Travel day!

I heard some noise early in the morning, a little after 6 a.m., and got up to check. It was Beth, all dressed and ready to go! She had forgotten that her plane was in the afternoon, and most times she leaves early in the morning, so she thought this would be the same. Oh well, she was disappointed but was willing to go back to bed for a little while.

When she did get up, we all had a nice treat for breakfast: spinach, asparagus and feta cheese omelets with bacon and toast! Pan was a troublemaker and would hardly let Beth eat!

We spent the rest of the time just getting ready for the trip -- preparing this and final packing, picking CDs, playing with the kitty, and so on. We called to check in with the airline to make sure all was set and ready for Beth's journey.

It has been a wonderful trip. Beth was so cheerful and happy throughout; she was chatty and friendly and really enjoyed herself every day. She especially loved Pan -- Pan will miss her so much!

A great way to finish out the year and start the new one. Let's make plans right away for the next visit, OK?

Warm fun Saturday Jan. 3

Today's photos are here.

Beth had been hungry for French toast so that's how we started the day -- double fiber wheat bread French toast.

We had errands to run, but first Nancy went for her run. It was nearly 60 degrees and felt like springtime outside. Beth stayed home to play with the kitten.

Our friends Kevin and Miriam dropped by to meet Pan -- we had a nice time with them, Beth was telling them all about Pan's activities.

Then out to run our errands: we went to Brian and Pam's house for mail pick-up, then on to Target for a new lightbulb for the kitchen, but no luck. Instead we got some pretty hairclips for Beth and some little items. Then to the grocery, to buy supplies for chili for dinner.

Back home, Nancy made a big pot of chili and set it to simmering. Time to go play! Beth and Nancy went to Loose Park and remembered to take the stale bread to feed the ducks. It was still warm enough to walk around and Beth even got to swing! Her favorite -- swinging high and singing "Somewhere over da Rainbow"!

Now we're starting to get ready for Beth's travel day, and that means laundry and packing. Once Beth is all cleaned up, we go downstairs for a little treat of fresh raspberries and blueberries for dessert.

Time for bed, tomorrow's the last day in KC already. Good night!

Another busy day!

On Friday, Jan. 2, Pan was so playful -- she kept us laughing all morning. She was feeling bold and would turn herself sideways, arch her back and curl her tail and bounce toward us on all fours -- a mock attack until something startles her and she runs away! We gave her a little toy mouse, which she tormented to no end, giving it a rest only when she chose to play with her aluminum foil ball or the sheet of tissue paper.

Beth had toast and cereal and yogurt for breakfast, and after we did a little work here, we decided to go out and look for some new shoes for Beth.

We went to Bob Jones Shoes downtown, one of our favorite spots, and Beth right away found a really neat pair of black walking shoes with a nice velcro snap, easy and fun. She also found a pair of brown ankle boots, really nice! There were others she liked too, a red pair and another black one, but these were her favorites so that's what we got. It took a while to try on so many shoes and test them out, but she picked the right ones.

After that, we went to Winstead's, another favorite spot of Beth's (and Calvin Trillin, too -- he once wrote that Winstead's has the best hamburgers in the world!). We had hamburgers and split some fries and a shake.

Next stop -- a haircut for Nancy. It was nice because everybody at the shop remembered Beth, even though it had been probably two years since she had been there. They were all so nice to her. We had a fun time there.

Then -- no rest -- it was home to change clothes for a workout. Beth went to Curves and Nancy went for a run. Wow, both of us got a good workout.

Back at home, we changed clothes again and went out to dinner at Rudy's Taqueria. It was very busy, but we didn't have to wait very long to get settled. We had burritos and Beth also had some refried beans, her favorite. Did I mention the marguerita with dinner? That gave Beth the giggles all the way home!

She didn't stop giggling until she fell asleep!

A new year is begun

The first day of the year was lazy!

We had a quiet morning and Beth had a simple breakfast with toast, cereal, yogurt, coffee and a banana.

She worked on her art and of course, played with Pan! We expanded Pan's universe by allowing her to also play in the dining room (she had been locked in the kitchen until now). Pan just loved exploring the new room -- before long she had created a new game to jump over the rungs of all the chairs around the dining room table! She ran in circles until she got so tired she had to take a nap!

After breakfast, Beth and Nancy very carefully took down all the decorations on the Christmas tree and packed everything up for next year. We cleaned up all the greenery and put away all the holiday decorations. When the tree was out, Beth finally was able to get to the shelves where all the other CDs are stored! She selected about 20 more CDs to play -- lots of old favorites like Eurythmics, Neil Young, more KD Lang!

In the afternoon, after Nancy came back from a run, Beth and Nancy went out for a walk -- we went across State Line and walked in the pretty neighborhood along the creek. It was a beautiful sunset.

Then time for dinner! We had a smorgasbord of leftovers and salad -- chicken & noodles, lasagne, ham! And Beth had the last two lonely cookies for dessert!

We also played on the computer a little bit. Beth has gotten very good at sending emails to Scott. She does a great job of writing and letting Scott know what's going on here. We decided to try a new trick -- we made a video greeting for Scott. The link is attached here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joijF3tbZTc

My favorite part is at the end, when Pan yawns! By this time we were all sleepy from our lazy day, so time to go to bed!

New Year's Eve FUN!

We got dressed up in nice clothes for the last night of 2008, to celebrate the new year. Beth got so many compliments on her outfit, she really looked beautiful. (You can see all our photos here.)

Our first stop was to Max's house for his annual party -- Bill Russell, Paul & Gail Barham, John Donnelly and Bill Byrne were there too. We had a glass of wine and some snacks there. Folks were chatting and laughing, and keeping an eye on the KU football game on TV in a the side porch room. (Jayhawks won!)

After a while with our friends, it was time to go to Aixois for our dinner. Oh, it was bustling and lively, full of people laughing and having a good time! We had to wait for our table so we went to the bar. Even though Emmanuel was very busy in the kitchen, he took time to say hello to us!

We got a nice table in the back of the room and settled in. It was a special menu for the evening. We decided to have a special treat to start our dinner -- oysters! We know that Emmanuel will not serve oysters unless they are excellent, so we decided to have some, especially when Beth told us she had never had tried them before. She found out that she LOVED them. So fresh and light, just right with a squirt of lemon. A great start to our dinner!

Next we had little salads: it was a boston lettuce, very soft, with hearts of palm and walnuts and cherry tomatoes in a beautifully light vinagrette sauce. And nice French bread, too.

We all had different orders for dinner. Beth had grilled salmon with a saffron sauce, a lovely dish with a little rice and green beans along with it. She ate every bite! Nancy had a spinach pasta with lobster, calamari, shrimp and mussels. It was yummy! And Tom had lamb loin with mashed potatoes and green beans. He ate every bite, too!

After the wonderful dinner, we had to try a special dessert. While we were waiting for our dessert, Beth got us laughing by showing us how she can raise both her eyebrows! I think this is a trick she learned from Scott.

Then the desserts came: Beth and Nancy shared a Molten Chocolate Cake that was wonderful -- every forkful was warm chocolate cake with a hot fudge center .. ummmm! Tom had the Creme Brulee, his favorite!

The restaurant was still lively and fun when we left, after we got to thank Emmanuel for such a great meal. We decided to stop back at Max's for the final moments of the year. We got there just a few minutes before midnight and found Kevin & Miriam there now and also Sharon & Pat. We all had a sip of champagne and crowded into the side porch room to watch the broadcast from Times Square in New York City. We all cheered and toasted the new year when midnight struck!

And then it was time to go home to our cozy beds!

Happy New Year to all!