Jan---time for my work's, Prestige Portraits, winter meetings. This year they went to San Diego. I had never been there before so was excited to get the chance to go (and not have to pay for it! In fact, I got paid to go!). It was a fun time and I really liked San Diego. Didn't seem as crowded as I expected a big city to be. Our group even won territory of the year. We did have a lot of great photographers! And fun people to be around.
Shortly after getting back from San Diego, it was time to go to Dad's timeshare week at Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. He had the 5th week of the year and I cherished those weeks with him!
This year we hit up Epcot. Loved how it was decorated for winter.
Usually Dad liked to just get the hot dogs in the park, but this time we actually ate at the German buffet in the German part of the park. It was spendy, but a nice change of pace.
Being Jan., evening came early so we got to check out Epcot at night, too.
Dad sporting a hat from one of the vending booths.
Dad also became rather religious in his later years. So he found this park called Holyland Encounter near the Disney parks and we checked it out.
Even I enjoyed it. It was more about history then an amusement park. Very well done with lots of plays, models, speeches, Israeli dining areas, etc.
We also decided to give cruising another try this year. After Dad almost drowned on our first cruise a year before, Disney gave us vouchers for a BOGOF cruise. So this time we booked a 7 nt Caribbean cruise.
Beautiful ship. Love the tune the horn blows whenever it leaves ports.
Beautiful ocean views.
WAndering around near our 1st port---St. Maarten.
We did a ship excursion that took us around the island. Beautiful views along the way.
Another stop was to St. Thomas. We did the excursion over to St. Johns to Trunk Bay. But I didn't let Dad snorkel this time! He was banished to the beach with a beach towel and a book. But I don't think he was too disappointed.
I did snorkel and was somewhat disappointed. I discovered on later trips that I didn't get out to where the good stuff was.
Back to the Magic of Disney.
Back in Florida we spent a couple more nights in Kissimmee. This time in an RCI exchange---the Sheraton Vistana. Another beautiful resort.
Loved their pools---and that they were open until 1am---and Dad and I were there by ourselves a couple evenings at that time.
Had to get back to St. Louis so I could go to Kauai with Ken in late Feb.
How Ken liked to enjoy the sun.
We did another Napali cruise. Got to see it better, but was still looking into a lot of bright light over the cliffs.
Love seeing all the flowers in the middle of winter!
Ken and his new buddy.
Even surfed a bit.
We watched this old sugar cane mill get town down over the years.
Back at home we broke down and bought a new couch on April 30th.
Angie had recently graduated from K-State (Wildcat Country in Manhattan, Kansas). In April, she accepted an Architecture job in Denver, Co. and we helped her move there.
The young professional!
downtown Denver.
I loved living in Colorado Springs when I was a girl. How could you not love these views?!
Those are mountains!
Lots of farmlands along the way, too.
Touring around the Denver area with Angie.
Heading up into the mountains.
Ken and I had been to the Rockies on our honeymoon 20 years before this. Still looks the same.
Got Angie moved into her new apartment and we were on our way back home.
Even saw herd of buffalo
In June we made our annual trip to Oregon. Where we played tourist with Dad. Here we are at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
Dad sporting a "treasure" he found.
Cribbage in the back yard at Mom and Dad's house.
This was also the year that Kimberly was a senior. So I took her out for a photo shoot for her senior pictures.
More playing tourist at the Jensen Arctic Museum on the campus of Western Oregon University.
Carolyn and I made a short trip to Victoria, BC, too. Always an interesting place to visit.
Even love taking the car ferry to Victoria.
A highlight of the area for me is Butchart's GArden.
I love structured gardens
In July, I headed back to Oregon. This time with long time friend Barb Loucks from Southern Illinois. We always talked about going on vacation together, so I suggested Oregon.
Got to visit with Dad as well as visit with BArb.
She's never seen anything like the Oregon coast.
Or the high mountains lakes like Crater Lake.
Or so many waterfalls like this one in Silver Falls State Park. Although this is where we realized she had a serious problem. She could hardly catch her breath and had been suffering for a few days. So I took her straight from here to the hospital emergency room in Salem where they diagnosed her with asthma.
It was prime season for grass and lots of flowers in Oregon---causing Barb to experience asthma for the first time. All the Dr's had to ask were are you a visitor---then they immediately tested her for asthma.
BAck in St. Louis, we were invited to a Cardinal game party room that Bill BAiley got for his buyers every other year. Since he lived in Oregon, we developed a personal relationship with him and he often invited our kids to these games, too.
By Sept., Angie decided she didn't like her job in Denver and moved back to St. Louis. By now, she and Josh were a couple (he had even joined her in Denver for the last couple months). They got an apartment in Dogtown. She went to work as an architect in St. Louis and Josh worked got a job with Shred Pro (which got bought out a few times over the years, but he continued to move up and the company and make a great career out of it).
Heading into their apartment.
walking up to the restaurants near their apartment.
Around her birthday, they adopted this cute little girl---Molly.
We had a birthday dinner for Angie and got a picture of the kids with their fraternal grandmother.
Still showing off the puppy
By now, Tim was working as a IT guy at TR Hughes home builders. Every year they had a big party---the Homer Awards---so they would get to dress up and go to it. Faith continued working for State Farm.
a little photo shoot of them all dressed up.
I was also hired by a company Ken did business with through Ameren. They hired me to take aerial photos of some Walmart parking lots in Missouri. I went up 2 or 3 times and found it really interesting. They even took me on a sort of tour of the city during one of the trips. This was when Busch Stadium was starting to be torn down for the new stadium.
Love this view of St. Louis.
Me and my equipment. I also went up in a Cessna a couple of times.
Nov. 24, 2005 was Thanksgiving and the kids came over to celebrate with us. This was before they took over the role of hosts.
They thought it would be fun to try a bunch of Jones "sodas". They made them in a bunch of Thanksgiving flavors like Turkey, and gravey, and brussel sprouts, ... .
Needless to say, they were disgusting.
even gagging.
on a finer note----
The weekend after Thanksgiving, Ken and I headed to the Lake for a week on an RCI extra vacation to Port Elsewhere.
We had the place pretty much to ourselves this time of year---which was great.
Loved the heated pool and jacuzzi as well as the fishing right there.
Xmas Eve at our house.
MaryAnn looking through the calendar I made her. It had become a thing that everyone seemed to enjoy looking through. Although the kids never wanted to see their boyfriends or girlfriends in the calendar because that would mean a sure breakup.
But that was after ours had already met their soul mates.
Opening presents with just our family.
Ken's Mom and Dad's families Ken's Grandma Cecelia Kamadulcky (B. 10/31/1902 D. 11/2/2002) According to Cecelia's Da...
My Lifetouch winter meetings were suppose to be in San Diego this year. So Dad immediately said he'd join me. Turned out, the winter...