Thursday, December 26, 2013

Six Months in One Blog Post

Wow, I haven't blogged since June. With having Facebook I put up a few photos and feel that covers it. Besides, Shannon does such a good blog, she usually covers everything going on in my life, too. I will try to pull a photo or two from each month since last, just to remind myself of what happened in 2013.

In July the old race team got together for lunch at dad's shop.
 In July, the 4 of us went to Maui.
 Two monkeys trying to work a hammock.
 Shannon was newly pregnant, not even showing.
 Ahhhh. Maui beaches are da-kine.
We went to Catalina to go kayaking and touring. My first time staying over there in a hotel and it was so nice.
 Went with Suzanne and John. Fun people.
August - Party with the girlfriends at Shannon's house. She hosted a Scentsy party.
I attended the wedding of Michael and Katie - Betty and Brian's son and daughter-in-law. Wonderful wedding with a huge swing band.
 It was held in Pasadena. ( I believe it was the Masonic Temple)
 The next morning I caught a plane in Long Beach,  flew to Salt Lake City, and hitched a ride to the Salt Flats to watch Carl drive the new Kuhl-Olson-Bowman roadster.
 I was there only one or two nights then we drove home. They had some bugs to work out and will run again in 2014.
In September there was a fire very near our house.
October was Shannon's 30th birthday, so we celebrated with a party at our house.

 I spent Halloween with Lacey and Brandon and the kids. Helped carve pumpkins.
 Lacey and Hazel.
 Dean the Ninja and Hazel is Snow White.
 Also in October I joined in with 4 other artists and we had a party and art sale, Art and Music in the Garden.  Suzanne and John have a wonderful, huge yard and they hosted it, and even had a live band playing rock and roll. We all sold quite a bit of art.

 Shannon put Grant to work on the project with us and Carl stopped by on his way to California Speedway.
 John and Suzanne - such nice and fun people. Thanks guys.
 Visited with brother Roy and crazy Dennis Roth one day.


 November - Peter was visiting from NZ so we had a margarita party.
 Shannon's baby shower on Nov 9th. We had around 25 people at our house. It was a lot of fun and she sure got some nice gifts for the baby.
 Andrea came all the way from Austin, TX.  Kelly got married earlier this year.
 Ahhhh so cute.


 We decorated for Christmas early. Shannon helped me and that is why it all got done.
 Shopping at Lowe's.
 On Thanksgiving I made a complete turkey dinner. We ate early because Carl must leave to go the the Turkey night grand Prix at Perris Speedway. So Shannon, Grant and I were invited to Nancy and Kelley's house. We brought some of our food and we joined them afterwards.
December 7th - We celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary.  Rondi and Neil joined us for an awesome dinner at the Magic Lamp. So festive.
Has-beens and cast-offs dinner at the Northwoods Inn. This is the annual gathering of folks who used to work at NHRA together.
We had the Fjastad Family Christmas gathering at our house on Sunday Dec 22nd.  All the families are so busy with their other families, but I was so happy that we were all able to get together.
 Hazel meets Great Grandpa Roy for the first time.
 Hazel liked the story telling, rocking chair Mickey Mouse.
 New winter caps for the kids. Hazel, Dean and Ryder (makes strange faces in all his pictures???)

WHY??? is blogger rotating my pictures???
Christmas morning at our house. Shannon and Grant came up on Christmas eve. The four of us had BBQ steaks and baked potatoes for dinner. Then I showed the old family Christmas movies from 1983 (new born Shannon) up to 1989. It was so much fun watching the kids when they were little.

I made Pumpkin waffles for breakfast.  Stockings first.

 I love Christmas morning, we stretch the gift opening out for hours it seems.
 Grant received the most gifts this year. He needed the most.
 The guys got matching skull head drinking glasses.
 Every Christmas morning, Santa Claus comes to every street in La Verne, with the firetrucks. The firemen elves give a bag of sweets to everyone. We have lived here for 23 years and they have never missed a year. We start hearing the sirens really early as they drive through the streets down the hill, then as they get closer and louder, I run out of the house yelling for the neighbors to come outside. Of course they also hear the sirens, so I don't have to yell, but I do anyway. I get way too excited.

Well, those are all the pictures I have for the year. I'm sure we did much more than was in this blog. We are always super busy and doing fun stuff.  Next year will be the year of the grandchild, so I will either be too busy to post a blog, or, I may be posting all the time. We'll see.
2013 has been a year of goods and bads. Mostly goods in my opinion. The challenges will always be there. I enjoy the happy times, which usually includes family and friends.
Happy New Year!
Love, Kathy