Christmas LaBianca Style

Mom and Dave took Doug, Geoff and I to Bush Gardens over Christmas break. Mom and Dave went on EVERY roller coaster with us - very impressive. It was pretty cold that day and we each had 2-3 cups of hot chocolate throughout the day just to keep warm. Mom and Geoff: We had our big LaBianca Christmas dinner on Dec. 27. Guy's back was hurting him so he had to take a break... but was still all smiles...

Mom and Dave preparing dinner which included a turkey, ham and pork tenderloin... along with all the fixins'. As usual, there was plenty of food! Here is Grammy, Poppy, Geoff and Jacki: Doug, Jacki and Geoff, visiting and relaxing after the big dinner :)

Kiki and Grammy, organizing presents:

Kiki, Grammy, Mom and I. Apparently, I missed the memo about the pink and white :)

There is a picture of everyone together by the pool but it's on Mom's camera. If I get a copy I'll add it to the post :)

The Farewell

No matter how hard I tried to keep it from advancing, the moment arrived. I tried to be resilient but I felt feeble. I tried to smile but felt tears trickle down instead. Goodbyes are never easy... but focusing on love makes it possible.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength. Loving someone deeply gives you courage" (Leo-Tzu)

Christmas with the Heplers

Here is the beautiful quilt that Grammy made for us. Each state flower is hand embroidered onto the quilt, onto a shield, with the state name and the patches were then sewn into one King size quilt. It is absolutely beautiful!

Kurt must have been good this year! Our little family :)

We decided to add one more tradition to the list this year. We decided it would be a nice treat to cook some fresh lobster with crab cakes and crab stuffed mushrooms for Christmas Eve dinner. Kurt getting ready to cook the lobster: Con making the crab cakes and stuffed mushrooms:

Our Christmas Eve feast! Kurt isn't so big on some of our "traditions" but this is one he was particularly enthusiastic about! :)

Life is so "ruff"...

Easter in November?

Since Kurt is deploying and will be missing many holidays, I decided to celebrate them with him a little early. I recruited a little help from Heidi, Brandon, Michaela and my Mom. Thank you for all your help you guys! Here is Kurt on his Easter egg hunt (looking in his Christmas stocking)...He was a good sport and even let me take a photo or two...Opening his "Valentine's Day" gifts in his Easter basket:Even though we had a big turkey dinner just days before, we still celebrated Easter dinner with a ham and all the fixin's. So now that he's gone again for more training, I am left with about 4-5 lbs of meat in my fridge.. anyone hungry? When he comes back, we'll celebrate Christmas, New Year's and St. Patty's Day... all before Dec. 26. :) But maybe I'll scale back a little on the cooking this time!

Thanksgiving 2009

Mom and Dave came out last weekend for an early Thanksgiving and to see Kurt before he left. On Saturday, Mom and I went to a craft fair in town, while Kurt and Dave watched some college football at home. After lunch, we all drove down to Pier Park, shopped and ate at Margaritaville. We found a "throw-back" store of sorts that sold all these games, toys and candy from years past. Mom and Dave found a few of their childhood games! :)Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey, sausage stuffing balls, coconut/pecan sweet potatoes, shrimp/mushroom and crab dip, garlic bread, cranberry sauce, salad, chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake....We loved having you visit and appreciate you making the 7 hr drive to see us!

Victor

We have a new member of the family! His name is Victor and we just adopted him from Bay County's Animal Rescue Center. When we met him, we couldn't help but adore him. We met a few other dogs but none of them came near to being as sweet and as obedient as Victor is.

We aren't exactly sure what breed he is but think he might be some kind of a mix of Retriever/Collie/Corgi... he's low to the ground but is pretty long and weighs a good 50 lbs.

With Kurt getting deployed soon, it sure will be nice to have this face to greet me when I come home from work :) We are very excited to have him join the Hepler household!

Florida Sunsets...

When we went to pick up the truck, we spent a few days with Mom and Dave. One night, we went to the beach to watch the sunset. It was beautiful!My mom:

Mom and Dave, kickin back:

Kurt and I, enjoying the view:

Our New Truck!

We were in definite need of a second vehicle since I've started work. Poppy has been to many, many auctions for us, with our needs/wants in hand. He found the truck we wanted and we got it for well below the blue book price! It's a 2005 Toyota Tundra double cab with a V8 engine and a towing package. She made her first haul from Largo to Panama City (400 miles) loaded down with a U-Haul trailer of furniture and still got about 16 miles/gallon. Good job Poppy!Our very own scout/dealer, my Poppy:

Military Ball 2009

This weekend we went to the Military Ball which was held at a ballroom on Panama City Beach. The hall was elegant, the food was delicious, the jazz band was entertaining and everyone was dressed to a hilt. We had a phenominal speaker, Colonel (Ret.) Leo K. Thorsness who is a Medal of Honor recipient. He spent six years as a POW in North Vietnam and his messege on "Wingman, Leader, Warrier" was truly inspirational.

Largo, Florida

We went to Largo, Florida to visit Mom, Dave, Geoff and his friend , Jolanta. Mom and Dave spoiled us for dinner with a feast of steaks, lobster tails, crab's legs and twice baked potatoes. It was wonderful! They didn't need to feed us like royalty to ensure our return... we'd be back, even if we had frozen pizza. :) Mom, Jolanta and I at the local flea market with our new-found treasures... A little rivalry? Kurt is an avid Steelers fan and Geoff is a loyal Patriots fan... uh oh...

Mom and I making breakfast. It's been a while since we last cooked together :)We spent a day at John's Pass Boardwalk, shopping and walking on the beach. We all got a little sun. Here is Geoff and Jolanta:

It was great to see Geoff and to meet Jolanta. It was also great to see Mom and Dave and to see everything they've done on the house. It looks great!