Thanksgiving and Christmas

Thanksgiving would find us in Lebanon again.  Most of our early years, we went to Missouri for Memorial Day (usually a reunion at my grandparents' farm), sometime again in July, and for Thanksgiving, when all my mother's side of the family got together (I think it was a mandate.)  My mom and aunt rotated hosting duties, and usually the cousins all had a volleyball or softball game after a noontime dinner.  My mom had two sisters and a brother (plus both of her parents were still living) and our family reunions at home were always with them.  Occasionally Kent would go out hunting with some of the guys, and before too many years there were lots of next generation cousins to care for.  We would rotate Illinois and Missouri for Christmas.

In December my parents stayed with us for two weeks while my dad was taking a class at the Arsenal (he was also DOD at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.)  My mom lives in her kitchen, and it was such a treat to come home from work to dinner on the table!  Plus, it was good to have them and Kent's parents both together; it was special to us to see both sets of parents become friends.

This year was an Illinois Christmas.  We celebrated with the girls, and spent the day at Kent's folks. Little brother Rob was home from college, and that always meant trouble when he and Kent got together (still does).  Rob is 14 years younger than Kent, but they have always had a special relationship, and it's great to watch (and sometimes frightening!)  We inherited the flocked Christmas tree when the folks moved to Florida a few years later, and used it for many years in our own home - along with ornaments handed down from Kent's grandmother.

We bought our first house!

Having always lived in a house with at least a yard (other than the dorm years), I didn't really enjoy apartment living, especially when the girls were with us.  So we thought it was time for the American dream... you know, we had the two incomes, why not add the white picket fence?  (Ah, hindsight.) Things in town were not in our price range, so we ended up buying an older farmhouse in a small town (3 streets) about a 30 minute drive to work.  It was just the right amount of time to unwind on the drive home, and though we had close neighbors (good ones!) there was an open pasture behind us, where the neighbor's horse liked to come visit at the fence.

The upstairs did not have a bathroom, so we dreamed up ideas to change the 4 small bedrooms into 3 small bedrooms and a bath, and added some closets.  A friend was hired to install the bathroom (Kent helped and learned lots about plumbing) and we painted and wallpapered the bedrooms.  The downstairs needed a bit more work - ceilings fixed, a wall repaired, and LOTS of old wallpaper removed (10-12 layers in places).  Kent knew some basics about carpentry, and that first house led to learning a lot more through the coming years!  But it was ours, to fix and decorate as we wanted.

My parents came up to see the new house and help out a bit, and Kent's folks helped out on weekends, too.  It was almost always a fun to work with our families, but once... Late one Sunday afternoon, we (Kent and I, his folks, plus the girls were there) were hurrying to remove the last of the wallpaper at the top of the stairs (because we needed to get the rental steamer returned before the store closed).  Missi started up the stairs and somehow the steamer slipped.  Kent, envisioning scalding water pouring down on her, pushed the unit against the wall with his leg, earning him a nice burn.  I ended up returning the steamer and taking Missi and Kathi to their mom's, and Kent got a ride to the ER with his folks.  Fortunately, we didn't have too many accidents along the way!  (Although I did have to leave the house the day he was painting the chimney - just could not watch that one!)

The biggest drawback was the old farmhouse style stairs - VERY steep, with narrow tread. There was a door flush with the walls, and the stairs started inside of that! Kent rebuilt them so they extended four steps into the living room, creating a more standard slope, and raised the doorway header, and it was a huge improvement - which was to be a big help in the years to come.

But best of all, we had a yard!  My parents brought irises from my grandmother's farm (every house we owned got some of my grandma's irises), Kent's dad planted roses, and the girls had an above-ground swimming pool.  We even had room for a small garden.  So, of course, a big deep freezer became a needed addition, too.

Happy 25th Anniversary Dad and Mom A!

My parents' 25th anniversary was fast approaching, so it was time for another trip to Missouri.  My  brother Doug was attending the University of Missouri and came home for the weekend, too.  (Also, it was his birthday so he didn't mind the home cooking!)

Dad and Mom's anniversary is Feb. 15, and my brother's 20th birthday was the 14th (best Valentine's and anniversary gift they ever got, according to him), so it was a perfect excuse to visit,  since we wanted a surprise party.  My aunt handled the local logistics (this was pre-internet days after all).  We planned the party for Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., at the house.  As we left for church, we "accidentally" left the door unlocked so my aunt could get in and set up.

After church we all went out to dinner for Doug's birthday.  Doug chose a restaurant about 15 miles away to give plenty of time for everyone to arrive.  Of course as these things go, church got out early for once, and we beat the crowds to the restaurant, so our food arrived very quickly and we were done too soon.  Kent and Doug took turns ordering extra desserts to stall.  Dad was ready to go and getting impatient, and Kent was trying to force down each bite, dragging it out was long as possible!

Everything was in place and everyone there when we got home, and Dad and Mom were surprised.  We had a pleasant afternoon visiting with everyone and looking at old pictures.  But as soon as it was over we had to start our 8-hour drive home to be back at work the next day.  So glad for a cassette deck in the car!