Christmas Time

Making fudge is a Christmas tradition at the Gillespie household. Donna makes it, and the boys stir it. Sean and Brandon come over every year to help. Scott had to sit this one out due to having hear surgery earlier this month. I'd say more, but I think these pictures speak for themselves. There are basically three phases: stir, pour, and enjoy.

Two Types of People...

So, I had an experience today that I thought would make the Stephens family chuckle.

Savannah loves to listen & dance to music & is quite opinionated about the songs we hear.

This morning, when Neil Diamond’s “America” came on my I-Pod, I was excited to see Savannah’s reaction. I was sure she would love it as much as I do & that we would enjoy a good dance together. However, I was shocked & hugely disappointed to hear her announce, “Mommy, I don’t like this song.”

I couldn’t help but think of Bob Wiley’s explanation to Dr. Leo Marvin in “What About Bob” as to why he is divorced. He simply said, “There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him.”

So, I’m just hoping that Savannah was having an “off” day and that she’ll come around. (How can you NOT LIKE “America”?!) I’ll keep you posted.

Merry Christmas!

This has been another excellent year for the Stephens family. We worked hard and accomplished much. I can only hope that 2007 is even better. Merry Christmas!

My Wife the Student

Looking for leaves in Lawrence, Kansas. JoLee uses dry leaves to decorate our apartment in the fall, and these trees provided an abundance. Photo by: Dad.

Another semester is coming to a close at KU. What a relief! It has been a very busy semester at the end of a very busy year. JoLee took two classes and worked two jobs. She has become a teaching, studying, writing, grading machine! (Some would prefer the title "nerd".) And despite driving to Lawrence four times a week and dealing with a professor who delegates all of his jobs to his graduate assistants (at the latest possible moment), she still found time to read a few books and hang out with her husband. I stopped asking JoLee about her grades a long time ago; it's boring when she keeps getting the same one.

Merry Christmas from Zephyr the Cat

Zephyr really got into the holiday spirit this year. After systematically removing the ornaments from the lower half of the tree, she attempted to remove the ornaments from the upper half by...well I don't have to tell you. I guess it was better than what this dog did to its owners' couch: Happy Holidays.

Snowy Weather