Long distance has prevented us from being with all of our family at Christmas this year, but thank goodness for Skype. We spent over three hours sharing Christmas with distant family on Skype. Not quite as good as the real thing, but still a lot of fun!
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| With a new puppy, we opted for a VERY SMALL tree. |
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| These beautiful roses from Rusty adorned our table! |
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| Prime rib, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts, roasted peppers, olives, and a nice wine for dinner. |
It was a quiet Christmas Day for the two of us. After a lovely meal, we watched "Little Boy"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1810683/ , directed by Alejandro Monteverde. Click on the link to see a preview. I can't recommend it highly enough! Beautiful message, especially for what I perceive to be today's conflicted world.
The day after Christmas Lindsay, Jeff and Celeste joined us for chili dinner and presents.
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| Papaw and Celeste check out the new toy. |
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| What better toy than a puppy to play with! |
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| ...and a very cute Celeste! |
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| Jeff & Lindsay also liked playing with Gretchen. |
I have been planning our New Year's Eve party for months! Rusty got on board with the plan for the biggest and "bestest" party ever! It was a Geezer party with the ball dropping at 10:00.
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| We had almost 30 guests. |
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| Party decorations were everywhere. |
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| yup, everywhere |
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| ...even on the ceiling |
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| countdown balloons |
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| and party masks |
For entertainment, Jack played the piano and Carrie sang 4 romantic songs in an operatic style. This short video doesn't do justice to her performance. She was amazing!
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| At the magic hour we had a very nice Gloria Ferrer Brut in hand-painted champagne flutes. |
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| Rusty and I had a great time with all of our fabulous guests! |
Two days later we were joined by Olivia and the boys for a little belated Christmas.
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| Reece liked the left-over party decorations. |
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| ... a boy and a dog |
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| puppy kisses |
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| Pierce and his new puzzle toy. |
We love having the Fishers pay us a visit! I do have to apologize for the abundance of Gretchen pictures, but when our grandkids come to visit, they are way more interested in her than anything else. That's okay, she won't be a puppy for long.
My wishes for the new year are to be able to ride over 1000 miles in 2016 and have no more broken bones. I'm also searching for a way to share my voice with the wider world for a change in gun laws in the U.S. to lessen the violence.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!