Merry Christmas

And if you are REALLY bored

I have added the Christmas letter

Christmas Correspondence from Curt & Coleen

December 2014

Canyon Vistas: We left our AZ winter home in mid-April and hope to return to our little desert casa the end of January 2015.

Chicago: Kari and the two of us spent 5 days in the Windy City in early June. Baseball, museums, geocaching, food, and a side trip to MI & IL to see friends were on the agenda. Her agenda included stops at cheese and wine shops in WI.

Celebration: In August the Schaffer siblings and their offspring gathered in Aberdeen to help my mother celebrate her 85^th Birthday. Our Christmas photo is from that event. Three children, ten grandchildren, and fourteen of fifteen great-grandchildren enjoyed pizza, birthday cake and a fun day at Storybook Land.

Custer State Park: I don’t have a long bucket list but one of the things I have wanted to do for a number of years, is to attend the buffalo roundup at Custer State Park in September. We did and enjoyed it, but agreed we probably would not do it again.

Caching: Curt and I saw every corner of the state this summer in our quest to collect some challenge geocaches. Cemeteries, back roads, Indian reservations, small and even extinct communities were just a few of our destinations. We had a blast!

Caring for Grandchildren: Willa (4 ½) and Marek (2 ½) had several opportunities to spend time at our house while Karl & Crystal enjoyed some stay-cations. Visits to the zoo and area parks were their favorite activities, as well as playing with the toys their daddy and auntie had as children.

Camping: The casa on wheels was used in June, July, August & September, mostly at Hart Ranch in the Black Hills, but also in Sioux Falls. We hope it will see some road time next summer, as that was the original plan for the smaller unit and the new truck.

Cataracts: Curt has been complaining about his eyesight for two years. New glasses in Mexico did not help, so he bit the bullet and had cataract surgeries in August. A final surgery in December will get those brown orbs ready for night driving and the trip to AZ.

Coincidence: Since we needed to hang out in SD until Thanksgiving (eye surgery) Curt had a total right hip replacement in early October. (He was complaining about that, too!) All was going well when three weeks later, he slipped and fell and broke the femur in the very same…right leg. He will be weight bearing by the end of the month. Bye-bye walker & wheelchair.

Cancer: I was totally surprised when I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer the end of October. Both right and left lobes were removed. I will take a radioactive pill on Dec. 16^th, followed by several days in quarantine. The final check-up, we hope, is Jan. 20^th. The bags will be packed for AZ!

Celebrating: The seven of us gathered Thanksgiving weekend to count our blessings and to celebrate Christmas. We call it Thankmas. The weekend was planned long before we knew we would be spending winter (ok, only 2-3 months) in the North Country. One of the positives of this extended stay is being able to see our granddaughter’s Christmas programs at church and preschool.

Closing: May your blessings be many and your troubles few. Merry Christmas!

                                                                                     Curt & Coleen