This year’s annual LCM Christmas party was especially festive. We had more tacky Christmas sweaters than ever, making it too difficult to choose just one winner. There were also plenty of snacks and we decorated a plate of sugar cookies for Libby. After a few Christmas-themed trivia questions, we set up for our now annual game of musical chairs. This year we had to enact a couple extra rules for the game such as disqualification for sitting before the music stopped and no hip-checks allowed. Everyone competed admirably, but Allen Solomons came out our victor. Finally, we gathered in a circle and drew numbers for the “Dirty Santa” gift exchange. This year’s gifts included a roll of bubble wrap, a nerf gun, Hobbit-themed legos, and an array of comic glasses. Everyone got a good laugh at this much anticipated occasion!
Kameryn McCarty

On December 2, we were privileged to join the UniLu congregation for their annual Christmas dinner at Eternal Shepherd Lutheran Church. We enjoyed decorating our stockings and having them filled with a variety of goodies from the congregation members. I also had a great time talking with the congregation members and learning more about them and their families. The ham for dinner was delicious as well as the sides and desserts that were provided. Following the meal, we joined the praise band in singing Christmas carols. This dinner was a great way to start the Christmas season for me, and I will truly miss it next year after I graduate. Thank you to the UniLu congregation for inviting us to this wonderful event and for providing us with some yummy snacks for exam week.

On September 9th, we headed to Helen, GA for a day of tubing the Chattahoochee!  We spent a few hours tubing down the river, enjoying the cool water and each other’s company. One of the fun parts of tubing was hooking our tubes into chains to stay together.  This was especially amusing when we had to get through rapids! The longest chain of tubes we were able to make was about 12 tubes long!  After tubing, we spent the rest of the day enjoying Helen.  Helen is a great place to relax and enjoy the sights.  Many of us ate at the German themed restaurants around the town and had fun looking into all of the interesting shops.  This was a great trip and we had many students, both new and returning, enjoy it.

---- Hannah Creech

    I thoroughly enjoyed the Sanders' Hayride get-together! I got to bond with cows and chickens, but more importantly, I got to bond with members of the congregation. I learned that Cindy Sanders is also from North Carolina! The hayride was the first time I really got a chance to talk to Pastor Danielle one on one. I found out she's also a fellow North Carolinian. She told the story of how her children got their names, which was pretty interesting. I think Pastor Chris really enjoyed taking the tractor for a spin. Sitting by the fire and making s'mores was a great way to spend the evening. The hayride down and back up was half the fun! I learned the art of toasting a perfect marshmallow is patience. While we were down by the fire, the second youngest Shealy, Caroline, and I took "an adventure" by the creek. She's quite a handful! It took a lot of convincing to get her to not use a downed tree as a way to cross the creek. I thought the story of William Halsey walking on the tree, the limb snapping underneath his foot, and him almost falling in the creek would make her change her mind. Instead she came back with, "But I weigh less than him!" Kids are too smart these days. If the Sanders' Hayride were to have a campaign slogan, the slogan would be "food, fun, and fellowship." The Sanders' Hayride is a great combination of all three.

    -Allie Dickens