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After
last year we started 2016 in a daze. It took us a
while to realize the enormity of 2015 and the
lasting impact it would have on our lives. We told
ourselves we were going to rest, reflect and give
ourselves time to heal. Well it didn't exactly
work out that way.
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We ended 2015 and
welcomed 2016 with a
family Christmas over New Year's weekend.
We enjoyed dominoes, games and were thankful to have the
time with our family. Michael won the football
pick'em challenge but Martin gave him a run for his
money. |
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In
January we closed out my dad's apartment. Possibly the
hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I
couldn't bear to part with a lot of memories so .
. . well let me just say our attic is better
stocked than many thrift stores. |
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We did a small
remodel - Ha! There is no such thing as SMALL
remodel. New flooring, counter tops and
backsplash - and we threw on some fresh paint.
Everything we bought I would think "that's one plane
ticket, that's a week on the beach, etc."
However, we are very happy with the results. We
actually called it the farewell remodel.
Everything is guaranteed for 25 years - by then - we ain't gonna care and sure won't do
it again! |
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Jan and Glynn
surprised us by stopping by on their way to Houston.
These two always inspire us and make us smile. We
left so many friends in the panhandle and still miss
them very much. We just hope that
someday they will all see fit to move south where they are
closer to us and the
weather is bearable! |
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And then there was GCamp,
which got way too big for its britches this
year. Each of the oldest grandkids wanted
time by themselves with Gramps and Grammy as
well as regular GCamp. We had kiddos from
June 21 through July 13. Gatlin came for
part of a week and it was hilarious watching the
big grandkids deal with him. All of them
thought his crawling style left a bit to be
desired and everything went straight to his
mouth which resulted in the big kids picking up
toys - fast.
The weekend of
July 4th we had all of our kids and grandkids
plus Marvin's kids and grandkids. We had a
great time and enjoyed seeing the cousins build
friendships and memories. AND we
finally got to meet Colby's friend (and now
fiance) Margine and her daughter Grace.
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In late August my baby brother had surgery to
remove a small mass. Which turned out to
be a very large malignant mass. He squared
his shoulders and faced chemo like his mom did -
determined to beat the cancer. He had his
first chemo treatment in late September and his
"facing it like a man" was put to a test.
He said nothing could ever prepare you for the
chemical poisoning called chemo. At this
time he is continuing his treatment and has been
fighting an upper respiratory problem for
almost two months. He is exhausted and
frustrated but not discouraged.
He is scheduled for a scan the week before
Christmas and his blood work is looking good.
Thoughts and prayers please
My siblings and I
have been working on our folks' estate business and proudly announce a baseball
scholarship has been endowed in our parent's
names at Lubbock Christian University. We
are amazed at the dollars they donated and
shared through the years. Frugal living
and loving hearts go a long way in philanthropy.
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Our kiddos are making
things work. And in today's world that is
saying a lot.
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Jamie went back to
work in July. Sixteen months after
his horrifying wreck they finally
released him to return to work. It
is frightening when you have to deal
with government agencies and the
incompetence is overwhelming. And
you don't dare rock the boat - because
no matter how bad it is, it could get
worse. Luchi is working on her
teaching certification while working as
an aide at the school.
Natalie is almost 10, a volleyball
player and in the 4th grade. She
is our drama queen but also very tender
hearted and kind. Martin is 7 and
in the first grade. He is our
talker. And his stories tend to be
interesting ... he recently informed his dad he
wasn't buying a ring for his wife, she
is getting an IPad and he is sure she
will be very happy with his plan.
He is also a proud orange belt in
karate. |
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Casey's business is busy. But as
he says - you don't complain about
being busy when you own the company
(Capitol Environmental). He is
also the proud owner of two miniature
donkeys named Donkey and Trigger and a go-cart. The donkeys
keep his property "mowed". The
go-cart gives him something to work on
in his spare time. Katy is 8 1/2
and in the 3rd grade. She is very
smart but not overly fond of school, she
just has better things to do with her
time. She is our girl scout and
our player. She loves toys, dogs and
anything but spelling words. And
is quite adept at feeding donkeys.
Many folks call her my "Mini Me."
(poor child) |
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Bethany is still with Vulcan Enterprises
and Michael continues his daily commute
- one hour each way to the store he
manages for NOV (oil field folks). Mr.
Gatlin or G-man as Gramps calls him is
the happiest baby I have ever known.
He struggles with allergies but a stuffy
nose doesn't take away his big smile.
He is busy busy and loves his dog Mojo.
At one year his vocabulary consists of
"who zat" and "wha zat".
In
September we made a trip to Uvalde where
we helped Bethany and Michael move into
their first home. The house is
very unique and has a wonderful patio
for grilling and chilling. All I
can say is Michael needs a riding lawn
mower.
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Over the Thanksgiving weekend we had all of our
kiddos home and enjoyed an early Christmas.
It is fun watching the grandkids enjoy each
other and seeing our kiddos parenting. We
laugh about paying for their raising but so far
they are lucky on that score. IMHO the
grandkids are smart, sweet and fun.
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As always, we traveled ... (I'm sure some of you
muttered - "a lot"). March
found us back in downtown Vegas for the
craziness
of March Madness. We struggled with smoke
and massive doses of air conditioning and both
of us came home with upper respiratory problems. We
still enjoyed the trip and the
thought of skipping next year never crossed our
minds. |
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In May we spent 12
days on the beach in Mexico and I was in heaven.
And old. We read, solved the problems
of the world and vowed to do better taking care
of ourselves. I told Mick years ago I
wanted to go to the beach some day and stay till
I was
through. However, as long as McKito is at
home we probably won't be gone too long. |
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In June I flew to Denver and then drove my Aunt
Deal to Idaho to see Steve. (her son, my
cousin) He is the project manager for a massive
building project and had shared photos and
videos of his work. She and I decided we might
need to go check on him.
This
is a 300 ton crane which according to
google is 600,000 pounds. Yep
we got to ignore the "warning" tape,
wear hard hats and I brought home a set
of blue prints. It helps to know
the boss.
I was shocked at
the enormity of Steve's knowledge, ability and work.
Proud to call him Cuz. Deal and I had a
great trip and visit. We weren't too
lost too often and we saw some beautiful
country. |
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In August I spent
a week with Paulette and then Mick flew in and
we attended the Silverton Homecoming.
My Aunt Zobie was the speaker and as always -
she was amazing and entertaining. We made a quick side trip to Canyon and
enjoyed a visit at the Hopkins new (amazing)
homestead.
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In September we made a brief stop in Houston so Voni could see her heart doctor, then we headed
to Kinder where we floated the lazy river, ate
like starving refugees and played (lost our
backsides at) blackjack.
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November 5th, a Saturday, actually THE Saturday
before election day, we sailed out of Galveston
on our official protest cruise. Unlike
celebrities who continually threaten to leave
the country - we did it. We didn't care
who won, we left. We were joined by James, Mendy,
Gary and Vonaceil. Election day we were in
Jamaica. Actually we were watching James
and Micky boogie down on the stage at Margaritaville (Gary - bwok bwok bwok).
During the night a couple of folks cheated and
checked the election results. We quietly
toasted the success of our protest cruise as we
sailed away from the Cayman Islands. After reviewing the
trip we are thinking any presidential election
is the perfect time to cruise.
Here we are at Passion Island off of Cozumel.
Something was extremely funny or the free drinks
were extremely good.
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Micky is counting down
till retirement and looking forward to more
"Micky time". Because his boss is
politically appointed the mood in his office was
affected by the election process. Well I'm
sure you can imagine the ups and downs this
election provided.
It has taken me
almost a year to come to terms with losing my parents
and Mick's mom in just 12 months. I gained a good
bit of weight and seemed to have a hard time getting
motivated. We know life will never be the
same, but it will go on. And fat is not all that
bad - although my doctor seems to mention it often.
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In 2017 we are going to
Palm Springs to visit the Buleks and Vegas for
March Madness - of course. In May we are
going to Mexico for a week with the Hopkins.
We are taking a cruise in mid August - a special
surprise cruise that can't be explained yet.
(a teaser so you will tune in next year - lol).
Depending on how Marvin feels - we are hoping to
take a trip with them to celebrate anniversaries
- they celebrate their 25th in January and we
celebrate ours in September.
And there is always Louisiana with the
Chandler's. I hate to admit it but
we have a couple of other trips we are talking
about. So many places to go, so little
time and money. |
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Mick's retirement celebration trip has been
booked. We have one room left to remodel
(our bathroom). Micky is facing his last
farm bill and I am still working on my novel.
I promised Glynn I would finish it and I am
going to do it!
We maintain friendships
from Canada to south Texas. We have kiddos
4 hours north, 2 hours south and then another 3
hours south of that. We thank the
Lord for caller ID, wonder how long before
technology passes us by and suspect our grandkids are
the most amazing on this earth. Our lives are blessed and
we appreciate each one of you and hope you have
an amazing holiday and 2017.
WOW - 17
years since Y2K!
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Ramblings ad nauseam .... (previous holiday
letters.) |
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