January 13, 2009

Hi All,

I visited with my oncologist for my bi-annual check up yesterday. All is well, my lab work looks great! I will have lab again in six months, along with my, now, yearly CT scan of my chest. It just occurred to me that I have my checkups during my kids birthday months. Well... all the more to celebrate.

Speaking of the January birthday... Brian turned 14 a few days ago. He is such a great kid! We are so proud of him. I just can't get over how much he has changed these past few months. We are blessed. What a great start for this new year.

Best wishes for 2009 and beyond.....

love, Denise

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year! Each year I have taken a special picture of Brian and Bonnie for Christmas. This is the image from this year. It amazes me how much they have changed and grown.... my babies no longer look like babies. We feel so blessed to have these two precious gifts in our lives.

2008 was an uneventful, uncomplicated yet very fulfilling year. We purposely keep our daily lives simple and as stress free as possible. Taking care of ourselves and one another remains a high priority in our family, and a way of life. We have had a ball with our new toy, Wii Fit. It has been a fun way to enjoy time together.

During the past couple months we have had the opportunity to get together with our family and friends. During the Thanksgiving holiday, my sister Dee, brother in-law Mike, and their children, Casey, Allie and Chris, as well as, my parents all joined us for a fun filled weekend.
The following weekend we were the co-host of progressive dinner with friends here in Platte City, and then the following weekend we took our annual trip to Minn. to visit the Curley Clan. We packed a lot in those few weeks, but it was awesome.

2009 holds many plans of fun and travel. Towards the end of January we are meeting my sister and family in Puerto Vallarto , Mexico. Yea!! We are also planning a big trip to Alaska this summer. This has been high on my list of things to do for some time and we fill fortunate to have it in the works. We also plan to travel to Minnesota for a family wedding this summer and will make our annual trek to Mishawaka. I think Napper intends to throw in a 4 day father/son ski trip in the spring, which gives Bonnie and I a good excuse to plan some kind of mother/daughter get away. Life is good!!!

Congrats to my brother Dave and wife Tracy on their new home in Mishawaka. Also a shout out for prayers for my brother Dave as he is recovering from a nasty fall while working on his new house. He spent four hours in surgery this past week repairing his very badly broken arm. Fortunately, it was not his dominate arm.

I am very happy, hopeful and excited about the coming year. Many blessings to you and your family in 2009!!!!

Most Sincerely,

Denise