The big event of the week occurred Thursday. Danita paid the lawyer and closed Bud’s checking account. There wasn’t any doubt that she would be able to do it, but having done it brought a great sense of relief.

Our microwave died. It’s hard to believe how much we rely on it. Our response was unprecedented. W didn’t check with Consumer Reports. We didn’t read any reviews. We didn’t visit multiple stores. I didn’t try to fix the old one. We simply drove to Bray and Scarf and bought one. They installed the new one Tuesday and took the old one away. Our old microwave was manufactured in 2011. Who could ask more of a microwave? A couple of days later, I couldn’t resist a peak at Consumer Reports. I was disappointed in their report. They listed a half dozen “top” models. There was no detailed information. Several of the top models had a notation that the owners were not satisfied. How can a model with unhappy owners be listed as one of the best? As usual, “they” keep on changing things. What I like the most about our new microwave is that the controls are almost exactly the same as the old one. Our only “must have” feature was a button to “add 30 seconds”.

I hope everybody has a very merry Christmas.

We drove up for an overnighter at JAMMM’s. Guess who had a hard time keeping still while opening presents. Even Maia was active holding her head up and rolling over. Sunday was damp but good enough for some time at the park. We enjoyed a big lunch at Texas Roadhouse before heading back home. I’ll put some pictures on the website.

I hope everybody is enjoying the Christmas season.

Danita is almost through closing Bud’s estate. It’s funny, but what’s holding her back is that the lawyer is not allowed to invoice for his services yet. It will be another couple of weeks. After Danita gets the invoice, she can pay the lawyer and close the last bank account. Whew. Bud’s estate was set up to be very easy to settle. We never believed how much bureaucracy would be involved.

Ed and Lynne came down on Tuesday and took Dee to lunch. (They let me tag along). We had a great time. We went to Seasons 52. It’s a very nice upscale chain. The next day, Dee got sick. She had a headache, digestive issues, and general aches and pains. It lasted two days. Fortunately, she was better by Friday and we were able to go to the neighborhood party.

I was scheduled to count today. After that, I wanted to change a tire on my bike and pack for our cruise. Holland America invited us to use a luggage service that picks up at our door and delivers to our stateroom. That’s a great service, and the best thing is that it is included in our cruise. In other words, FREE!!! They will pick up our suitcases this Thursday. It’s not too early to pack, but it’s also not too late. That’s a good thing because counting took much longer than normal. We were off by one $20 check. We finally gave up. We’ll see what the bank says. Changing the tire was much harder than I expected it to be. I worked on it for well over an hour. It’s a good thing I have more time to pack, because I didn’t get any packing done today. Danita’s brave. She doesn’t plan to pack until Thursday morning.

That’s it for us. I hope this finds everybody doing well.

Danita had wonderful news. She got all of the documents and approvals required too close Bud’s estate. She was ecstatic. It looks realistic that every last “i” will be dotted before we leave for our cruise.

We just got back from spending a weekend with the Reeds. The drive down and back were tiring but uneventful. We started our visit with a half-day family church retreat. We played a simple but fun game. We went to a multiplex that shows classic Christmas movies this time of year and saw “Elf”. It holds up well. It was a lot of fun. Here is a pic of Danita, Jul, and the kids solving a puzzle for their Advent Calendar.