Reelin' In The Year

As a start to this weblog, a brief review of our 2007 would be in order:

January – Katie turned 4

February – Teresa and the kids make a week-long trip to Oklahoma to see family. Mac turned 6.

March – My Grandfather passed away, and so I made a trip to Oklahoma for the memorial service and to spend a few days with family and especially my grandmother. Also in March was my annual pilgrimage to Arizona. The Arizona Dental Association conveniently schedules their annual convention in March, so I head down each year and enjoy continuing education classes in the mornings, Spring Training Baseball in the afternoons, and Mexican food in the evenings.

April – Teresa and I took the family (minus the kids) to Maui. We found a lovely little private beachside setting on the west side of the island and basically spent all day reading on the beach, snorkeling in the bay, and sleeping on the beach under a milo nut tree. We choose not to divulge our location, as we’d like to keep it a secret!

May – Started May in Maui, ended in Lassen National Park over Memorial Day. Took the whole family this time, drove south through Redding and over to where my Grandparents used to live in Shingletown. Stayed at the little kabins at the KOA Kampground and the kids were thrilled to be camping again. The summit road at Lassen is near 8500 feet elevation and there was at least ten feet of snow still guarding the roadsides. Spent time also revisiting some old haunts, family residences, and the Millville Cemetery.

June – Bill’s band Perpetua (www.perpetuajazz.com) releases their first studio album, and has a successful release concert at the Performing Arts Center. Mac enjoys playing T-Ball, Katie has gymnastics classes, and Teresa begins oil painting. Perpetua moves into their new rehearsal/recording studio.

July – Bill’s birthday. Teresa took a week-long trip (end of June, early July) to Atlanta to spend time with her Dad. We also drove up to Seattle to take in a Mariners game (Mac and Dad) and shop (Mom and Katie).

August – Teresa enjoys her girls’ trip to the Grand Canyon with her Mom, Grandma, sis, and aunts. At the end of the month, we drove to Utah to be with cousins Eliza and Vince. Attended the BYU/Arizona football game in 98-degree weather.

September – Teresa and kids rescued a puppy from the shelter. Missy is a shepherd mix, sweet, energetic, and still growing. Dad was working and performing at the Jazz Festival at the time, and had no say in the decision, but has grown to enjoy the role of pack leader.

October – I attended my 20th high school class reunion, held in Milwaukee, WI. (Most of us couldn’t make it back to Stuttgart, Germany)

November – Teresa celebrated a birthday with a trip for the two of us to Portland for an overnighter/Christmas shopping. Spent Thanksgiving at home, knowing we’d be taking a significant trip to see family in Oklahoma next month.

December – Lots of holiday preparations, and finally the trip to Oklahoma. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins, playing with the toys Santa brought, and generally being spoiled by Grandparents.

We have big plans for 2008, so stay tuned, as I’ll write a note once or twice a month.