One Year Later

It was a year ago today that my dad passed away at age 89.  He was one of the most honorable and honest men that I have ever met.  Growing up he was a great role model and as an adult he became a great friend. I miss our twice a week conversations about world affairs and his helpful wisdom and insights.

In going through his papers I found what he called "Credo for Life" that included this:

  1. Be Grateful: Walk with gratitude in your heart.
  2. Be Smart: Educate your mind, your heart, and your hands.  It is the little things upon which life turns.
  3. Be Clean: Avoid those things that are degrading.
  4. Be True: Thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not be false to any     man.
  5. Be Humble: There is no place for ignorance in our lives.
  6. Be Prayerful: You cannot do it alone.  Live so that in good conscience you can speak with the Lord.

Sunshine?

After a week of overcast gloomy weather we finally got a couple of hours of blue skies.  We decided to check out a nature preserve south of the city.  It is sad when you look at 30 degrees as a beautiful day.

Chance and Angela spent the weekend in CA with Chris and Jenny.  Angela was there on business and Chance joined up with her later in the week and checked out business schools at UCLA, Stanford, and Berkley.

Chicago Winter

It was 11 degrees outside today when I went out for a walk around Millennium Park. Meanwhile, Chris and Jenny were at the Rosebowl Parade yesterday in almost 90 degree weather and Kathy and Kira are enjoying sunshine and 70 degrees. Something is wrong with this situation!

Christmas 2009

It was great to be back in AZ with family so soon after being there for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Chance and Angela were not with us , but they had a fun time in San Antonio visiting Angela's family. We got there in time to see Emmet's last flag football game of the year and enjoy the AZ sunshine. We took Kira and kids to the Polar Express train ride in Williams, AZ and spent some time with my sister Kay and her husband Kevin. The grandkids loved the Polar Express and all the snow in Flagstaff. It was hard to believe that we could leave a snowstorm in Flagstaff and be in 70 degree weather in less than three hours back in Phoenix.

Chris and Jenny were in from CA and spent most of the holidays with us. Chris wrapped up his first semester of dental school and loves what he is learning. Only 3 1/2 years to go!

This was the first year that we didn't put up any decorations in our Mesa home. We spent Christmas day with Kira and enjoyed all of the decorating that she did. We could also leave all of the mess from opening presents at her house. For only the second time in over 20 years, we didn't have a Christmas Eve open house. Too many of our friend's families are grown and gone. We instead spent a great time at the Hawkins (Kira's in-laws) and enjoyed a terrific dinner and program.

2009 certainly had its positives and negatives. I am still saddened by the passing of both of my parents, thrilled to have Angela become part of our family and to see Chris start dental school. I am looking forward to a quiet, uneventful 2010?!




The Ogao's, our good friends from Milwaukee. Jared, Heidi, Marley, and Jake (not shown) are now in Phoenix. Jared is doing his surgery residency there.


Kira, Jenny, and Kathy hiking A mountain in Tempe.


Emery, Kira, and Kathy at my sister Kay's home in Flagstaff.


Kira and kids enjoying the snow.

Moving the Kids

In August Chris and Jenny moved to South Pasadena to begin classes at USC dental school! It was a happy and sad day when they moved out of our Mesa home and off to California. Emmet and Emery LOVE Chris and Jenny - we are excited for Chris and Jenny to begin this new chapter of their lives. Ken and I helped drive one of their cars and help move them into their new apartment. It was a fun but quick trip. Then Chance and Angela were able to move out of their studio apartment in downtown Chicago and into a bit larger apartment in Bucktown. Hopefully Angela will have a bit shorter commute and they will have a bit more room. Although, as you can see, their bedroom is a tad tight! They have a great attitude and are a darling couple. We were sad to see them move, although they are only a few miles away.

Trip to Culpeper, VA

Kathy and I took a trip this past week to Culpeper, Virginia to check on the Olson family farm. We call it a farm because we don't know what else to call it. It is 167 acres of forest and cleared land in the beautiful area of Culpeper. As part of the trip we went to Montpelier (James Madison's home) and to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) in Charlottesville. The day we left for home we had a couple of extra hours so we made a quick trip through DC and out to the temple where we were married 33 years ago. Also posted is the Virginia home where I was raised--I kept the yard in much better shape when I was in charge of mowing it.

Adjusting to Chicago

We have been in Chicago for three weeks now (if you count the week we spent in Cancun) and we are adjusting to the change in lifestyle and enjoying ourselves. Last night we walked across the street to Millennium Park and listened to a concert by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus performing some of Beethoven's works. We enjoy having so much within walking distance, such as the lake, nice restaurants, and shopping. We plan on taking advantage of all of the cultural opportunities that the city offers (last week we made a short visit to the Blue's Festival and felt like we were at Woodstock).

We miss the branch though and all of our friends there. That was a very special experience we had in Milwaukee and one that we will greatly miss.