2010 Christmas Letter

In past years, I have been good about writing a Christmas Letter. Getting around to sending it out has been an issue. So I thought this year, I'd put a version of it on the blog, email it to the usual blog group, and hopefully mail it. Anyway, Here it is....

Happy Holidays from Northern Idaho!

The big family event of the year was the birth of Michele and Stan's son, Raif. He is almost one and really fits the description of “Rug Rat”. That boy sure does get around! I'm sure he will be walking soon, then Michele and Stan will have their hands full. Saray is 5, going to kindergarten, along with helping her folks with her baby brother. She has really taken to the big sister role. I wonder how long that will last. Michele still works at the local hospital as a nurse and Stan continues with the Forest Service.

Eric and Christine still share a condo in downtown Seattle. They are doing well in their jobs, Boeing and Remote Medical respectively. No “significant other” in either of their lives at the moment.

Teresa is teaching 1st grade at the school just a block from Michele and Stan's house. She spent Thanksgiving in Mexico with John and his parents. Yep, they are still together. Teresa is living with Michele and Stan for a while. Can you believe it, each of my kids are living with a sibling? I never thought that would happen.

As for me, I'm doing well. I remodeled one of the bathrooms here and made several trips in the motor home. The trips included Zion, Olympics, Yellowstone, and Mariner's Spring Training in Phoenix. Christine had to come and rescue me on one of the trips. I had a gall bladder attack in “no where” Utah, about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City. The doctors there said they would remove it or drug me up enough to get me home. I chose the latter and had it removed here.

Please keep my brother-in-law Jim in your prayers as he battles pancreatic cancer.

Checkout my blog website, http://knotaklu.blogspot.com, for pictures and the details of my trips and the family. And, please stop by if your ever passing by Rose Lake on I-90. I'm 2 miles from the freeway.

Merry Christmas
Mark

By the way, Saray took the picture of me.