Chicago

I had a meeting in Chicago last week and then Kendall joined me for the weekend. Friday we went to the Field Museum. Emma, we saw lots of dinasours!Kendall with a big one.

This is the world famous Sue.

We did a driving tour of some of the sports arenas. Tickets were on sale for the Cubs Saturday.

Sunday Earl treated the "Church Ladies" and their husbands to lunch at Red Lobster. Earl (sitting next to me) will be 94 next month - still very sharp!

Kiss Me Kate

We had a postponed Valentine's date this weekend. We went to the dinner theater to see Kiss Me Kate. As ususal, it was a good performance and worth staying up for!

Phantom Guests

I understand we have had guests with us this week, but we didn't see them! We said hello to Barry and Carol when they arrived Sunday evening and I didn't see them again until this morning. In addition, Barry's Aunt and Uncle were also here for 2 nights and we didn't see them at all. They were here for Minister's meetings and with our schedules, we didn't cross paths. Today they are headed north to do some site seeing.

Sunday Family Dinner

Kendall's cousin and my friend Marge and her daughter Mara are visiting in town for a long weekend. What a shame that we got some rain today! We had a nice family time for Sunday dinner following church at Marge's sister Marilyn's home.Marge and Mara

Marge, Mom Alice, Mara, Max (Marge's sister) in town from Denver and Marilyn

Houston

I was in Houston for training this week. My suite felt more like an apartment than a hotel room. I had a living room, bedroom, kitchenette and 1.5 baths! The training was intense, but will hopefully lead to some consulting opportunities in the future. I was able to catch up with a former boss from Bloomington who was also there.

Lois called me after she got to her hotel room Wednesday afternoon - in Phoenix! It was just about 10 minutes before I boarded the flight to Houston. Then she was in Houston Thursday night too, but we weren't able to connect. We were in different parts of city without transportation or enough time. Maybe next time!

We're Warm!

I see the frigid temperatures across the country and am thankful for our warmth! We hit 81 yesterday; above average for us. It felt so nice and we were able to have the patio door open for Jake and Grace to enjoy the great outdoors from this side of the screen.

Happy Birthday Lois!

Happy Birthday Sis! Enjoy your day before heading back out on the road. This is a picture of Lois and Grandma a few years ago.

Super Bowl Party

I'm sorry there aren't pictures, but we actually hosted a Super Bowl party yesterday. The good thing about having a party in AZ is that the game is over soon after 8:00 so it isn't too late for those of us getting up early. We had "The Guys" and their families here for a nice mix of 13 adults and children.

Okay, so it's been awhile!

There has been a lot of work going on for the two living in our house for the past week or so. It seems to consume our lives if we let it. We did take time to head out to the Coyotes game Thursday night - and they won.

Yesterday it was time to take the kids to the vet for their regular checkups. You know how that can be - taking cats where they don't want to go! Gracie didn't handle it with much grace, but Jake surprised us by being relatively calm. Of course the vet reminded us that he is getting older and they mellow with age. They both have also gained some weight. That dreaded middle age spread! Now we get to look for "light" food for their culinary morsels.

Quiet Day in the Office

Gracie kept me company today while I spent time at my desk typing recipes. Thankfully she slept! Those of you who know her know what she can be like if she is needing attention!

Steady Rain

This morning there is a nice steady rain falling. It is great for us, but not so good for our visiting Snow Birds.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We've had record breaking low temperatures here the past few days. We lost some flowers in pots and possibly our line of trees we planted a year ago in the back yard. We are blaming it on visitors from Maryland. Family friends Olen and Ruth are here on a westward bound vacation. The last time Ruth was in Phoenix about 18 years ago it snowed! Sounds like a pattern to me. Kendall and I were able to have dinner with them last night. It was great to see someone from home and catch up on their lives.

Stampin'

Once a month I get together with a group of friends to make different projects - cards, etc. Yesterday was the day!

15 Seconds of Fame

I stopped by one of the hospitals this morning on my way into work to donate blood. As I was reclined, doing my thing, a TV crew shows up to film some footage and do some live interviewing. I didn't see myself, but I understand I was recognizable and quite the arm/hand model!

Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year to our friends and Merry Christmas to my family gathered in Maryland today to open their stockings!

A few glimpses of Christmas before I took them all down today. It will be back to the regular routine tomorrow when we go back to work and Kendall's parents head home to Kansas. Donna is feeling well enough to start out on the trip and is anxious to be home again.

A Quiet Get-Away

We took some time for ourselves and checked into a Bed & Breakfast for a night. While we were 'gone' we also had a very nice dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It was relaxing to watch movies and have breakfast delivered in a basket to our room.
http://www.maricopamanor.com/

She's Discharged!

Yesterday was a day spent in surgery and many hours in recovery as the dear mother was a little stubborn about wanting to wake up. This resulted in a little extra monitoring and attention from the hospital staff over night. She is a new woman today and came home to us early evening. She is now resting comfortably in front of a warm fire and taking phone calls from well wishers.

A Day at the Hospital

...and it wasn't because of work. No pictures, even though I thought there were many 'bloggable' moments today. Kendall's mother wasn't feeling well since yesterday afternoon, so after a trip to an Urgent Care Center and being told to go to an Emergency Room, we headed out about 9:15 this morning. She is resting tonight in a hospital bed with lots of good pain meds and surgery scheduled for the morning to take out the culprit - her gall bladder. Keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery.

Christmas Day

We had a lovely Christmas Day!

We had a traditional holiday meal with turkey and all the trimmings.

Gathering for the feast.

The afternoon was spent napping and the evening relaxing and playing Stock Ticker. Brock was the big winner!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is a traditional meal of homemade pizza and then opening gifts. Grandma and her boys
Grandma reading a Christmas story.

Brock enjoying his cool new shades!

Kendall and Holden shooting a round of pool.

It was cool enough in the evening to have a fire in the fireplace in the basement.