A new year

Happy New Year! As I say every year, I can't believe another year is over. Time goes so quickly when you are old.

This year was the first I was away from my family for the holidays, but in a way, our Christmas was really special just the two of us. We had our really short Christmas tree and our Christmas duckling and a couple pies. We didn't even end up eating until ten o'clock in the evening, but we pulled out all the stops with our "fine" linens and tablerunner and napkin holders. I even suggested that we shall our one place setting of fine china, but we just stuck with the everyday flatware.

Brandon and I rang in the new year with a couple of friends from seminary and church and had a blast playing "Apples to Apples" and "Dance Dance Revolution." We have so much food left over! There is no room left in our refrigerator!

Today, unlike the rest of the free world, I am working. Our company decided to give us the new year holiday on July 3rd. Go figure. I am halfway through the day and the phone has rang (rung?) four times total. So I have been busy doing the Catholic word search and Bible quiz from this month's Liguorian. Apparenly, I am only a novice at the Bible Trivia because I always forget names, places, and numbers. Oh, well.

Brandon's first semester at seminary is finally over - only 7 more to go! Friends of ours are going to be doing college ministry in England next year and Brandon might do some of his ministry hours over there with them because he is also interested in that type of ministry.

My niece is in love with Brandon. She practiced all day so she could call him and tell him, "Hoppy New Year!" Anytime she calls and I answer the phone, she says, "Hi Baca! Where's Brandon?" Here is her Christmas picture: (she thought the cookies were real and cried when they wouldn't let her have them)