End notes....some happy, some sad.

This post is dedicated to the memory of former President Gerald Ford who passed away today.

This has been an interesting year.... full of ups and downs and lots of crazy creativity. The first big event was my college graduation in May, following my awesome job offer and starting my new job in June. In mid-June David and I served as delegates for our church at the UMC conference, and in August we spent a busy week at Grover Hot Springs camping with our church family, and two surprise guest campers... Stephen and Joey (David's brother and nephew). September brought birthdays and a new and final semester for David at CSU Sacramento. November began with a rough start for David's aunt Florence as she was knocked down and broke her left femur. Fortunately she didn't break her hip. November wasn't good for Aunts... as my Aunt Nan was hospitalized for her heart and they discovered that she had cancer; and one surgery later she is now cancer free. We celebrated Thanksgiving in CA with Aunt Florence at Manor Care, who gave us the use of one of their beautiful dining rooms. David, Gail, and myself prepared Thanksgiving supper and brought it there to share with Florence, Jay, Nancy and Natalie... speaking of which, Natalie started 1st Grade this year... WOW. December was filled with prayers for friends, Jamie and Julie, and for my grandmother who gave us all a scare with heart surgery.... whew! She is doing fine now.

December 22nd..... leading the Candidates for Bachelor's in Humanities and Religious Studies, David George Cole!!! WHOOHOO! David's pursuit for his degree was now a reality, and we celebrated!

I'm tired just writing this.... Christmas was great, up at Jay and Nancy's. Today, back to work.