2013 Christmas Greetings from the Dalling Family

2013 Christmas Greetings from the Dalling Family

The “Dennis and Ramona Dalling Family” was established well over 62 years ago! Every Christmas since, we have tried to reconnect with family and friends and express and strengthen the bonds of love and affection we have for so many. Though the list has grown exponentially over the years, you are all precious to us! It is our desire, as always, to convey that special feeling that we have for you, and also give a condensed report of the exciting adventure that we call 2013.

We decided that our mission this year would be to try to see as many family and friends as we could and to testify of our love for them and our love for the Lord. We do not know how many more Christmas celebrations lie ahead for us, so we need to do it while we are still mobile enough to enjoy the experience!

It has been a wonderful year for us with much travel, and wonderful hospitality everywhere we went, by car to California and back, then to Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and back home,  then by camper truck to Washington, Canada, Alaska, back to Canada, then home through Idaho and Washington. Then we flew east to Maine and Virginia and back home for the holidays! We found the car/truck travel to be less stressful than the air travel, but more time and expense.

The side benefit to visiting our wonderful family and friends is that we saw so much beautiful world everywhere we went, South, North, and East, including so much wildlife in Alaska and Canada. We took hundreds of spectacular photos, which we will spare you!

I know we will not live long enough to empty our bucket list, but we plan to die trying! If we did not yet get to see you, don’t give up on us. Invite us to come to your house in 2014!

Since our last Christmas letter, we have our first missionary granddaughter serving in Dallas Texas and doing so very well; and we have added four great-grandchildren, including two beautiful twin girls, Jade and Sunday Balogh, a handsome boy, Jonathan Dean Morrison, and a sweet little lovely girl, Scarlet Bean.

We have also added a gorgeous grand-daughter-in-law, Dana, married to grandson Nicholas Weinmann. That brings the head count in this Dalling Family herd to 86!

Sadly, we also lost the Patriarch to the Dickinson Family, Uncle Doyle, who died at age 95 in April. He left a huge hole in our family, but his legacy will continue to impact generations to come. He was my mentor in many ways; including the electrical trade, with two more generations following!

I am still enjoying serving as the High Priest Group Leader in our ward, and Ramona is happily working with the Relief Society. I also work one day each week in the Family Search Center. We have not returned to a shift in the temple yet because Ramona requires a rest period during the day, but we hope we can yet serve there again.

I have suggested to the Stake Pres. that my terminal condition (80 years old) ought to give him some concern, but I have good assistants and they know it. Our health has been good considering our age, and we are now planning our 70th and 75^th wedding anniversaries!

Especially at Christmas-time, as our hearts turn to the infant Jesus, we are reminded that it is the adult Christ who ultimately, through His infinite and intimate sacrificial atonement, made our eternal life possible! Thanks be to God for giving us His Son, and thanks be to Christ for giving His precious life for us!

Now, we cannot separate our love and devotion to our beloved Savior, and our love and devotion to you, our beloved family and friends! We will do our best to see and serve our precious family and friends more this next year, and more of this beautiful world!

We wish for you the sweetest and most fulfilling Christmas and a bright and beautiful New Year, with our love now and always,

Mom and Dad,  Grandpa and Grandma,  Dennis and Ramona