2013...

Here is our 2013 year in review.  It was a year with lots of travel and fun...but also one with great sadness in it.  But that is life....

Our 2013 started out happy in January with a wonderful visit with some good friends to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 

 

 

We visited both Charleston, SC and Savannah, Georgia and enjoyed them each so much!

 

In February, though, things took a bad turn for our family.  My dear wonderful sister got a very severe infection....a side effect from her bone marrow transplant which had been successfully done in October.  She was in Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston from mid Feb until March 13th when she finally lost her courageous battle with leukemia.  We were and are heartbroken and miss her every single day.  Life will never be the same for those of us who loved her.  She was a smart, funny, kind, caring, giving person who gave so very much to so many during her 63 years here on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She would have loved that her beloved Boston Red Sox beat our St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series!  Mike and I were lucky enough to be able to go to Game 3 of the World Series thanks to our generous cousins Rick and Vicki Fowler.  My cousin Nick and beloved Uncle Larry also went with us that cold night!  But they won!!  Sadly...things did not go well for them after that!

 

 

In November we were able to join my brother David for his daughter's vow renewal ceremony in Hawaii!  I have so many pictures but here are just few of some of the gorgeous scenery we saw and some of our family.  It was a wonderful experience!

 

 

 

We did have a couple of other trips too this year....to Michigan to reconnect with old dear friends and to Chicago to see a Cards/Cubs game.

 

A year with great sadness and loss but the love of our family and friends help us through..... Hope that for all of us 2014 is happy and healthy, peaceful and prosperous.

 

 

 

 

A very brief look at our 2012

Well....another year has almost gone and assuming the world does not actually end day after tomorrow, anyone who wishes to can see a very abbreviated version of what our 2012 has been like.   It has not been all wonderful....some illnesses for much loved family members but thankfully, things seem to be improving and we are so thankful for medical advances, donors of blood and bone marrow and for the kindness of friends and strangers.  No doubt that we all are connected.

The following posts go from most recent to last Christmas in Maine with some of my family.  We still are very happy in Owensville...have wonderful new friends here and wonderful old friends in St. Louis and other parts of Missouri.  And saw many of our Michigan friends in Florida last Feb.  I put way fewer pictures on this year cause I am running out of time to work on this.  Christmas is fast approaching!   

I am now back at Osage County Health Department part time and am going to be cutting my hours even more in 2013.   MIke and I do want to travel more....maybe a trip to Ireland, a summer trip to Michigan, a winter trip to South Carolina with friends, and hopefully a trip to Maine and to New York City sometime too. 

Mike has been doing so well with the antique business...both in the antique mall here in Owensville and in one in St. Louis.  We both are very active in our church.  Mike is in the Lions and helps out at the Gasconade County Historical Society.  We are so thankful that, so far, our health has been pretty good.  We wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season and a healthy and peaceful 2013!!! 

Judy

A new member of our family

Meet our new kitty, Wally.  We got him at Walmart when he showed up and tried to get into the store while we were ringing the bells for the Salvation Army and our local Food Pantry.  We ended up taking him home with us and have had him now for about a week.  It is an adjustment for Cali...our older kitty.  But hopefully eventually she will stop hissing and growling at him.  All he wants to do it to play!  We love them both so much!!  We hope to travel a bit this year and think that Wally will be good company for Cali while we are gone.

Spring and summer

Early spring we went on a wondeful float trip on the gorgeous Jack's Fork River...so peaceful and beautiful!

 We also spent some time at Lake of the Ozarks where we rented a friend's condo

 We go into St. Louis often and enjoy seeing our grandkids...here is Ella on a summer day...always in motion!

 We did go to the wonderful Chinese Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden too

In March we had another fabulous trip to Florida to visit wonderful friends and see some spring training games.  We went to both coasts and caught up with lots of old and dear friends from Michigan.  Saw two great Cardinal games and loved the sun, warmth and seafood!

Part two of Christmas 2011

Part of Christmas 2011 was spent at my sisters  home in beautiful Maine...a snowy Christmas but filled with family and love!

 Paul, Judith and Evan

 Mike and I, Dennis and Corey  My sister Susie's home is so lovely esp at Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2011

Well another year has come and about gone. So finally I am updating our blog! Here are a few pictures and news about how our 2011 was. We had some good times and and some sad times with illness and deaths involving some dear family and friends. I now have a new job right here in Owensville, working for the Gasconade County Health Department. I still am doing some things for the Osage County Health department as well...but will leave that position in the spring and only work in Gasconade County...our home county! We will be sharing Christmas with my sister and some of my brothers and family this year. But we have had some parties and gatherings here too for the holidays. We love our home here and living in Owensville. We treasure our friends here and our church family and love becoming more and more involved with the community!Mike's daughters, their husbands and the grandkids came out for a brunch and gifts and games...and Ella is about the only one who let's me take her picture anymore!! It was a fun day though for us.... I am so excited that my Christmas Cactus looks as if it actually may bloom on Christmas Day this year. The following posts will show you some things that happened through out 2011. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who read this!!