December 2018

MERRY CHRISTMAS, from our house to yours.

Celeste has taken up the violin.  Early this month we got to hear her first concert at Lakeview Elementary.

Beautiful lady!

The 4th and 5th grade orchestra.

Rusty performed at Blue Bloods early in December.

Our Just Sayin' bike group and the Great Plains Bike Group each had their Christmas parties in the same week.

Annette and Pete slice the giant cinnamon rolls from Tina's

Just some of the biking friends we've collected in the last couple of years.

REALLY good cinnamon rolls!

Our costume-loving friend, David

For over 25 years my friends and I have enjoyed a special Christmas high tea event.  This year we lost one of our group and another was temporarily in another state, so we had a low-key event.

Di, Chris, Lorraine, Linda

A couple weeks before Christmas we heard a sermon about becoming our better angels.  A local artist painted some wings so we could imagine ourselves as angels.

Celeste, our little angel.

Live at the Mill is a radio production that interviews local performers about upcoming events.  On a Friday, members from First Plymouth Church were being interviewed about the Christmas production.  Drew Duncan (tenor extraordinaire) sang "O Holy Night" and was accompanied by our Minister of Music, Tom Trenney.

If hearing this didn't bring a tear to your eye, you had to be made of stone.

Friday morning breakfasts at 6 a.m. with a couple of friends have been routine for me for over 35 years.  This year we did a holiday celebration at The University of Nebraska Omaha Press Club, which is located in downtown Omaha with a lovely view.

Di, Sissy, Becky

Gretchen and I have been taking weekly classes in Agility Training.  She has progressed very well; now it's time for me to acquire better handling skills.

Gretchen with her favorite toy and showing off her teeth

One of Rusty's creations.  Who said we have to eat like a couple of old people?

Our dinner group of many years went to Sur 22, a restaurant with African cuisine for a holiday gathering.

Linda and Greg

Peggy and Lorvey
(my apologies, Lorvey for having too short a focus on this one.)

Rusty and Di

Anna made a Christmas visit to our house from New York.  Rusty takes a moment to share old pictures from back in the day. 

"I belive in Santa and Unicorns" --Perfect shirt for Anna.

We loved meeting Anna's girlfriend, Kate!

From November until March, Shari teaches a spin class on Saturday mornings to help us stay in shape when it's too cold or icy to ride outside.  At the end of class we do 10 minutes of core work.

The best part about early Saturday spin class is breakfast at The Hub.

As 2018 comes to a close, I calculate my biking miles for the year to be 3,360.  Not bad considering we were out of town for 45 days during peak riding season.  During the cold months I return to swimming.  This year I racked up 29 miles in the pool.  Each year the "moving-the-body"gets just a bit harder, but I'm committed to keeping it up for as long as I can.

This past year was filled with good memories with family and friends, good health, enough wealth, and lots of love.  I am grateful!

Happy New Year!