I wrote this long post a few weeks about how great our holidays were…and then I lost it before I got to post it. Aarrgghh! How frustrating. And I can’t re-create how witty and wonderful the writing was. Suffice to say, we had a hectic but great time at the end of 2009. Nick, Ash and Hayden visited us. That created 3 holidays in a row for us – a Christmas celebration with neighbors, followed by all the family over, followed by Hayden’s 1st birthday party.

Tim and Elyse informed us a few days before Christmas that our next grandbaby, due May 17th, will be…another boy! The room has since been painted blue and the crib is put up. Can baby showers be too far off?

Fast forward to February. We started the month by traveling to St. Louis. Nick and Ash picked us up from the airport and we started the 3 hour trek to Macomb. We were greeted by snow. But to see that cute little boy, it was all worth it. More than once he was the center of attention, showing off his new clapping skills.

Friday we did Nick’s “honey do” list and made our way around Macomb in the snow. That night we had Debbie’s Italian beef sandwiches (yum) and of course her daiquiris. I’m still full.

Saturday night we took a drive across the Mississippi river and into Iowa, to eat at Martinins. Great view, great dinner, great martinis, great company…it’s a night we’ll remember for a long time.

Before we knew it, it was time to travel home – on Super Bowl Sunday. So much for the game. The visit was worth so much more.

I have done the Avon Breast Cancer walk for 2 years in a row, but this coming year, they’ve changed the L.A. walk to Santa Barbara. I needed a new goal to stay motivated. The kids had told me about seeing Disney half marathon t-shirts in the restaurant so I did a little research. Because it takes place the first week in September, Danny and I have decided to walk/jog the Disney half marathon for his 60th birthday. Let the training begin. We started out with 7 mile walks. Then we added in a bit of jogging. Now we stay within our 7 miles but are jogging more to decrease our time. The distance is no problem, but the event has a 3.5 hour time limit. My short legs can’t get me across the finish line without jogging some of it.

To help us train, yesterday we went with my 24 hour Fitness “gym gang” on a bike ride to beach and back. The trail takes us 22 miles, along the river bed, the Honda Center, Angel Stadium and beyond. We then go a few more miles down the beach to Mutt’s to catch breakfast. Just enough time to get feeling back in parts that are numb. It was a cool start, but turned into a 75 degree day…just perfect. Nothing like SoCal in Feb.

Next weekend we’ll be going to Tempe, AZ. Luke has been accepted to ASU and we’ll be taking a tour of the campus. We’ll meet up with Glade and Carol as well as Mark, Lisa, Butch and Judy. We’ll also get to finally meet their American Bulldogs – Luke and Lani (don’t even ask about their names).

We’ll be home another weekend and then the Corvette (YELW KAT) is taking us to Las Vegas.

In the meantime, Lani has been accepted to WIU, but is still hoping to hear from Cal Poly Pomona. Luke also go accepted to CO State Univ, but we’re hoping he’s stay closer in AZ.

Graduation is only a few months away. That will be followed by the kids turning 18. Then it’s off on our Alaskan cruise, with the best friends anyone could have. Sounds like it’s going to be a busy year!

As I look back on our family web site and what started as a way to keep Nick in touch while he was at grad school, I see what’s turned into a nice family journal over the past few years. Our guests have now reached far beyond the original intended audience…most likely due to the cute baby pictures rather than our lives being so exciting.

End of year is always cause for reflection. This year we’ve certainly had events to look back on. But before we get to that, I’m long overdue for some looking forward. I’ve sent out word, but here’s the formal posting: Elyse and Tim are pregnant! Baby Katz is due May 17, 2010. We find out if grandchild #2 is a boy or girl on Dec 22nd. Our vote is for a healthy baby!

So if I look back on this past year, it would definitely be defined by becoming grandparents for the first time. If you look anywhere on the site you’ll see it covered in Hayden’s name. Although Nick and Ashley moved back to Macomb, IL this past June, we’ve been video conferencing quite a bit. It’s a great joy to see Hayden’s face light up when he sees those funny looking people on the computer. And of course our faces light up when we see him “dancing” around to Lady Gaga. They’ll be here the day after Christmas. I can’t wait to give him tummy raspberries in person!

While the economy took a turn for the worst in 2009, we’ve been lucky enough to keep working. The restaurant is slower and I took a cut in pay and in hours. Going down to 30 hours has been a blessing in disguise though. It allowed me to train for the 39 mile Avon Walk that took place this past Sept. Many Friday’s I spent with Danny, walking 7 miles. Danny had never done this amount of walking before and he found out he actually enjoyed the “walk therapy”. After getting over his griping about hurting, he found out the end result was pants that were too big for him. While the Avon Walk is in doubt for next year since it’s moving to Santa Barbara, some sort of walk/run is in the works so that we’ll continue to be motivated to train. After all, Danny turns 60 next year and he wants to prove he’s not just an old grump.

In keeping with the “we’re really not old” theme, we went out bought a 2006 Corvette. How appropriate that it’s bright yellow, since this is Danny’s favorite color. Andrew and Kathleen turned us onto their Corvette Club, PCC and the rest is history. Again, this site is full of PCC news, although I haven’t put in our last trip to Temecula or the upcoming Christmas party yet. By end of January, I’ll be turning in my leased BMW and that yellow Corvette will be seen on the 241 toll road 3 times a week. I hope the Highway Patrol will be looking the other way.

This past Sept. Luke and Lani started their senior year of high school. Both are doing good. Lani is heavy into drama and has a great set of friends because of it. Luke made the varsity soccer team. He is also already been accepted to ASU for next year. We’re waiting to hear back from the other schools that both have applied to. Keep your fingers crossed.

So life keeps moving on. Nick and Ashley celebrated 2 years of marriage this year, while Tim and Elyse celebrated one year. One grandchild this year and one next. Next year is another Circle K Cruise Year. The destination will be Alaska. I guess it’s all about the kids, grandkids and the travel. If this is growing old, I like it.

I’ve added in pics from our wine tasting trip. Last Thursday, we met up with Tony Purvis, The Haines’, Jessen’s, and Robert’s at the Oceana Hotel up in Santa Barabara. Alex and his girlfriend Laurel met up with us on Sat. What followed was a blur of wine tasting at about 10 wonderful wineries. Tony led the charge, only allowing us to eat when we cried mercy. Both Friday and Sat. morning we had brisk walks along the beach. The meals were amazing and all too soon the whole thing was a memory. Now it’s time to start counting the days to the Alaska cruise next August.

I’ve also posted just a few pictures of Hayden’s 9 month photo shoot. There are more on Nick and Ashley’s site and Facebook for those of you who follow.

Yesterday also brought us some happy news: Luke was accepted to ASU. That makes him now a college student in training. We look forward to hearing from other colleges that both he Lani applied to.

I’m posting two weekends for the price of one. Last weekend we went with PCC (Pacific Coast Corvettes) down to Julian. Inland from San Diego, I had heard of Julian apples, but had never been there. We went as a caravan of a dozen Corvettes, winding through mountain roads through beautiful scenery. As always, it makes Danny drive way too fast but boy was it fun. In this case, he even had a hard time keeping up at times. These guys mean business. They drive their Corvettes the way they were meant to be driven! A wonderful warm day fall day, some nice lunch followed by the best piece of pumpkin pie I’ve ever had – made for a perfect day. Of course the apple pie we brought home made the memory even better.

This morning we got up at 4:15 to walk the CHOC walk at Disneyland and CA Adventure. Cliff and Karen have been volunteering time with the Make a Wish Foundation. They asked us all to join in the CHOC walk as part of their team. Rick, Linda, Sandy and Don joined in with us. At 5k, it truly was a walk in the park, winding through both Disneyland and California Adventure. Seeing the teams, the signs and the volunteers, really was an inspiration. Thanks for asking us guys!