Holiday Greetings!!!

I thought it seemed like it was a long time since I last updated this blog and guess what....it has been! Life has been keeping me too busy which is okay but would settle for some laid back times now. Where do I begin? Micah survived his first semester of college and got grades that I am very proud of, I must say. He arrived home Thursday, Dec. 16. He had to drive home on some not so great driving conditions but they were markedly better than what we went through the weekend before! He is home until the end of January. We will have to find something to keep his mind busy!

On the job front, we have been keeping busy with changes. (Change is good, right?) The medical records department has started scanning all orders now which is a new process with new technology that so far has a few bugs in it. It is driving my sister, Deb, crazy to say the least. For those that don't know, she is the department head of medical records. If all of the equipment and programs would work, we would be able to find out if our processes that are in place as of now are working. I'm sure the next month, at least, will be a learning process.

Also, Elaine Weiland is retiring from her position at the hospital after 32 years there. I know she will keep busy with all of the grandkids' athletic events and concerts and such. She enjoys being with and doing things for her family and I wish her all the best. Carmen (Hiscocks) Jamtgaard will be stepping into Elaine's position as the ED receptionist. I may be partial, but I think she will do a terrific job. She is super friendly, compassionate and very detail oriented...all those things are a big plus in this position.



Gabby made it home despite the weather on Christmas eve. She even made it to mass with 5 minutes to spare! It is so good to have the family all together again. We had a fun time on Christmas morning in the kitchen. I was making the dishes to take to my family's get-together that night, Mike was putting together an egg-bake and Gabby made chocolate chip muffins for brunch. Mike and I both said how that would have not been possible in our OLD kitchen. It is just so much fun to have someone to work with and talk to in the kitchen. While we did all of this, Reed tended to the nursery and hog buildings down the road. When he got back, we ate brunch and then opened presents. As you can see, it was the year of the snuggie in our house. Reed received his for his birthday earlier in the month and Gabby and I received ours for Christmas. I must say, they are pretty comfy!



This was the first year, (and probably the only year) that I can say that I did not actually take any big day to shop for presents. Mike and I went out and bought a couple of gifts together (one of them being his own -- and he forgot what we bought by Christmas day) and the rest of the gifts I sent Mike and the boys out on a shopping mission with a list of ideas and they tackled it. I did a little bit of shopping locally for some of my friends gifts, but for the most part Mike kind of took it on this year. No wonder I felt like I had forgotten something all of Christmas week. It all turned out well and I don't think that anyone was disappointed. I think Reed got the coolest gift....an ice cream maker! We will definitely have to be trying that one out soon.




As for my extended family, we have had a bit of unwanted excitement this week. My niece, Rachel (my sister Cyndi's daughter) was visiting from Boston. She had come up to stay at my parents' for a couple of days and then on Thursday, headed on her way back to Cedar Rapids. She got to around the Charles City area and felt faint and pulled off to the side of the road. At this point, she began to vomit blood. A lot of blood. She was taken to the Waverly hospital and received 2 units of blood and then transferred via ambulance to Cedar Rapids (St. Luke's I think) and received a third unit of blood on the way. She had a scope done there and they cauterized and tied off some bleeders in her stomach. By the time all was said and done, she received 5 units of blood. She thought on Christmas Day that she would be able to be discharged Sunday, fly back to Boston on Monday and go to work (she is a nuclear pharmacist) on Tuesday. Saturday night didn't go so well for her as she ran a fever and they are keeping her longer than she had planned. I haven't heard from my sister as of yet today, but we are waiting to see how she is doing. How fortunate she was that someone came along the roadside to give assistance. I think the vehicle kind of looked like an axe murder occured there, so I'm sure that must have been a little scary to come upon. Keep this young lady in your prayers. She is such a dear thing, my little flower girl at our wedding!

We got together at my parents' house on Christmas evening and, once again, had entirely too much to eat. It was fun to see everyone together again and share some laughs. Of course, my dad is convinced this is his last Christmas. I've heard this many times before but he has not been well these last few months and this very well could be, but who knows. We did get some pictures with them of each of our families (much to my parents' chagrin). Dad is so quiet these days. He sleeps most of the day away. My mom gets so lonesome she almost won't let you go out the door when you come and visit. These golden years aren't all that golden. It is difficult for them to see old friends pass away and another long time friend, Jeanette Bravick, recently went to the nursing home. One of their hired men, Larry Tebbens, passed away this month and they also found out that the best man at their wedding passed away recently.

Today, (the 26th) is my birthday. Never really much of a celebration, but we went to mass this a.m. and then stopped down at my folks' to say hi and to say 'bye to my niece and her husband who had spent the night. We then went home and I informed them not to eat because I wanted to go out for a late lunch to Whiskey Creek in Mason City. Mike and the boys did a few chores and cleaned out snow out of the yard while Gabby packed and got ready to go back. Reed stayed home from the restaurant as he has a little bit of a flu bug going on. Upon my return, I received quite possibly the best gift. I checked the answering machine and there was a message from Fr. Angelos Bishara (aka Dr. Bishara). He had called to wish us a Happy Holiday season and was hoping that the kids are doing well and Mike was doing well in his farming. Unfortunately he ran out of message time on the machine so I called him back but got a message on his phone. Hopefully he will return my call at a time we can actually visit. It was so good to hear his voice again. Maybe someday we can see one another and visit.

Now to psych up for a full week of work as we end the fiscal month and all the work that entails. If I don't get another post up before...Happy New Year!