THE CHRISTENSEN FAMILY CHRONICLES
WE received lots of
requests regarding last year’s letter, but decided to send one this year
anyway.
Circa 2018
Point the First – Gardening. Yeah, we’re not really talking about our
gardening this year…moving on…
Point the Second – Entertaining Ourselves. While we know you couldn’t care less about
this point (our primary reason for including it here…) our intrepid couple continued
in their collective efforts to become cultured and had a busy year “culturizing”
themselves while simultaneously spending more of the kid’s inheritance. Events and
venues include for your heart-stopping interest (include in no particular order):
Alan Jackson, Les Miserables (again), Cirque du Soliel – Corteo, Gordon
Lightfoot, Louisville Orchestra – John Williams Pops Concert, Dwight Yokum, Harry Potter “Prisoner of Azkaban
Movie/Concert, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cirque du Soliel – Crystal, and a
plethora of middle school band concerts, there ya go. Don’t know about you but I’m tired…
Point the Third – The End of an Era. After over 50 years of full-time Public
Service he made the less-than-earth-shaking decision to not run for Mayor
again. I’m sure you all felt a
disturbance in the force… While he will
miss the chase to some extent he’s pretty sure that on the 1st of
January the sun will indeed come up and this old world will continue to
turn. He will sputter along as Chairman
of the Board for Bluegrass Tomorrow, a regional non-profit, and represent local
government on a couple of state boards.
On the upside, he is looking forward to stepping back a little, buying a
banjo and hitting the Bluegrass Circuit, playing a little more in the wood
shop, driving the garden tractor in circles in the yard, and refining his
superpower of finding great parking spots.
Point the Fourth – It’s Steady as She Goes. Yet another homicide-free year for the lady
of the house, which is not bad considering some the people she works with. She continues to be the nice smelling glue
that makes domestic bliss plentiful throughout the year. We hear she is up for a special recognition
from the wool growers of America for the amount of yarn she tied in knots to
make all things warm and fuzzy – the afghans and baby blankets, not the “Big Guy”…
Ever the good sport, she accompanied him to many a ball game at the little ball
park up the road in Florence -- yet another strong point for putting her on the
“nice” list this year. He took her to
The Castle for her 68th birthday. And then there was the endless
caregiving…
Point the Fifth – The Good Life Is Local Except When It
Is Not. This year your favorite “seasoned” couple
took up a new thing -- charity 5-k’s.
They found at least two they like.
The first was in August when they went into Lexington for the annual
“Walk for the Cure” in this case Alzheimer’s was the cause (yes, they
remembered to go). To the organizers
credit, the course was basically up the street, turning around, and walking
back the same way. Ironic I know, but at
least nobody forgot their way and all made it back to the purple T-shirt table. The second was here in the Georgetown
hospital parking lot, the annual AHA Heartwalk.
I know, more great planning. A
third was the AHA Heartwalk at the Keeneland Racetrack, humans only on this one
thank you very much…
In no specific
order of occurrence, their road trips this year took them to there and back
again. In October, on a bit of a whim and
to celebrate the anniversary of his 29th birthday, they headed south to
Chattanooga, Tennessee, why? Because they could and the Internet indicated
there were some interesting things to see, do, and eat. On the way back they got lost and wound up in Pigeon Forge eating dinner once again at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company before
finding their way back to the straight and narrow and the road home.
Other travel of
note this year was a 10-day counter clockwise boat ride around the Baltic Sea. Ports-of-Call included… Copenhagen, Denmark; Warnemunde/Rostock, Germany; Tallinn, Estonia;
St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden. Many, many, many interesting things were
seen, photographed, purchased, and eaten.
A highlight of this trip included eating stroganoff in a restaurant just
outside of Catherine’s Palace, near St. Petersburg Russia, while listening to
“Jingle Bell Rock” in May.
In addition to the
many requisite trips north to visit the Michigan crowd, he took a solo trip out
west to Boise and Utah to marry off a nice niece (finally), and chauffeur mom
and sister around a bit. Just for fun
our fearless couple took a road trip in July to scout out possible big family
reunion sites for a 2020 blowout to celebrate 50 years of wedded bliss,
assuming there is still a need for such in 2020. Gramma Bonnie came for a nice visit in
September which of course required travel hither and yon as well.
Point The Sixth – Their Offspring – Just The High Points
Please…
A Tale of Two Tylers – Well let’s just start with Todd and Nissa. We
like Nissa
a little better, mostly because we made her but the Toddster is good people even if “The
Pita Place” is not his favorite place to eat.
We like hanging out with them a lot, and their visits here are always
enjoyable, calorie filled, social events of the first order. Their #1, Katelyn of the Grand Haven Ropers
and #1A her hockey playing primary dude Drew, are becoming useful particularly
when their semi-angelic and always calm and well-behaved progeny Raelyn is
involved. Rumor has it they will present
us with great-grand #3 sometime next spring.
We’re pretty sure little Claudio or Claudia will be just as much “fun”
as Rae. Aubrey and Nelson (great grand
#2) came to visit, and Uncle Paul bought his first set of wheels, all
contributing to an entertaining life up north.
Marx-ing It Up In LaGrange – We continue with Andie and
Michael
who continue to live the good life in beautiful downtown LaGrange, ok, it’s
really Buckner but who’s reading this that close. She teaches, he does something we still don’t
fully understand but we’re pretty sure it’s both useful and legit. We like them a lot and are pleased the
excuses to visit them are many, varied, and named Hayden, Bailey, and Steve-Os
Pizzaria for starters.
A Kid Grows In Chelsea -- The Jakester
is reportedly alive and well in Chelsea just writing and working and working
and writing and doing whatever semi-confirmed bachelors are supposed to do. This year he had an adventure or two
including a trip to Texas to watch bats fly out of a cave and New York to see
plays and stuff. Ah, the joys of single
life.
We are
just so proud to know you! Having
completed your most important task for this Holiday Season you may now resume
whatever constitutes normal programming for you. Oh yeah, go have yourself a Berry Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year. Good
Tidings To One And All… The
Christensen’s !!!
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