Christmas Letter 2006We can't believe it, but we have zinged through another year, on wings of lightening. We have had moments of joy, and moments of anguish, but have risen on healing wings, (literally) to wish you all a joyous Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Departures: We saw the passing of Anna, my neighbor that I have helped care for, since her stroke 11 years ago. We saw Nathen (nephew) graduate from college with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (way to go Nathen). Then Nathen, Terre and boys moved to Taylor. Symantha (niece) moved out, went to Eager, AZ. We also saw A.J. (nephew) and Margie (sister-in law) and Mike depart on their 2 year missions for the church. They are going to state of Washington, and Mongolia (outer Mongolia) respectively. We are impressed with their examples and dedication. We will be following their adventures and praying for them. Additions: We saw Ashlee (niece) graduate from high school in Co., and promptly, moved to Tucson and in with us to start college . That currently has us living with 2 nieces, 1 granddaughter, 3 dogs, 1 ferret, 1 turtle, and 3 aquariums. Enough to keep anyone on the edge of their chair. Also we were able to enjoy the birth of Sabrina (niece) and Braxton's 1st born daughter, Piper. She is a sweet little angel. Travels: We were able to go in April to Utah to visit my dad and Lois. Our over the top trip this year took us to Alaska. I attended a medical conference in Girdwood, Alaska. We rented a car and stayed on for 11 days and played tourist. We traveled from Seward on the ocean, to Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali National Park. We never saw Mt McKinney while we were there (it was under cloud cover). But we did run into a friend from Tucson in the park, what are the odds? Jim's favorite was the glaciers. All of Alaska was beautiful and spectacular. We would love to go back. Biggest challenges: Aug 23rd was a surprise brain attack for Jim (a stroke), which left him with left side weakness, a 33 day stay in the hospital. He was very ill with aspiration pneumonia, the hospital stay was torture for Jim. We strongly recommend you all stay away from being a patient (at all costs). After 7 weeks Jim was able to walk with a cane. Oct 13th, Jim had his right carotid artery cleaned out which resulted in another stroke; Jim had to relearn to walk a 2nd time. This time we opted out of another hospital stay and Jim did much better. He is back to walking without his cane. His balance, coordination are continuing to progress and improve. We are so thankful, it wasn't worse, and Jim is on the mend. We really have a new appreciation for physical and occupation therapist; they were a tremendous help to Jim. Biggest expenses: During the stroke business, we purchased Anna's house. It sits next door to us; Jim planned to build a garage and workshop on the back part. In very short time sequence we found a renter, did a major clean up/fix up, including sandblasting the wood ceilings in the house and refinishing them with varnish. In the middle of stroke, house fixing up, our dog Rambler had an emergency surgery for bowel obstruction.(He ate a rubber glove which caused the obstruction). Go figure! With December wrapping up, we are pressing forward, and planning for our New Year. We think fondly and lovingly of our many friends, and family members who have helped us and enriched our lives this year. We send our love, and pray the spirit of Christmas and the love of Christ will touch your lives, now and in the coming year.
May peace be with you, and may our paths continue to cross and mingle. |