Kauai

The first week of December we celebrated our 26th anniversary 

with 6 days on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

It is aptly named "The Garden Island"

Highlights of the vacation were:

 -boat trip to Na Poli Coast

-snorkeling 

-whales, dolphins, sea turtles and flying fish

-lots of hiking and exercise

-beautiful scenery everywhere

-quiet beaches

-lovely hotel pools and restaurants

-time together to talk

-10,000 steps each day

Oh yeah and a lamp that doubles as a camera tripod.

Also in 2012

Krista's husband, Alex, worked for his dad this summer in Illinois.

Krista decided to spend the summer with us and look for a job teaching school in Texas.

Then Abby came home in July & Alex joined us in August.

For about a month our driveway resembled a used car lot.

Great to have everyone here.  A time to remember.

Thanksgiving

Declared "The Best Thanksgiving Ever"

Chad, Joann, Curtis, Erin, Holly, Sophie & Kenny joined us for the holiday.

It was a great weekend.

Memorable for:

-Post Office & typewritten notes between family members

-good food

-fun games

-SWIMMING in November

-the Twitchell bed and breakfast full to capacity

-root beer bottle band

-a kind and loving atmosphere

"New" Kitchen

During fall 2012 Kari's big project was the kitchen.

This is what the kitchen looked like the first time we saw it during house hunting.

Before

After

The details:

-replaced black granite with lighter color and extended overhang for a seating area.

-new refrigerator

-olive green paint on the walls

-new light fixture

-new kitchen faucet and great soap dispenser and disposal features

-glass tile back splash (and a new wet saw to cut tile)

-wall cupboards were stained "Java" with an awesome gel stain

-island painted a soft cream color

We love the new look.  It is much more family friendly.  It wasn't a hard project but a bit time consuming.  The cabinets took me about two weeks to finish.

Now we have an inviting and comfortable room that we will love for years.

The Greatest Show

This year's marching show was circus themed.

Emma was the cutest clown and it was a lot of fun to watch.

They did very well at competitions and we enjoyed a weekend 

in San Antonio for the BOA competition.

I love to see Emma grow in something that she loves doing. 

You can really see her joy in these pictures.

Homecoming

There is nothing quite like Texas high school football.

They take it very seriously.  Homecoming mums are an interesting tradition too.

It has grown from a simple flower to huge ribbon draped display.

The Olympics

For many years we have celebrated the Olympics by

having meals from different countries. These pictures were taken on Mexico night.

Also memorable this year was fish & chips with trifle because the Olympics were held in London.

It is a fun family tradition.

Moab

Hiking in Arches National Park
July 2013

Then we spent the afternoon on the Colorado River.  

We had a fabulous time and will always remember getting caught on a rock.  

Our guide fell off and Kip navigated us off the rock.  Great memory.

Trip to ABQ

Curtis & Erin Twitchell

married July 20, 2012

Albuquerque, NM

Chris and Don

In June our friends Chris and Don came to visit. It was a really fun week.

Chris is my good friend from Illinois.   Don and Kip were friends in high school

and sang in the same choir. Chris and Don met on an online dating site 

and they are planning to get married in spring 2013.

We are so very happy for them!