Yee haw, l am so ready for the New Year to roll in.  Paula and I had a challenging 2018.  For me it was recovering from a hip replacement, a blocked intestine related to the hip surgery and a form of PTSD related to the blocked intestine ER experience.  Yea, it hasn’t been fun.  For Paula it has been putting up with me during these last few months.  Double not fun.

Highlights of our 2018.

We celebrated Paula’s 60th birthday by going to Honolulu.  Cheryl thought Honolulu sounded pleasant so she came along with us. Joining us there were Collin, Molly and Emily.  Paula’s cousins Bruce, and Dalene along with their mom Franny joined in on the festivities.  Plus Bruce’s wife Karyn and daughter Katie with daughter Emory were there.  Dalene’s daughter Breannan and her son Grayson completed the entourage.  An unexpected surprise were cousins Beth, Mary, Therese, Nan and Irene ( the Babcock sisters)  dropping by. 

Paula has begun her transition to retirement at CM. In June she reduced her week to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Four day weekends are becoming  quite enjoyable.  This will go on until April 2020 when she retires for real.

While on the subject of family gatherings in lieu of the annual Neu Labor  Day camping get together Paula and I along with Collin, Molly and Emily drove to American Falls to par take in Dad’s 90th birthday party.  Wow!  The Energizer Bunny has nothing on him.  Keeps on going and going and going.  He may end up making the Power County Press headlines.  Not necessarily as the oldest American Falls resident but as the oldest person to be arrested.  For details you will have to talk to him.  Has to do with a shady contractor doing a public works project abutting his shop property.

2018 marked Collin and Molly’s 10 year wedding anniversary.  Whoa!  Like where did those years go?  Shreveport is still called home for them.  Emily is turning into quite the charming southern belle.  Collin was promoted to the rank of Major while Molly separated from the Air Force.  She gained a position on the executive staff of a major local hospital.  Paula, myself and Leroy made the trip to Shreveport for Collin’s promotion ceremony.

Me?  I am still working on replacing our trusty ’97 Subaru.  You may recall this endeavor began over a year ago when Molly, never the procrastinator,  took the initiative and set me up with a local Honda dealer.  Who’d of thought there still wouldn’t be a new car parked in the garage by January 2019.  Seems the local dealers are unable to get a car meeting my specs.  Three simple requirements:

• manual transmission
• non – black interior
• something other than white or silver exterior

Weird as it may seem it appears to be a near impossibility to get the  Mazda 3, Hyundai Elantra GT or Subaru Impreza hatchback models meeting those.  Hoping something rolls off the truck at a dealer by spring.

Wishing everyone a blessed and healthy Happy New Year.