More Christmas 2014

On December 26, we visited the Harry Truman Museum and Library, in Independence, MO.

We listened to some of Truman's campaign speeches.

And could hear some of his speeches. We saw his office, his childhood home and different issues that he encountered as President.

We even made our own election buttons. This is the one Zach made.

The special exhibit was a collection of Madeleine Albright's pins that she wore as Secretary of State. I didn't know that she wore different pins, and each one had subtle messages. You can read more about it on the Smithsonian website: Madeleine Albright On Her Life In Pins.

And then Zach got pinkeye.

We hung out at the Hilger's, but no one was allowed to touch Zach.

Christmas 2014

The boys were out of school from December 22 and returning on January 6. As always, Scott took off most of the time since he always has more vacation days than me.

Our house at night.

Our tree.

And the Lego train...

Saw the lights at Botanica.

Christmas morning, 7:00 a.m.

Ali's first road trip!

How did I get stuck w/ this car seating arrangement?

A photo posted by Susan Dyer (@susandyer) on Dec 25, 2014 at 8:20am PST

At Grammy's we played the game "Traffic Jam"...

Sorry...

Legos...

Read books...

Took walks...

Played cards...

Happy Braces Day

The boys made this card for me today. "Happy Braces Day!" LOL!

I got braces today. It's something I have wanted to do for a long time, and now maybe I'm regretting my decision. It started with the gross mold I had to make of my teeth. Then the spacers...which hurt. Who would have thought that little rubber bands between your teeth would make them so sore?

The next day:

Day 2: It's no fun to eat anymore. #AdultBraces

— Susan Dyer (@susanmdyer) December 24, 2014

And what was I thinking? A metal mouth right before Christmas? That's when all the good food is around.

Oak Park 2014

Our traditional visit to Oak Park. We played a few holes of disc golf and brought Ali with us, which is a lot like having a toddler around. I didn't get to take as many photos as I wanted...but here's a few.

I do this every year, but here's a look back...

2014 (this year).

2013.

2012.

2011 (with cousins).

2010.

2009 (Adam was not there this year).

2008.

2007.

2006.

Related:
Oak Park 2010
Wild Animals 2011 
Oak Park 2012
Oak Park 2013

Thanksgiving 2014

This is the tail end of the excitement from Dad's retirement. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at Oma and Papa's...

Prepping...

We ate more than green beans and macaroni and cheese, but I guess I didn't take any photos of that.

Celebrating (Dad's retirement)...

and with Gatorade.

Dessert time.

I like how all the males are helping in the kitchen.

Here's a time lapse of the clean up in the kitchen...just for fun.

We ate breakfast at Stearman's Bar and Grill, at Stearman Field, right outside of town. It's an airport with a pretty good restaurant and big ass fans.

We watched some small planes take off.

Some people we ate with...

The photo of Adam, Jake and Papa didn't come out...the lighting was glaring a bit.

The rest of the weekend we jumped over Oma and Papa's bushes...

And here it is in slow motion...

Took Ali for a walk. Played at the park.

Goofed off at home.

Retiring After 50 Years

After 50 years, dad is finally retiring! He's been talking about it for over a year now, and we all tell him he should.

I first heard of the announcement when Scott and I were in Las Vegas a few weeks ago.  #BreakingNews emails from the Wichita Business Journal and it was getting a lot of action of social media.

I guess it's a ** S P E C I A L  B U L L E T I N ** (that's how dad would write in an email or text when there was breaking news.)

Wichita Magazine named him Wichitan of the Year, he was featured in the National Press Photographer's Association magazine, and several times in locally publications.

Here's some photos of his last newscast. These were taken by the talented Travis Heying of the Wichita Eagle (more photos here). He was interviewed by several media outlets. It's a rarity to work at the same place for more than 50 years, especially in the television news industry.

We surprised him on the set right before the 10 pm newscast. (Jake and Steve were not in town yet).

And were even on TV!

KAKE named the Studio after him...by renaming Studio A to Studio H.

What are his plans now? Oh, I'm sure he'll find something to do!

Other links:
In his own words
KPTS: Larry Hatteberg 50 Years at KAKE
KAKE: Last newscast
KMUW: Several segments
The Wichita Eagle and  Wichita Business Journal published a series of interviews and articles.