Getting ready to Ring in the New Year with family and friends...

Not a whole lot going on since Christmas Day......... Just the same old house cleaning, Rich on the Stock Market, fixing dinner, watching a few TV programs, and starting to take down Christmas decorations.

It's been four weeks now since Rich had the surgery on his arm. The stitches have dissolved and you can barely even see where the incision or stitches were! How often have you had your doctor call to see how you were doing?  Rich was very surprised when he received a call today from Dr. Patel, who did his surgery.  We had left a very complimentary  write up on Google, and his face book page etc. regarding visits, the staff, the surgery etc.  He gave Rich his personal e-mail address, thanked Rich for the reviews, and said if we were in need of any reconstructive or plastic surgery - to e-mail him directly!!!!  Quite impressive!!

So anyway - Dennis and the kiddos arrived about 2:30AM Sunday morning after an 19+ hour drive from Iowa. All five of them rode in the truck... and he said that traffic was bumper to bumper/stop and go - from Chattanooga to Atlanta.  And Dennis is one who does NOT like to stop ---- just get in the truck and go!

Below is the group just before they left home - dressed in their Iowa winter clothes........ and a few pictures taken of them enjoying the warm weather at Dennis' step dad's house in Land O'Lakes. 

While they were enjoying the pool I was making salads for our New Year's Eve get together.  We will be leaving late morning on Monday for Dallas and Kim's house (Dennis' step-sister)  in Wesley Chapel, where somewhere between 15 - 17 of us will be ringing in the New Year!   And on Tuesday we'll all be heading to the Outback Bowl!  Go Hawkeyes!!

It was leftover meatloaf for dinner tonight, and a couple of movies - but not before I caught a picture of our favorite Blue Heron in the nest.......and the Whistling Ducks in the neighbor's back yard. 

Next time I write - it will be 2019!  Happy New Year!