First off, we were totally bummed that we didn’t get our passports stamped in either New Zealand or Australia. We had to fill out ETAs for both countries and pay a fee to enter ahead of time. However, as is the case with a lot of other countries, they no longer stamp passports. I was thinking we would have kiwi stamp for New Zealand and a kangaroo for Australia. Sigh.

The Auckland Airport was beautiful and welcoming. With only 5 million people in the country of New Zealand, 4 million live on the north island and 1 million live in the south island. Of those 4 million people living in the north island, 1.5 million live in Auckland, the biggest city in New Zealand. That is 1/3 of the population of the country in one city, if you are a math person. Auckland is called the City of Sails. New Zealand has about 2000 miles of coastline…so watersports are very popular here. Auckland is only 11 miles coast to coast, so it is one of the most walkable cities. There is one area that the locals call “Spaghetti Junction” where there are a bunch of overpasses and highways. Here’s a little Kiwi lingo for you: Togs (bathing suit) and Jangles (flipflops) and “sweet as” (cool) and “yeah, nah” (maybe). Here are some photos from the airport. Kira ora is the Māori greeting meaning hello or be well.

The people of New Zealand are very much into their culture and flora and fauna. They each feel they have a personal responsibility to keep their nation clean and pure. They have a goal for 2050 to eradicate all wild predators and bring back their native flora and fauna. It is their “Moonshot” as they call it. It is a tall order, but prior to people living on this country’s land, there were only two types of mammals, and they were both small bats. New Zealand has a lot of flightless birds. The Māori were the first to come to New Zealand and they brought Pacific rats with them in their boats. Then the Europeans brought possums and stoats to kill the rats. All of them fed on the native flightless birds and eggs of all the birds. They are still fighting this battle. Most people who live in New Zealand have traps on their property to catch the unwanted predators. The Kiwis have taken a step further and ask for all entering their country to honor their heritage, their land, and what they are trying to do as a country. This sign was in all the ports and in several places in the airport – the Tiaki promise. Tiaki is a Māori word meaning to care for, guard, and protect people and places.

Auckland….I just loved it! Rich and I have decided over the last several years that we are just not city people. We would rather spend time in the countryside. However, we really enjoyed our time in Auckland, even in the city centre, where we stayed. It is hilly. We were lucky that we could walk from our hotel to the port to board our ship and it was all downhill. We landed in the morning and were happy that once we got to our hotel, we only waited about 30 minutes before they had our rooms ready for us. We were able to drop our bags off, change from our travel clothes to walk-about-town clothes and take off to explore. We were pretty jet lagged but were determined to stay up until 8 p.m. and try to get ourselves on a good local schedule. We were in Auckland for three days prior to boarding the ship. The first two days we had passes for the Hop On Hop Off Bus. We usually like to do at least the first day in a city on something like this so we can get the lay of the land and get from point A to point B with relative ease. Also, there is a recording tell you facts about the city that we would have not known about as well. Did we need two days? Probably 24 hours would have been okay. However, we did get to go to a lot of neat places within the city. The next several paragraphs will be of information I gleaned off the recordings and photos of places we stopped that we found interesting.

Auckland has an art gallery which contains the largest collection of Māori art in New Zealand. We didn’t get a chance to go in there, but I think it should be on your list of things to see if you go. They also have a place called the Civic Palace that is a 1920’s era theatre. It is the only atmospheric theatre in the southern hemisphere. What is an atmospheric theatre, you ask? Well, after we all came up with blanks, I looked it up. An atmospheric theater is a 1920’s era theatre that is decorated as if it is outside…think deep blue ceilings with stars painted on it so you feel like you are outside but you are inside.

We are huge All Black fans. What are the All Blacks? It is the New Zealand men’s national rugby team. The women’s team is called the Black Ferns. Both have silver ferns on their chest on a uniform of all black. They are the premier rugby teams in the world. Whenever the All Blacks 15’s team is in the U.S., I am usually there. I have seen them in Chicago a couple of times and in Washington, D.C. Their 7’s team also does quite well and I used to watch them in person with my boys when they were playing the U.S. circuit in Las Vegas. Anyhow, when you think of New Zealand, you think of rugby….and you think of kiwis (the bird, the fruit, and the nickname for New Zealanders), and you think of ferns. There are over 200 fern species in New Zealand and 40% of those fern species grow nowhere else on earth. We stopped at the Winter Gardens in Auckland and they actually have a big area called the Fernery there. I grew up thinking ferns were just ground cover or bushy plants in pots. Nope…they have fern TREES. I have never seen anything like it. They are everywhere though! Here are some photos from the winter garden.

Okay, some additional random facts about New Zealand….there are 160 languages spoken in New Zealand. However, there are only 3 official languages: English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language. Auckland is the largest Polynesian city in the world. Over half the population is Polynesian. New Zealand has more golf courses per capita than anywhere on earth besides Scotland. New Zealand is a relatively young country. No one even lived here until 600-700 years ago. The Māori came first and settled. They fished off the coast and they hunted a flightless HUGE bird called a Moa. The Moa bird is now extinct but think about an ostrich or emu the size of an elephant. They have been extinct for nearly 400 years now. The Māori call New Zealand “Aotearoa” which means “the land of the long white cloud.” That name is used often in conversation and interchangeably with “New Zealand”. Then the British came. New Zealand was established in 1840. From 1841 to 1865, Auckland was the capitol. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, with Christchurch coming in second (on the southern island) and coming in third, is Wellington, the capitol of the country, with about 235,000 people. Hamilton, the town south of Auckland, has 170,000 people and is growing quickly. They have the National and Labor parties for their government. About 65% of the population of New Zealand is of English/British decent. Māori make up 20% of the population (about 1 million). Asians (Chinese and Indian mostly) make up 15% of the population. We actually were very surprised at how many Asians we saw. There seemed to be a Chinese restaurant every 4th door when we were walking around the city center. The main tourists are folks from Australia and Americans. The weather in Auckland never drops below freezing. However, if you drive south to the South Island, you can find skiing in the wintertime. It was odd knowing that heading north meant warmer temps and heading south meant cooler temps. Also, our winter is their summer. They enjoy summertime BBQs for their Christmas celebrations and are often on the water. Kids get about 6 weeks off of school over the Christmas holidays to enjoy the warm weather with their families. State Hwy 1 runs from the tip of the northern island to the southern part of the southern island, running 1270 miles. This includes a ride on the car ferry getting you between the north and south islands. As for sports…the most popular sports in the winter are rugby, netball, and hockey. The summer sports are tennis and cricket. Sports are pretty big in New Zealand. All children are expected to be on teams and participate in sports. We passed Eden Park, where the All Blacks Rugby team play (cricket plays there as well). That was pretty cool.

One of the places we got off the Hop On Hop Off bus to stretch our legs was MOTAT. That stands for Museum of Transportation and Technology. Yawn. We didn’t go into the building. We walked along the park near it called Western Springs Park. There was a pond there they called “Eel Pond”, well, because it was full of longfin eels. There were A LOT of them. You expect to see fish…not eels. Evidently they can live up to 80 years and are the biggest eel in the world. They can live on land for up to 2 days breathing through their skin. That’s the stuff of nightmares, right there, folks. There were also a lot of swans…black swans. Never saw a white swan while we were in New Zealand. Theirs are all black. (play on words there….) There were also ducks there including mallards, NZ Scaup, and Paradise Shelducks. There are over 5000 tree species in New Zealand and I am a sucker for a pretty tree, so you have been warned. Photos will include tree photos! Here are some of the photos from our walk in this pretty park.

Another place we stopped along the bus route was Mount Eden (Maungawhau). We walked to the top of an extinct volcano for beautiful views over the city. It was about 300 meters each way, so about a 10-minute walk. It is a 75 hectare green space. It is a crater on top of an extinct volcano. The large crater creates a grassy bowl. It is roped off and considered sacred ground. No one is allowed to walk on that part of the park.

Here are a few other random photos we took as we walked around the city. If you get confused between the New Zealand and the Australian flags, you are not alone. They look very similar. Both flags are a blue standard with the British Union Jack in the upper lefthand corner. Australia has a constellation of 4 stars with one smaller star for a total of 5 white stars on the right-hand side of the flag. They also have a larger white star with 7 points under the Union Jack. The New Zealand flag has the same 4 start constellation next to the Union Jack, but they are white stars outlined in red. We noticed that on the boats, the background color for the flags were red instead of blue, we are guessing it was to better see them against the blue water. We happened to be in New Zealand on their holiday on Feb 6th, Waitangi Day. It commemorates the 1840 signing of the Treaty of Waitangi – between the Māori and the British to form New Zealand as a country. The tall spire-like building is the Sky City Tower. It is 328 meters high. We had drinks and listened to live music at the base of it each afternoon we were there. It was a short walk from our hotel. We watched people do sky jumps off the top of it – you jump but are attached to a wire that slows you down towards the bottom. They fall 192 meters. Yep, happy to watch, not to play. Rich’s brother and sister-in-law were on the lookout for an ice cream place called Giapo Ice Cream. They make wild shapes with their ice cream cones and they were looking for the chocolate squid. They found it! We went out to eat at two nicer restaurants while we were there: Sails and White and Wongs. White and Wongs was phenomenal. It is Asian fusion and everything was reasonably priced and delicious. We also were able to walk there. Sails is a higher end seafood place you need a reservation for. The food was good but it wasn’t necessarily worth the Uber ride to get there and back. We arrived just before Chinese New Year kicked off. With the huge Chinese population in the region, there was no shortage on decorations. Rich and I attended Sunday Mass at The Catholic Cathedral of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, which was a short walk from our hotel. We lit a candle for our Joe there.

Rich and I also went to the All Blacks Experience – an interactive museum where you learn about the history and culture of the All Blacks rugby teams – men’s and women’s. There is a swirling Māori tattoo of sorts along the walls of the museum with the names of all players who have ever played for the team. Next to their name is a number…the higher the number, the newer the team member. I found a few of my favorites. We had a blast spending time there. There is a piece of jade or pounamu that the team actually takes with them when they play overseas. They were in the off season, so the jade stone was there for us to touch. Each player touches it as they go onto the pitch to play. Many New Zealanders wear a jade carving around a leather strap around their necks. The carvings represent different meanings and blessings. You never buy one for yourself. It is meant to be a gift from a loved one. The jade warms and it is believed to absorb the wearer’s mauri (life force). This is interesting as when I was in China, they have somewhat of the same tradition with their jade bracelets for women. The jade pieces are a sacred taonga (treasure) and are often handed down through the generations. Back to the All Blacks Experience….we got to stand on astro turf in front of a screen while life-sized players performed the haka in front of you as if you were the opposing team. The haka is often thought of as a war dance, but it is really a sign of respect. They feel you are a worthy opponent; you see the haka. If a special person dies, the haka is performed at their funeral. If you achieve something wonderful – like graduation from college, your family can do the haka for you. It was intense enough to blow your hair backwards. The women’s version of the haka is different, but no less intense. Anyhow, if you are a rugby fan at all…this is your haven. If you know rugby at all, you know about Jonah Lomu. He debuted for the All Blacks rugby union team in 1994. He was a beast of a man…large but the fastest player on the team. He was 6 ft 5 in and weight 276 lbs. He was considered one of the best rugby players of all times. He died in 2015 at the age of 40 due to a heart attack. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold off the field and a beast who wouldn’t be slayed on the pitch. Seeing his jersey and his name on the wall meant a lot to this fan.

Our last day in Auckland, we took a trip to Piha Beach. It is a black sand beach known for good surfing. It is one of the most popular surfing beaches in the world. There is a large rock they call Lion Rock, right next to the shore. Behind some of the rocks are colonies of small penguins. I didn’t get to see them though. The water made the black sand shimmer and was a perfect canvas for reflections of the rock formations around the beach. The sand was thick! I felt like I was walking through brownie batter.

After some time on Piha Beach, we drove a few minutes down the road to Kitekite Falls. We walked along a trail in the native forest to get to a multi-tiered waterfall. We walked through ferns and ancient kauri trees. This was one of the places we had to clean the soles of our shoes entering the trail and then exiting. They are really trying to maintain their local flora and fauna. They don’t want anything brought into the area. You will see some fern trees in these photos. Rich took a dip in the water. He said it was incredibly cold. He also found an eel!

After three full days in Auckland, it was time for us to head to our ship, the Holland America Lines MS Noordam. We were actually able to walk to the port as it was all downhill for us and took maybe 10 minutes to walk there. My brother-in-law decided to try and surf his suitcases down, but it didn’t quite work…. We had a great time in Auckland and would highly recommend a trip there!

Hi folks! We have been out of the country for about 3.5 weeks and just got back on Friday. Travel time kind of kicked our tails, but I wanted to get going on my blogging of the trip! I am going to just kind of do an overview of our trip and our impressions here and then will post photos and thoughts on each of the places we went. This will probably take me a week to do….there is just so much to share. For those of you who aren’t on Facebook, Rich and I, along with his brother and his wife, traveled to New Zealand and Australia! This was the last location on my bucket list of travel that Rich asked me to put together when I was first diagnosed with cancer in 2019. He has been slowly ticking off those bucket list destinations. A goal for me while Down Under was to get to take a photo of a kangaroo, a koala, and the Sydney Opera House. Mission accomplished! Another goal for me personally, was to reach my 55th birthday. That was a “pie in the sky” goal I set for myself a few years ago. So now all my goals have been met. Time to make some more. To be quite honest, this is pretty heavy on my mind as my last set of CT scans were not as good as they have been. I asked my local oncologist if I could be scanned at 3 months rather than waiting for my normal 6 months. She felt that was a good compromise and so I had my scans early this morning. I meet with my local oncologist Wednesday late afternoon. So that is weighing on me…the unknown of my cancer status. That guides my goals. So I would like to put out a couple of goals out into the universe….I would like to see Lily graduate from college (May 2027). I would like to go on that African trip we have planned in June of this year and our China trip with Lily in June of 2027. Until I get more info on my health, that is as far as I am going out. Anyhow, I digress….Australia and New Zealand!!!!

We flew a behemoth number of hours there and back. We left on Tuesday afternoon on January 27th from Montana and flew to Denver…then to San Francisco. From there we joined Rich’s brother and sister-in-law and got on the big jet for the 13-hour flight to Auckland. We passed the international date line on the way there and completely lost out on January 28, 2026. It is forever lost to us. (that is a disconcerting feeling to have – that you have completely lost a day) We arrived in the morning hours of Thursday, January 29th. I don’t know about you, but I am not able to sleep sitting up unless I am completely exhausted. Let’s just say we were all pretty tired when we arrived. We were able to check into our hotel rooms within an hour or so after arriving, which was great. We left to start wandering around Auckland. We were there for 3 days prior to getting on the Holland America Line MS Noordam. We were on the ship for 14 days, where we made 8 stops in New Zealand (on both the North and South Islands), Tasmania, and the main continent of Australia. We got off the ship in Sydney. We spent 2 days there and then flew north to Cairns, where we spent our last 3 days in the wonderful country of Australia.

There are a few things the four of us agreed on. First off, if you are going to endure the long trip – stay for a beat. We ended up staying for 24 days. It was just about right. I miss home and my dog when I am gone. Anything shorter than that would have maybe not made the trip worth the long travel time. We all were surprised at how clean and easy to get around Auckland was. Sydney was not as clean…with 5.5 million people living there, it was a giant city with skyscrapers. New Zealand doesn’t have mammals. I take that back – there are two mammals that are indigenous to New Zealand and they are both small bats. What mammals they do have, they are trying to eradicate by 2050 – rats and possums. They were brought to the country decades ago and are responsible for the near extinction of several types of flightless birds. New Zealand may not have a lot of mammals, but they have a ton of birds. The flora….the trees and the ferns and the beautiful flowers, are a sight to see. New Zealand doesn’t have the poisonous creepy crawlies that Australia is known for. We landed in Australia and our guides carried first aid bags with them when we were hiking in case we were accosted by any said poisonous creepy crawlies. One overzealous guide told us there was even an ant in Australia that was poisonous and had no antidote. However, they did have kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, kookaburras, and lots of other mammals and birds. They also had some pretty impressively sized spiders. I think all four of us decided we really enjoyed Tasmania the best. We made two stops on this island state that is southeast of Australia proper. We really enjoyed Hobart, which is in the southern part of Tasmania. But more on that in another post.

The exchange rate was good for both countries against the U.S. dollar. In New Zealand, a dollar there was $0.60 to the U.S. dollar. (so everything was about 40% less). In Australia, it was about 30% less. So our U.S. dollar went further in both countries. There is no tipping in either country, unless it is a higher end restaurant. Meat pies are the local fare in both countries and we got to try several varieties. We all fell in love with the Australian non-alcoholic ginger beer made by the company Bundaberg. So good! There are a lot of Asians who not only visit these two countries but also immigrate there. Both countries have a large Asian presence. Both countries also give a lot of voice and respect to their indigenous people. For New Zealand, it is the Māori people. For Australia, it is the Aboriginal people. I lost count how many times I heard locals talk about “the sins of our fathers” and making it right. Biodiversity laws are very strict in both countries. Don’t bother trying to bring food in. There are even places that don’t trust where you have been, so you have to wash the bottoms of your shoes prior to walking in a park. I fell in love with Barundi fish (in Australia) and Warehou fish (in New Zealand) and chips. Both are a white fish that is so hearty, it is almost like chicken. I am not a big fish person, but I loved it.

Holland America Lines – the MS Noordam….it is an older ship, and its decor is somewhat dated and worn. However, it was a ship that was serving 1900 passengers and that was a good number. There were actually 600 passengers on the ship when we embarked that had been on the ship for several weeks already. Many of them taking a 42-day voyage. They had rough weather the week before we arrived and missed 3 or 4 stops on minor outlying islands between Fiji and New Zealand. They were a hearty bunch though! We asked to have shared dining each night when in the dining room, so were with different couples each night…. getting to know more people. A lot of the people were from Australia and New Zealand. Many were from the UK. There was a strong contingency from Canada and then the U.S. as well. There was a group of nearly 30 people from Israel on board too. Many Germans were also sailing with us. It was a good time. We were probably 10-15 years younger than most. There was ONE child on board. The entertainment was stellar and the food was amazing. I like that there is always something in the main dining room that is related to whatever stop we are at that day or at least the region. Lots of fresh fish and seafood. Lots of variety. The specialty dining was top notch. I literally have to skip a meal before I go because I want to eat everything on my plate, it is so good. There was a singing pianist named James that was from Scotland onboard. We closed out our nights with him whenever he was playing. He was very much a ship favorite. They even hosted a big Superbowl viewing party on Superbowl Sunday (which was Superbowl Monday afternoon for us) in the theatre with popcorn and snacks and drinks and cake. We enjoyed playing cards up in the Crow’s nest. That was a favorite hangout place for people doing puzzles or playing board or card games or just reading in comfy chairs. I took a couple of calligraphy classes on our sea days. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a priest on board our ship that celebrated daily mass the entirety of the cruise. The port talks were very interesting, and I felt relatively informed while we were on board. The staff was wonderful. I really enjoy this cruise line!

So that is my loose overview of the trip. Now on to the cities we visited and photos to go along with them!

Today is Epiphany…January 6th….the day the wisemen came to visit the Christ child in Bethlehem. It is also the 12th day of the Christmas season, bringing it to an end. The three wisemen were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All over the world, this feast day is celebrated. Some do cold water plunges, diving into waters blessed by Orthodox priests to retrieve a cross. In Italy, an old woman will bring gifts to children the night before Epiphany. In Spain, the celebration of Three Kings’ Day (dia de los reyes) brings gifts into the shoes of children.

In the United States, it is not overly celebrated. However, in the past 10 years or so, I have celebrated the “Chalking of the Doors” in my home. I had honestly never heard of it before then. The priest will bless pieces of chalk for you to take home. Above your door on your lintel, you write in chalk, 20 + C + M + B + 26. So the bookends – the numbers- are the year. C, M, B has two meanings: the names of the wisemen (Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar) or the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ Bless this house.” The + sign between the numbers and initials represent the cross. As Christians we want to welcome people into our home as Christ was welcomed into the world. I have white siding so you can’t really see the writing, so I looked up another photo online to share with you.

The blessing said after chalking the doors is: The three wise men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and twenty-six years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen.

The prayer then offered is: Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of your presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of your love: and grant that we may manifest your love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grown in grace and in the knowledge and love of you; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

I am trying my best to post more on this blog in 2026. I kinda fell off the blogging wagon at the end of last year. I figured the best way to blog this week is to wish Lily a very happy 21st birthday today!

After several painful teen years (for everyone involved), Lily is blossomed into a wonderful young woman who I thoroughly enjoy spending time with. She will be starting the second semester of her junior year in a couple of weeks at the Kansas City Art Institute where she is getting a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree majoring in Illustration and minoring in Entrepreneurship. She lives in a house that will be 100 years old this year. It was refurbished and made into a duplex (upper and lower levels). She and two of her classmates live with her in the upstairs unit. Although Lily seems to enjoy the city life of living in downtown Kansas City, she still seems to enjoy coming to Montana during her school breaks. She goes up to Omaha a couple of times a year to visit friends and hang around the place she grew up.

Lily is a fabulous cook. She took a lot of culinary classes in high school and was always with me in the kitchen growing up. She makes a mean chili (I didn’t teach her that one) and the very best deviled eggs I have ever had. (the secret ingredient being apple cider vinegar – go figure!) Her hair is dyed but as the dye fades out of her black hair, it turns this mixture of blue and purple hues. She calls it pigeon breast colors. Her friends in KC call it an oil slick. A bagger in the grocery store up here in Montana commented that her hair looks like the Northern Lights. I like that description a lot and I think she did as well. The picture below doesn’t do her hair justice as it is mostly in the back. Lily is a collector of random items. She collects bread clips of all colors and sizes. Her first stop when she comes into the house in Montana is to head to the kitchen and go check the small tupperware cup we have in the junk drawer where we collect bread tags for her while she is gone. She even has our neighbors bringing them over to her! She swaps them online with other collectors around the world. Needless to say, we’ll be buying some kind of bread product when we are overseas this year, to hopefully add to her collection. She still can do origami with the best of them, and it still amazes me what she creates. Lily is a keeper of a million random facts. It is fascinating to have a conversation with her. I always learn something!

We’ll be heading to Kalispell to eat out in a few hours. She almost always gets charges as a 12 and under kid. She is anxious to see if on her 21st birthday, she still gets charged as a kid. We’ll let you know! Until then, happy birthday to my youngest, Lily. We love you so very much and can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!

As the year comes to a close, I wanted to share the comfort of my home at Christmas with you. I am not one to leave up decorations for very long and these are now all packed up and put away for Advent 2026. It was a small and quiet Christmas for our family. Lily was the only one home. We didn’t have an open house this year – just a few friends over for dinner. It was a harder Christmas for me this year. I was really missing my Joe and his wife, Michelle. Whenever they would come to our house for Christmas, they would bring their two large dogs with them. It was always a three-ringed circus but it was MY three-ringed circus and I loved making big meals and baking and making candies for everyone to munch on while we played card and board games. Watching the boys get upset because their little sister beat them at Settlers of Catan was fun to watch. The Celtics would be on TV and the noise level was a dull roar. Each year since Joe’s death has become quieter. This year was the first year we didn’t have Tim with us. We have had weird weather here in Montana and there was no snow on the ground. We had a crazy call on Christmas Eve, and a couple on Christmas Day. There was no green bean casserole (Tim’s favorite)….no special mashed potatoes (Joe’s favorite)…no prime rib (a waste for three of us). It was just quiet, and I realize that is probably our new norm. However, I LOVE the way our house feels and looks like during Christmas. I feel like this house was made for the Christmas season. I wanted to share what it looked like.

How do YOU decorate your tree? I love looking at Christmas trees and what their ornaments represent the family they belong to. Christmas ornaments are my weakness. Each year as I unwrap an ornament, I have a flood of memories for each one….either from the person who gave it to me, the place where it came from (I always buy an ornament from the places we travel to) or just an admiration of the beauty of the item. Besides collecting ornaments from other countries, I also collect Swarovski crystal snowflakes each year. They make a tree sparkle and I have always loved snowflakes and these are so beautiful. I also like the annual Willow Tree angels. Each year in September or October, I order the ones for that year. Although it wasn’t planned, each year we have gotten at least one ornament to memorialize our Joe. We have ornaments the kids made when they were little and ornaments given to us from my Grandma Neitzke. We have a random Garfield head wearing a Vikings football helmet from when we lived in Minnesota. We moved there in 1997 and lost all of our ornaments in a flood that swept away the town 3 weeks later. Our church gathered Christmas ornaments from all over Minnesota and a brown paper sack full of them were left on our doorsteps that Christmas season. That is the one that has stayed with us for the last almost 30 years now. I have ornaments given to me in ornament exchanges with coworkers over the years. As a school secretary, I got some from families at the school as well. My mom, in her infinite wisdom, started buying ornaments for her kids when I was in middle school. We each got one every year and they were ones that reflected our personalities. I have those. I have a couple of ornaments from Rich’s Gram, when we first got engaged. See…lots of wonderful memories…and a lot of those people are no longer here. Moving beyond the tree, I have a beautiful Willow Tree Navity set that I adore. I also have a collection of international santas. Joe always called them the creepy santas but I still like them! Every country’s idea of Father Christmas is different. Anyhow, I wanted to share our home with you. As I said before, I think that this house was made to be decorated for Christmas. I don’t have any special talent decorating…I think a Charlie Brown Christmas tree would still look good.

My view from my favorite overstuffed chair. When it snows, I love to spend time in this room as it is covered in windows and I feel like I am in a reverse snowglobe.

The stockings….one for all six of us, even though only three were present this year. The international santas are to the left and to the right is a decades old nativity ceramic set that Rich’s mom made for her mother about 50 years ago. Rich got the set back when his Gram died almost 30 years ago.

These pictures were taken on Dec 27th…when the decorations were still up and we had just gotten an inch or so of snow. Better late than never!

My mom quilted this table runner and it looks awesome out for the season.

The quilted wall hanging was from my Grandma Neitzke in the first few years of our marriage. The Santa hat is one I used to wear to the elementary school I worked at on party day. The BELIEVE blocks were a gift from one of my former principals and I LOVE them! Below are the holiday cards we received this year. I keep thinking that one of these days I won’t send out cards to all these folks that never send one back. Many are family….stamps are getting so expensive now that sending out over 100 cards a year may have to stop. I have whittled down quite a bit, but still….

The first thing unpacked every Advent season is our Advent wreath. The quilted table piece underneath is one that my Grandma Neitzke made me decades ago.

The Willow Tree Nativity with a quilted banner made by my mom and a Silent Night painting given to me by my Grandma Neitzke when I was first married.

For several years, I took our family Christmas photo and made a igloo cube with them…filled with fake snow and small ornaments. I only did it for 13 years…but I enjoy looking at my kids’ faces from years gone by.

Tallinn also loves Christmas. He loves the Christmas tree lights. He was guarding the tree and not happy with me in this photo because I pulled out all the bins to put things away.

This year’s addition. It just seemed to fit. We have a firefighter one, an army one, and a silver heart with his thumbprint on it.

A Swarvski crystal snowflake

The Willow Tree annual angel ornaments. This one wasn’t an annual addition but an angel holding a little boy that struck me deep in my heart. The idea of my boy being held in the arms of angels, even as an adult, comforts me.

This angel made of wool was a Christmas gift from my Grandma Neitzke decades ago. One of my favorites.

This is one of the ornaments I got from Sicily…the homeland of the Messinas!

Very delicately painted thin glass Christmas ornament from the Prague Christmas market.

Our little Tim (or Timmy back then) from his preschool days in Colorado Springs, CO

One of my pretty new ornaments from friends from the fire department. So beautiful! I love it!

Love this little angel handmade in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Hello dear family and friends! This is our 35^th Messina family Christmas letter! So, let’s get to it!

We LOVE living in NW Montana!  We are about 25 minutes from Glacier National Park, Whitefish Ski Resort, Flathead Lake, and the nearest hockey rink. What more could you ask for? We love to travel but love coming home to this special place. We were able to share our beautiful home with several visitors this summer: Rich’s sister, Tammie; my brother, Craig and his family; the Methe family from Nebraska; some of our Joe’s former coworkers from the Olathe Fire Dept and their wives; and some dear friends from our Air Force days, the Masins and the Bakers. We had such a great time sharing our home with these folks. If you want to come visit, we’d love to have you! Give us a call and we’ll put you on our calendar.

Rich has had another stellar year. He continues to play hockey a couple of times a week and even joined the Colorado Warriors hockey team to play in a Disabled Veterans Hockey Tournament in Tampa last month. Rich plays poker a couple of nights a week and has participated in a few poker tournaments here and there as well. In the winter, he is snowboarding and skiing, and in the summer, hiking, floating, and kayaking are on the docket. Rich continues to work as a travel advisor with Cruise Planners, and I support him how I can in this business and a few other home businesses he runs. We’ve enclosed a business card for you or someone you know who would like to go on a trip somewhere fun. We both continue to volunteer at Bad Rock Volunteer Fire Department and Quick Response Unit. Rich went through Fire 1 Academy this spring and now plays a leadership role with our firefighters as a lieutenant.

Our Joe would have been 31 last month and married 5 years the month before that. It is hard to believe he has been gone for over 3 ½ years now. He is missed every single day. His trusty dog, Moose, joined him in heaven this year after an illness. If you saw the video of those two being reunited after Joe’s Middle East deployment in 2017, you can just imagine what it must have been like to have their souls together again. Michelle continues her government job, and I am sure she is thankful to start being paid again. She continues to crush it on the mats in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and showers love on her remaining dog, Jenna. Michelle seems to have caught the travel bug as well and has been to some wonderful spots. We are so proud of her and love her very much.

Tim has moved! This boy doesn’t do it halfway. He left his job with women’s basketball in San Diego and moved across THE ENTIRE COUNTRY to North Carolina to work with men’s basketball at Campbell University. He lives halfway between his job and Raleigh and seems to really enjoy working with this brand-new coaching staff. Tim is living alone for the first time ever and is taking advantage of the solitude after a long workday. We went to visit him during the week of Thanksgiving and loved getting to know his new area. We caught a game while we were there and will catch another one at Gonzaga later in the month. Tim is working hard, as usual, and we couldn’t be prouder of the professional coach and man he has become. He is further away from where we are but in a much better place professionally and personally. It is still surreal to see your kid on TV during basketball games. We are so proud of him and love him so much.

Lily is going to be 21 early next month!  I cannot wait to see the faces of the waitstaff in restaurants who still try to give her children’s menus when she is old enough to order a beer. She is halfway through her junior year in college at the Kansas City Art Institute where she is majoring in illustration and minoring in entrepreneurship. She and two classmates live in a duplex near the school. Lily seems to enjoy school but has been coming back to Montana between semesters. Over the summer, she worked at a zipline place nearby.  She and her friends continue to go to anime conventions across the Midwest and absolutely blow us away with their costumes. We enjoyed seeing her in NC over Thanksgiving and are looking forward to her arriving for Christmas break. We are so proud of how brave she has been to follow her dream of being an artist and we love her more than words can say.

I am busy mostly with my job as QRU (quick response unit) Captain at our volunteer fire department. I not only am an EMT who is on call 24/7 but am an instructor for First Aid, Stop the Bleed, and CPR at our fire department. I teach EMS classes to our emergency medical providers every month and coordinate at the county and state level each month as well. I help with behind-the-scenes business stuff for Rich and enjoy sharing our travel experiences with others. My health remains stable for now and I am running with that as we have some big international trips planned in 2026 – Australia/New Zealand, and Africa are calling my name. Until then, I spend my down time trying out new recipes, walking the area with Tallinn, reading, and participating in webinars online.

Speaking of travel…we were mostly homebodies this year as many people came to us!  We did some traveling for work…. a work cruise out of San Diego in January. I know, work cruise…. sounds rough. Well, try being in a classroom all day learning travel advisor stuff rather than sitting by the pool or enjoying fun activities on board. We did another work cruise to the Bahamas in October. Honestly, the jury is out on these work cruises for me. We did get released to enjoy the ports when we stopped, which was wonderful. We snorkeled with sea lions in the ocean and that was pretty darn cool. I really enjoy learning about other places, cultures and foods and we try to accomplish that wherever we go. We also took trips to Houston and Florida twice last year to visit our parents. Rich’s mom and my dad are in the end stages of dementia, so we try to visit when we can…and support our parents who are their caretakers. Rich’s brother had his retirement ceremony in late October in D.C., and we attended the festivities. We are sure proud of his military career. We look forward to seeing what is next for him.

Shameless plug – if you or someone you know want help planning a trip, contact us!  We are paid by the vendors, not the people we help, so there is no cost to them. We don’t just work with cruise lines but also with lots of land tours and all-inclusive resorts all over the world. Our parent company is very well known in the travel business and can help us get pretty good deals. Let us take over the minutia of travel planning so you can worry about what to pack. We can even advise you on that! We are not in the travel advisor business for the money. We literally just want to help people make their bucket list vacations come true. We have been blessed to have traveled the world, and we take notes as we go to help others.

Shameless plug #2…come visit us in Montana! We would love to have you come and spend time with us. Every time of year has its own beauty and things to do. Give us a call and we’ll pencil you into Rich and Cyndi’s free bed and breakfast!  The nearest airport to us is 15 minutes away – Glacier Park International Airport (FCA)…so it is very doable!

Our thoughts and prayers are with each one of you during this Christmas season and into 2026.  We would love to hear from you! Give us a call sometime so we can catch up!

Much love,

Rich & Cyndi Messina

Rich 402-659-2012  

Cyndi 402-686-0975   http://www.messinamusings.com

Crown Jewel Cruise Planners 406-215-2115    http://www.crownjewelcruiseplanners.com

Oh my word, it has been a long time since I posted anything on this site. Sorry about that. Life sometimes just takes a good hold on you and shakes you…and even in the moments of quiet, you want to just relish in the quiet and not do much. Christmas is just days away and it has really snuck up on me. I haven’t done any holiday baking, which I typically love to do. I have all the things and just can’t get myself to do it. I think part of it is that it is such a favorite thing of mine to do every year….to give my love through sweet treats to my family. But I have a husband who is not a huge fan of Christmas (every year it is a struggle over me spending too much and making too many sweets) and only one kiddo home this year. Something I have done every year…make treats to munch on during basketball games, football playoff games, and family board and card games, seems to be unwanted this year. Maybe it has been unwanted every year and I never noticed because I had blinders on. It just feels like another piece of my identity which I hold dear stripped away. Who would have made sure I made those treats? Joe. He loved them and would ask if something I made normally was missing. Tim is a health nut. Rich is trying to avoid sugar for his joint health. Lily is not a sweets girl. So I guess that leaves me, who loves sweets and making food for others. It is one of my love languages – cooking and baking for others. That is a hard role for me to give up, as it is who I am for decades. I guess I will just plod through this year without the kitchen smelling amazing, the Christmas music blaring. Tallinn and I will miss it.

The weather has been crazy here in Montana over the last month. We went away for a week to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving week with Tim and Lily in Tim’s new area. We came home to almost 10 inches of snow. We worked hard to clear it all and then it started to rain. It rained for nearly 2 weeks and all the snow melted….including a lot of the snow measured in feet on the mountains. That results in avalanches and a snow run off that is usually reserved for the late spring. The Flathead River and many of the other rivers around us swelled and in places like Libby, Montana (not far from us) the rivers ripped away bridges and roads and started flooding towns. To add insult to injury, the winds came. When I say wind, I am talking about the strength of winds that uproot trees that are in ground saturated from melted snow and 2 weeks of rain. Trees snapped but many were just simply ripped from the ground, roots and all. Did this happen during the day? Oh no! We had three significant wind events in 4 days and two of the three were in the middle of the night. (of course it gets dark by around 4:30 p.m. here) Power outages were rampant and the number of 911 calls for downed lines and trees were great. The first night was the worst, but even though Rich and I were out with the fire department until the wee hours of the morning, it was a warmer wind and not too bad. The next winds that came through brought in a cold front, making being outside bone-chilling. We FINALLY got a dusting of snow last night. We are supposed to have a chance of snow every day this week. We may end up with a white Christmas after all. So all this crazy weather has made it NOT feel like Christmas. It just snuck up on me.

I do have my Christmas letters out and packages of gifts were mailed and delivered. All of the Christmas presents are wrapped and ready to put under the tree. Maybe I will put them under the tree today. The Christmas toy and grocery give away our fire department does for families who need a bit of help at Christmas time is done and dusted. That is a big job that takes up a lot of my waking time for about a week straight. Lily comes home right in the middle of that crazy time and has helped me for the last 3 years. Her willingness to be a part of this big project makes me so happy. Normally this event is a bit closer to Christmas, but this year we were a whole week prior, which was discombobulating for my internal event calendar. So everything snuck up on me.

Along the same theme, I belong to a VERY conservative Catholic Church. They do not put up any Christmas decorations until after the fourth Sunday of Advent Masses are over. They typically sing one hymn per Sunday Mass and none of them have been anything I know (they only sing very traditional old hymns). That has not helped the process of getting ready for Christmas. Yes, Advent is the season of waiting. And I have been! We have an Advent wreath at our home that we light with dinner. But going into an empty, non-decorated sanctuary has been odd for me this year. The first time we will all see it decorated with a wreath and trees will be on Christmas Eve. Another reason why Christmas has snuck up on me.

So if Christmas has snuck up on you as it did me, I hear ya, my peeps. I don’t know how it can sneak up on us when Christmas commercials start at the end of October and stores are filled with Christmas stuff in September. (oh yeah, I don’t typically watch TV and I don’t go shopping in brick and mortar shops for the most part). Whatever it is – whether your mind is just avoiding the whole holiday vibe because you know you are missing someone close to you, like I am – or because you have family who can’t be with you this year do to distance, work schedules, or just life in general (like I also do), give yourself some grace. Grab a hot cocoa and sit down and enjoy a moment by your tree, thinking about those who you are missing (in the realm or the next). Go for a walk in the cold, crisp air just get outside. That is my big thing that helps me. I think I am going to take my trusty sidekick for a walk right now. He and I both need it. Here’s to hoping you are able to have a Silent Night…a Holy Night…some time with people you love and who love you back. Christmas is a season, not a day. We have time, friends, if it snuck up on you as well. Love to you all!

Today I lost one of my dearest and closest friends. Her name was Emily Ryan and she lived in Omaha. I first met Emily at our church at St. Gerald in Ralston, Nebraska. She was a sign language interpreter and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She started teaching classes in sign language after Mass and Lily and I would go. It allowed me to brush up on my own sign language skills I started learning in high school and then later took in college. I remembered her excitement in meeting Lily, who was in maybe the 5th grade at that point. She was such a vivacious, happy, in-your-face person that at first I felt she was a bit much. But as I got to know her, I learned how incredibly genuine she was about what she said and felt. I remember laughing right out loud when I found out she sold candles for a living. Of course she did! She was a bright, shining light who just about blinded you!

When Lily went through her second year of confirmation class, she needed to pick a sponsor. She was still pretty painfully shy at that point and didn’t know who to choose. I suggested Emily and I remember Emily crying tears of joy when Lily asked her. Emily has three awesome adult kids but does not have any grandchildren. She said Lily was a bit old to be her grandchild, but she felt it was a solemn vow she made to help her through her confirmation tasks. She and Lily meal prepped at her house and brought food to serve Rich and me one night. It was a marvel to watch Lily with Emily. They complemented each other so well. Lily even went to go see her over her spring break her freshman year in college when she was in Omaha visiting friends.

I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in October of 2019 and I was devastated. She was right there by my side allowing me to cry and grieve the future I thought I would never have. She took Lily out and about and away from our house while I was so sick and not feeling good. She made banana bread and soups and brought them over. Emily was the banana bread queen! I think she brought over a couple of mini loaves a week. I will never again eat banana bread without thinking of Emily Ryan. The picture below was when I was completely bald and Emily was trying to keep my spirits up after Mass one day with Lily.

Emily was diagnosed with cancer about 18 months after I was. We talked often and she was so very brave in her fight. We talked all the time about treatments and doctors and hospitals and surgeries. Before we knew it, she was done with treatment and having her port removed and going back to a somewhat normal life again.

Then I lost my Joe…and things got really dark in my life. Emily spent almost that whole day he died with me at our house in Omaha along with other friends of Joe’s. She rallied the troops of mutual friends at St. Gerald and soon everyone came bearing food and toilet paper. (yes, evidently that is a thing). Once again she allowed me to cry, and she cried along with me. She never waivered as a support system or a friend.

Then Emily’s cancer came back….right around the time I was moving to Montana. She knew it was going to be a tougher battle this time but never gave up hope that her God would save her. She and I would talk on the phone about a lot of the tough stuff….planning our own funerals, leaving our kids behind….all those things cancer patients think about but usually can’t even talk about with their spouses as they don’t want to upset them. When she started thinking about hospice, we put our heads together to get some questions for her to ask of the two agencies she was interested in. These topics are all so morbid sounding….but it was a gift of the living, to prepare for her death. We talked a lot about that this year. I told her once that I thought of her as one of my best friends and then I realized just how many “good friends” she had. She told me that she thought of me as her little sister, and called me Little Sis when we would text. It was the nicest compliment.

This morning, surrounded by her three kids she adored so much and prayed for daily, she stepped away from this earthly world and into her Savior’s loving arms. I have no doubt she is living it up with some of our mutual friends we have lost over the last couple of years: Becky, Duffy, and Lori, to name just a few. I can’t imagine my life without her in it…that goofy laugh as she handed me banana bread and a sunflower. I have a metal sunflower that greets me at my house in Montana every day that she gave me as we were leaving Omaha. Her faith amazed me. I will forever be changed for the better for knowing her….and I know many others feel the same. The world is a bit duller without her now, but wow, heaven gained a spitfire in Emily Ryan. Love you, my friend. I now have Joe to be by my side at fire calls to help guide me and Emily to be by my side to pray for me. She was a real gem at saying the rosary. Rest in peace, my Big Sis.

I can’t believe Lily has been a part of our family for 19 years legally as of today. She was so scared and skinny and yet brave as a 20 month old being handed over to an American family in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, PRC. We looked different, sounded different, and smelled different. Anything she was used to at her foster mom’s house was ripped away from her as she was thrust into a new environment. We were so very happy to adopt her….she was so very scared at all that was happening in her little life. We knew if we could get her through the first few days and weeks, it would work out. It did. Not to say there hasn’t been bumps along the way….but aren’t there with your biological kiddos as well?

Lily has grown into a wonderful young lady and I so enjoy spending time with her. My favorite thing is to go shopping with her….could even be just for groceries. We find something to talk about and I have her undivided attention. I also love being in the kitchen with her. She is a great cook and I always learn something new from her. I genuinely enjoy spending time with her and talking with her. The teen years were rough…because they were teen years and so much upheaval happened in her life. Her mom was diagnosed with stage IV cancer and COVID hit and she lost her oldest brother. That is A LOT to happen in a 3 year time span. Yet, she has come out of that time seasoned and wiser, with a sense of humor that amazes me. To say she completed our family like we didn’t know we needed it 19 years ago is a huge understatement. Love you, Lily! We are so glad you are a Messina!

One last tidbit of information : Lily collects bread clips! It seems like an odd thing to do, but she researches them all and has people who will save them for her. There is evidently an online group of people who do this and although I don’t see the fascination, I am intrigued that she does. She was thrilled when I asked for bread ties at our favorite brunch spot in Hungry Horse before she left. All of these photos are from this summer in Montana.

Summer has been glorious in Montana. We have not spent a whole summer here since we moved here, so we have enjoyed spending our days filled with many visitors and lots of fun outdoor activities.

We had Rich’s sister, Tammie, here from Florida for a few days. Then we had my brother and his family here from Houston for a week. We did a quick turn around and had some Air Force friends of Rich’s and their four kids here from Nebraska for several days. A few days after they left, we had two former coworkers of Joe’s from the Olathe Fire Department in Kansas and their wives here for a few days. That was very special for us. It was great to be able to talk about Joe freely and openly with people who knew and loved him. We then had two couples from our Air Force days from 20+ years ago who came to visit – we had a great time and it was like we were able to just pick up where we left off over 20 years ago without having to chase after little kids. We did some kayaking and hiking and touring of the Hungry Horse Dam. Then Tim came to visit. It was great to show him around the area during the warm summer months. He is usually here during skiing season, so it was great to show him around Glacier National Park and take him kayaking through the valley. He and Lily don’t often get to see other for more than a couple of days around Christmas at most, so they got to spend 5 days together, which was awesome. They are both now back in their respective states. School has started up for Lily for her junior year at Kansas City Art Institute, and Tim’s school year with the athletes has gotten underway at Campbell University. We also had the pleasure of having Michelle’s brother and sister-in-law over for dinner while they were visiting Glacier National Park. It was great to spend some time with them. They were very special to our Joe, and he was so happy to call them family. I think we single handedly got multiple people hooked on huckleberry ice cream or shakes.

We have enjoyed spending time at home this summer. Lots of time on the water…in the park…on the front porch and in the backyard. There are two flocks of about 2-3 dozen wild turkeys that meander through our yard and several deer families who stop to wait out the heat of the day in the shade of our trees. There were only 2 fawns this year and they are twins. I jokingly call them Thing 1 and Thing 2. They are almost inseparable and seem to get into mischief together. There have been three young bucks roaming the neighborhood together the last few weeks so there may be more fawns next year. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are just about to lose their spots. They are adorable but their mom just looks tired of chasing them around in the heat. LOL.

On top of this, we have been very busy at the fire department. Our call load has increased quite a bit this year for unknown reasons. There have been a lot of motor vehicle accidents this tourist season. Hopefully we’ll have a bit of a respite this fall before the snow flies and we have accidents for totally different reasons. We have 3 firefighters going to EMT school this fall and I am hoping in January, they will be licensed in the state and available to take some of the call load.

As for my health, I started taking a longer acting form of medication I have been taking in shot for about 4.5 years. I have never had an issue. I got injections every 4 weeks. Now it was lengthened to every 12 weeks. This was a huge boon for me. I would only have to be seen 4 times a year! The freedom! I got the shot for the first time on July 31st and in 48 hours had a rash on my forearms. 48 hours after that, hives on my legs. No itching, no pain…no other symptoms. Hoping that we can keep doing this. If this is the only reaction…I can handle it no problem. My throat starts closing up, that is another matter. So we shall see.

Now that I have caught you up with our summer…here’s some photos to go along with it. I almost forgot! We found a sunflower field! A few photos of sunflowers in the Flathead Valley as well.