A snapshot of 2005

2005 held a bounty of memory-making moments for Scott and I. We traveled more in these 12 months than we have in our entire married life. What a wonderful time to be alive! July presented a delightful getaway for us at Lake Tahoe with Jack, Sue and Calin, Kathy & John and, after many, many hours on the road...Nate, Michelle, Noah and Elise! Air and road warrior adventures made getting there tough.....but leaving all the laughter and fun at the end of the week was even harder.

See that arrow? It's pointing to the hot air balloon that carried Scott, John and I way up into the wild blue yonder so we could see the beauty of Lake Tahoe's mesmerizing Emerald Bay. As they say, "Now I understand why birds sing!"

We enjoyed a lot of laughter, great food, good singing and collected many, many tales to tell for years to come...like the Great Charter Fishing Expedition ...and the Bobby-Boo and Suzie Too moonlight serenade through the walls....and the earthquake...and the mountain trek....Oh what a fun, fun time!

August was spent at ScottLinYard....or, more acurrately, on the pontoon, between lawn cutting adventures. Each year Scott picks a "CD/Artist of the Summer" and this year, it was LeAnn Womak. I can only imagine it's her pretty tones mellowing him out this much!

A BIG milestone in the family was the highlight of the summer was Nate and Michelle's wedding in September. Here the happy couple seals the deal with a kiss! May the rest of their lives be the best of their lives!

Beyond the great joy that event brought us, it was the first time we were able to see all of our kids and grandkids in the same place. Noah and Elise weren't able to be in this picture, but my oh my! What a memorable time!

Seeing Steph & Matt's home, spending time on the beach with the boys and catching up with our dear friends Wendy and Dan was hectic, but delightful. Can we do this again next year....please?

Before the cold set in, Scott and I traversed up to the Grand Hotel at Macinac Island for our annual "Somewhere In Time" weekend....a relaxing time for us to catch up with each other and enjoy Mother Nature in her greatest splendor. Of course the trip was marred slightly when Notre Dame lost to Michigan while we were there, but we tried to be brave.....

November included a quick trip to Indy to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Sharpes and, as usual, there was no shortage of food, laughter or love in that kitchen. (And, no, I don't know what tale Scott was telling here.....but it looks like it involved the turkey)

Christmas came early as we had to plan to have Santa arrive in California and Arizona on time...and we wanted to avoid Chicago prime holiday traffic, so we trekked back to Cottonwood Corners a week early. Even so, traffic made the trip longer than we'd like, but much like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it was worth it! We were able to visit with Denise and Gary at their new home in Davenport (lovely!), spend time with T & Jodi's daughters, see Erich & Kim's home (and "children")...then shot up to Clinton to meet Maxx, AJ and Mikayla's new addition.....then finally landed at the farm to see Mom and Jim! Made a quick side-trip to see Aunt Evelyn on Saturday night, and Sunday included lunch with T, Kim,Patti and Mom! Whew! What a whirlwind! Unfortunately, we were only able to see Julie and Randy as we passed on the road, but they're planning a trip to Indiana in January or February, so we'll have some quality 1-on-1 time then!

The rest of December found us nesting at home, enjoying a quiet holiday season of love long-distance from those we love. But if 2006 holds anywhere near the fun 2005 presented, bring 'er on!