Christmas 2025

 Merry Christmas from Cathy and me!

One of the many things we enjoy about Christmas is touching base with the people we care for - even if it’s just a Christmas card or a Christmas letter.  The older we get the more precious these relationships become.  

For us, 2025 began with a three month visit to The Villages, Florida.  We have been there multiple times so there is not much new about the place except to say this.  We started going to Florida for the weather and while we still enjoy that aspect of the winter, it’s the relatives and friends we’ve made there that keep us going back.  

In March, I finished a project two years in the making.   “My Life Stories” was written by using the on-line help of StoryWorth which was a gift from Kathleen.  Basically you write whatever you want but every week they send helpful suggestions.  Yes, I included a story about the Ice Bowl.  

We took a slight detour on our trip home from The Villages with a stop in Panama City Beach where we joined some dear friends for some fun in the sun.  

Bruce and Maureen Ruzicka made their annual trek to Door County in May.  It’s always a summer highlight.  We look forward to it every year and miss them when they’re gone.  

In August we took an unusual trip to New York City to visit Kathleen.  It was unusual in that we never made it in to Manhattan, never took a subway and never saw a show.  We rented a car and visited the Hamptons and Sag Harbor while staying in Amagansett.  It was great fun and very relaxing.    

In early fall we took a cruise on “The Romantic Rhine”.  We spent time in Switzerland, Germany, France and The Netherlands.  We traveled with our friends Curt & Mary Moore and Mike & Suzanne Winkler.   We could not have asked for better traveling companions.  It was truly a wonderful trip. 

In late September, Ken joined nine of his high school classmates for a weekend at an Airbnb in Door County.  We had a great time which included a Segway ride through downtown Fish Creek.  Who thought that putting ten, almost 70 year old men on Segways was a good idea?  It turned out to be great fun.  As one participant said afterwards, “That wasn’t too bad, 70% of the guys didn’t fall off”.

However not all was great in 2025.  In November Cathy had rotator cuff surgery on her right shoulder.  This was actually a repeat surgery as the same procedure was done on the same shoulder 17 years ago.  She’ll be in a sling until mid December but hopes to be ready to head south in January.  

Merry Christmas to you and may you have a blessed New Year. 

Ken and Cathy