Hi! gma kelly here..Jan 17..just had
a good 4day visit with Dean...so glad he could come..cause Gpa and I
been kinda sick...loved your blog and
card from the Maldives..Dana!..and the pics....Buffalo Mo..made head
lines in Slk...town out of elec. and
no water...whole town in shelters..sure glad we are here and
not there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Love you all

Those were pictures from Cocoa Island. The first pic is of me on the stairs leading down to the water from our overwater bungalow. The next picture is of the bungalow neighbors. They are in the shape of Dhoni boats, traditional Maldivian boats. The last pictures is of a few black tip reef sharks from the jetty walking to the rooms. The water is about 2.5 feet deep and right near the beach! The grayish blobs are schools of fish!

The pictures here are from our stay in the Banyan Tree! Sorry for the messed up hair, we just came back from snorkeling! Will upload some pics from underwater, hopefully they turned out!

Happy Holidays!

John and I had a fabulous Christmas at his parents house up in Northampton. We drove back down to London yesterday and now we are trying to get back in the swing of things for the new year. We have been busy this month. . .John's sister - Helen - got married a few weeks ago up in Newcastle (north England) to Paul on Friday the 15th. It was very nice, we drove up on Thursday and had dinner with his family and her 2 bridesmaids. Then on Saturday morning John and I flew to the Maldives for a weeks holiday and my Xmas gift. We stayed at 2 beautiful resorts, Cocoa Island and the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. We were there for 6 nights in total. Snorkeling is amazing, one of the best I have done and I dont really like snorkeling! I also learned to dive, got my scuba diver certification, just need to finish 2 more lessons to get my open water certification which I am hoping to complete soon - maybe when I am in California next, cause diving in the English Channel doesnt sound too appealing! We saw black tip and white tip reef sharks, a nurse shark, a dolphin, and lots of eels and rays and loads of colorful fish! The reefs are incredible. I havent had a chance to get the underwater cameras developed yet, but I have attached some of the pics from the digi. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has a fabulous New Year. Lots of Love - Dana and John

the weather is here, wish you were beautiful! MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas

from

Maria, Jessica, (Adam's Girlfriend) Adam, Dean & Whitney

Denver got a little bit of snow...



Hey Nate & Darlene... sorry about the rabbit...



This is why Brian and Debbie disappear in the winter:



Look at the overhang:



These neighbors have some work ahead of them:

Staci and Rob came up for the weekend so we went to the temple to see all of the awesome lights. It was loads of fun. The little blonde is Staci's sister-in-law. We've had really nice weather lately but that will soon change after this weekend. I'm trying to prepare myself for getting my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow...ALL 4! That will be tons of fun. Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful holiday season and eating tons of yummy holiday goodies. Love you all!

Hey this is Dean. I had a nice long layover in San Diego on 5DEC and as luck would have it, Brian was also there hanging out, riding his bike and living in his "van... down by the river." so-to-speak. We got together and had the greatest time. We hung out at Balboa Park (totally awesome)...had a breakfast burrito and then took a tour of the Midway Aircraft Carrier docked in the bay. It was so very cool...so cool I almost wanted to enlist in the Navy right on the spot...Unfortunately, I was told I was too old, too fat, and too blind.

Sarah's new discipline technique when Fox

won't simply say "yes" to his parents

requests and demands.

Here is a copy of Lynette's recently published book of poems.

You can go online and purchase one of your own at:

www.publishamerica.com/shopping/
Then search by the title "Chill Time, Love Rhyme"

It is $9.95 plus $3.50 Shipping.

Here we are at the "ICE" show that is presented every year at Maria's resort, the Gaylord Palms. Japanese artisans fly in with 2 Million pounds of ice and carve out these intricate holiday sculptures. It really is amazing...but FREEZING as the convention center is cooled down to a balmy 9 Degrees.

The Nativity

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND HOLIDAYS FROM DEAN AND MARIA

Hi Everyone!

Happy Early Thanksgiving! John and I just got back from New York. John was out there working for a few weeks, so I tagged along. We were able to see friends, John was able to do some business stuff and we had great weather, for the most part. I was also made it out to California for a few days to see the parents and Di. While we were in NYC, we went to the Knicks vs Spurs game, I love the Spurs, not as much as USC football, but they are one of my fave NBA teams! We had great seats, on the floor, so great views and near the Spurs bench, so even better - got some great pics of Robert Horry and Tim Duncan. Eva Longoria wasnt there supporting her on again off again man. A few friends from London were also out as well for a birthday. I went to Helen, John's sister, bachelorette party on Friday night down in London. She is getting married in December in Newcastle (northern England). Then on Saturday John and I went to the England vs South Africa rugby game, England won after coming back, very exciting. Have friends coming into town this week for Thanksgiving, and then the holidays! Crazy how fast this year has gone. Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season! Until next time. . .Lots of Love Dana and John

Just wanted to throw some fun pictures on the blog for all to see. Enjoy:)