Sitting here in Tucson, Arizona, it is hard to imagine Christmas is right around the corner. Yes, we still live in Torrington, Wyoming, but Tom is a consultant on a job in Tucson. Our fifth wheel is parked in a former working orange grove –we have 4 orange trees in our little yard. We love fresh squeezed citrus each day. At night when we gaze at the stars through palm fronds that grace our skyline, we wonder if the view is similar to what the Christ child saw. Since this southern winter is more akin to Bethlehem’s winter, it somehow draws us closer to that historic event and makes us ever mindful of God’s sacrifice to redeem this fallen race with the greatest gift ever given, God’s gift of His Son, Jesus.
Speaking of fallen, we get tired of writing about our aches and pains and the efforts it takes to keep us going – just suffice it to say, we’ve had our problems, but God is good and we have come through each and every one.
Terri attended her niece, Andrea’s graduation and her niece, Kimberley’s confirmation. Terri and forever friend, Lee Griffith flew to a California wedding for Lee’s niece. We took this opportunity to see where Lee grew up. Finishing a few Napa Valley fine wines while enjoying the San Francisco/Napa Valley area was wonderful. Terri and Dave attended the wedding of Greg Busse, close Auburn teammate, roommate and forever friend. We even danced! We might take lessons – now that we know wheelchair dancing is possible. Terri’s mom, Kathy, joined her on a number of these trips. The youngest grandson, Daniel, wasn’t sure who great-grandma was but after a few days was willing to share his ice cream with her. Timmy remembered her and said he’d miss her more now that he remembered her.
We spent a fair amount of our summer spoiling the grandkids and getting the Seward house ready to sell since Karyn and Rick are proud new homeowners. We brought Timmy back with us on one trip. Boppa Tom shared his walleye catching secrets and Grandma Terri explained that washing the van in the garage with a spray hose was probably not a good idea.
Hunting and fishing are always part of our story. The freezer is full of walleye, deer, and antelope. David and Tom figured out more ways to hunt from a wheelchair. Nothing much stops David. Tom’s new hips allows him to keep up. Tom relived his youth by cutting down an ancient tree leaning over the cabin. The drama leading up to this event lasted longer than the actual event. Tree is down, cabin is safe, Tom is glowing because he is still the lumberjack of his imagination and Terri is eating crow.
Karyn has had a very busy year. She attends school full time and should graduate with her teaching degree in May 2010. Timmy is now a kindergartner which means Karyn gets to do PTA-like stuff, too. Daniel is a very busy 2 year old trying to keep up with all the boys in the neighborhood – 10 boys at last count. Anything to do with swords (foam) is the game of choice. Rick and Karyn are becoming adept at home improvement. They stay busy with their new community and their church. All roads lead east but once in awhile a they find a westward path to visit us in Wyoming and the other grandparents in Colorado.
Terri and David went to Terre Haute, IN, home to Terri’s cousins and aunt. Dave gave speeches and swim clinics. We were guests on a local radio talk show. Cousins and Aunt Pauline joined us in many of these events. In April, we again joined forces and were part of a panel for an Adaptive Sport conference in Colorado Springs. We were told the panel session was one of the best events of the conference.
In November, we met with Tom’s older girls, Lorie and Kristie and their families to celebrate the wedding of Joe (Lorie’s son, our grandson) and Holly. Little Joe, their son, and Calista, Holly’s daughter and our new great will be welcoming a new brother in April. Lorie’s daughter, Jessica, will be adding to the greats with a baby in May. Lorie and Phil are still in Rapid City running their mobile home transport business. Kristie and Bert are still in Casper. Bert went on a mission trip to Africa in March – one day we will sit down long enough to actually hear about the adventure. Their daughter, Keshia, is planning a move to Salt Lake City. She is excited - we wish Salt Lake City wasn’t so far away.
Our friends from Wright, Wyoming, Bea and Greg Parker own a home just outside of our RV park in Tucson. They entertain us regularly. Greg loves to hunt – Tom loves to hunt and there are too many doves in Arizona. These two are doing their part to control the population. Bea and Tom are exchanging dove recipes. Greg and I enjoy the exchange and give our opinions of the results.
We spent Thanksgiving in Mesa with Terri’s sister, Susie, and her family. It seems like it would be a good time to spend Christmas here but the grandsons have a greater pull. The Dennistons never do anything the easy way, so Tom and Terri are flying into Denver where David will pick us up and we will drive to Beaver Crossing – 7 hours away. Weather permitting.
We hope and pray this finds you well and that 2010 treats you kindly.
