December 2010
From our Family to Yours,
Another year has come and gone, and to be frank, I hope next year is better. Not that I’m not grateful for my family, friends and the abundance I have been given, but this last year turned out to be a bit more stressful than I really wanted! Just want this coming year to be a little brighter.
Our family was fortunate to spend some quality time during spring break in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Yes, it snowed (but only a few flurries) and was downright cold! Although we did get to swim at the west Edmonton mall beach under the fake palms, running our toes over the cement sand, and went to a hockey game to see the Ducks play the Oilers (always root for the home team!). And what would spring break be without a bit of shopping! Yes we did it all and ice skating every morning too! We had the rink all to ourselves and went round and round and round… Some people go south for the sun, but we had it all and without the crowds! Maybe next year we should plan for Alaska!
Emily still shines at West Salem High. She is busy with cheerleading (and loving it!), leadership (she’s junior rep, working hard on getting prom together), piano (trying to find time to practice), studying hard in advanced classes, and of course her MIT team. The science geeks still rule! A group of eight very intelligent students put together an idea for a SCRIBO pen to help kids and those with disabilities learn to write better. These incredible students won a grant from MIT to produce a prototype and present in Boston this coming June! She may be a blonde cheerleader, but she is a brilliant blonde cheerleader! So we still try to keep up with her insanely busy schedule, but with only a year and a half till high school graduation, I am beginning to feel that empty nest angst! All the talk of colleges, scholarships, and student aid makes my head spin. After she is off to college, I may even miss the 5:30am seminary wake-up call!
With all the economic stress surrounding us, we have been very fortunate to keep working. Bob is still at CTA, telecommuting and traveling when necessary, but we have an income and insurance, which in today’s economy and with all the family happenings has been a blessing. He continues to be our rock and works hard to provide our family with all the basics and a few frills!
In May my sister, Sherry came from California to visit. We had a very busy, but wonderful time. It was a fantastic week. She got to work the finish line at the Awesome 3000, watch one of Emily’s choir recitals, and, of course, froze her butt off at a high school track meet! And to top off the experience I even drove her home through the emergency room! Yes I totaled my car with my one and only sister in the front seat next to me. Not the way I would have liked to end a perfectly good family visit, however reality occasionally gets in the way of life. Yet, amid the horror of shattering glass and bent metal, it was evident that we were protected by forces more powerful than ourselves or the car. It was a true miracle that every person entangled in that intersection that day walked away with little more than scratches and bruises. Sometimes we don’t know why our lives are spared; only that they are and we are left to determine our next step… I believe that is where prayer steps in, to help guide our lives for the better.
The weekend following the accident, I was blessed to watch my dear sweet cousin walk her first 5K following cancer surgery. Jes is a light to my heart and a strong courageous survivor. With all our prayers, she will be for many years to come! Family is a treasure!
My graduate internship process started out slow, but has since taken off. I love working at Polk County Mental Health and I love helping the folks out that need a hand. I have kept busy with school and running has been a large part of the self-care regime. However, I stretched myself this past September and participated in a sprint triathlon (500 yard swim, 12 mile bike, and 5K run)! I learned much about myself mainly that I am a running purist! Swimming was tolerable and the biking was endured, but running, now that is freedom! I am proud to say that I set my PR in sprint triathlon, one that will live until the earth melts!!
Our sweet Kitty of almost 18 years was laid to rest this summer. Kitty, nicknamed… Blizzard (her first name, given by Michael), Princess (Emily’s contribution), Road-kill (because I ran over her once), Rainbow (because she rolled a perfect rainbow across her back in chalk one sunny afternoon), The Queen (after Olive moved in), and BMW (Big Mean White kitty – to Olive) was a great pet and will be missed by everyone, but Olive seems to be adjusting easier than the rest of us!!!August saw a quick trip to Utah with the family and open heart surgery for mom, yet another blessing in our lives this year. It was touch and go for a couple of weeks but with a skilled surgeon, amazing ICU doctors and nurses along with caring heart specialists, mom is back at home and doing great. We haven’t decided which marathon she is going to run… LOL!!! I have learned to expect the unexpected and be grateful for those experiences in life that allow me to see the real blessings I have been given.
I guess I need to rephrase the beginning of this letter… I am so blessed to have the life I have and the family and friends I have that lift me and inspire me. This year has been one of tremendous challenge, yet I have found incredible strength through experiences as well as an inkling into what is truly important in life.
May you be as blessed as our family, without all the stressful happenings!
Merry Christmas Everyone,
