When one sits down to write something like this the first thing to do is decide what font to use. I am kind of partial to Bookman Old Style so that is what you are going to get.
2013? Hmm. What does one say really? It is about over that is one thing. We know another thing, 2013 is not a prime number so maybe that is the reason the year has been a little iffy for many. We have enjoyed it though.
Joyce and I made one of our pilgrimages to Central America, to El Salvador to be exact and did some dental stuff for a week or so. It was great being with so many of our wonderful “brigada” friends that we have made over the years. The Salvadorans we met are a lovely people.
We have really enjoyed Becki and Kyle, Ben and Melissa and their crew, Weston, Elijah, Adelaide and Miles. We smile a lot while with them. They just keep growing up, the grandchildren that is.
We did make an interesting journey to Croatia in September. Our dear friends Richard and Carrie Westergard were serving a religious mission there and they took the leap of faith of having us come over and spend some days with them. They took us to some beautiful places, especially Rovinj and then into Slovenia and the Lake Bled area. We made some nice acquaintances while there and have a few more Facebook friends. While in the area, we drove up to Budapest and then over to Vienna for a few days to see what those places were like. It was a wonderful adventure for us. Go see omansalmanac.blogspot.com for pictures and stuff. No less adventuresome was spending a few days in San Francisco. We enjoy going there, but admit that many things about it suggest it is a foreign country all its own. I had some dental meetings there and the California Dental Association was a great host.
Greg mowed the lawn a lot during the summer. That’s something to report I suppose. Some occasional weeding too. But summer got us out on the golf course and Joyce hits a mean tee shot. We have had a lot of fun together. We even had some golf action up at Bear Lake with our friends Niles and Janet Herrod. So, see, life isn’t totally sweat running off our brow.
Speaking of Bear Lake. We had the family up there for a week as we usually do and it was a great time. Weston, the 8 year old and I, did a 30 minute ride on a tube. I was pretty well hammered. I much prefer the waverunners. Oh, and the Pickleville Playhouse is something we hit for sure. If you have not done that you might put that quietly in your bucket list.
One tough thing to deal with is I think I have lost a step or something in my barbecuing ability. I had a few steaks come in off of the grill that were not cooked well enough for Joycie. That really hasn’t happened before. Maybe it is a loss of patience, I don’t know but I am really going to concentrate next year.
Our kids are doing pretty well. Kyle and Becki have a little crew that seems to give them something to do. Kyle is a Family Practice Physician. Becki is a mother, who teaches aerobics and does a little speech pathology on the side, among other things that seem to fill their days up. Weston is almost a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Elijah is quite a little ball player and Addie, well, Addie does other stuff like dance, play, sing and generally delight everyone she is around. Ben is working hard developing a business called Citigro. Melissa has worked at a nearby school, but really she and Miles do their thing. She is trying to develop character in the young lad of 1 year. We think he will be walking soon.
So there you have a brief synopsis of our year. We hope yours has been a great one and that 2014 will be even better. Most of all we wish you a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mom and Dad at a 60th Anniversary Dinner. (F)
Joyce, Glen Oman, Elaine Oman, Merri Jo Oman.(B)
Greg, Tiffany & Jay Burton, Kirk & Mike Oman
Elijah, Miles, Weston and Addie
