First, we realized we had not shown any pictures of our new car! We traded in "Camp", our 1999 Honda CRV and bought Marilyn a brand new 2007 CRV in a beautiful green color. Electronic locks, sun roof, 5-CD changer, cup holders all around: all it is missing is heated seats, and Marilyn doesn't like those! We named it "Green Goddess" or GG for short.
I had a nice birthday. Elizebeth baked me brownies, with a loving message spelled out in straws on it!
Xmas was great although we really missed the big Baumgartner family get together. We had 16 for Xmas eve lunch. Cris made awesome spaghetti and we had delicious bread from Martina and lots of cookies and fudge from Theresa. I made my usual huge salad. Amanda (Martina's oldest daughter) is Susie's friend and she has a little sister, also Mom and Dad, uncle, aunt, and huge boy cousin. Martina and I walked together a lot in the early fall before Martina started working, and I pick both sets of girls up from school most days. Maddie is Elizebeth's best friend and she has a little sister CC and also a Mom and Dad (fireman from Seattle spending year with Department of Homeland Security) and a Grandma. After dinner, the 6 girls played football out in the court yard (again the weather was in the 50's) and soon all the dads had to join them. So it was really fun. The food turned out just great and they all left about 3:30 so we were all cleaned up by 5 and then I got busy packing.
That evening we drove around and looked at lights and the next morning had our traditional Grandma Lucy sausage huge breakfast and opened gifts. Many thanks to Mie for the new crock pot for Cris, lovely new clothes for the girls and me and new jewelry for the girls as well. Annie, thanks to you for Susie's present--she is wearing them and likes them.
We had plenty of time to get packed and to the airport and Sean was there to pick us up. We had a room at the Desert Inn that night and the rest of the stay we stayed in the guest apartment at Ponce. We had a wonderful lunch at Paula's where we opened our gifts from them and vice versa. The girls spent most of their time out with Selina and Paula but Susie did get an overnight with Adrienne and E one with Emma.
Wednesday, Cris made our traditional Yorkshire pudding dinner at Dad's apartment. It came out amazingly well and was fun to be there with Dad. Then we got to open more gifts and more importantly, Sean and Bill finally got to open theirs.
Wednesday night we invited the family of our Santa Fe village to Ying Yang's for dinner, and had a great time.
And then it began to snow. And snow. Note the "New Mexico Boots" Cris wore. And he said this was the first time he remembers EVERYWHERE in New Mexico being snowy white at one time, both Albuquerque and south and Los Alamos and north and everything in between.
We played in the snow and got stuck in the snow and I did rehearsals and we had some great dinners out. When we couldn't get the flight out Sunday, Paula and Will opened their home and made a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner and Cris and I stayed overnight out in their big fancy house too. That was a lot of fun although a little nerve racking because you hope you don't break anything etc.
I sang a benefit for the opening of the refurbishment of the James A Little theater. We kept looking at the sky Dec. 30th and it just kept snowing and snowing. We finally had to cancel it. Or rather postpone it. I changed my ticket and stayed until the following Saturday and did the benefit a week late but it was a lot of fun. The show had a jazz trio-piano, bass and drums. I have never really sung with this kind of accompaniment. I sang 3 Gershwin, the 2 mom songs from the new musical Little Women and 3 duets with Catherine Dovovan. It was fun and relaxing compared to opera. As Paula said, not nearly as pizazzy as opera however.
Cris came home with the girls on Wednesday instead of Sunday but missed the benefit. Their flight was cancelled and they couldn't get another flight until then. Cris got to travel up to Los Alamos on the Tuesday we were stuck in Santa Fe from the snow. He made several good contacts which he hopes will help him get a great job back there next August. Margie and Ellie took me down the following weekend and it had snowed again the night before but they have a big car and we made it just fine. I'm busy working on my Mother's Day concert and it looks like Dave and Mary are going to come for that and possibly Mie. It's always fun to sing for family. I found a great accompanist up in Silver Springs Maryland and so we practice most Thursdays.
The kids and Cris made it fine without me and they all came to pick me up on Sat. Jan 6th. Then it was back to life.
Jane and Charles Karney and their son William came for Martin Luther King weekend. Saturday afternoon we went to the spy museum and some of us went to the portrait gallery. The weather was warm (in the 60's again) and the cherry's were trying to blossom already.
We had a great Malaysian meal (some incredible Chinese broccoli stir-fried with garlic) and on Sunday we had a lazy morning and then drove out to Mount Vernon. That was really fun. The new interactive museum that just opened up was wonderful. I might have to take Mie and Annie there after Cinderella is over. We had Italian in old town Alexandria and walked around a bit after dinner. then we watched 24 because William loves it and so we are back into that show, I suppose.
Monday, Jane and Charles both had to work so they were gone by nine and E had Cinderella rehearsal. I took Susie shopping and she got the new Traveling Pants book which has been bothering her all week--she wants to read even though she knows she has to sleep and study etc. We got Cris off to Las Vegas for a week of meetings and we have had a usual week although I helped a little bit with the Choral Festival that will have 400 kids singing tonight. We arranged their dinner. E is singing. And of course, E had the science fair. Tomorrow we might go ice skating in the city. One of the fountains is made into a rink in the winter and both girls like to ice skate.
We found Susie another orthodontist to finish her braces. It will be 2 years in March so she should be done by the time she starts school next fall. She has continued her flute lessons and although needing more time to practice, she is improving. She is almost finished with swimming and has really enjoyed the exercise. She found it difficult to make friends saying all the kids had known each other for years. She is working hard to bring up some test grades as the end of next week is the end of the quarter.
Elizebeth is at school tonight presenting her science project. (She got a 2nd place). She tried to explain to Cris why a science project needed red satin and bows and awesome decoration. Otherwise, why would anyone come over to see your project? Cris understands the idea of great graphics to catch the eye. He is just getting used to his daughter the fashion designer scientist. She and her best friend Maddie did their Algebra project together. Cris took them around to measure handicapped ramps and then Maddie stayed over Friday night of last week to decorate another project. She also is the captain of her world history project and will be the major debater. We need a new black jacket for that. Cinderella seems to be going well. She is cracking a couple of times so we are trying to find a time for Mom to put on her voice teacher hat and see what is going on. They had a run through on Wednesday and had lots of disasters but are still out 3 weeks so we hope it will be good. She was almost going to wear Mie and my wedding dress but after the drama teacher saw pictures she decided that it might hurt the seamstress' feelings who made the ball gown. Everything E is wearing is hot pink. Most of you know that E has always abhorred pink. I said we saw a really pink car one night and I hoped Ms. Bigg-Leed wouldn't see it or she would want that for the end to ride off into the sunset and E did a whole funny routine on how the pink is covered as the pumpkin coach is also hot pink.
So we are caught up. I loved all of your holiday letters and just the normal family mail. Keep it coming!
Love Marilyn
---Cris