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| Otis enjoying The Nutcracker in Portland, Oregon |
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| Jade with after bath hair style |
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| Emma in the choir room after her Winter Concert on December 19th. Notice the Best Christmas Pageant Ever poster in the background. |
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| Ladybug Mya in her playroom in Asheville, North Carolina |
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| River's take on crawling: starting out on all fours then putting his right leg out front |
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| Papa Tom and I have been learning about the benefits of eating raw fruits and veggies. We learned in the documentaries Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead that a plant-based diet can protect against and in some cases reverse heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Above are bell peppers stuffed with a sunflower seed pate, creamy zucchini soup, and kombucha (a fermented raw organic tea). The food is all raw, easy to prepare, and delicious. A great book to start out with for a raw food lifestyle is The Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. |
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| My pal Sharon and I got together in Georgetown on Friday, December 30. She and I worked together at the Williamson County Sun 25 years ago. Above is the courthouse square we overlooked from the upstairs newspaper offices. Ah, those were the days! Sharon was one of the first people to hold Amon after he was born. |
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| My pal Sharon and I had our toes done for New Year's . She's Sharon; I'm The Other Sharon. Mine are the zoomer red ones. |
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| Sharon made us a yummy Bluebell ice cream dessert with raspberries and blueberries. |
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| There was no snow on the ground in our neighborhood, so the old Ford Galaxie (I think) knew the way to carry the sleigh. |
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| Sharon, Evelyn, and Tom at Casino El Camino on Sixth Street for world famous burgers on Christmas Eve |
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| Evelyn's out eating Tom! |
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| Nephew Ramzi (Martin's son), Aunt Sharon, Uncle Tom in front of Chuy's, with the zoomer in the background |
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| Ramzi, sister Lara, and Tom at Mount Bonnell |
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| Ramzi, Lara, and Aunt Sharon at Mount Bonnell. A beautifully clear day! |
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| Lara and Ramzi off the trail at Mount Bonnell |
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| Enjoying good company and sunshine at Mount Bonnell, above the Colorado River/Lake Austin |
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| Lara with a carrot from Uncle Tom's garden |
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| Emma put together a computer for herself from parts . Did a great job! Works fine! |
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| Emma in her leopard hat and mittens |
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| Merry Christmas from Waco! Al, Joyce, Evelyn, Tom, Emma |
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| Al, Joyce, Evelyn, Emma, and Shanana. Oh, and Twinkie getting into the act. |
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| Mya, playing hide and seek at the Grove Park Inn on December 8, 2011 |
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| Out to dinner with Ryder and Brandy on December 9, 2011 |
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| We're about to leave for the airport to fly back to Austin. So hard to say good-bye! |
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| Bye-bye, River and Mya and Mommy and Daddy. We love you and miss you! |
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| Ryder and Brandy took us to dinner on the nearby town square for their neighborhood, which is a lot like the Domain in Austin. Mimi stayed with Mya and River. Thanks, Mimi! |
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| Outside the restaurant |
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| Time to ride the horsie |
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| River want to help decorate |
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| The tree is home from the farm and fluffed out beautifully from its binding |
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| River LOVES bread. Papa Tom wrapped cauliflower in bread to get River to eat it |
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| The tree is on a table with cushions around it so River can't get to the lower branches |
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| The final touch! |
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| River plays with his ornament before it goes on the tree |
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| Frosty watches over all the Christmas trees |
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| Papa Tom, Mya, Ryder, Brandy, and River on the hillside of evergreens |
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| Ryder and Papa Tom check out the tree height. They are both over 6 feet tall; so is the tree, for now. |
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| The branches grow all the way to the ground. Ryder and Papa Tom had to remove some of them to get to the trunk. Farm owner Dale loaned them a saw for the job. Later, Dale cut a tree for someone else with a chain saw. |
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| Mya got to cut one of the ground branches off the trunk. |
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| Mya strikes a pose |
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| River will be helping too in a couple of years |
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| The tree is about to go through the baler, so it can safely ride back to town on the 4Runner roof. |
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| In seconds, Dale has the tree bound and ready for the ride home. |
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| Mya enjoys a candy cane while Papa Tom and Ryder tie down the Christmas tree. |
