The Christmas letter that almost wasn't - yes I've really outdone myself this year on the last-minute holiday planning. Again, even though it's after Christmas, I still wanted to write the letter. I think that it's not so much a letter about Christmas, but more a reflection on the events of the past year. So as the last few hours of 2008 are ticking away, let's reflect…
Lisa, Shirley-Mae and I are still living in South Lyon but not for long. We are currently in the process of buying a house and hope to close by the end of January. The house is a nice colonial in a respectable neighborhood in Hamburg Township, about 12 miles west of us. We have outgrown our apartment and are currently busting at the seams, so to speak. It will be a relief to move into a nice house with lots of room and privacy that the apartment complex simply cannot provide. The house is in very good condition, vacant and ready to move in. Hopefully we won't have to move in a foot of snow!
After residing in the comfortable little town of South Lyon for several years, it will be sad to leave. The poor economy has taken its toll on our town as is apparent by many businesses having closed, but things will pick up again and it's still a nice place to live. We won't miss apartment living, though. Aside from desperately needing more space, there are many other things that will be much improved and appreciated at our new home like: having a garage, a yard, private laundry and not having three flights of stairs to walk up and down every time we come or go. And finally let me just say that regardless of all this, having bad neighbors will ruin even the best of apartment situations.
This year we were blessed with being able to watch our daughter grow from an infant to a toddler. Shirley-Mae is now toddling like a champ! She walks, runs and is busy, busy, busy. On the one hand it is hard to believe that she is already one year old. On the other hand, when we watch her do her thing it's hard to believe that she is only one year old. Obviously we think she is very special and she is, but more importantly she has brought us much happiness and a true sense of family. She is healthy, happy, and beautiful and that is what is really important.
On a sad note, this year I had to say goodbye to one of my cats that I have had for more than 16 years. Smokey had survived many health issues during her life including bladder stones and having diabetes for the last five years. In the end her quality of life had diminished significantly due to her failing physical and mental condition. She was a very special cat and I will always miss her… Coal is also showing signs of old age, but for the time being she is still getting along well enough that I can't bring myself to say goodbye to her yet. Coffee and Jackie are fine and all three now share a homemade cat sanctuary I made from coated wire shelving. Although it takes up a large chunk of our living room, it was necessary in order to contain the various cat mess and keep it away from the baby.
All in all it has been a good year. There have been many new challenges, which have made for some difficult times, but we have persevered and have grown for the experience. And so as we prepare to welcome in the new year, we look to the new challenges that await us as our baby continues to grow and so do we, as a family, and as a family we wish you all a very-