2006News Archive
December
Barb arrived Friday evening, December 22nd and
enjoyed the sunny weather, even if there were a few cloudy and rainy
days thrown in. On the afternoon and evening of the 23rd we drove to
"Old Glendale" where the downtown area shops remain open in the evening,
musicians and vendors are set up in the downtown square, and the whole
area is lit up with holiday lights as the old section of town celebrates
its annual "Glendale Glitters". We made time for a movie - "Rocky
Balboa" - which we both thought was well done and did a great job of
wrapping up the "Rocky" series of movies. On Christmas day we drove to
the Marriott Desert Ridge Resort near Scottsdale for relaxation and a
great meal outside on the restaurant patio. Here we are below inside the
main lobby.
November
This month finds John jetting back to Nebraska for
the Thanksgiving holiday. Barb, John and Rachael will spend Thanksgiving
Day in Topeka, Kansas with Barb's sister, Janice, and brother, Bob, and
their families. Henry Hill (Janice's son), wife, Lori, and sons, Tyler
and Trevor, will also be there. Jessica and Jason spent the holiday week
in the Dominican Republic at the Paradisus Palma Real Resort relaxing
and scuba-diving.
October
Happy 60th birthday to Barb on October 1st
. . and to Jessica's 32nd on the 31st! Barb and John enjoyed
Barb's short four day visit to Phoenix. Barb was able to participate in
several aquacise classes and attend a book club meeting while here. Side
trips to Cave Creek and Tempe added some additional shopping activities
to the mix. Magnificent weather made it even better - highs in the 80's,
lows in the mid to upper 50's - and full sun under a cobalt blue sky. We
also made a quick trip to the Goodyear Balloon and Air Show south of
Luke Air Force Base. In spite of disappointment compared to what we have
taken for granted at the Air Show every summer at Omaha's Offutt Air
Force Base, we did manage to see a complete Blue Angels program that was
very impressive, to say the least!
September
John spent three weeks in Omaha for Barb and his
37th wedding anniversary and Barb's 60th birthday . . now it's her turn
to say "where did all that time go"? Barb will spend October 18th
through the 22nd at Corte Bella.
August
Barb is back in Omaha as of August 4th, with
meetings beginning the 7th and the kids in class on the 14th. Since this
is her last year of teaching before retirement, we are hoping it will go
by quickly. John's official chronometer rolled over to 62 on August 24th
. . . where did all that time go?
Jessica and Jason enjoyed a week-long cruise out of
Galveston where they had the opportunity to practice their scuba-diving
skills. Rachael continues with State Farm Insurance in Lincoln, NE, and
is very happy with her opportunities there.
July
On the 2nd we attended a Pool Party & Cookout at
the Corte Bella Pool - lots of food - and a surprise guest - ELVIS! Two
hours of food, fun & music in a mere 110 degrees. The night of the 4th
was spent at the pool watching the fireworks display at the Surprise,
Arizona stadium complex just a couple of miles away. We had a good
vantage point just floating in the water and visiting with other Corte
Bella residents.
May
John spent the 9th & 10th in Sedona visiting with his cousin, Dot, and her husband, Duane, who live in Las Vegas and vacation in Sedona several times a year. He also met friends of theirs, Chris and Lucy, from Vancouver, B.C. whom they befriended on a previous trip to Sedona.
April
Barb spent her Spring Break April 1-9 here in
Arizona at our new home - the weather was great and we had a good time.
We were able to visit several times with our friends in Glendale, Roger
and Debbie Hansen - and with Jan and Steve Amdor . . . Jan teaches with
Barb in Omaha and spent her break here as well -
while Steve is employed by AVNET® in Phoenix. On Sunday, April
2nd, we and the Amdors took in a performance of the Cirque de Soleil in
Scottsdale. We found it to be a pleasurable mix of strange and awesome .
. sometimes the surreal
theme of the show makes it difficult to follow - but the performances -
especially of the jugglers, tumblers and trapeze acts - are stunning. We
spent several evenings enjoying the warm nights and live music at an
outdoor eating and recreational establishment adjacent to Peoria Sports
Complex called The Monastery.
Barb also was visited by her friend, Lena, a co-worker at
Younker's Department Store at Omaha's Oakview Mall, who was in town with
her sister, Thelma, to visit another sister, Twila, who lives in Sun
City West.
We did some shopping for accessories for the new
house in Scottsdale and in the West Valley - and received approval from
the Corte Bella Homeowners Association regarding our proposed patio
expansion, privacy wall and several new plant additions. Construction is
expected to start the week of the 16th and be finished, except for
painting the stucco wall, by the end of that week. New patio furniture
should arrive within the next two weeks and all will be in place for
Barb's return at the end of May for the summer. Rachael will visit us
from June 6th - 11th, with Jessica and Jason coming in the 9th through
the 11th.
March
Plans are underway to expand our patio here at
Corte Bella out from under the covered patio area into the back yard to
accommodate additional patio furniture and allow for greater enjoyment
of the back yard. It will include a curved 4' high stucco wall along the
back to afford some additional privacy, and with the relocation of
several shrubs and a boulder or two - along with the addition of several
larger flowering shrubs off the back corners of the house, will add
increased color and texture to the area. Completion is anticipated in
mid-to-late April.
Jessica and Jason spent a long weekend in Las Vegas
with friends; the trip coincides with their 2nd wedding anniversary . .
congratulations, Jessica and Jason!
After the recent two feet of snow and cold weather
in Nebraska, Barb is eagerly looking forward to spending her Spring
Break in Phoenix April 1st - 9th.
February
This month brings John driving to Phoenix over the
weekend of 11th and 12th . . a busy week with Atlas Van Lines delivering
all the "stuff" from Omaha on the 14th and Nebraska Furniture Mart
delivering the new furniture the next day. Barb flew down on the 16th,
but weather in Chicago and the northern tier of states kept her
Southwest Airlines flight from arriving on time and instead of getting
to Phoenix at the scheduled 3:20, it was close to midnight before she
got to the house. It made for a very long day - and to say the least -
Omaha's airport isn't the most exciting place for people-watching . . .
you can see them all in 15 minutes . . . then see them all again at the
half hour. Needless to say, we had a good time in her three days here.
On the 17th we had ceiling fans and light kits installed, and except for
finishing touches such as photos, pictures and do-dads, the house is
shaping up nicely.
January
Nothing like two weeks in the Arizona sun and
signing a mortgage on a new home to start the New Year off with
excitement! After much shopping for furniture and all the "other stuff"
that one needs to jump start a new residence, Barb and I did find time
to sit in the sun and relax at our new home in Corte Bella. If you
missed the slide show on the Home Page, here are some additional photos
of the area.