Mini Road Trip - Day 1

Today my sister and I drove from our homes in Southern California to Henderson, Nevada.  We're going to visit our aunt who is 82.  Henderson is just outside Las Vegas, so it's always a good thing to visit or travel through this part of the country when it's NOT summer. 

No numbers or text on buttons

The drive it's self was thankfully boring and uneventful.  It was cold and in some places really windy.  I drove the first 2½ hours then we switched places and she got us to our hotel.  (On a side note, I had a problem with the TV remote control in my room.  The number buttons, mute button, and the last/previous button, must have been used so much that all the white numbers and text had faded away. The remote looked like it didn't have anything on the buttons.  Try not just changing channels but finding the channels too!) 

Since we checked in so early we went over to our aunt's house to say hello, visit a bit then left to have dinner.  We plan on taking her and her room mate to the movies tomorrow.  I haven't seen our aunt in some time so since I'm now retired I'm trying to see everybody I can.  I brought my portable scanner with me so I'm planning on scanning some photos she has.

During our road trip last year we met distant relatives in the New Orleans, LA area.  Those distant relatives were my brick wall problem.  I'm bring my genealogy program database up to date with all the information the relatives gave me and I'll print out all the family group sheets for my aunt so she can have a copy for her Remembrance Book. 

Really looking forward to a great visit!

This Week's Plan

As I look over our calendar for this week, nothing has been jotted down that needs our attention. So tomorrow morning all the holiday decorations come down.  Nothing earth shattering there, happens each year.  Where to start???

Well, the tree ornaments are obvious.  I'm giving a bag full of ornaments to a friend.  I haven't used them in years and she had a tree full of these specialized ornaments this year so I know she'll enjoy them.

My husband unplugged his outside decorations today.  It's kind of sad and dark out there now. I know how much he enjoyed putting all the lights up each year for us and the neighbors.  He's just that kind of guy.

After all the above is stored away in the garage until December, I'm going to sit down with the holiday cards we received, scan all the photos, date and label them.  The newsletters will get scanned next.  I really enjoy all the news our friends and family have shared.

It's going to be a busy week, but I'm looking forward to it and then getting back to a normal routine.

New Year Goals

I'm not one for making New Year Resolutions.  Can't remember when the last time I did.  But goals, I can do, so for 2012 here are a couple of "Goals" I'm going to pursue.

Goal #1
Since I'm the curator of family photos, my family, my husband's family and our family's, I'm putting it in writing that I will organize/sort through all the photos, name the people in the photos, add dates as best I can, categorize them, scan them and burn them to DVDs to be shared with the rest of our families (brother, sisters, cousins, aunts, etc).

I feel this is a very attainable goal for the next 12 months. All the organizing will help with clearing out "stuff" that we've hung onto throughout the years.  I've already brought several car full of bags to our local Goodwill store.  More is coming their way.

Goal #2
Before the holidays hit, my sister and I started a family cookbook.  It didn't get publish for the holidays as I would have liked so this is my second goal.  I wanted to include family stories and photos.  We're including recipes that we grew up with and recipes that we've made and enjoyed.  Now that the holidays are over I'm anxious to roll up my sleeves and dive in.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone, and many more!

2011 Advent Calendar Holiday Happenings

Often times December birthdays get over shadowed by the Christmas/New Year holidays. So I'm going to shine a spotlight on those family members this time around.

December 1, 1926, my mom Bernice Josephine Ramminger was born.  Whenever December 1st showed up on the calendar I knew the holidays were FAST approaching.  It kind of seems like her birthday was here, then over with real fast.

December 6, 1951, my husband's birthday.  This year was the big 60!  I surprised him and took him to a Crowne Plaza Hotel, reserved a suite and had a wonderful dinner in the hotel's restaurant.  From our balcony, we had a view of the Pacific Ocean and of the surrounding mountains.  Either way you looked, day or night, the view was breathtaking.  Happy Birthday Honey, I love you!

December 31, 1976, my cousin's daughter Kim was born.  They lived across the country from us so we really didn't celebrate her birthday with them.  She now has two children of her own and looks forward to their birthdays.

Mom's birthday

Today would have been my mom's 85^th birthday.  It was the one time during the year she didn't have to make the cake.  Each year on her birthday, I think back to the ones we helped her celebrate. 

I don't recall with clarity every birthday, but a few do stand out.  When she was turning 39 she remarked, "Now I'm the same age as Jack Benny."  I remember her telling her father (grandpa Hank) the same thing and they had a good laugh. 

Victoria Station

The year she turned 60, my sister, two daughters and I took her to dinner to celebrate.  We went to the Victoria Station Universal City, a landmark on the "hill" near where Citywalk now stands.  It was a railroad-themed prime rib house.  The theme of the restaurant was loosely based on London's Victoria Station.  Antique English railway artifacts provided the décor inside.  It even had a trolley car from the parking lot up to the restaurant.  She enjoyed the evening very much.

When she turned 70, my sister, brother, his two sons, my husband, our two daughters and myself celebrated by taking her to the Tony Roma's at Universal Studios Citywalk.  Afterwards we strolled throughout Citywalk watching street performers and jumping in and out of the different stores.  She said she had a very nice time and was glad everyone came.

Mom passed away in 1997, just shy of her 71^st birthday.  Happy Birthday mom, miss you much!