Date Night and Moving On

Keeping the day after Christmas relatively free was a good idea. Everyone was tired and not having to get dressed and be somewhere was a welcome relief. Allen and I put the Barbie Dream Townhouse together while still in our PJs. Morgan was so excited. She was so good in understanding that no one had time on Christmas Day to put it together. Sam worked on his stealth planes made of Legos. The kid is going to be an engineer. Ted took this opportunity to go to Great Lakes Gun Club. His Christmas present is being made in Milwaukee and won't be ready for awhile yet. Mine is sitting out in the drive.

We planned to go see Christmas lights and to exchange two things at Coldwater Creek in the evening but Kara got to not feeling well so we ate leftovers and kept our feet up.

Tuesday after the kids' dentist appointments, we went to Coldwater Creek. They had given Kara a wrong size for me and the top I bought Kristin was too big. We were able to get the correct size for both of us and another top for me for just $20 because of the sale prices. I also bought a $240 coat for $85. The one I am wearing was a gift from Jaime, our Mexican foreign exchange student, in 1993. When you only wear it one week a year at most, it takes a long time to wear out. Actually it is still fine but a change was in order.

We all started getting ready for our "dates" as soon as we arrived home. Four of us were going to the Detroit Opera House to see Wicked. That was Allen & Kara and Sam & me, my first date with my only grandson. Grandpa, on the other hand, was taking his three granddaughters, Cassie, Ally and Morgan, to the movies to see Arthur's Christmas and to Pizza Hut for dinner. Kelly and Pat took advantage of not having to cook dinner for the family and exchanged some gifts and ate at Red Robin.

Wicked was sensational and I'm so glad I went. The Opera House is right across from Comerica Park and Ford Field. The Fox Theater is on the next block. This area of Detroit is still very nice and they have built townhomes and lofts that are quite attractive. I wish them well in bringing the city back to what it was during it's glory days.

Today we move on to Celina, OH to visit with my brother. He had a pacemaker put in and then developed pneumonia. He is still not "up to snuff" and we are anxious to see him and his family.

Tomorrow we will leave there and hopefully be able to visit with the Thomson's in Centerville. They recently celebrated their 67th anniversary. They married on the day Ted was born. When Peter retired in 1984, Ted took his place and we've been like family ever since. Last Christmas Peter was hospitalized and we were unable to see him. While I was in Florida this past summer, Ted drove up from Cincinnati and took them to lunch. They were both doing well then.

Our three nights in Cincinnati are filled. Thursday night is dinner with my two friends Donna and Cookie and their husbands. We are going to Ted's sister Kathy's house on Friday for dinner and to see his family. New Year's Eve will be spent with my sister and her family.

New Year's Day will find us heading south. We have a very busy 2012 planned and we need to get home to start it.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Wishing you all a healthy and happy new year.