Chilly January of 2023

New Year's Day

Don and I celebrated NYE at home, like happy old fogeys. We made a toast with my Great Aunt Mary's old coupe glasses. 

We made it until midnight, but I was sipping water by then. So I guess I'm cheating, by opening this 2023 post with this photo!  

Not Cheating

But I'm not cheating with these pics. I did indeed get up on a foggy New Year's morning and jog.

I rarely take my phone, but I'm glad I had it. The morning was eerie and lovely.

Weather?
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We had a handful of nice days in January. I read by the pool.

I read and ignored the dead ligustrums and oleanders. We had a bad freeze in December! But this is the Happy Blog. The petunias are coming back and I spotted a monarch!

Missouri Trip

In mid-January, my sister and I flew from TX and OR, to see Dad.

I brought some candy necklaces as a joke, but we 3 ended up wearing them all day. Well, almost all day.

​Relatives

​We visited with some of our Springfield relatives.

6 of us are in both photos. Some of us look a little cheerier in the 2023 photo! (I'm the pouting tot in the vintage photo)

​Dad & Daughter Time

We had no plans when we arrived. We just spent time catching up. Jennifer fixed Dad's old cabinet door... 

I looked through photos with Dad.

It was too cold for picnics on this visit. We ate our meals out, which was nice after so many recent pandemic visits.

On Martin Luther King's birthday, we went to a book store. Something Dad had been wanting to do.  

Big Trip to Arkansas

Another thing Dad has wanted to do, is visit Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was 2 hours away and Dad is 94. His walking has become more difficult. I was skeptical.

But we pulled it off, mostly thanks to Jennifer's determination!  The best part was that when Dad started getting tired, instead of wanting to leave, he finally gave in and said YES to the wheelchair!  A milestone for sure! Suddenly the huge museum and grounds became much more accessible! 

​International Flavors
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Back in Texas, the weather stayed cold. Don and I gathered for a potluck with our international friends. It's always fun catching up after the holidays. So many different traditions and stories, in this group.

On January 22, Don and I celebrated the Lunar New Year. Just Chinese carryouts this year, but they were good! Year of the Rabbit!

Bring on the Circus!

A huge highlight of this month was a last minute adventure to see Cirque Du Soliel.

We've known Lauren since she was 3. We have memories of Lauren, her sister and our young kids, tumbling and clowning around the yard, when we lived in Oklahoma! 

Kooza

Lauren is obviously grown up now and she works for Cirque Du Solieil. She contacted Don and me with some last minute VIP tickets. We were suddenly at the big tent!

What a spectacular evening, from start to finish!

It wasn't the last day of January, but I spent the last few days of the month dreaming of (being younger) and running away with the circus!

Thanks Lauren and thanks Cirque Du Soliel, for making me laugh and squeal like a kid again!
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