The cutest kids ever...MaKayla and Quinn. This is Kevin's niece and nephew. They are adorable.



This is Dana's new puppy, Mally. She is a jug. A pug mixed with a Jack Russell Terrier. She is very well behaved and also adorable.

My first day of freedom! For the next two weeks, I will not be working or going to school or anything for the first time in a long while. I slept until noon today, and it was glorious. Tomorrow, my friends at work are having a Bon Voyage party for me. We are getting a room at the Embassy Suites on the plaza and going out in Westport. We will drink and be merry. It should be an awesome time.

Yesterday at work was very sad. It was my last day, and there were not very many people there because of the holidays. Tad and Graham were nice enough to be sad for me and help me get through the last day blues. The after Christmas/between New Years depression is apparent. I have a lot to look forward to, but right now time is moving pretty slowly. There are a lot of things that I should be doing, but it seems like I have nothing to do. I am going to add some more pictures to the blog soon.

Christmas was fabulous! Since there are so many good ones, I will tell you the story in pictures. These are the photos from after we went to midnight mass. We came home and had champagne and picked one gift to open.
Kevin went for his only present wrapped in a clear package. He was still surprised and delighted to receive the pineapple from my brother.


I picked, with the help of Kevin, a small book-like package. I had a feeling it was going to be a journal for my trip, and I was partly right. It is a beautiful journal with a shiny, geometric design on the front. And inside, Kevin pasted photos of my friends and family on the journal pages, leaving room for me to write. It is awesome!
Christmas morning almost turned into Christmas afternoon, but we saved it by starting to open our stockings while we ate breakfast. We were very busy playing Bingo Bells! scratch-offs, and checking our Powerball tickets to see if they were winners. Unfortunately, none of us won the lottery, but we still had tons of gifts to open.

Susan's Blog Beginning

Ciao amici!
I think that means "Hi Friends!" in Italiano. Hopefully. I am making a valiant attempt to learn Italian in the three weeks before I leave for my trip. Three weeks from today, Friday, January 13th, I will be leaving Kansas City. My parents and I will be heading to Landeck, Austria to experience Klaus's Ski Safari for the first time (www.hotel-enzian.com). The first time for me that is, my parents have been there once before. We are meeting Uncle Bob, Aunt Carol, and Cousin Kendall in Frankfurt and traveling to Landeck from there. Mom is already worried that there will not be as much nightlife in Landeck compared with last year's ski trip to the World Cup in Wengen, Switzerland. After a week of skiing in Austria, I will leave my family to take the train to my new Italian family in Verona. I am going to stay with my great-grandmother's first cousin's daughter Gianna and her daughter Sabrina in Verona.

Until then, I will be packing, learning Italian, and celebrating Christmas of course.