THE CHRISTENSEN FAMILY CHRONICLES
Circa 2019
Wifey told me she
didn’t feel “moved” to make any handmade Christmas ornaments this year. I told her I didn’t feel “moved” to hang any
outside Christmas lights this year… and we laughed and laughed…
Point the First – Gardening Southern Gentleman Style. Zero, zip, nada, uhuh, nope, none… letting the deer fend for
themselves… moving on…
Point the Second – Date Knights. Literally millions of miles were logged going
places we probably didn’t need to go.
But a good time was had on our mandatory, bi-weekly semi-ad-hoc days and
nights out together in which our dynamic duet contributed to the well-being of
the rich and famous at the following events and venues for your heart-stopping
interest: Cirque du Soliel – Cirque Dreams Holidaze (btw, this one included an
overnighter at the famed Brown Hotel in Louisville, home of the world famous
Kentucky Hot Brown (look it up), which of course we ate); The Louisville Orchestra
got us twice this year – “Star Wars” and
“Harry Potter – Goblet of Fire” in Concert; An anniversary trip to Vegas that included
The Blue Man Group and Cirque “O” and a visit with our mobile Brother and
Sister-In-Law at points in and around Vegas, and Arizona; Had an adventure down
on Black Mountain, the highest non-medicated point in Kentucky, where we loaded
ourselves in an off-road buggy and followed a guy who had a death wish all over
the mountain for a day (It seemed like a good idea at the time.); Caught up
with Vince Gill again over at the Louisville Palace; Went up to Cincinnati for
a walking tour of the sites associated with the “Black Sox” baseball scandal of
1919; Found the “Jersey Boys” down at the EKU Center; Rodeoed down at the Kentucky
Horse Park; and added an expanded number of middle and now High School band
concerts, cross-country meets, and football games. There ya go, don’t know about you but I’m
tired…
Point the Third – Turning the page… He rather enjoyed not being the Mayor this
year. In fact, he liked it soooo much he
continues, even to this day, looking for things not to do anymore. The house seems noisier these days and we’re growing
concerned but it turned out it was just our respective joints creaking. Turns out 9pm is the new midnight.
Point the Fourth – And we’re walking, we’re walking ... It was just a stellar year for our Lady Of
The Bend. They adopted the new catch
phrase “Curb” (inside joke here but feel free to follow up off-line, it has to
do with urban sprawl vs senior sprawl…).
Continuing her role as the “Good Wife”, she accompanied her Big Guy to
many a ball game at the ball park up the road in Florence although somehow her
role has changed and he is the one who has to go for the food, might be that
curb thing. Charity 5K’s abounded, with
the addition of several new ones this year because, well, they’ve come to
cherish the pain of doing one or two per month, followed by lunch, for most of
the summer. Proof of life photos can be
found on Facebook. Our strict 3-rules
applied to all events: Finish, Don’t finish last, and Finish ahead of the
people pushing the strollers.
Point the Fifth – There and Back Again. Their road trips this year were many and
varied taking them all the way there and back again. Bunches of trips over to LaGrange and up to the
land Northward to count heads were completed.
In addition to the requisite trips north, we visited some of the Utah
bunch for Gramma Bonnie’s 90th birthday celebration and later on a Jones
“Cousins” reunion. They added another
nickel to the “If I had a nickel for each good year of marriage jar,” and
selected the site for their 2020 family reunion blowout extravaganza to
celebrate 50 years of welded bliss, assuming there is still a need for such in
2020. Would you like to know where we’re
going to be? We’ve decided to exchange
medical devices.
If it’s August, it
must be Africa. Yes boys and girls, this
was the year for our visit to Africa. We
spent the middle part of August in and around Kruger National Park in South
Africa. Many wonderful and exotic
sights, sounds, and smells were “experienced.”
We decided after our return home that one doesn’t really visit Africa,
one kind of experiences it. We had 1“natural
wonders” drive, 7 Game Drives into the African Bush, and sporadic shopping
trips. Space doesn’t allow for a proper
accounting of all the wildlife we saw and the “interesting” food we ate, or the
levels of rustic enjoyed at the various huts we stayed in at the Rest
Camps. But suffice it to say we did see
the “Big Five” (Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, and Cape Buffalo).
Point The Sixth – The Other Families.
Tylers of the North! - Todd and
Nissa, now empty nesters
themselves, are alive and kicking in the great north woods and report that
“things are under control.” We are taking them at their word. Had a couple of
nice visits both here and there. The first ring of their circus, Katelyn, of
the Grand Haven Ropers, and her hockey player husband Drew did in deed come
through with great grandmonster #3. Emilia MaeBelle joined the fray in April. She’s named after her great, great, great,
great grandmother Mary Emelia Jorgensen, her
great great great grandmother Ruby Mae Cornwall,
and her great great grandmothers Virginia Mae
Fisch and Bonnie Belle Jones. Raelyn
has become quite taken with her little sister (we think in lieu of a puppy) but
we’re hoping for the best. We had
several good visits with Circus Rings 2 & 3, Aubrey and Nelson
(great grand #2) and Paul,
as well, all contributing to the good life up north and giving us good reasons
to drive to Michigan.
Marx-ing It Up In LaGrange – Andie and Michael have become part of the
family (who knew) and are riding the merry-go-round now having not one but two
teenagers to wrangle. She is still
molding young minds and he continues to do whatever it is he does. Hayden, now our high-schooler has given us
much cause for celebration as has our favorite x-country runner Bailey.
We like them a lot and are pleased with the increasing number of excuses
to visit them and Steve-Os Pizzeria.
The Man From Chelsea – Had a couple of Jakester sightings in Kentucky this year, not
counting the stops we made in his front yard on our multitudinous trips to and
from Michigan. He reads, he writes, he
poets, he hikes, he keeps an eye on his neighborhood, and follows NASA’s every
move. There are days that he goes to the
dogs, aka those days when he volunteers at the Humane Society and talks, walks,
and reads to, wait for it…. The dogs.
We are
just so darn proud to know you! Congrats
on having accomplished this most important holiday task. Oh yeah, we wish you
just the best Christmas ever and if you’re in the area, call before you drop
by… Good Tidings To One And All… The
Christensen’s !!!
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