boys he asked them, “Do you know what that means?”

“Of course not,” my oldest replied, “that is an old person saying”.