And A Happy New Year

Wow, what a difference a month makes! When I last wrote we were getting into the Holiday season and so much has happened in the month of December.

First, and sadly the worst, we had to say goodbye to our "fur kid" Chas on the first Sunday in December. He was just a little past 12 years old which everyone tells us is quite old for a greyhound. His heart and health were getting progressively worse and he developed a tumor on his head that could not be treated. It broke our hearts to say goodbye... I held him tightly as he went to sleep. I still cry when I think about him (and as I write this) but can't bring myself to think about another dog just yet. Chas was one of a kind... and our first "empty nest" dog... one that just Ed and I got to spoil. The holidays without him around were quite different and very quiet. No first snow walks or having him at the door all wet and snowy and ready for a treat.

The family kept us quite busy the rest of the month. December included stalking Santa with Sydney who sat and chatted with him not just once, but THREE times! (Great fun!) She had no problem with him asking her repeatedly what she wanted for Christmas and we got some great photos of her each time. You have to enjoy these moments while you can since they don't stay little "Santa lovers" all that long!

School went on hiatus as of Dec. 20th and we looked forward to the long break of 17 days. Ed spent 12 of them run over by some sort of respiratory bug (flu? don't know) that came on within 48 hrs of him getting his flu shot - so of course, we blame that for it. But he pressed on and enjoyed all the holidays and the kids - just tried not to breathe on us all.

First EVERYONE arrived, all the kids, grandkids, Ed's sister, Leon's folks - EVERYONE. The houses filled up, and we got set to celebrate.

Dec. 23rd was the first big day. Leon was ordained as a Lutheran Minister at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Such a wonderful day for all of us. Followed closely by Christmas Eve and Day celebrations. We had SO many happy moments and loads of laughter together.

When everyone left on the 27th and 28th, the house seemed way too quiet. We spent a quiet New Years Eve - which is pretty typical for us. And here we are - it's a new year and 363 days lie ahead that seem filled with possibility. Wishing you and yours all God's blessings as we embark on it together.

I live in Disneyland... oops... St. Charles

There's no way to deny it, St. Charles is a lot like a small downtown Disneyland. Every now and again as I walk around downtown St. Chuck (as we like to call it), I am struck by how totally picturesqe my town is. It's one of those cases where you are occasionally blind to your surroundings but all it takes is a gorgeous fall day to bring it all vividly back to mind. Take today for example; 78 degrees, driving with the convertible top down sort of weather... and there we were, walking around in short sleeves and soaking up the fall beauty. Now, give us 24-48 hrs. and all that could change dramatically. But just for today, it was perfect. Check out these photos and you'll see what I mean.

A vine covered winery on Main St.

Just one autumnally decorated shop of the over 80 on Main Street.

Yeah, the color is actually THAT beautiful!

Ed and Chas by the Lewis & Clark Memorial in our riverfront park.

Me and my puppy... yes, it really IS Nov. 2nd!

Pretty riverfront... cute canoodling couple on a blanket... fall in Missouri.... Beautiful!

So if any of you are looking for a great place for a fall vacation... give us a call... you can't beat Disneyl.....er uh, St. Charles!

It's Playtime for Chas!

Today was a special day for Chas. In late morning, we jumped into the truck and took him to the new St. Charles Dog Park. His ears popped up and he began to fuss to get out of the truck even as we pulled up and he spotted all the other potential "playmates" at the park. Our boy did a good job for a first-timer. You can see from the photos that at first he hesitated and just sort of watched the other "furry kids". Then he ran in and joined 'em. He was a stitch trying to get everyone to chase him... dogs must know greyhounds are fast cos' when Chas got galloping, they only followed for a little while and then he'd have to "dare" them to catch him all over again. All the other "parents" there were cheering him on, yelling things like "Go buddy, get my dog to run; he needs the workout!" All in all it was pretty funny and we met some other crazy dog lovers. Jolly good fun! If your community doesn't have dog park... encourage them to get one, it's a great place to meet people and we were amazed at how clean and nice ours is. Grass is stuggling to grow in ours at present, but it just opened in November and hopefully come summer, it will get a chance to sprout some green.

Finally, I hadn't yet posted a shot of our beautiful tree. It came out gorgeous again this year. Ed is the "master" tree designer at our house. I am the "appreciater" of trees!

Why Dogs don't drink

Chas has a little "secret". He can't hold his wine.... but you can see he enjoyed the grand opening of the winery as much (or more) than anyone. Fortunately, he also doesn't drive, so mostly he just makes a good ad for Greyhound Winos Anonymous.

Chas: our 40 mph Couch Potato

To know a greyhound is to
love a greyhound.... and to
give up your sofa for life!