Oh how you have to love the digital age! I didn't need to print out a bunch of pictures or a long letter to reach our world of friends and family with this message of not just Merry Christmas, but a brief history of the year designed to drag you fully into the days of our lives. All I had to do was tell you to look here in the simple Christmas card I sent the old fashioned way. Do not be deceived by this subtle gimmick to grab your attention, however. It's truly an insidious ploy to get you all re-involved and interested in what is going on with us way out here in Idaho! So sit back, relax and travel with us though the year, then feel free to come back and visit often anyway - not because I've been clever and trapped you here, but because you want to!
Now, on with the show!
The year 2010 was brought in with family back in Ohio for four of us. John could not travel with us because he had no time left off of work, but he worked hard to ensure we had 2 weeks to spend the holidays with family, giving up his own unselfishly over both Christmas and New Year's Day. What a man I've snagged! While there we visited with everyone we could (showed several pictures of this trip in my last post). We saw my family, John's family and a few of the extended relatives. Sadly, I saw very few of our friends outside the family - but I did get to see Valerie and for that I'm still eternally grateful!
January and February flew by. John and I attended a couple of parties with friends, but overall it was a lazy Winter. The boys went to Winter Camp with the church, but we have no pics to share of that. They truly enjoyed it, though, and David actually had fun snowboarding for the first time in a long time. (Don't look for him to do it a lot more though. He's stubborn like that.)
March came and John took Zach to Park City, Utah to go skiing. He'd planned on taking him white water rafting for his birthday the July before, but it fell through at the last minute. This trip was the compensation prize. Zach seemed all too happy with it, especially because it was the best snow EVER on a mountain that was super tall and challenging! He is a very advanced skier so he adored the experience. The following day they went snowmobiling in the eastern Idaho mountains with a good friend of John's who lives in Lava Hot Springs. After snowmobiling, they got to soak in the hot springs there, then they headed home. It was truly a memorable weekend for them both!
April brought the usual showers, but it included metaphorically in my case. My MS relapsed for the first time in almost seven years. I lost all motor control on my left side and saw several new doctors. Thanks to God, I recovered fully, and thanks to friends we survived the ordeal. Our small group came together to help with meals and others always offered to help John with things. I was especially grateful he was able to get some time off of work to help me out as I could do so little for myself. I made a full recovery in a month or so and have since undertaken a new diet regimen, learning I have a wheat intolerance and candida issue that requires I not eat sugar, grains or take in much dairy - maybe for years. The upside is I lost a lot of weight this summer. Hooray for that! And I've felt pretty darn good since I changed my diet. Just yesterday, I was given the go-ahead by my doctor to try an off-label medicine for my MS that that I'd researched and requested. It wont harm me like the other drugs but can only help. God is good!
So anyway, in May I attended an MS fund-raiser downtown and volunteered to be their poster child. (That's me up there at the event.) They raised decent money. The only sad part was I could not yet dance - but I could generally walk and that was quite the upside indeed! The downside was I had to cut off my hair so John could take care for it for me while I couldn't do it myself. But, It's grown on me, though I do think I'll let it grow back now, Somewhere in here, you'll notice David cut off his locks as well. He sent them to Locks of Love in the form of a 12 inch braid. Someone will make good use of that!
In June we celebrated John's birthday with a Tiki party (above). A nice Hawaiian theme with a bunch of friends over. It was awesome. Zach celebrated his in July while we were on vacation - something he now hates and requests he get to be home over his birthday this year. Only time will tell! We'll see what Santa brings this next July...
In 2010 however, we went to California, baby! It was fantabulous! We first went to Eureka, California and attended a wedding of some good friends John knew from his Burning Man adventures. After that we traveled to the Redwoods, keeping camp in Eureka for those few days. The trees were towering and magnificent, very humbling. During our time in the area,we visited a couple of beaches - but dang that water was cold! While deep in the forest, David drove the Jeep. It was his first time driving on the "road" and albeit a dirt road, it was an exciting experience!
From the Redwoods we traveled to San Francisco. Exploring the city wasn't David's favorite and he determined not to join us on Day 2, but we go to see all of the wonderful tourist attractions from the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz to Chinatown and Height/Ashbury. We drove down Lombard Street while Alex ran ahead to take pictures. Zach got out his bike and rode up a 45 degree angled street for a couple of blocks, then back down. We also biked in Golden gate park. Except for my bike getting a flat it was a great success!
After that we went to Lake Tahoe and Reno. We stayed with some more friends there and the males all went for a single track bike ride at Tahoe while I red a good book on the beach. It's not an overstatement to say the lake is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. If you ever get a chance - visit!
The rest of August and September flew by like the rest. We enjoyed some days riding the Greenbelt (a bike path that follows the river through town), and John went to Burning Man. We had an influx of people from all over the country, including John's brother Trae! While they spent a week in a desert, the boys and I prepared for a new year of school and enjoyed a bit of a vacation from tidiness and 3 square meals a day. I tried to learn to hula-hoop, and am still learning albeit slowly since I don't own one.
October brought me to 40 and the town threw me birthday parties (although they called them Halloween parties). I dressed as the Queen of hearts and John was my jester. It was a blast as we hung out with friends and celebrated throughout the night. David made me a gluten free chocolate cake and it was super yummy! (Though it did make me crave sugar again - and he holidays aren't helping!)
November brought Thanksgiving. We enjoyed the wonderful food as always thanks to provision from above. We are thankful for John still being employed despite our struggles. We are thankful for our family, both close to us and far away, and we are thankful for every day we get to live and fulfill the purpose set out for us no matter how big or small that looks like on any given day. We are also thankful the boys grew a ton, as much in character as size, and all are healthy and following the path of their destiny!
This brings us to today. It's December and almost Christmas. It's a time to think not just of presents and trees, lights and family, but of the reason for the season. Commercialism has tried to kill the meaning of Christmas. Profit and greed seem to rule in the hearts of many, not just the companies selling merchandise but in individuals grasping for that last item on the shelf during a sale and children feeling entitled to the most expensive things in order to keep up with their friends. The reason for the season is not found in stuff but in our hearts, and of all the things we could give one another that's the only one with any true meaning or lasting value.
So here is my Christmas message to you: Give your heart away this year. Whether it be to loved ones, friends in need or beggars on the corner. Meet your neighbors. Bake them cookies. Get acquainted. Say hi to the mailman. Smile in the checkout lanes. Enjoy life, not alone but with others. Give of yourself and of your talents. Give of your hearts. Together, let's share some love this Christmas!
Merry Christmas and God Bless you in 2011!
