Christmas With Chicago Carter's

Our Christmas must always begin like the following pictures: With Wheatens!!!!! Yes, Heath and Thais and their baby Violet have arrived in Massachusetts for Christmas! After the typical battle between Marty and Violet, they appear to be best friends now, as are Sweetie and Violet. The threesome are enjoying each other as they romp and play and entertain us all.
We enjoyed a prime rib dinner with all of the sides created by myself and Mackensey. It is so nice to have the Chicago Carter's with us to laugh, talk, catch up, share Advent, and (very soon) play games with. More to come.....

Mackensey, Doggies, and SNOW!!!

Yes! It's that time of year when, not only do we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus, we also have the blessing of our children coming home to visit. Our favorite time of the year. Mackensey came home on Friday and a Noreaster moved in on Saturday night. We got 12" and the fun of shoveling our driveway...Mackensey's first experience. She rose to the occasion and we got the job done! We may not appreciate the fluffy, white stuff but our two dogs, Marty and Sweetie, LOVE it!

Thanksgiving 2009

November did sneak up so quickly! This Thanksgiving we were empty nesters at home. Clyde is still recovering from his surgery and was not up to going to anyone's house to celebrate. We spent the day watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade while enjoying a pumpkin muffin, having pumpkin bisque for lunch, taking the doggies for a short walk at the park, sharing a small thanksgiving meal together, having our devotional and prayer time. We are so thankful for each other this year! Our lives have been so full and blessed with our children and grandchildren, our old friends and our new friends, our new church, and new relationships we are building in Massachusetts. Words cannot express how thankful we are for the love of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He daily gives evidence of His grace in our lives. A day of thanks!

Hernia Surgery

Not much happening since our Florida trip....this is good! We have been enjoying our small group from our wonderful church, Chapel of the Cross. We just finished "40 Days of Community" as a church body. We have finally gotten to know some people in Massachusetts. We are not meant to live life on our own. The past 11 months have drilled that home to me. We now have a family in Massachusetts to 'do life together'. Thank you God.

Clyde has had a hernia for several years and the time finally came; it needed to be repaired. On Friday, November 20 he went in for surgery. The doctor was pleased with how things went and now he is on the road to recovery. He has been a very good patient and I have enjoyed serving him.

Boca Raton, Florida

North East Wholesale Food Distributors Association hosts an annual conference for their sponsors and families. This year it was held in Boca Raton, Florida. Clyde and I stayed in the Boca Raton Resort. We were able to enjoy some sunshine, the beach, and relaxation in our hotel. The wind was blowing about 25-30 mph, therefore the beaches were pretty empty. We were able to see some brave souls windsurfing and sailing despite the wind. We also participated in an 80's night where all were encouraged to dress in 80's costumes and enjoy some disco after our meal. It was a nice get-away for us with lots of sun! Thanks NEWFDA!

The tower part of the Boca Raton Resort.

Windsurfer

The front of the resort where we stayed.

Halloween Fun with Maddie and Eva

I had the pleasure of spending several days with Maddie and Eva this summer, however Clyde was not able to accompany me. This October we traveled to Tulare, Ca. to visit the grandbabies. Grandad Clyde got to see Baby Eva for the first time! We were able to spend some quality time at home with the girls, Ash and Courtney. We also went trick-or-trunking with them at Ash's workplace, Prestige Assisted Living, as well as trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Baby Eva was dressed up as a duck and Maddie was Dorothy. Nana and grandad also visited the pumpkin patch where Maddie rode the train and both girls got their faces painted. There is a new park in Tulare that we checked out as well. We had a wonderful time and are just amazed at how quickly the babies are growing up.