Hey everybody, we got back to Colorado from the UK in September and spent most of the fall in Nebraska to be closer to Steve's mom and family. I wrote about losing her in a separate post but we did get to enjoy family time and took a few trips for special events along the way. This is a summary post from mid September until late December.
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We got back to Boulder on 9/16/25 and our new friends Krista and Brad hosted a private concert with the two lead singers of the Band of Heathens, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist. Krista and Brad worked very hard to get their home and backyard ready to host 40 people and we can't thank them enough - it was a magical evening. 🎶
We cared for Oskar and Mochi while we were in town. Such good doggies. 🐾
I was grateful to attend my friend Portia's breakfast club at the Parkway in Boulder. These lovely women worked in real estate industry together and they had so much knowledge to share. 📚
We go to see our young friend Arabella who shared a new book, Fiona Saves the Day, and it was quite a story. She also got to fly a kite with Steve. 🪁
I flew out to Redondo Beach with Portia to help our friend Mona at one of her weekend craft fairs. 🎪
We spent some time in Omaha and took a private tour of the Lauritzen Gardens with Steve's mom, Margaret. 💐
We took a short trip to Hastings to work on some family stuff. 🚙
Steve's dad had a scale in his Hastings downtown pharmacy for many years. It clocked over 874k weighings over time (not all in his pharmacy) and we were able to donate it to the Hastings Museum. 👏
We met our nomadic friends, Steve and Rebecca, in Ashland NE. This was a story in four photos - kite flying, drone flying, drone next to kite, kite in tree. 😆
We checked back in December and the kite was still in the tree. 🤷♀️
Several of the grandkids came to Omaha for a visit in late October which was super fun. 🥰
I attended the No Kings protest in Omaha and it was so good to be there. 🪧
We drove to California for our friend's daughter's wedding (hey JoJo!) in early November. The Utah and Arizona landscapes were beautiful. 📸
We made it to Newport Beach (wedding location) just in time for the sunset. 🌅
We were grateful to share the special occasion with old friends. 🤗
We drove back to Omaha and saw more of the southwest. 📸
We flew to San Antonio and then drove to Houston to see the Band of Heathens with our friends Dave and Les. 🎵🎼
We got to attend the sound check sessions with other super fans. What a fun group! 🤭
I got to see JoAnn and Angela (my new BOH besties). ❤️
I flew to South Dakota for a Schlachter family wedding. Great time with the family on a very happy day. 💒
Steve's siblings came to Omaha. More good family time. 🤗
Steve wore one of his dad's ties which looked like kites. 🪁
In late December, we drove back into Boulder on a beautiful (and unseasonably warm) day. ☀️
We got to stay with Ozzie who was such a love bug. 😍
I made a plate for Portia's Christmas Eve gathering. 🧀
We had a nice day for a walk with Ozzie and Heidi. 🐶
Steve and Chris had to check out the turntable. 🔦
We had a lovely dinner with John and Shauna which ended with churros! 😋
One more breakfast with the real estate breakfast club ladies. 📸
Went on a beautiful hike in Boulder at Joder Ranch with Brad and Melissa (and Walter, not shown). 🥾
Delicious dinner at Stella's with Devon. 🕯️
Beautiful sunrise in Boulder. 🌅
We put GHO5TY in storage before heading back to New Zealand via LA. 💤
Colorado finally delivered snow the day we left (January 10th). Gorgeous. ❄
Steve packed windshield wipers for our car in New Zealand. ⛈️
Beautiful landscapes on the flight to LA. 📸
Had to enjoy lunch and low flying aircraft next to LAX. ✈️
