Happy New Year!

Wow! I can't believe it is here...but somehow it happened. It has been such a busy Holiday and I have told everyone I know that this was one of our best. Mac was home for a full month and we had so much fun together, snuggling, movie watching, cooking, snuggling, shopping, snuggling and Wii. James actually came over more this time than in the past and provided Dad and I with lots of hugs, Wii and just good fun conversations. He is in flight at this time on his way to Costa Rica with the Flying Pie crew. Have a blast James....Mac is back in Boston hitting the books tomorrow. Hooray Graduation on May 17th, can hardly wait. Mac gave Alison a day of babysitting for Christmas so Mom and I took her to lunch last Saturday and a movie while Mac entertained the kids at the Discovery Center, and the park with James' dog Miles. Joe remains busy at work and in awe of the ongoing activity around the house. I now need to take the tree and lights down, Mac wouldn't hear of it until she was gone! Need to get some thank you notes done also since this is probably the first year ever I did not send cards! What a relief to let that chore go. I also leaned so much about Vegan cooking this past month from Mac. She is very conscientious about her Vegan diet. I enjoyed everything she made and is she quite the cook. She put on a dinner party for some of her friends while she was here.

We made our annual trek to Donnelly to enjoy our friends from Seattle, it was cold and slick but we stayed warm in their beautiful home, watched the red fox and hawks feed nightly on chicken that Jill puts out and played Mexican Dominoes over and over and then there was football! Go UTEs! We cut our trip a little short than normal to get back home and continue enjoying the kids!

Joe celebrated his 10 years anniversary since his heart surgery and we celebrated with dinner out with good friends who were there to support us during that trying time.

Our good friend Letha, Jim and Melinda Adam's mom took a fall this season and was unable to conquer the consequences of it and passed away on 12/11/08. She would have been 104 on the 29th of December and was alert to the very end. We all loved Letha very much and the moxie she maintained all of her years. Both Joe and I were pallbearers and it was an honor to be given this duty to such a good friend. Since this was a first experience for me I often think about the weight I shared with the other pallbearers and how I felt blessed to help transport my longtime friend's body but not her soul to her final resting place with her husband. I hope she and Wilbur are having a wonderful reunion in heaven. Good bye Letha you will be missed.

Prayers for Anne who is currently hospitalized with a blood clot in her leg. Cathy called a while ago and stated that she came through her surgery today to help reduce her risk. Keep her in your thoughts so she has a quick recovery and returns home to her precious family.

Enough for now until later..............Deb~