Introduction

I just finished reading the other Christmas stories. It’s amazing how much one forgets the little details from past years (old age?!). I am now on vacation until after Christmas. It has been a busy year at Boeing. I have more than doubled my income by working overtime. It’s a good feeling to have a bit of money in my bank account.

This has been a year of change. On January 6, the HerbFarm restaurant and offices caught fire and burned! Apparently it was sparked by an electrical malfunction in either the ice maker or the coffee maker. Even though it took the fire department only a few minutes to arrive, they were hampered when they were unable to connect to the water main. The hydrant out in front had been turned off, and it took them 15 minutes to get it working.

Ron lost the only copy of a cookbook that he had been writing, along with many other one-of-a-kind items that he had stored in his office. Fortunately, they were able to get a computer hard drive to work and therefore were able to restore the business program that tracked their expenses.

The HerbFarm had adequate insurance, but it means that the folks working in the restaurant will have to do other work for some time to come. Thomas will help in the office and in the warehouse in Preston.

Valorie has been busy working at Primerica Financial Services. She got her licenses to sell Securities and P&C (Property and Casualty). We set up an automatic monthly investment whereby we buy stocks on a monthly basis. She even convinced Tom, Paul and Anne to invest their U.S. Savings Bonds in the market.

Valorie and I also went to one of Primerica’s retreats in Seaside Oregon. I had a good time. The weather was nice and the training sessions were interesting.

Valorie was diagnosed with diabetes. She had to monitor her blood sugar for several months and needs to watch her diet.

Thomas has been working 40 hours a week at the HerbFarm Preston warehouse. He is in charge of shipping items ordered from the HerbFarm catalog. Thomas has taken a break from his studies at Green River and is very close to getting his 2-year degree. English is the only class he needs to take to get his degree. I haven’t heard what his future plans are. Thomas, are you listening?

Paul has been working part-time at the HerbFarm offices and is taking some courses at Bellevue community college. At the HerbFarm, he answers phones and helps keep the computers running. He got a business license for his computer business called "Quality Computer Upgrades." He put together a new computer for Ron and upgraded my computer to a Pentium 233.

Anne has been spending a lot of time this year following the Mariners and going to games. She and Valorie went to Arizona for spring training. She had a good time there and spent some time with Nickki. The Mariners won their division this year but lost the next round to Baltimore. Recently Anne has been helping Thomas at the Preston warehouse. She seems to enjoy the work.

Anne, Valorie and Thomas got our Christmas tree several days ago. It was a very nice looking noble. Thomas got the job of stringing the lights on it while Valorie did the ornaments. It really looks nice. I got a great picture of Anne while she was testing the strings of lights!

Anne and Thomas also put up the lights outside the house while Valorie added more to the bushes and fence. It looks very festive at night.

Valorie and I celebrated our 25^th wedding Anniversary. Thomas, Paul and Anne got us a certificate for the Spirit of Washington dinner train. Mom and dad gave us a pretty plant.

I celebrated my 48^th birthday. We went out to dinner at the Keg in Factoria since Thomas had to work at the HerbFarm until 5. I had a yummy dinner of flame roasted scampi dipped in melted butter. At home, I opened presents to find a new Umax Astra 610P scanner for the computer, some boxed cookies from mom and dad, an advent calendar, and, of course, a Far Side desk calendar for use at work next year.

The computer Paul put together for me is a Pentium MMX computer running at 233 MH. It has 64 MB of RAM. My monitor is a 17-inch monitor with a resolution of 1280 X 1024 at a .26 dot pitch. I’ve got a TV card installed along with a Sound Blaster 16 sound card. It also has a PCI card so I can move pictures to my computer from the memory card from my digital camera.

Saturday, December 13, 1997

Last night, Anne, Thomas, Valorie and I went shopping at SeaTac mall. We first stopped at Eagle Hardware and got an electric chain saw for Ted. He came over a few days ago and commented how his old electric saw had finally quit.

Our next stop was at Costco. There was a crowd of people there, but we managed to get some nice gifts. Anne got some Almond Roca for Lola. I got dad a large box of birdseed.

At the mall we stopped to eat. Anne was in a bad mood and wouldn’t eat, but Thomas and I both had a sub sandwich. Valorie bought a meal from Oriental Express. We wandered about the mall but didn’t see anything to suit our fancy. So we headed home. Paul arrived at 6:45 from working at the HerbFarm. Anne started begging for someone to go to McDonalds to get her a couple of cheese burgers. Thomas finally agreed to go.

I spent some time clicking a few more pictures on my digital camera. I really like it. Paul got an extra memory card for it so it will store over 50 pictures. My computer also has a PCI port so the card from the camera simply fits into my computer and allows me to transfer the pictures. I have them set up to work on my screen saver. It’s nice to see pictures of our daily activities.

Sunday, December 14, 1997

I arose this morning at 3:30. My usual work schedule has been to get up at 3 AM and start work at 4. I have been working ten-hour days so I get off at 2:30 and am home by 3:30 or 4. I’ve been doing this type of work schedule for months, so it is difficult to sleep in the morning. Hopefully in the next few days I will slowly shift my inner clock so I can get up at a bit more "normal" time.

Since I had arisen so early, I curled up on the couch with "Bud" (Rhys) and took a snooze. Rhys likes to wiggle under the covers and find the warmest spot. He’ll sleep and get warmer and warmer until he is lying on his back with all four legs in the air. It’s wonderful! Rhys also loves to crawl onto your shoulder or onto your stomach when you are either laying or sitting on the couch. He places his neck so that you can blow warm air onto it. His tail just wags and wags!

Paul had to work at the HerbFarm at 8:30 so he left the house at 7:50. Thomas, Valorie, Anne and I left the house a bit after 9 and had breakfast at the Summit. Since it was Sunday morning, there was already a crowd. It took over an hour to get our breakfast, but it was good. Thomas and I both had their French toast special which was banana bread French toast with berry syrup. Anne had regular French toast and Valorie opted for an omelet.

We decided to go to Bellevue Square. I gave the job of driving over to Thomas and had Anne do a bit of foot rubbing as we drove. Thomas and I shopped together while Valorie and Anne went together. Thomas found a multi-purpose knife and wide-mouth thermos for grandpa. When we finally went to the University Bookstore I found some books for mom and Valorie.

Our next stop was lunch at Subway and then we headed toward Auburn. Thomas wanted to look for a new used car, so he dropped Anne and I off at Fred Meyer while they did some test-driving. Anne and I got some Christmas foil wrapping paper. I found a fancy shower head for dad and got a tin of popcorn and caramel corn that I think I’ll give to Ben.

Thomas and Valorie picked us up an hour later in one of the cars Thomas was test-driving. It was a 1992 Hundi 2-door. It ran well but needed a faceplate for the CD player and the interior panel needed fixing. The salesman (Bill) wanted to make a sale and offered Thomas $300 for a trade-in on the Courier. However, when he went to confirm the deal with the owner he came back and said he’d do it if they didn’t have to make the repairs. That did not suit Thomas, so we left.

Paul arrived home just as we did. We went to dinner at the El Corporal restaurant.

Monday, December 15, 1997

I arose at 5:30 and made a fresh pot of coffee from fresh ground Seattle Coffee beans. Thomas, Paul and Anne all car-pooled today as they all had the same work schedule at the HerbFarm. Paul drove.

I decided to try to find new computer monitors for both Thomas and Paul. They want a 17-inch monitor that has a .25 dot pitch and capable of a resolution of 1280 X 1600. Paul gave me some tips and an article in the Computer Shopper to review which explained about them.

I drove to South Center just in time for CompUSA to open. They had two monitors on display, and the closest one to what they wanted cost $700. However, it did not appear that anyone there was interested in selling anything, as no salespeople were to be found. So I decided to drive over to the Future Shop. They had nothing!

My next stop was Bellevue on 20^th street. The Computer Stop had some good advertisements for monitors, but they did not have any in stock. Again, the price was around $700. I drove across the street to Cutting Edge Computers. They had a few monitors in boxes, but none were 17 inch. By now I was hungry so I stopped at McDonalds and had a chicken and a fish sandwich.

I drove towards Crossroads and decided to stop at the Future Shop there. Again, they had little in the way of monitors, but I did find a Baseball CD for Anne. By now I was tired of chasing about for that elusive monitor, so I decided that perhaps the best idea would be to give $700 and let them find what they wanted. Paul could buy them through Quality Computer Upgrades and have money left over.

I stopped at SeaFirst and got some cash and then headed home. Valorie was busy downloading messages onto her laptop. I spent the next hour changing oil in the car and burning an overflowing can of McDonald bags that had accumulated next to the back door. There must be McDonald bag seeds dropping from the rafters because there sure was a good crop!

Valorie and I drove back to Bellevue and we walked the mall as she collected a number of gifts that she had seen while shopping with Anne yesterday. We got a Castle Puzzle for the Betts. It is made of hardwood and fits on a board about 18 inches square. The pieces must be arranged in such a way to build a castle. It looked really nice. We finished our shopping by visiting the University Bookstore.

I decided to go to dinner at Jaspers, so I took a long route up through Fairwood. We had a nice dinner and then went to Target where we found a CD boombox for Lola Cowan.

We headed home and unloaded the gifts. I stayed up until 10:30 hoping to speed up my adjustment to a more normal sleep schedule!

Tuesday, December 16, 1997

I arose at 6 this morning. Showered, shaved and made a fresh pot of coffee. Both dogs went outside. It was blowing and raining so neither enjoyed their venture onto the lawn.

I wrapped one gift for Anne using red foil wrapping paper and double-back tape. I had to hunt about to find the labels and finally found them in Anne’s closet!

Thomas and Paul both had the same work schedule at the HerbFarm so they car-pooled, leaving at 8:10.

Anne and I went shopping in Bellevue. We stopped at Shari’s in Renton for breakfast. The waitress there had the oddest voice. She took our order in a whisper and talked using honey-soaked adjectives. "Hi, what did you kids decide to order?" It made me wonder whether she was going to snap and go postal. As we ate breakfast we watched sheets and sheets of rain hit the pavement. I wondered how long each drop had fallen before hitting the ground.

At Bellevue Square, Anne went around to several stores and showed me items that Valorie liked. Got some really nice candles and a pretty pot holder. Anne, of course, did not find much, although she claimed to have the idea of getting a scarf for both Eva and Carrie. Now, the way I see it, I had the idea since I had noticed a really pretty silk scarf as we were walking through Nordstrom’s. However, Anne thought that the scarf was too expensive since I had not let Valorie get one like it last year. But when we saw some Cashmere ones made in Scotland, it was then that she claimed to have the idea for the gift. It was a good idea and I’m sure both Eva and Carrie will be pleased.

Anne did find a book at the World of Knowledge.

From Bellevue we drove to Factoria. We wandered about until we stopped for a lunch break. Anne bought me a triple berry Smoothie. At Target Anne bought a sampler of hot chocolate for Ted and a couple of candy gifts for Christian and Alissa.

We headed home at about 3. Valorie had a doctor’s appointment and arrived home about an hour later. We ordered pizza from Shakeys and drove to 4-Corners to eat it. We took another home for Thomas and Paul.

Thomas got a call from Sunset Cars. They offered to put in a new stereo so he and Valorie took the Courier down and bought it. It is a 1994 Hundi Scoop. It cost $5700.

Wednesday, December 17, 1997

I arose at 3 this morning. Valorie was still up getting and replying to messages on the Internet. She subscribes to several news groups. Anne had fallen asleep on the couch with Bud curled up beside her. I stayed up and Valorie talked about some of her memories of Christmas. She never had the myth of Santa Claus. Rather, she remembered the excitement and joy of the activities done with people. She remembered one Christmas when she got a hand-sewn nightgown from her grand mother and a few other small gifts. Then her father brought up a new pair of skis from the basement and she couldn't believe that they were for her! I think everyone has similar memories. It’s the interaction with others that is remembered.

I decided it was time to wrap gifts so I spent several hours wrapping with foil paper. As I wrapped I made a list of each gift and was surprised to see how well we have done so far.

At 7 Thomas made an appointment with Auburn Foreign Car to have his new car checked out. I got Anne out of bed and we dropped his car off at 8:30. Came back home and did a bit more wrapping. Anne wrapped presents as well. Mike from Auburn Foreign Car called and said that they didn’t think we should buy the car. The engine had been extensively steam-cleaned which meant that it probably had an oil leak. Furthermore, the belts were cracked and worn meaning that the timing belt had never been replaced. The tires were mismatched and balding. There was damage to the body in several places and the antenna was broken. The rear defroster and the emergency flashers did not work. They had an entire list of problems and finished with the statement that they "do no recommend purchase." I called Thomas and relayed the bad news.

Anne and I then left to deposit money at BECU. I took $10,000 from SeaFirst and put it in my BECU savings account. It is interesting how unfriendly the tellers at the bank are when I am withdrawing money rather than depositing it!

Anne and I then went to SouthCenter where we got a gift for Paul. I found the Love Monger’s new CD and bought a copy. On the way to Kent I heard a funny squeaking sound. I turned off the radio and had Anne listen for it too. I heard it again and said, "Did you hear it?" Of course, Anne didn’t. Then, a minute later, I heard it again. It turned out to be Anne’s nose wheezing!! Drove to Kent and had lunch at Burger King. From there we drove to the Fred Meyer in Auburn. Anne got a box of Mandarin Oranges for Ted and Lola. I found three more gifts for Thomas. Tried to call home to see what was happening with Thomas’ car, but no one was home. I left a message and called for Bud, but he wasn’t home either!

We stopped by Auburn Foreign Car and found that Valorie had already picked up the car and returned it. However, we did not get our money back since we could not confirm that the check had cleared the bank. We should be able to get the money in five days.

At home we continued to wrap gifts. Valorie wrapped gifts that we are sending to the Betts. After Thomas and Paul got home from work, we all went to eat at Shari’s. The food was not that good but all were filled and happy.

Thursday, December 18, 1997

I arose at 5 AM. Gave the dogs their usual morning treat of dry food sprinkled with yeast mixed with one doggie treat and strips of turkey meat. Thomas and Paul had to work at the HerbFarm.

Anne had an appointment at 8:15 in Kent with our orthodontist. She has a "baby tooth" that was coming loose, and under that was an adult tooth that was coming in crooked. The orthodontist needed to take X-rays and make a casting of her teeth.

After she was done, we stopped at Drug Emporium and swung by Chrysalis (which didn’t open until 10). Decided to have breakfast at the International House of Pancakes. Anne had a German Waffle with strawberries, I had French toast and scrambled eggs, and Valorie had one pancake with an egg over-easy.

After breakfast, Valorie drove us to IKEA where she got some candles. It is a nice store. On the trips from store to store I would lean back in the car seat and have Anne rub my head. If she didn’t want to rub, she would circle her hand above my head and say she was rubbing my "aura." Very funny!

From there we went to the American Oak Warehouse where we looked at a chest of drawers for Paul. Our next stop was at Barnes and Noble bookstore in SouthCenter. Valorie found some books. Went to Video Only and was introduced to the world of video cameras. We bought a Panasonic C-cam. The salesman had to have one shipped from the Bellevue store, so we had an hour to wait. Ate lunch at Red Robin. Both Valorie and I had the Bamboo Steamer which was yummy. Anne had a taco salad.

Walked next door to a shop that had oodles of items for birds. Anne found some "froggy" stuff for Sarah Betts. Picked up the camera at the Video Only warehouse and headed home. Of course I had to charge the video camera battery before I could try it out. During that time I read the camera manual. We played around taking crummy videos of each other. Thomas called and stopped at the store to get dinner. He came home and began cooking. Paul came home and began fooling with the camera.

We all watched Seinfeld and a few other programs.

Friday, December 19, 1997

I arose at 5:20 and showered, shaved, dressed, took dogs out, and fed dogs. Same menu as yesterday. Same result: turkey is gobbled up and dry food is left (picky, picky, picky).

As usual Thomas set his alarm for 5:30 and it is beeping and beeping and beeping. How can he sleep with such continuous racket? He finally arose at 7:45 when I came in and asked him if he had to work!

Paul had the day off. Anne, Paul and I went shopping. Stopped at Shari’s in Renton for breakfast. Drove to Bellevue Square and shopped the mall. Paul found a few gifts for Jerry. There is an HerbFarm party tonight for the employees and each person has to get an inexpensive gift for another employee.

I bought some potpourri for Valorie.

From Bellevue Square we went to Smith and Hawken. I found a nice mister for Valorie. Anne got an interesting candleholder.

Anne treated us to lemonades at McDonalds. Drove to I-90 and then to Kent where Anne got a weather vane for Valorie at Burdock Feed. Stopped at Fred Meyer where Paul got ingredients to make cookies for the HerbFarm party. I got a "backup" roll of double-back tape.

At home Paul baked cookies. Valorie had left at 3 to have her haircut, get Shaklee products, and to shop at the Chrysalis bookstore. Anne and I decided to go to dinner for Chinese food at Hunan #1. The food was good.

Went next door to Bartell drugs and bought some more foil wrapping paper and some shaving supplies—razor blades and Brut splash-on lotion.

We looked for a vase for potpourri at Value Village, but they really didn’t have anything that looked good.

Came home and watched Seinfeld

Saturday, December 20, 1997

I arose at 5:30. Spent a bit of time this morning doing some cleaning in the kitchen. Fed the dogs their usual breakfast.

This morning was a morning for wrapping presents. I dug through my closet and wrapped the rest of the gifts I had for Valorie. She arose earlier this morning since she had a training class to attend for Primerica. It was interesting wrapping her gifts while she was wandering about the kitchen!

I also decided to clean out my underwear drawer. I threw out several oldie but goodies and gave some smaller pairs to charity. I also cleaned out my shoe drawer. I now have just one pair of dress shoes and one pair of tennis shoes. Tidied up my shelf and put away all of last year’s check stubs.

I counted out my bag of change (with Anne’s help). I had over $200 in change. I wrapped up $15 in one-dollar bills and hung it on the tree for Brianne. She grabbed it and kept trying to figure out what it was. I told her she could open it on Winter Solstice.

Thomas got up late and loaded "Frogger" on my computer. It is now on CD and has quite an impressive beginning. I still am not very good at playing the game!

We went shopping after eating lunch at Taco Time. Their taco "wraps" are really good. Anne needed to mail a Christmas present to Sarah (one is a frog that you can toss against a wall and it will stick), so we found a Mailbox, Etc. in Covington. It cost her $3.90.

From there we drove to SouthCenter to Borders Bookstore. The crowds were enormous! It took us twenty minutes to get from I-5 to our parking spot. Thomas found several gifts. Across the street, SportsMart was having a huge "going out of business" sale. Thomas got a pair of roller blades for Anne. She seemed delighted. I picked up a pair of wrist guards that Anne can use while roller blading. Stopped at Drug Emporium where Anne got some Pez and M&M’s for Brianne. Stopped at EggHead where Thomas got Money 98 for Carrie. He also pointed out a computer game that he liked and that wasn’t on his Christmas list! Maybe Santa will need to stop back there soon!

We headed home. Valorie had gone to Costco with Amy. She found a neat set of patio candle lights for Ron. She also picked up a "secret" present. Hum, I wonder what that could be?

Brianne came over and was busy playing "Frogger". She played long enough to manage to get on the scoreboard. Thomas still has the top score.

Paul came home from working at the HerbFarm and got ready to go to the cabin. He is skiing tomorrow at Crystal with a friend.

We all went to Ivars for dinner. The clam chowder really hit the spot with me. Anne even remarked that she was eating something "that was good for her—fish!"

Sunday, December 21, 1997

I arose at 5:30 and did my usual tasks. This will be the last day for special "turkey-flavored" dog breakfasts as the turkey is starting to grow green hairs!

Valorie and Anne went shopping together today since Anne is trying to find something for me. Paul will be skiing at Crystal Mountain today. What a lucky duck—the weather is clear and it looks like they got about six inches of new power.

I burned the kitchen trash and then spent the rest of the day playing a game called QIN—tomb of the Middle Kingdom. This is an adventure game played on the computer. I made it through the dungeon out into the palace but got stuck trying to figure out how to turn on the lights in the metallurgy barn. So Thomas and I went on the Internet and found a QIN walkthru. That simplified things immensely! I was finished with the game in another hour.

Brianne came over and gave us a lemon-meringue pie, freshly baked from their kitchen. She then opened her gift--$15 cash. She jumped up and down and said she would use it tonight at the movies.

I took the dogs outside and walked back to the garden fence where a mole has been making molehills in the lawn. I was going to flatten the hill out when I noticed that the dirt was just being pushed toward me! I took the shovel and sliced through the dirt but don’t know if I got the mole or not. Bud spent the next hour helping me by digging out the dirt and trying to find the mole!

Brianne had returned the Frogger CD, so I started playing. By setting the screen resolution very high, I was able to slow the game down enough to be able to get on the top spot of the scoreboard. I hope no one else figures out that trick or I’ll quickly be gone from the high scores list.

Paul arrived home at 5:30 and Anne and Valorie shortly thereafter. We all opened one solstice gift. Valorie gave me some pine-scented potpourri from the Cabin Fever shop! Paul opened his book about improving his skiing (he should have read that before today). Valorie opened a witch’s calendar but Anne didn’t want to open anything since she only had one wrapped gift under the tree

Thomas went to a solstice party. When Thomas got home, he opened the book, The Wheel of Time.

We went to dinner at Mazatlan in Covington.

Monday, December 22, 1997

> I arose at 5:30. The dogs got their usual meal and I was able to sneak a chicken strip from a take-home box from our Chinese food the other night.

I didn’t get the mole! As if to flaunt me, the mole pushed out two large mounds of dirt and a new huge mound.

Thomas had to work today, but Paul, Valorie and myself went shopping. Before leaving, Paul went on the Internet to the Internet Computer Network (ICN) and found a monitor he liked. He ordered two of them and paid for next day delivery. That means we might get them before Christmas.

Valorie needed to go to Costco in Federal Way to get some change that was owed her from her last trip. The crowds were abundant and she had to stand in line for 30 minutes. She was successful, however, and got her $30 change.

We ate breakfast at the Village Inn and then proceeded to EggHead where Paul bought an ergonomic mouse pad for Thomas. I got Thomas a computer game called Battlespire. Valorie bought some "secret" gift.

Walked next door to the liquor store and purchased rum and brandy. Got some liquor-filled chocolates for Valorie.

At Blockbuster Video Paul got a CD for Anne.

We then headed for Factoria Mall where Paul found a book for Anne called Tales from the Dugout. Valorie got a message from Anne that asked us to call Ron and Carrie. Paul called them. Ron has bought a Compaq Presario computer for dad and asked if we wanted to help cover the cost. Of course, I said sure.

We stopped for an Orange Julius and then walked across the parking lot to Big 5. Paul looked at snow pants but couldn’t find any that he liked.

Paul took over the driving responsibilities and headed for Crossroads. We hopscotched to half-a-dozen stores. Got a 32-MEG memory chip for dad’s computer and Dragon software, Naturally Speaking, a continuous speech recognition software package. I also had Paul get a new computer case.

Finally, we drove back to SouthCenter. Stopped at CompUSA. Valorie found another "secret" gift. I picked up a power strip. Went across the street to Sports Mart and got a bunch of Mariner’s items for Anne including a pillow, parking sign, key chain, penny bank and towel. Paul got her a Ken Griffey tee shirt. Also got her an official WNBA basketball.

Stopped at Jack in the Box for dinner and got a cheeseburger meal at McDonalds for Anne. At home, we each had a piece of Lemon Meringue pie that Brianne had made for us.

Tuesday, December 23, 1997

I arose at 4:30 and let the dogs out. It had been snowing last night, but it has now warmed up and is sprinkling. I gave the dogs their usual meal and cleaned up the kitchen somewhat. Loaded and started the dishwasher.

Thomas had to work today at the HerbFarm and Paul had to pick up a shelter in Fort Lewis for Terry Spencer.

Anne had an appointment with the orthodontist at 8:45. She has to have her "baby tooth" removed and have surgery on her adult tooth that is coming in crooked. They will bond an attachment to the adult tooth and use braces to try to bring it in straight. Anne found out that the braces would have to go across the front of her upper teeth and was not pleased!

We had breakfast at IHOP and then stopped at Penny’s where Valorie exchanged a tee shirt for a larger one for Paul. Anne also found a pretty sweater-shawl to wear over her dress.

Went to Chrysalis Bookstore and Valorie got a book she had ordered. From there we went to the Pet Place. Got some treats for the dogs, some catnip for the cats and some items for Gus Gus (her guinea pig). We saw some beautiful fish tanks there. They are made from acrylic plastic and look more like furniture than anything else. I sure would love to have one in our living room!

I stopped at the bank and got more cash. We are going to pay part of the cost of dad’s computer.

At home I laid down and took a nap. Valorie wrapped some gifts. Paul and Valorie went shopping in Bellevue and I found boxed and wrapped Anne’s gifts. It was funny when I asked Anne if she wanted to do some wrapping. She did, so I gave her several of her own presents to wrap!

Anne learned to use the scanner. She is giving to Angel some pictures and wanted to keep a copy of them. The scans turned out well.

Thomas got home at 5:30 and Anne drove us in the VW to Shakeys for pizza. The VW still has a problem of fogging up on the inside. Thomas sat in the front seat and scrubbed on the windows most of the way to and from the restaurant.

I watched the ER episode from last week. Anne usually tapes them for me, as the show usually doesn’t air until 10 after I am asleep.

Wednesday, December 24,1997

I arose at 5. Did the usual activities. Dogs enjoyed chicken strips again with their meals. Valorie set the basket of potpourri on top of my computer monitor. It gives off a wonderful cinnamon aroma!

It doesn’t seem possible that Christmas Eve is here. Yet we have been so blessed this year. I do hope the rift between Angel and our family can be healed. I hurts a lot to think about it.

Anne and I moved the tables out of the kitchen and Anne scrubbed the floor and waxed it. Valorie and I had breakfast at the IHOP and then picked up a dresser for Paul at American Oak Factory. Our next stop was at COSTCO where we got some ski gloves for Paul, sparkling cider, champagne and some munchies for the gathering tonight. There was a lot of traffic!

We stopped at the SubWay in Lake Meridian Plaza and got some sandwich buns. Anne had paged us and I got upset when the phone stole my only quarter! Had to get another one from Valorie.

At home we unloaded the dresser. I quickly washed the car and then Valorie and I went shopping at the QFC and Safeway. Got veggies and supplies for our sandwiches. Also picked up a cheeseburger meal for Anne at Dairy Queen.

At home I started fixing the veggies. Anne baked chocolate chip cookies. Ted and Lola arrived at 5. Had Spumante that Ted brought and a bottle of my champagne. Opened gifts. I got some computer software to manage my photos, a huge folding ladder, a new Hum Bug massage tool and a Sonicare toothbrush.

Lola really liked her "boombox" and they played a Glenn Miller CD. Ted especially was interested when he found out that it had a remote!

It was sad not having Angel, Christian and Alissa here.

Amy and Ben came by and got their gifts.

Thursday, December 25, 1997

I arose at 6 this morning. Santa had visited last night and left some gifts in our stockings! I got a water snake, a small package of Seattle’s Best Coffee and a super nifty knife sharpener, very similar to the one Valorie and I were looking at in the Bon in Bellevue!

Made a fresh pot of coffee and started cooking the sweet Italian sausage. To the sausage I added sliced mushrooms and onion. Once cooked I added spinach. I cooked this until the spinach could be mixed in and then added a dozen eggs. With a little pepper and salt, this makes an amazingly good dish!

I set the table and put the flower arrangement in the middle. It looks nice.

Ted and Lola arrived at 8:30. I made both wheat and white pancakes to go along with the eggs. We also had some tins of melon.

After breakfast we cleaned up and packed the rest of the presents in the car. We decided to take two cars to Ron and Carrie’s since we had so many gifts!

We arrived at 11:30. It seem like it took forever to unload and put our presents under the tree. Eva had decorated the dinner table with fruit and everything looked gorgeous.

Had some champagne and opened gifts. One of the first gifts dad opened was his new Pentium computer. He was flabbergasted!

I got several long sleeve shirts, some much needed dress slacks for work, a garden sprayer, the computer games Riven and Monkey Island, books (The Messengers, How the Mind Works, Fresh from the Garden, and 84 Charing Cross Road), a desk calendar, some soup and some jam.

Dad and Paul set up his computer. It’s surprising how much we take for granted when it comes to using a computer. Dad had to be shown how to point and click with the mouse. I guess it’s just like anything else, you have to learn by doing.

Dinner was fantastic. The pictures describe it.

Friday & Saturday, December 26 & 27

It is amazing how quickly time flies.

The two days after Christmas were relaxing. I did some reading in my Photoshop 3.0 Bible and ironed and put away my shirts. I had some of the soup dad gave me. It was good.

I loaded Monkey Island on my computer and spent hours searching and puzzling through it. It is fun. Thomas stayed up late and finished it.

The game Riven is much more difficult. It does have an interesting story line but the puzzles seem to be impossible at this point.

We found out that the order I made for computer monitors for Thomas and Paul had been denied by the Credit Card company. We were at our $4000 limit. So Valorie called them and we paid off the balance from our savings. I re-submitted the order.

Paul had to work at the HerbFarm on both Friday and Saturday.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, December 28, 29, 30

I had volunteered to work during the holiday so these past three days were spent helping get our delinquencies completed. The hours seemed to drag on even though it was only an 8-hour day.

Angel came over last night (December 30) and brought Alissa and Christian. They opened gifts. Angel looked really tired. She is 3 months pregnant. Ted and Lola came over and brought their gifts. Everyone was really pleased to see Angel and we had a good time playing with the toys! I managed to finish one tape on the Camcorder and so we watched it on TV. It will be good memories someday.

Hong Kong returns to rule by China

Flight 800 disaster – 747 explodes killing all passengers.

Princess Diane killed in car accident

Mother Teresa died

El Nino is bigger than ever this year

Mars rover sends back astounding pictures of the surface of Mars

Supreme Court ruled that Martin Pang couldn’t be tried for murder

Boeing delivered its first 737-300 to Southwest Airlines