xmas

January	We hustled home from a New Year's casino trip to Louisiana to watch our Red Raiders win another bowl game. And just in case we still had some money - over the MLK holiday we headed to Vegas for a long weekend. By the end of the month Natalie had turned one and Bethany was twenty and I was sick of cold weather. Yes folks, it does get cold down here - though I admit it isn't near as cold as the panhandle.
February	We took Jim and Judy to Corpus to check out the tough life Bethany was living. They were shocked at her gated apartment, beach front classrooms and busy life. They couldn’t imagine how she was surviving. We finally "went live" with our web site which of course needs updating www.texasbeachbums.,com - stop by and visit us sometime.
March	Once again we spent a few days in Kinder supporting those poor displaced Native Americans. For the first time in many years we didn't make it to Vegas for opening weekend of the NCAA tournament. The prices were just too high so we settled for a few days in Louisiana and enjoyed the delicious fried alligator and gumbo.
April	Along with Mick's brother Jim and his wife Judy we took our first cruise with stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We swam with the sting rays and enjoyed the beautiful beaches. We ate shrimp, lamb, key lime pie and Judy ate chocolate melting cake seven nights straight.
May	May 5th bought us Ms. Kathryn (Katy) Elizabeth Frizzell, our 2nd granddaughter. She has blue eyes and we suspect a bit of red in her hair.

June	We spent June working on the lawn getting ready for a very busy July. We did manage to find time to make a few bus trips to the casino in Kinder.
July	We picked Jamie, Luchi and Natalie up at the airport on July 2nd. Micky finally met our oldest granddaughter. Over the holiday weekend we had twenty family members gather for a reunion. For one spectacular weekend we had all of our kids and their families together for the first time in over five years. Later in the month Jamie, Luchi. Natalie and I went to Corpus with Micky where he attended a conference and we all enjoyed our very first hurricane - Hurricane Dolly. We were on the outer edge but the Bogota crew had one more thing to add to their Texas Trip Tales. We put our Bogota group on the plane bound for home on the 28^th of July. Natalie’s first trip to the states was a busy one with many photos and memories. Tom and Julie celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on July 7th.
August	We spent the month recovering from July and looking forward to football season. Paulette retired and we made a trip to the Lubbock area to join in the celebration and see the folks. JL and Faye celebrated their 62nd anniversary on August 1.
September	We celebrated our 16^th anniversary with a long weekend trip to Vegas. We went to Austin and spent the day with Katy and of course her folks :-). She is growing and her favorite past time is smiling. Hurricane Ike made for excitement around our place. Bethany's school closed and everyone evacuated - after she made it to our house - the storm turned and followed her. Kaylee and John and Jim and Judy all lost electricity, but that just gave us an excuse to gather at our house and visit. We were all blessed - we lost nothing more than some groceries, sad to say we had friends and acquaintances that are still struggling to recover.
October	The Red Raiders gave us a lot to cheer for in October. Micky traveled on business most of the month but always made it home in time to yell at the television - I mean for the team on Saturdays. Thank goodness they can hear him - I'm sure they would have lost a few without his help.
November	November started off with a bang - Tech beat UT. We were actually in Lubbock the weekend of the game, but we attended Sarah’s (Bethany’s best friend from high school) wedding instead of the game. Micky managed the situation very well. I did hear him mutter something about a crown in heaven . . . . Brad and Jerinne Seaton (aunt and uncle) from Brownfield along with their daughters and spent a long weekend with us while their middle daughter checked out some college here in the area - A&M or something like that. We enjoyed having a houseful of Seatons.
	On November 14^th we lost Micky’s dad. Tom was 91 and never spoke an unkind word in his life. The statement “He was a gentleman and he was a gentle man” is a perfect way to describe this father, dad, pawpaw and Christian.
	We closed out the month with eight glorious days in Puerto Vallarta with our friends George and Tamara from Edmonton, Canada. For me it is brutal punishment to listen to them talk about the cold they face each winter. I honestly cannot imagine needing a heated steering wheel. Of course the idea of a cover to keep the steering wheel cool enough to touch during the summer was foreign to them.
December	Finally we are asked to babysit Ms. Katy. In preparation we even had McKito (the dog) groomed for the occasion. Don’t ask – we are new at this. Katy is a contented and happy baby and we emerged from the assignment in good standing but exhausted. I never realized watching a baby sleep and play could be so exhausting. As for Natalie, Jamie shared a video of her dancing and clapping her way through a Christmas program. She was doing wonderful until she saw her “Pappa” and the meltdown began. She did manage to dry her eyes and make the big finale. We hope to make it to Beaumont the weekend of the 13th to watch the Red Raiders play Lamar University. We should be staying home and resting up, but that is for our retirement years. HA! We will be spending Christmas week in the panhandle with our parents, friends and family. First we have to find our storage bin with the gloves, scarves and winter garb, I hear we will need it for the trip. Wherever we go I know one thing, we WILL be home in time to watch the Cotton Bowl on January 2nd. Go Red Raiders!!!
Our Parents	Julie is healthy and doing well. She is lonely without Tom but she walks to Uncle Jake and Aunt Sue’s almost every day to check on them and for a visit. She carries her cell phone and assures us she bundles up against the cold. Faye's cancer remains in remission and she enjoys playing bridge on the computer. JL. survived his 4^th hip replacement last December. He has just finished helping Tom with harvest – they still let him run the combine. Silverton made it to the semi-finals in football this year and my folks enjoyed the games but are now ready for basketball.
Our Kids
	Jamie is still teaching English and Luchi remains in her position (comparable to bank president in the states) at the bank. Natalie is almost two. She is so much like her dad it actually makes us smile (and then shake our heads). Natalie enjoys bossing the dogs and chicken nuggets. Casey and Lori are adjusting well to a baby. Lori works from home and still gets up early each morning to exercise and enjoy the best part of the day. Their consulting business went high-tech with their web this year and Casey has ongoing projects from Houston to Abilene and south to San Antonio. Bethany is a junior at Corpus A&M and she is beginning to tire of roommates, classes and the unsettled life of college. It is possible she is even looking forward to a full time job and her own place . . . She will turn 21 in January and has not even hinted at an invitation to the birthday party.
And then there is us	Micky has completed a full year as Chief of the Conservation Division. This included a week in Washington, one in Dallas, one in Lubbock and then one in Austin plus numerous short trips around the state - all wearing a jacket and tie. It is a whole new world and he truly enjoys it. At Tom’s funeral there were many (whispered) comments about him filling out and turning a bit gray. All I can say is “finally”. In January I will need four years and I can retire - my target date is January 2013. But in the meantime I like being Grammy and Jan was right - the best part of grandkids is watching your kids be parents. I've actually started writing my great American novel. I may never finish the thing but at least I've got my "once upon a time" typed in.
2009	It seems like a short time ago we were so excited about the new millennium - Wow it is almost 2009. We got a new great-nephew in the spring of 2008, a second one is coming with Santa and yet another one will be here after the first of the year. We had a niece that married in 2008 and a nephew that will marry in 2009. Rex is a teenager and Wes goes to school. Life doesn't just go on, it seems to be running the sprint relay in record time. We have really fallen down on the job for next year. As of now we only have one trip planned. We are headed to Aruba in August - an island we've always wanted to see. I'm not worried, I'm sure I will find somewhere else for us to go.
Until Next Year	We worry about our parents being so far away. We miss the dear friends we left in the panhandle. We wish all of our kids could live closer and we could babysit often. But we know we are blessed in so many ways and we appreciate and enjoy our wonderful life. We wish each of you happiness, health, and contentment for the year ahead.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year	We close with a toast to each of you. So lift your glass and repeat after us ... *Dai bozha* (die [as in to die], bo, zha [like the second g in garage]) meaning "God's gifts" in Russian.