Happy New Year - 2008!

The sun was shining brightly in Albuquerque today; the sky was a brilliant blue; there was a slight dusting of snow on the mountain. The air had a bite in it, but a heavy sweatshirt was sufficient.

Dan and I had a most relaxing and enjoyable New Year's Day. We met Keith and Sherry for lunch, where we exchanged Christmas gifts and talked a never-ending blue streak. It was the first time in five or six weeks that Sherry has been well enough to get out; I've really missed her. After lunch, we "migrated" to another restaurant for dessert together.

It was a great way to celebrate the new year . . . unless our new year's resolution was to watch our food intake!

Thanksgiving and the Weekend

Thanksgiving Day we went out to dinner at the Cooperage. It was just Keith (Sherry was sick); their son, Reed; Tim; Dan and I. It was a very nice meal, and afterward we came home to our house for homemade pie (pumpkin and pecan), and to watch a couple movies that we rented (Shrek III and an old Red Skelton performance). Nice day, although it seemed a bit off-kilter, without Sherry.

The day turned off cold, at least for Albuquerque. And on Friday morning we awoke to a little bit of snow on the ground. It didn't melt off during the day, because it never warmed up. It was a perfect day for being at home, in front of the fireplace! And, since I had the day off, that's just where I stayed!

A little white stuff on our deck

Friday turned out to be one of the most relaxing days I can remember having in a long, long time. I had already cleaned the house thoroughly on Wednesday, so, on Friday, I had the entire day to do whatever I wanted, guilt-free. Here's a mathematical equation for you:

(An entire day to do what I want) = (Create digital scrapbook pages for Sweetpea)

Here's one of the scrap-pages I did on Friday. I happened to have pictures of both Sweetpea and me on our first pony rides. These photos were begging to be made into a scrapbook page. I'm the one with my mouth open, probably hollering, "Look at me, Mama!"

[Reminder: you can click on the images to see them larger.]

Well . . . if you insist, here's a second one. I made this photo into a sketch-effect. Isn't that a great smile?!

On Saturday I came down with some sort of 24-hour bug. I'm thankful that it came and went quickly, because it wasn't fun while it was here! And today (Sunday) Dan is feeling a bit under the weather, too. I'm praying he will be able to kick it as quickly as I did.

I hope all of you enjoyed this special time, at a bountiful table, with good friends and family.

The 110th Birthday Party

My good friend Sherry and I hosted a 110th birthday party this month! Yes, I said “one hundred tenth,” and that wasn’t a typo. Sherry’s husband, Keith, turned 50 early this month, and my husband, Dan, turned 60 just five days later. Do the math! That’s 110 years of life wrapped up in those two good men.
Dan, above. Keith, below.

Sherry and I started planning this celebration about three months earlier, and worked hard to keep it a secret from Dan and Keith. (We almost succeeded, although I, unknowingly, let slip a teensy clue that Dan picked up on.) We decided to host the party at a restaurant, and that’s when our fun really began. Sherry and I met every Tuesday at noon, at a different restaurant, to try it out. Some were too small. Some were too expensive. Some didn’t have great food. Some wanted a huge service charge. But we finally found and settled upon Christy Mae’s, a nice home-style, family-operated restaurant whose management was incredibly accommodating. (I might as well give them a well-deserved plug: http://christymaes.com/).

Forty people came together, the evening of July 7, to honor Dan and Keith for achieving their cumulative 110 years of experience. Mylar balloons decorated the two honorees' chairs. Keith’s balloon had a big 50 on it. Dan had TWO balloons. We couldn't find one that said 60, so had to buy two 30s. (I guess that’s how it is when you get THAT old!). The food was good. The birthday cards were hilarious. The cake was beautiful. The non-stop conversation was punctuated with laughter. One sweet lady read the limericks she had written - one for Dan and another for Keith. We sang “Happy Birthday,” shared cake with the restaurant staff and a few other customers sitting nearby. All in all, Dan and Keith were fittingly celebrated.