A Long Overdue Update

We apologize for taking so long to post this update but we've been on the go and haven't had an opportunity to pull it all together since our previous update the day before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was spent with Todd's sister and family and a few close friends where we enjoyed a wonderful spread put together by Mark & Jennifer, beginning with steamed clams and a couple of appetizers prepared by the Admiral.

Brother-in-law Mark - nice garnish on the B.M.!


Part of the Thanksgiving gang eating apps on the patio.


Todd and sister Jennifer feeding each other clams.



Niece Shannon enjoying what teens do best!


Jessica, Sara, Rachel, and Micki posing for the camera. "You look marvelous, darlings!"


Gathered around the holiday table.



We left Orlando Thanksgiving evening and headed for St. Petersburg to spend the weekend with our good friend Cathy who was also hosting Robin & Warren. Robin & Warren, former full-time cruisers aboard the canal boat "Pepi," have been staying in a condo in Miami awaiting the arrival of their new "green" catamaran from China; however, they recently decided not to purchase the catamaran and are going to become "dirt dwellers" once again. They are flying back to New York on December 9th to begin house and job hunting. Good luck, guys! We will miss you on the water!

Warren & Robin around the coffee table with the Admiral and Cathy.


"Two egg rolls!"


Life doesn't get much better than this!!!


On December 8th we flew to Springfield, MO and spent a few days with good friends Nila & Everett Hayes before heading to Houston, MO on December 11th to see Brenda's parents. While we were there, Everett gave the Admiral a much appreciated foot massage while she was relaxing on the couch in their den.



The lovely Nila Hayes enjoys Life's2Short's company.


Tickle me Elmo ...er Admiral!


From December 15th to the 24th we were back in Springfield for Brenda's mom's bilateral total knee replacement surgery. Our good friend Shelly was gracious enough to allow us to stay at her house while she was in Colorado visiting family for the holidays. It was cold, cold, cold while we were in Missouri.

Sure don't miss this type of weather. The previous night's low was a balmy 6 degrees!


Fred & Cathy Pfeiffer drove down from Warrensburg, MO to have dinner with us one evening while we were in Springfield. Fred was Todd's first boss when he took over the food service account at Missouri State University in 1996. Thanks for a great evening, Fred & Cathy!

Why is Cathy the only one with a halo?


After returning to Houston the afternoon of December 24th, my sister-in-law Pennie and brother Dewayne invited us over for a wonderful meal on Christmas day.




Brenda with her dad.


What a great meal - thanks Pennie & Dewayne!


Niece Jennifer showing off her new miniature Chihuahua, Chiquita, in its Christmas outfit from Pennie's daughter Nikki!


Nephew Greg with wife Crystal and 2-year-old daughter Lily.



Greg with 3-month-old Emily.


We left Houston, MO on December 28th and headed south in our "new" car that my dad and brother found for us. We stayed in Demopolis, AL the evenings of the 28th and 29th and spent our time there with Fred & Kim, Rick & Peggy and the remaining members of the old crew at the Demopolis Yacht Basin - Dale & Joy, Buell and Carl & Sally.

On December 30th we drove the remaining ten hours to St. Petersburg to surprise Cathy for New Year's Eve. Steve & Lisa joined us for a fun evening of food, laughter and games and we even managed to stay up long enough to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Unfortunately, no one remembered to pop the cork on the champagne to celebrate the new year!

The chef-ettes hard at work New Year's Eve!


Ah, the joy of New Year's Day!


On the afternoon of New Year's Day, the three of us were sitting on the couch watching TV when Cathy's television suddenly fell out of the entertainment center and landed face down on the floor! Oddly enough, we had just finished watching "The Devil's Advocate" and thought the two events might be related. But upon further investigation we found that the brace on the front right corner of the shelf holding the TV had broken. What a way to start the new year!



On Saturday Cathy decided to have a dock party and do a little fishing. We were joined by friends Don & Patty and neighbors Ted & Linda. We built a nice fire in the patio table's fire pit and had a great time making and eating s'mores and watching fish circle around Cathy's new underwater dock light.





We headed back to Sanford Boat Works on Sunday with a brief stop at Jennifer's house for lunch, and Monday was spent catching up on mail and making a restocking run to Wal-Mart. Today is Tuesday, January 6th, and we are getting back into "boat mode" after being on the dirt for four weeks. Todd has already started on a long list of boat projects that will likely keep him (and me) occupied for the foreseeable future.

Again, we apologize for the amount of time that has elapsed since our last update and we appreciate your patience. It's been a busy several weeks on the go, but with any luck things will return to normal now, or at least as normal as they ever are for us!