An Average Year

Normally, my niece, Toni Chase and Her husband Dave hit the road running each year, but this past year, they got off to a slower start, not really getting in gear until March. Dave, who is always doing super nice things for Toni, had a portion of their garage closed off and made into a “she shed” for Toni. It was not a quick and easy project, and it took quite a while to get it all organized. Still, to have a “she shed” will easily make Toni the envy of all her friends and family, even though more people are building man caves and she sheds these days. I think it is a very cool thing for Dave to have done for her, but then Dave is always doing cool things for Toni.

Even though the year started off at home, it did not end there…it rarely does for Toni and Dave. They took a trip in May to Florida and made it all about the fish. Toni caught her first fish on the Gulf, and it was actually a little hammer head shark!!! Ok, cool, but yikes!!! Still, it would be fun to fish in the Gulf. While I’m not an avid fisherman, but just being on a fishing boat in the Gulf would be cool. During the trip, they spent some time in Tampa at the aquarium and around Saint Petersburg…just touring around and enjoying the scenery and the pleasant weather. They had a lovely, relaxing time.

Later in the year, they did some hiking in the snowy range and spent a couple weekends in Centennial at the cabin which was one of the best times of the year. Toni was having one of the best times with Dave, the kids (James and Manuela), Jane, and Dave’s cousins, Chuck and his wife, Chris. At the end of September, Toni and Dave took a quick trip to Yellowstone to catch the fall colors. They were not disappointed, because they were just in time to see some truly stunning scenery. They also made several trips to Colorado for various activities, but mostly to attend the long-awaited return concert of one of their favorite bands, Linkin Park. Toni tells me that other than these events, it was a pretty quiet year. A pretty quiet year!! That’s more activity than most people have in two years. Today is Toni’s birthday. Happy birthday Toni!! Have a great day!! We love you!!