Dress-up Night

Emily wanted to us to dress up and go out to eat. We had bunches of fun.

Ed Minich

My father-in-law Ed Minich passed away Thursday, November 12th. He was a most wonderful man and Emily and I will miss him very much. Here is a tribute video his son Dave put together.


Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of him and Emily

Oh and by the way....

I am going to be Grandma again. Yeah! Rikki (the best daughter-in-law I could ever hope for) is 5 weeks along.

Catalina Cruise

Emily and I went on a 4 day cruise with Tony, Rikki, Kru and Debbie (Rikki's mom) Oct. 26th to the 30th. We went on a Carnival ship stopping at Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico. The cruise ship, entertainment, food, work out facility, everything was great. I liked Catalina, not impressed with Ensenada although Emily really enjoyed getting to ride up front with the buggy driver as we took a small tour on a horse and wagon. Emily loves cruising. She made a few friends on the ship and went with them for the 'Princess Party' which consisted of a spa day.

In Catalina, I stumbled across a fantasic Art Gallery that featured an artist by the name of Ruth Mayer . I love the way she catches light. One of my favorites is 'Walk on Water'. It depicts Jesus walking on the water but looking from under the water up.

It is nice not cooking or cleaning and just relaxing but it is even nicer to come back home. I love home. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the trip:

Kru's First Birthday Party

We had a great Halloween/Birthday party for Kru's first birthday! Tony, Rikki, and her mom, Deb, decorated the house and made all kinds of fun things to snack on. Lots of friends and family. Kru had a great time but was really exhausted at the end. Enjoy the pics!

Catching Up

Last weekend we went to the beach and stayed with Jim's sister Carla and family. We had a great time. Chris and Carla are such great hosts. Emily and Lindsay play so well together. We rode the roller coaster and Emily got a henna tattoo. She got to surf and was so proud of herself. She got to stay an extra day with them (without me). They brought her home and had lunch with us before heading back to Arizona.

Emily had another basketball game tonight. She is starting to get the hang of things and getting a little more confident. Today I worked on painting my fence. Lowe's suggested spray paint so after 5 cans and my hands cramping, I think I will take a different approach. I did find out today that it is illegal to sell spray paint to any one under 18. You also have to register you pet and you can't have more than three.

On another note, my neighbor edged my yard for me today. I have not been able to find my weed eater battery and not ready to buy a new one yet. So Emily made a really cute thank you card and I baked them a dozen cookies to thank them.

The weather has been wonderful!

Here is a few pictures from the beach. I always like it when I can get a great sunset. My brother-in-law Bob enjoys them.

Kitchen Granite Completed

This is my kitchen after the granite was installed. It made the kitchen look so much bigger and brighter. I really, really like it. Now I just need to figure out what to put in that empty wall space on the right side of the sink. I think something is wrong with my camera as there is a strange light marking across it.