the last two weeks of 2006

On Saturday, December 16, we celebrated Christmas as a whole family. All of my parent's living children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were able to attend. It was a good day.

Mom worked hard to get the basement back in order after the water they received in October. It's been disinfected, repainted and reorganized.

Below is the main reason why I have not been writing.....


Santa got me a mandolin for Christmas!! I've been playing it ever since....

Below are pictures from our early Christmas celebration.

My computer died on December 21. That didn't make me happy, of course. That problem seems to be resolved at this point.

Since then I have been to Madison to hear The Dirty Shirts....


While in Madison, I was given a very special gift...a one of a kind dirty shirt. Very fun.

Over Christmas weekend Rick and Aaron joined Mark and I for a bit of pickin'n'grinnin'. The thing about being the photographer -- I have NO pictures of myself playing with them...I still have no pictures of me playing my new mandolin, either!! But here are a few of the crew....






Since Christmas I've been to The Mill to hear the Burlington Street Bluegrass Band, The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash and Stuart Davis.....


Above: Mark Stuart of the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, along with some friends. The accordion player plays piano at a local piano bar. I think I hit on him once. LOL He is cute.

Above: Meet drunk Jeremy, Wendy's husband. Very funny man.

Above: Stuart Davis, who deserves a diary entry completely devoted to him, but if I don't complete this now, it'll never get posted!! Let's just say, he was awesome. Next time I see him, and you know I'll see him again, I will write a more extensive diary about the event.

I attended a party at my friend Wendy's house this past week, here are a few pics....

Kyle (it was his birthday at midnight)

And somewhere in the middle of all that, John Edwards announced his intention to run for President of the United States of America....of course I attended his Town Hall Meeting in Des Moines....



It's been a fun, but emotional, week or two. I am thankful 2007 is just hours away.