|
|
 |
|
|
This has been another amazing year for us, as we continue to count our blessings and the fact that we made the decision to move to The Villages – those of you who have been here will understand, and those of you who haven't, COME ON DOWN! One of the highlights of 2008 was our trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. We were so impressed with the enormity of Australia, the beautiful cities, the outback, and of course, the people. We met up with cousin Philip and his wife, Rosemary, and spent a memorable afternoon and evening with them, including a delicious lamb shanks (of course!) dinner – the most enormous lamb shanks I've ever seen! Then on to New Zealand, for greener and very beautiful scenery, passing thousands of sheep and cultivated deer, and enjoying a cruise on the Milford Sound. We spent one evening with old friends, Pauline and Andrew, (ex South Africa) before flying to Fiji for the last stop on our trip. We found Fiji beautiful, with very warm and friendly people, but underdeveloped as far as basic amenities and luxuries are concerned, with rural poverty very much in evidence. In March we visited Shawn and Bonnie and their new baby, Dustin, in Slidell, LA. Ken could not be a happier or more proud Grandpa! (He even brushed up on his diaper-changing skills!) Dustin, born February 4th, is now crawling, and we look forward to their visit here in the Villages after Christmas. Michelle and Tony are in Chicago, (at least when they are not traveling on international business trips). They have their hands full with their Westie, Walt, who is following in the family's Westie tradition in proving to be a wonderful, fun-loving, energetic companion. In August, we flew out to Bellingham to stay with Judy, Greg, and family for ten days – what a lovely place to relax in, and a welcome relief from the heat and humidity here in Florida. We had a reunion cook-out on the dock, with Bill and Valerie Anders, plus uncles, aunts, and cousins, and of course, Bill and Jennine (wonderful neighbors) from next door. We had a good time swimming in the lake, with the younger ones wake-boarding, water skiing, or tubing. In September, Jean's brother,Hugh, flew from England, and after a couple of days here in The Villages playing golf and being introduced to pickleball, he drove with us up to North Carolina for David and Kate's wedding near Blacksburg, Virginia. It was an outdoor affair, and in spite of hurricane warnings up the coast, all was well, and both the rehearsal dinner and the actual ceremony the next day went off without a drop of rain. We couldn't be happier to welcome Kate and Sara into the family, and now we have the wonderful news that Kate is expecting a baby Kiker in early summer 2009! It was so good to have Judy there (even though Greg couldn't make it, unfortunately) with the two grandchildren, Chris and Alison, together with the rest of both families and their children. This year we have had visits from many good friends (Bonnie, Eileen, Don, Joe & Colleen), and also from Ken's Mom and Arthur, his sister, Joyce, and Tom, sister Martha, and cousin Jimmy. My sister, Kay, also made a trip down over the 4th of July, and we kept her busy on the pickleball court! We continue to enjoy activties here with our friends from Virginia and many new friends who we have met here in The Villages. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible if you can come down to Florida and stay with us – we love visits from family and friends, and the welcome mat is always out. We wish you a peaceful and Merry Christmas, and hope that the coming year will be filled with peace, happiness, and good health. We feel very blessed to be healthy and happy, and we wish the same for each one of you in 2009. HAPPY, HAPPY HOLIDAYS To see a few pictures from this year click here. To see our 2007 Christmas message click here. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Jean and Ken |
