February Lannie's brush with death. She's all better now, you'd never know she had been so sick.
Started finishing my basement.
Went to Cambodia
These photos are a hodgepodge of the two weeks there. Angkor Wat, the killing fields, the heart hospital, Kampong Chhnang province,friends,people on the street, phnom penh, open-heart surgery, my toes, elephant rides, the floating village.... the list goes on.
sorry, but I've just barely learned this photo-posting stuff, so I think if you double click the contact sheet you can see the images better. I'll get better at it, promise! I wish I knew how to make captions and not the jpg number.
March and April... nothing out of the ordinary, so I'll show you some special days...
Baking day with Auntie Beeb - these are two of my favorite little ones and they can sure cook up a mean cake... or something.
Another day that little E came to visit she was wearing the sweater I made for her as a one year old. She's now 5 and thinks it looks charming as a bolero. She cracks me up!
MayLIDverssary - 2 yearsI received the cutest gift from one of my buds.
At some point the basement was finished... well sort of, is it ever really finished?
Here are some before and after shots. It's a nice livable space now with a big storage closet, playroom, guestroom and bathroom.
JuneSan Diego - I went to support a friend who rocked the Rock-n-Roll Marathon - she impresses me. So did the blue trees.
I also had a big event in my family - my niece had a little girl Emily Ann. she's a beauty. And.. My brother is now a grandfather... I'm a Great Aunt (I tell them I'm actually the greatest aunt!)
JulyThe amazing Ms
hulumama graced Denver with a quick visit.
She was quite patient with the poodles - apparently Leo got a little confused and lost the stick. As a token gift for her patience, she got the pleasure of being serenaded by the poodles.
July was also the month that Cambodia came to Denver. The organization that went to Cambodia, brought a woman back to the states for surgery that is not available there. she needed her esophagus replaced after it eroded 9 years ago from drinking lye. for the last 9 years she's been feeding herself through a tube going through her abdominal wall into her stomach. She kept a cup close-by so she could spit as saliva accumulated in her mouth. The translator that was with me while I was in Cambodia (Mony) accompanied Lena (the patient) and stayed with me much of the month she was here. It was a joy - Mony is a young physician in Cambodia and eager to learn so much. She is energetic and a pure delight to have around.
Mony took a few days off from the hospital and took in some sights - it was amazing to see Denver through her eyes.
She saw snow for the first time when we drove up to Loveland pass and was ecstatic.
AugustEarly August brought on the Tri for the cure. It's a local sprint distance triathlon that raises money for the Denver chapter of Susan B Koman. My buddies and I did it. I finished, lived to tell about it and that's done. My buds loved it. I did it. We spent a few days at one woman's home who has a pond for swimming and lives in the foothills for some challenging biking. These are my crazy peeps at the "practice".
August also brought about the b-day of one of my favs... little E
September brought another brief visit from Hulumama.
Then a special visit from my sis and our two cousins. It was a great weekend other than Donna was little under the weather. we went pretty much nonstop and I had a blast - I'm hoping they'll come back (hint, hint)
We visited Red rocks, ate at The Fort, went antiquing, to a play (Avenue Q) at the performing arts complex and went to rocky Mountain National Park. We saw Elk - something to rub in to Greg their brother!
OctoberKnitting for some cute boys who are now home from China and with their parents where they belong. Their referral got me back into knitting which I had put aside for a while. I made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jackets for them in a tweedy wool.
The pattern is rather like knitting origami. What knits into a squarish thing, folds nicely into these cute sweaters. EZ is a knitting engineering genius.
NovemberOur yearly visit to the alpaca farm - it was a warm day for November. these animals are so cute!
Back to visit family for Thanksgiving
Here's a few photos of the next generation. They are an amazing group of teenager/young adults.
lizy Drew and Emily Ann. Emily Ann's wearing another Elizabeth Zimmerman sweater - the February Sweather from knitter's almanac. I've been on a roll!
Two of my nieces share the same birthday - and they happen to be born on my mother's birthday, who was born on her mother's birthday... wouldn't it be amazing if my daughter turns out to be born on august 25th, too?
Gotta wonder about that short one!
December
It was a good year, but I'm ready for 2009. (good thing, I guess)
I hope we all find many blessings waiting for us in the coming year.
