RDK Christmas at Gloria's on Sunday

Gloria opened her Normal, IL. home on Sunday for the annual RDK Christmas gathering.  Gloria's artwork, decorations, and entertainment ideas all centered around a HAWAIIAN theme!  Many thanks to her and also to Jodie for the great planning ideas and efforts.  And, thanks for the many who contributed to the delicious food.   Here's a few pics to show how entertaining it was for the many who came for the FUN.

                                        Judy reading to the many children before the gift exchange.

                                         It was the next best thing to being in Hawaii   !!!

                                         Dan played Santa Claus to the delight of the kids....

Lynn and Mim Family Christmas 12/23/12



The family was at our home on the Sunday before Christmas.  Here are a few pictures of the occasion.  "A good time was had by all!"

Mike Bailes pulled all the rockers out of the garage and on to the porch, and gave the "extended version" of the Alberta deer story to all who were interested.

CHRISTENSEN CHRISTMAS

We had a great day at the Christensen house today. The family was all here except Jerry Wetzel. For those of you who might not know, Jerry, Angela, and Nathan are to Jacksonville Florida. We are sad to have them move, but are happy for them as they have wanted to make this move for years and it has finally become a reality.

Angela, Jerry, Kelsie, Nathan and I will leave Friday morning to complete the move. We will be taking a truck, Ang's car, and our car - four drivers, three vehicles, and one child. Perhaps you could say a few prayers for us on Friday and Saturday; we would appreciate it. We will probably stay a day or two there, then head on to our condo in Indian Rocks Beach and are looking forward to some sun, beach, and relaxation.



7 am Christmas morning - whipping up the famous Heavenly Hash!

 



Looks good enough to eat, right? Yummy!

 

Heater was home for the weekend and is now living with an aunt in Elgin and attending a Hair-styling school there. Note that her long hair is cut short, but still looks cute. Grace is a typical eighth grader and growing into quite a young lady.

 

The boys spent most of the day in the basement and it sounded like they were having a great time down there. Fortunately I got them to sit still for a few minutes and take their picture. Left to right: Zac, Noah, Owen, Miles, and Nathan.

 

L/R: Trenton, Heather, Angela, Janice, Jason.

 

L/R: Kelsie, Drake, Michelle

 

If you don't know this old  couple, you really don't have any business reading this blog! :)

 

We were able to Skype with Jerry - I think he's lonesome and ready for his family to join him!!

 

Kelsie has recently returned from her semester in Thailand where she had a wonderful experience. We were all glad to see her home safely - and she was equally glad to be with all of us again. She's a sweetheart. I'm tired now and ready to "hit the hay"!!

More Pictures from Perry and Carol's





December 15, 2012 Christmas Dinner sponsored by Perry and Carol at the old homestead in Gridley.  Built 1902. Additional pictures to commemorate the occasion, as taken by Cleve on Saturday at my request.

Great-grandfather Peter Klopfenstein's egg box. discovered in the attic of the homeplace.  He was well known for marketing produce at the local train station, as riders exited off the train.  A memory of yesterday that we know nothing about today. 

 

Office swivel stool at EJ Klopfenstein Grain and Coal Company.  Estimated at 75-80 years antique. Dad used a stand-to desk and this high stool. 

The family shared lots of good memories of times gone by.  Family history is of great importance.  Love, Uncle Lynn and Aunt Mim

Klopfenstein Christmas Dinner at the Home Place

After dinner, I walked around and snapped a few photos.  I didn't get any of the children.  We were glad for our guests and had a nice time.  ----Carol

New Restaurant Manager!

J & A's granddaughter Heather is the General Manager of the brand new CHIPOTLE restaurant which opened today (Wed. 12-12-12) in Peoria!  We were honored to be invited to join J & A at the mostly-Mexican restaurant's Friends and Family Day on Monday where free food was served by the 30 "newly hired and trained" employees, preparing for Opening Day.  The food was fantastic!  Heather's 5 years of experience at the Bloomington's CHIPOTLE landed her the top job in Peoria and she was interviewed on the 10' o'clock news this evening during today's Grand Opening.  Congratulations, Heather!
C & K

The Adventure Continues

Well plans are somewhat falling into place that I can share where my life seems to be heading. Since people have learned to write my address in an address book in pencil, it's time to take out an eraser.

My good friend here has accepted a job in the Dallas, TX area and has asked me to move there as well so she doesn't go to an unknown area alone. I do think the job market will be better for me there.

We were there over the weekend to look for housing. She found a very nice home and is now in the negotiating process for it. It has been pretty amazing for her as she called this office furniture dealership that she worked with when employed at Herman Miller and the last few years did some occasional consulting work for them on the day she was let go. They were writing a job description that was perfect for her and allowed her to help finish writing it! She also has already sold her large home and property and is planning to move in late January

My situation is a bit different as I will begin looking for work in the north Dallas area and will be putting my condo on the market in the next few weeks. I will move down probably in mid-March unless I get a job there sooner. Right now I will finish out my current job the end of February and have committed to teaching a class at Cornerstone University from mid-February to mid-March.

I know many of you have been praying for me and hope you will continue to do so. I wish I could say I've been really strong through all of this, but I find myself having a meltdown (or two or three) when I think of all of the changes about to occur.

A sample of DAP from the past (Day At Perry's)

Many of us will participate in, and look forward to,  DAP (Day at Perry's) on Saturday with the traditional Christmas gathering at the "homeplace".  This posting might be considered a tribute & memorial to Grandma and Grandpa K.  I've posted a short video here from 1986 (26 years ago) with Grandma K (Anna).  To some she is "Mother".  To me and many others, she is "Grandma" and to others - "Great Grandma".  She is shown here having the traditional Heavenly Hash passed to her from Dad at the main dining room table.  Uncle P then asks his mother, "What's in Heavenly Hash, Mother?"  She then explains the ingredients and instructions with all the kindness and endearing mannerisms which you will likely remember with great fondness.   

 I debated whether or not to post this video as it might bring back too much nostalgia or too many emotions for many.  I consulted a few others, including the youngest of the siblings and was given the go-ahead to post it.  The quality is lacking since it is a copy of a copy.  So please view it in the spirit of the good intentions with which it was posted. 

 Many thanks to P and C for continuing to host this family traditon. 
CK

Family Time

We spent the weekend at Grand Bear Lodge in Utica, Il with our family. We had one (Hailee) who could not come, one (Ashton) who got sick while we were there, and one (Wade) who cut his arm while roughhousing with his cousins. Other than that, it was a wonderful weekend with lots of interacting of all ages. It was their Christmas present this year from us, so it also saved me from a lot of shopping. The grandchildren seemed to have fun and I think will remember it much more than any gift we might have bought them.

Between my cheap camera and my poor photography skills, I don't have many good pictures to post, but here are a few I can share.

The kids did a lot of swimming.

And of course we did a lot of eating.



Jake won a cool game of chess in the arcade after he captured 4000+ tickets in one of those crane machines.



Adrian teaching Kalyn how to knit.

Sunday School



Some of us went on a hike. It's shorts and no jackets on Dec. 1.



These kids are the perfect age for Grand Bear Lodge.

The kids spread out and explored



Last night I tried to put up some Christmas lights outside. It was nice and warm so that was a plus. There were a few minuses, however. I started on a bush away from the outlet and when I got all done, I found out that I started out wrong and I had no prongs to plug in! I had to take it down and start over. By then it was dark outside and with the porch light on and the strings of lights, I felt very exposed to the neighbors and the road traffic as I struggled around. The ladder was scary, the hammer dropped a couple of times and the tacks I was using were flying away from me. I thought, "Everybody can see me up on this ladder!" and then I thought, "Well, at least they can call 911 when they see me fall!" It felt like I was out there for hours, but when I came in it was only 5:30 pm! Boy, it gets dark early! I need to go out now and put a little finesse on the job.

We're looking forward to the annual Klopfenstein Christmas Dinner. Hope to see you there!