The Day After

CA and I started our day at Le Petit Paris French Bakery with some excellent coffee and sharing an almond and an apricot croissant. 

Some of the Fun Kids posed with the Lemon and Raspberry Tarts we made yesterday morning. Then, they decided that they wanted a silly pic. 

We managed some last minute gift wrapping in the driveway. Amazon had been busily shipping gifts directly to our daughter's home. 

No tree yet, so we dedicated this corner as the gift repository. Worked for us. Each family will be celebrating separately from us this Christmas.

JE had arranged a photo session for the entire family. We snuck into their neighbors backyard instead of going to the local park, as planned. Thinking we'll have some fine family photos to document this special holiday together. 

DM and I took the 6 Fun Kids to see Trolls at 4:00pm, and we finished out our time together with pizza and then gathered around the firepit with some Creamy Limoncello while the kids jumped on the trampoline in the dark.

We've had a wonderful Thanksgiving; time together as a family. Love, laughter, stories, photo ops, and lots of great food. 

Thanksgiving Day

Our day began with a round of Pie Face. Much more fun than logic might suggest. Delightful for all ages. 

Early in the day, we decided to include GG in our celebration, even though she's hundreds of miles away in her sheltered-care home. 

A favorite pic of GG and JA from a few years ago. 

We took many more photos than usual to text to her, and we FaceTimed throughout the day. 

Here we're sending "cheers" her way. GG loves a good drink. 

The Fun Kids find a tight corner to play together. Where's JA?

There he is! Watching football with Uncle DM. 

Next, while the Fun Kids moms find spots to relax, the kiddos play another game together: Apples-to-Apples. 

Our turkey is in the oven. Looking rather angelic. 

The Apple Crisp with Oat Topping is hot and juicy. Recipe from allrecipes.com. The same recipe I made for CA in the early years of our marriage--from the red and white checkered Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. We ate this with vanilla ice cream. 

I sent this pic to family and friends to illustrate how I was spending my day. 

The beautiful 12-foot table that MA's dad built out of reclaimed barn wood is almost ready for our feast. Four generations of Carlsons and Smiths have lived on the farm in Waverly, Nebraska. This wood is from a barn that was recently disassembled and reclaimed in such a lovely way. JE and MA did all the finishing work themselves, and the table is beautiful. 

The instant-read thermometer said he was done. He wasn't, but we had enough meat for all. Next time we'll stick that thermometer into a variety of places before believing the turkey is done. 

Almost ready to eat. 

We had a wonderful meal, and a perfect family celebration of all the love and blessings our family enjoys. Our hearts belong to Jesus, our redemptive savior and Lord. God is so loving and kind to us. Great Grandpa died just 2 weeks ago at 95 years old. He's with Grandma now. (my parents). GG (CA's mom) had a close-call in September, but she's healthy and strong now, and truly enjoying life.

Boulder

Since CA's sister had just arrived in Denver as we were preparing to leave Fort Collins, JF made a dinner reservation at Under the Sun in Boulder for Tuesday dinner. 

We really enjoyed our food and want to visit Under the Sun again. After dinner and before the drive back to Fort Collins,the Fun Kids and I walked across the parking lot to...

We bought chocolate and treats for dessert and for the long drive to Omaha the next day. 

International Day of Thanks, Part 1

  The Food...

We used Bobby Flay's foodnetwork.com

Thanksgiving Pioneer-Style Herb Roasted Turkey recipe. 

Cheng Yi used his excellent culinary skills to beautifully carve our 25.4 lb. Turkey. 

MK and DM's family wonderfully hosted this event and prepared most of the delicious food. 

A dear friend from India made the fantastic rice.

.

A new Slovak friend made these delicious Pizza Rolls. 

Hoping to make the beautiful girls from Rwanda feel at home, we made some Rwandan Fried Beans. 

Desserts were a combined effort: Grated Apple Pie from The Savory Spice Shop website; Pumpkin and Sweet Potato from Sprouts, and Apple and Cherry pies from a Nebraska source: The Village Baker, available at Beavers Market in Old Town Fort Collins. 

The feast awaits...

Next... The guests. 19 students representing 11 countries.

Six Month Analysis

On May 2nd I received the keys for this tiny rental flat in an almost new building in Old Town, Fort Collins. Unfurnished. Seemingly a huge challenge, but DM, MK, and the Fun Kids worked together and worked hard to get the 2 bedroom apartment cleaned and as settled as possible. CA was still in Illinois recovering from heart surgery.

A week later CA and I drove from Illinois to Colorado. We had a bed to sleep in and a table and 2 dining chairs. We brought along a ton of kitchenware and dishes; towels, linens, and a blue bistro table and chairs for our terrace. Over the ensuing weeks we added 2 couches, a rug, a third dining chair, a matching occasional chair, my favorite red-enameled media cabinet, flowers and herbs for the terrace. We hung white lights along the rails and supports on the terrace. On our next visit we added a lamp and leather chair, to the guest room; along with very cool, double-over-double bunk beds. We found artwork for our empty walls. Nightstands and lamps.

The current visit, like God on the seventh day of creation, we rested. Our nest feathered; our days of normal living ready for mapping. The gym classes subscribed, a walkable distance. Church, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, etc. also walkable.

Through this all, we've entertained, gone site-seeing and hiking. Reveled in the conveniences and attractions of Colorado living and a pedestrian lifestyle. There's always more to do than we can squeeze in. And, we have family and Fun Kids nearby (totally new for us) to celebrate holidays and ordinary events. We read a lot. We listen to music. We wander about. We decide on much at the spur of a moment.

A few weeks into this adventure, I doubted that I was cutout for living between two homes. The jury's in! I love it.

Early pic of dining area. 

Just getting started on the terrace. 

Our building. 

Our main living space.

Double-over double bunk beds. 

Celebrating our niece JF's birthday. 

Old Town Farmers Market finds. 

CA and MK preparing Risotto for our early Fathers Day celebration. 

CA ands LG making a pie crust. 

We're delighted to have overnight guests--Fun Kids--most Friday nights. 

We frequent many Fort Collins coffee shops and restaurants. Here we are having lunch at The Fox and the Crow. 

Our son DM at a favorite for breakfast and lunch: Silver Grill. 

On Fridays we help our DIL prepare dinner for a group of International students. 

Fun Kids helping grad students prepare a recent Friday dinner.

Old Town, Fort Collins all dressed-up for Christmas.