New Year's Eve at Winter Ranch

We were the hosts for the New Year's Dance since JD and Lynn had a family emergency that caused them to leave town. Even though we were working, it was still a fun night. Jealous Heart was our band for the evening and they did a great job. We had tons of snacks at our table and so, of course, the diet went out the window again. 

Jealous Heart

 Linda and Bob

We live on Campbell's Corner.  Above are our neighbors, Linda and Bob Campbell.  Below is the neighbors on the other side of the street, Faye and Gary Campbell.  They aren't related but we now live on Campbell's Corner.

 Faye and Gary

Sherri and Sue

Linda and Tommy

Richard and Donna

Janet and Gerald - Don't you love her boots!

Jean and Bill

Jerry and Carolyn

Bob and Kathy

That's us!

Don't you just hate it when someone takes your picture when you are standing and they are sitting!!  It make our head small and our butts big.  I try to avoid this whenever possible, however, tonight this was the only picture we had taken!

Char and Jack

Paul and Janet

Line Dancing to Elvira

The crowd at 1st Break

JoAnn and Pat

Nora, Debbie, Char, Mary, Ginni and Kay

Happy New Year!

We all visited the Hidalgo Festival of Lights and purchased these blinking glasses for New Year's!!

Christmas Potluck

Our Christmas Potluck started at 1 PM today with 10 large groups of Winter Ranchers celebrating Christmas together.  After you've been at Winter Ranch awhile everyone seems like family and it is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.  The food isn't bad either!! 

There was a lot of mingling before lunch. 

 Kathy, Scott and Faye

 Our Group's Table

 Lois and Leon

Our Christmas Group

Christmas Eve Church Service

We have been attending the First Presbyterian Church in McAllen the last few weeks.  They have been very friendly and that is a change to some of the other congregations we visited.  We also like the choir and the music so we may have found our church home in the valley.

Lots of beautiful poinsettias

The Chismon Tree reminded me of the Christmas tree we had at our home church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The stained glass window at the front of the church

Christmas Party

We had our annual Christmas Party today.  It is almost Christmas and today we had our Christmas Party at Winter Ranch.  It started at 1 PM.  First, the 2015/2016 Activity Directors, Mary and Lee Benfield (that be us), presented the outgoing Activity Directors, JD and Lynn Murray, a little Christmas gift which we insisted that they wear for the party today.  Don't you love their new hats!  And, they light up!

Lynn and JD

 Penny Vollrath

Then we started with the real entertainment for the day.  First, Penny Vollrath did a tap dance routine for us.

 Some of the crowd at the party.

Then Bud and Pat Becker played and sang for us.
 

 Pat and Bud Becker

Karen Timko then sang "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day."

Then Santa showed up and pronounced our dancing Winter Ranch girls all "naughty."  They danced to "I Ain't Getting Nuttin for Christmas."  

Judy Teply, Virginia Baughman, Della Rae Orndorff,  Patti Becker, Nichole Kenward, Penny Vollrath and Patsy from Trophy Gardens

Santa decided that all the girls were naughty.  

The girls are so unhappy that they aren't 

getting nuttin for Christmas!

Time for the appetizer potluck!

Then it was time to name the winners of the Christmas Lighting Contest. 

Della and Marvin won the Silent Night, Holy Night Award

Dwain and Donna Steward won the award 

for the Charlie Browniest lighting display.

Linda and Ron Doerschug won the award 

for Making Spirits Bright (RV category)

 

We won this beautiful quilt for winning the 

Martha Stewart Would Be Proud Award

When the party ended, the hall was set up for church this evening.

Ugly Sweater Contest at the Winter Ranch Roundup

Today Carlos Canas entertained us at our Roundup. He really has a gorgeous voice and we all enjoy him! It was his birthday today and we celebrated it at the end of the party.  

Carlos Cantas

It was also a day of merriment because we had an Ugly Sweater (t-shirt, shirt, whatever) Contest going on. There were certainly a lot of people decked out in all shades of red and green. Lots of sweaters and t-shirts but some were much uglier than others!

 Don and Linda and Pam and Butch

 Brenda and Beth

That's Us - We had to take a trip to Walmart to find these lovely t-shirts.  I added a bunch of stuff to mine to really make it ugly but it still wasn't ugly enough to win!

 Carol and Marlene

 Rita and Josie

 Sharon and Dan

 Della and Marv

 Me and Rita - we both bought the same ugly shirt 

and decorated them differently!

 The Ritchies

 Judy, Jennifer and Betty

 Bob and Kathy

 The Party Group

 Dancing to Carlos' music

 The Women Contestants for the Ugly Sweater (T-Shirt) Contest

 A representative from the Chamber and the 

Mayor of Alamo were the Judges

 Martie won the Contest

 Check out the back of the outfit!

 The Men Contestants

 Sam won the contest.  It may be the Boots!

 Marlene singing "Santa Baby"

 Time for Cake!

 Line Dancing

 Lee got the lights working on the Golf Cart!