Day family newsletter - November 2011

Dec. 1, 2011

NEWS FROM THE DAYS:

It’s that time of the year again. Winter coming. Leaf raking, garden clean up, mowing the grass for the last time. Changing the clocks back one hour. Hate to see it this year as the summer got such a late start. And now Thanksgiving has come and gone.

Debbie hosted the Thanksgiving dinner this year – a group of 24! But everybody chipped in to help and it turned out great as usual. Debbie invited a guy from her work at Zion’s Bank, and he brought a few Florida dishes (his native state) which was a nice addition to our usual menu. And he brought some oranges as big as grapefruits he had shipped in from Florida. And Debbie invited another guy here on a work visa at American Express from India. It was interesting talking to him and finding his politics in India mirror our State vs. Federal power debates here in Utah’s legislature.

Linda and the girls who weren’t working went shopping on black Friday at 5 AM, a tradition for our family. I took Friday off from work and watched four of the grandchildren. In fact, they all stayed over Thanksgiving night so they would already be here and not have to get up so early.

I’ve kept busy reading the past couple of month – finished Oliver Twist, then read a memoir of Arthur Ashe, the great tennis player. Then I read a couple of great books called Killing Lincoln and The Poisonwood Bible. These last two I really enjoyed as the Lincoln book involved history, and the other, although fiction, traced African history over about 30 years starting in 1960. History is becoming my favorite reading subject it seems. Oh, and I also read The Last of the Mohicans.

Stephanie’s work took her to St. George for a couple of days, and she was able to use our condo while there. Steph had a great little birthday party for Jessica who turned nine this past month. She organized a fashion show, and invited me to emcee the event. Jessica and her friends are little diva’s, let me tell you! It was a lot of fun as the adults sat in a row applauding the fashion contestants as they walked down the aisle, changed into new outfits, and did it over and over again. It was an absolute riot!

While all together for Thanksgiving, we celebrated Bill’s birthday as well as Taylor’s 4th (Taylor is Steph’s youngest). And speaking of the younger grandkids, Bill and Katie’s little Sofie is 9 months old already, and ready to walk. She is sooo alert and cute. And her big brother Jack charms the pants off everybody. Kaylee ended up spending two days here over Thanksgiving giving Debbie time to work and get some shopping done. Debbie is enjoying her new position at Zion’s Bank.

Linda and I had a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant to celebrate my 66th birthday, and we all went to a buffet restaurant for Jessica’s 9th birthday. We were invited for dinner at Cole and Jessica’s recently. It was great to see them as well as be able to play with our great granddaughter, Emry. She will be 3 in April, and is a fireball. Never stops! And so cute and smart! Cole and Jessica did a great job landscaping their yard this past summer. Jackie & Wiggins came over one night to bake cupcakes for Thanksgiving & fix us dinner. What a treat! They look forward to buying a house soon &moving out of the motor home.

And that’s the news from the Days for November, 2011. Love, Tom & Linda