DECEMBER 2009

Happy Birthday to all of our family members who had December birthdays.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US...BOB AND REE!!! IT IS REALLY HARD TO BELIEVE IT'S BEEN 37 YEARS SINCE WE WERE MARRIED ON DECEMBER 15, 1972.
Bob, I love you more each day...thanks for being my wonderful husband!!
I am writing my blog for December on the last day of the month, New Year's Eve. It's been a long month in some ways. Recovering from my surgery went pretty well. But to end the month and the year, I have a cold...something I hardly ever get! I'll try to remember most of the things we did this month, but if they don't make sense, it's because of my stuffy head and cold medication.
The month started as usual with me working at JetBlue, and Bob traveling as usual. I had my surgery on Wednesday, November 25th, and on Sunday, November 29th, Bob left for Ruston, LA. He was supposed to come home on Friday, but his flight got cancelled. They had snow in Louisiana and didn't know how to work their snowblower.
Bob and I were both supposed to go together to pick up Tatum so she could stay with us. But, since he didn't make it home, I drove to Elko, NV to get her and bring her back with me. I met Monica and Ariel there. We talked for about 15 minutes and Tatum and I headed back to Salt Lake.
It was really fun trying to drive with my stitches! My friend gave me a little child's swim circle to sit on so my stitches wouldn't hurt! That didn't work because the thing made my knees hit the steering wheel, so I couldn't use it. So, I just kept adjusting my little pillows under me! That was fun!
Tatum didn't want to leave Monica to begin with. This was her first Utah trip without Ariel or Monica with her. But she got used to me really quick and we had a nice drive back. Bob had gotten home from Louisiana about 4pm, and we got home about 7:30pm, so we hardly saw him at all. He had to fly out to Hershey, Pennsylvania early on Sunday morning.
Tatum and I had lots of fun together the first week she was here. We played lots and lots of games! She is so much fun!! We listened to and sang Christmas songs and watched all the Christmas specials on TV. It was great to have a six-year old here to fill our home with the Christmas spirit.
Bob came home from Pennsylvania Friday evening with lots of "Hershey's" chocolate treats. I think Tatum was glad to have someone here besides just me, especially because "Mr. Bob" is funner to have around.
Tatum spent the night on Saturday with her other grandparents and cousin Megan, then on Sunday, she went to church with us. She made sure she called her Mom and sister and Dad several times a day to check on them. She memorized all of their phone numbers within a day, and I'm sure they enjoyed all of her calls and messages.
She also went over to Angela and Richard's (or "in and out Richard snot bird") to play. She loved their kitties, especially their newest kitty, Penny.
Bob and I kept her busy (or she kept us busy) the whole time she was here. On Tuesday, December 15th, Bob and I had our 37th wedding anniversary! The next day, we went downtown Salt Lake to stay at the Embassy Suites Hotel. It was so much fun--especially with Tatum joining us!!! We checked in, had a quick snack downstairs, we took the Trax train over to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. It was so beautiful! The weather was cold but it wasn't snowing or windy. When we first got there, we went in to the "Barrett" Assembly Hall to listen to one of the many choirs performing for the holidays. We really enjoyed that evening. After seeing all of the lights, we warmed up by walking through the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Then, we took the Trax back to the hotel and played games and watched a movie. We made Bob go get dinner for all of us...out in the cold...all by himself!
On Friday afternoon, December 18th, Ariel and Monica flew to Salt Lake for the week-end. Tatum was so cute at the airport waiting for them. It was hard because their flight was delayed, but they were finally back together. We had fun with them that week-end and went out to eat with Angela and kids to one of Monica's favorite restaurants, "La Frontera." That Saturday night, the 3 Evans girls stayed over at their "Papa and Freaky's" house, then spent Sunday with us. It was a short trip, because they flew home on Monday morning.
The rest of that week, Bob and I both worked from home. I have been on a leave of absence since my surgery, but have had lots of JetBlue homework. (We are switching computer systems in January, so I've had lots to learn.)
On Christmas Day, I cooked a yummy ham dinner. Angela, Richard and Ian ate with us, then we went to Bob's parent's home. We had a great visit with all of his brothers and sisters that were there. What a great family! I wished I could've been with my family in Florida, too. Maybe next year...I hope.
Two days before Christmas, Ian came over and spent the night with us. During the day, Ian and Bob went sledding at the park across the street. They had bought a cool new sled and it worked great. Bob realized he's not as young as he used to be. He got pretty sore! They also went the next day (Christmas Eve), but there were so many kids there, it was hard to go down the hills without an accident.
Today, New Year's Eve, Ian came over again to spend the day with us. He and Bob tried to go sledding again, but there were too many kids... again! Before Ian went home, we played a few games of Yahtzee. Then, Bob and I celebrated New Year's Eve at home by ourselves.
2009 was a great year, but I know that 2010 will be even better.
Happy New Year to everyone!!