It's 2013 and I'm Going on 93!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I haven't made any updates to my blog for a while, but now you're really gonna get it!

Kris, my granddaughters, and I moved into winter without any trouble.  I don't like the cold, and Kris insists that I don't make trips to the mailbox when there's any possibility of ice on the sidewalk and driveway -- it slopes down to the road -- but otherwise we are getting along just great.

I was very happy when the NFL season got underway, and here we are -- ready for the playoffs.  I really was disappointed that Tim Tebow didn't get to play much at all for NY Jets, but I'm sure I'm not the only one saying that.  I just hope he gets traded to another team that can use him.  I still think he will make a pretty good NFL quarterback.  He made magic in Denver.  If I could have had my wish on that, he would have stayed in Denver and played under Peyton Manning and learned all he could from him for 2-3 years.  Then when Peyton retires, Tim could have had the team.  That sure worked out in Green Bay, with Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers.  Oh well!

Of course, here in the Hoosier state, we were happy for the Colts this season.  Going from a "luckless," awful year in 2011, to a 11-5 record with Andrew Luck and a few other rookies, has been fun to watch.  Now the playoffs will get our juices flowing...rooting for the Colts and the Broncos...and Kris is also rooting for RGIII and the Redskins.

Kris is also delighted that IU Basketball is BACK!!!  She had no idea they were the pre-season #1 team, but she was right about that being a hard thing to maintain.  Not that she doesn't think they are talented -- far from it!!! -- but #1?  We have been able to see several of the IU games, and when IU finally got beat for the first time of the season in mid-December, she said that she was glad it was by Butler.  Kris's favorite IU player is a junior named Victor Oladipo.  She calls him "my boy"!  He sure is something to watch!  We're looking forward to the start of the Big 10 season and then March Madness.

Late summer and fall is the busiest time for Kris at the dance studio -- getting over 350 students' dance schedules finalized, registering new students, getting tuition notices sent out to everyone, and just dealing with the "back to school" chaos.  The girls had the opportunity in mid-October to dance in a local competition featuring the Abby Lee Dance Studio team, and that was a BIG DEAL for them.  The show "Dance Moms," on the LifeTime network, is based on the ALDS.  The competition was filmed for Season 3, which gets started tonight.  The episode filmed in Fort Wayne will be shown on January 8th.  There's not much of a chance you will see Adrian or Katie, because the show is just about the Abby Lee girls, but they might show up in a quick shot here or there or something backstage.  If they do show up on TV, don't blink or you will miss it.

An Indiana fall is always beautiful.  You don't get much of that change of color in Florida.  But in early November, on a cold, gray day, Kris drove me to a wind farm area about 20 minutes from her house, just inside the Ohio state border.  That morning, it was very windy.  Indiana was experiencing the last hurrah of Hurricane Sandy, and Kris -- just out of the blue -- said "Let's go for a ride!"  I had no idea where we were going!  But for months, she had been telling me about how taken she was by the sight of acres and acres of the huge wind turbines.

Hard to see me here, but...

Here's a little bit closer...

Yep...it's me!

I have to admit I was amazed at how big the turbine blades were.  But I was even more amazed at Kris driving down a gravel road marked "ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSING" to get close to the turbines so she could take good pictures.  I was sure we were going to get arrested.  Kris was not the least bit worried about it.  She asked me if I had even seen one car after we turned off the state road heading into Ohio and driving on the farm roads.  We both knew the answer was "No."  I guess she was right not to worry.  Nobody had to come and post bail for us!

Later that month, we enjoyed Thanksgiving together. Kris tried out the self-timer on her new camera, and I think the picture turned out great!

Turkey and all the fixin's. We had much to be thankful for.

That evening the girls were ready to put up the Christmas tree and start decorating the living room.  Because they had come to Florida for Winter Break for the past several years, this was a long-awaited treat for them.  I pitched in to help "fluff" the tree branches, then went to bed.  The girls stayed up to put the tree together and put the lights and ornaments on.  When I got up the next morning, the tree was certainly a beautiful thing to behold.  Here is a picture of the tree on Christmas morning.

Who's guarding the Christmas gifts?
Look closely on the left side!

I nearly cried because of all the gifts I got for Christmas.  I said I never had so many Christmas gifts at one time -- two flannel shirts, new tennis shoes, a winter cap (Kris calls it my Elmer Fudd cap), a box of chocolates, and some IU gear (a long-sleeved t-shirt, coffee mug, and blanket). 

A perfect Christmas picture!

Adrian decided she didn't want turkey again for Christmas dinner.  She has that Laughlin stubborness about her.  She insisted on ham, so that's what Kris made.

Next came my birthday on December 30th.  92!!!  After my illness and hospitalization back in May, I had serious doubts that I would even make it to 92.  Now, after moving to Indiana, surrounded by my girls and guard dogs -- and all the love they all give me -- I feel great and am looking forward to many more birthdays! 

Adrian made my cake and Kris made my meal-of-choice: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.  Here are some pictures:

92 years young!

What's wrong with this picture?

You're as young as you feel!

BeiBei and Butch party down.

Then last night, we had fun bringing in the New Year.  Adrian wanted to have a hot-wing challenge, so she and Kris went to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings, and got several variety of wings, including their hottest one called BLAZIN'.  I was a little worried about what I was getting into, but decided to go for it! The blazin' wings boxes said "Experience the THRILL and AGONY of the HEAT!"

All smiles before the blazin' wings challenge.

Katie was the first one out.  Kris was a close second.

Not certain what Adrian was saying here,
but those wings SHHUURRE were hot!

Whew! 
They were hot, but I think I won the challenge.
Adrian would be the first to argue about that,
but I genuinely liked the blazin' wings better
than all the other flavors that we had.

Next, it was time for Poker.  That was something we did every day when Kris and the girls came to Florida each winter.  But for whatever reason -- maybe there's just so much other stuff going on here -- we hadn't played until my birthday.

That's my Poker Change bowl that Kris made for me a few years ago.

Katie wins an early round.

Butch helps me strategize...

...and IT WORKED!!! 
He's hauling in the pot,
and has he got a POKER FACE or what?!

Determined to win the next round,
Adrian gets some betting tips from BeiBei.

As we waited for the ball to come down in Times Square, Adrian and Katie made celebration hats -- something they've done for several years on New Year's Eve -- and we opened the sparkling grape juice.  It definitely was a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Getting ready for 2013.

It's midnight!

It's great being their Granddad!

So now it's 2013, and I'm going on 93!  I'll make a New Year's Resolution to make more frequent blog posts, but always check FaceBook, too, if you go there.  Kris seems to post things there more often. 

Please be sure to keep in touch!  I enjoy hearing from you!