FLIGHTS, DELAYS, WORK, BEER, AND A LOST SUITCASE

Mike left yesterday for Freidrichshafen, Germany, on another work related assignment. Freidrichshafen is a city in southern Germany, and it lies on the shoreline of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) which forms the border between Germany and Switzerland. Thankfully, he will only be gone for two weeks.

He left Ontario at 8 a.m., flew 2 1/2 hours, and then tried to change planes in Dallas/Ft. Worth. After a 2 1/2 hour layover, his plane was delayed another two hours, and then finally got underway. After a 10 hour flight, he landed in Frankfurt with only 45 minutes till his connecting flight left for Freidrichshafen. He made it, but his luggage didn't. After another hour in the air, he went straight to work. Craziness. He worked about six hours before heading out to a good German restaurant for some yummy German food, and the obligatory glass (or two) of his favorite black beer, Kostrizer. As of this evening, he had not slept for a LONG time, and his suitcase had been located, but not delivered. He is hoping his fresh clothing will arrive while he is at work tomorrow. So are his coworkers! They all drew straws to see who would have to ride with him in the car in the morning!

Sleep well tonight, Mike, and come home soon!

Faith's 4th Birthday

This past weekend, Mike and I traveled up to Sacramento to be with our granddaughter, Faith, as she celebrated her 4th birthday. She was so excited, and we were happy to be there to share it with her. She had lots of family - both sets of grandparents, both of her uncles and their families, and lots of neighbors and friends were on hand.

Lisa got out her face paints, and painted the kids faces, and Charles fired up the BBQ to make some yummy hamburgers and hot dogs. Several of the little girls dressed up as princesses for the occasion. Princess Faith is second from the right: Faith loved having her family here for the party, and Dave and Stacy were excited that they finally got to visit Lisa's new home in Lincoln. Here are Uncle Davey and cousin Rhys. Rhys is the one with the clown hair:

In this photo, Grandpa is getting a big hug from Brody and Faith!Next came the birthday cake...and Jack really enjoyed his piece!Lisa bought a tiara shaped pinata, which proved to be a bit difficult to break open. The little kids all had a shot, and then the big cousins got a turn, which finally brought about the desired result.Here is Brody, holding tight to his blue "fuzzy", waiting his turn at the pinata:
After the pinata, it was time for Faith to open the many gifts that her generous family and friends gave to her. She had a great time!

Our New Year's Eve Party

Well, our New Years Eve's party was quite a fun event! Both of our kids and their families were here, along with my nephew and nieces from Texas. We had lots of yummy appetizers, and a big pot of chili with cornbread. Throughout the evening we played several games, some Rock Band, and sampled a pomegranite martini made by Lisa. As we all watched the ball drop in Times Square, David provided us with a yummy champagne toast .

The REAL fun, however, was the result of losing hands of poker. Mike, Lisa and David were all the unlucky players -- and each one had to perform an embarrasing stunt as his/her punishment. Lisa was made to stand in the middle of the street and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" at the top of her lungs as we shined a flashlight on her. Wish we had taken a picture! It was pretty funny. David had to endure his sister painting his face like a girl (with the added condition that it would be placed in this blog): By far, though, the best stunt was saved for Mike. During our dip in the hot tub, he was made to wear MY bathing suit, and strike a girlish pose. Here for your enjoyment, is the photographic evidence of that event. Hope it is not too disturbing!! Don't y'all want to come to OUR party next December 31st???