2008 brought our family joy as well as sorrow, but we recognize that we have been blessed in many ways. In February Anne Marie and Celestina flew to Seattle for a visit. We had a great time with them here, playing tourist and taking so many pictures of granddaughter Celestina that she refused to pose for any more.
In March good friends had a surprise birthday party for Neal – he thought it was just a potluck dinner but learned otherwise as he was attacked in their entryway with silly string.
In May our beloved daughterJulia went Home after an 18-month battle with cancer, but she was able to teach until the Friday before she died. Donations in her memory have been sufficient that two scholarships will be awarded each year until 2012. The many cards and emails have comforted us.
Neal’s granddaughter Megan finished high school last spring and attends Washington State in Pullman. Her brother Isaac became the recipient of Neal’s love for MGB’s after Neal found a nice 1979 model and had some work done on it. (There was a moment as I drove it that I thought I should keep it myself, but climbing out of it wearing a skirt changed my mind.) Isaac attends Lake Washington Technical College where he takes advanced courses while completing high school graduation requirements.
Neal’s contract at Boeing ended in June, so we are two retired people at this house – sleeping late, working on the yard, fussing over the plants, taking mini-trips when the mood strikes us - and feeding the squirrels!
In August Neal suffered a major heart attack and spent five days in the hospital, but his recovery has gone well. We are glad that the nearest hospital is just a few minutes away.
In September Neal’s sister Lisa and her son David helped with two projects – moving and stacking the winter supply of pellets, and then rebuilding the missing section of fence. We ran out of pickets just as it grew dark, so our friend Chris came two days later and finished the project for us.
In Montana Anne Marie met Will Anderson and they began dating. In July they learned to deal with problems together when Will had a 40 foot fall on his dirt bike resulting in compression fractures of his back. Recovery was slow but during that time romance bloomed, and they were married the 17th of October in Billings. I was able to fly out for their wedding while Neal’s sister Margaret stayed here with Neal.
We keep busy with our church jobs – Neal as ward clerk and Joan as stake website administrator. This year I’ve presented several original powerpoint presentations to various stake and ward groups to help them become more familiar with the website. Once a month I teach a class on Sundays. Our lives are full and we continue to be grateful for our many blessings.
Merry Christmas and our best wishes for a wonderful new year! Joan & Neal
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1 comment:
man you have had a trying year, lets hope that the new year comming will calm down a bit for you, merry christmas to you and your family!!!
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