2009 Recap

Joy and Daniel continue their hectic pace. Joy went to New Orleans with her company in December which sells supplemental insurance to union members because she was one of the top performers again. The great thing about her job is that all her clients are referrals and she doesn't have to find her own clients. Daniel is working as a security guard. All of the kids attend a Hawaiian charter school, Halau Lokahi in Honolulu, HI. It's really neat to hear them doing Hawaiian chants and to hear Emalia sing the Hawaiian doxology, commonly sung as a prayer before meals.

Christian, 13, is active in Boy Scouts and had a role in the Youth Choir's presentation of It's a Wonderful Life. After months and months of practice, they presented 11 really professional performances. We took our neighbors to one of the performances. Their comments included, "Beyond our wildest expectations!" He still enjoys reading and playing video games.


Jonathan, 8, is our athlete. He's played flag football almost all year but recently decided he wanted to give basketball a try. His uncle Cary bought him matching Jordan shoes so Jonathan is ready to hit the courts. Jonathan also enjoys video football and basketball games on the computer, GameCube and Wii.

Emalia, 5, recently started soccer. Her favorite Christmas song was "All I want for Christmas are my FOUR front teeth." She's still the baby of the family but enjoys dressing up with makeup, jewelry, etc. (must be genetic!) Her favorite video game is Wii boxing!

2009 Recap

Cary continued to be employed with Butte County, California, working with at-risk kids. He's really got a heart for these kids for whom few others, in some cases, really cares. He was in for a surprize when he was informed that he was not in a permanent position but had to compete for his own position, which he did, successfully. Susan is still working as a radiation technician but there are still no bambinos. Oh well, they ought to take their time because they'll have them for at least 18 years!! Besides, Cary is almost more than Susan can handle on her own!

2009 Recap

We didn't take any major trips in 2009 but I did get a new toy which was on my bucket list. It's a 2004 BMW which is new to me. I've spent much of the year buying "farkles" to get the bike exactly how I'd like it. (Geri, to her credit, has been very understanding--you know the saying about boys and their toys!) So far, I've replaced the seat, windscreen, shocks/springs, mirrors (it was a safety issue (!)) and air cleaner and got the exhaust headers coated and the decals clear-coated. Only a new muffler remains.

The NEW Journey

Since my updates on recovering and staying remission have been few and far between, this blog will morph into a family update to keep those who care updated on the doings of our family. Please tune in for more to come very soon.

To recap 2009, the major health story was Geri's broken femur in Sep. She's recovering with physical therapy and daily stretching and exercises. Seems the most debilitating damage was to her muscles which contracted so forcefully that they hemorrhaged internally. Only time can remove this blood from the body and her muscles, in the meantime became weak and stiff. In any case, she's walking almost without a limp and is now bionic with a titanium rod and other assorted hardware. Here's her latest portrait: