THE BIGGEST WINNER THIS FAMILY HAS EVER SEEN!

Adriana won this washer and dryer pair in the "My Coke Rewards" sweepstakes.

She only entered the sweepstakes once, so she thought it was a hoax when she was notified of the win.

REFLECTIONS OF 2010

As I reflect on the the past year,  two things come to mind:

CHAOS...

The year seemed sort of chaotic because of all the traveling that we did.   Some of our trips were planned, but many trips came up because of life's unpredictable circumstances.  Harry and I actually slept in beds-not-our-own more than sixty-five nights last year!  We have beautiful memories of each of these trips, but all that moving around had us feeling quite unsettled.

Just one of the beds-not-our-own.  This one is at the haunted hotel in Gooding.  A gift certificate for a free stay and a wedding in Gooding took us there.

LOSS...

The news of my brother Jake's unexpected death came as a shock...a shock that has settled slowly into the realization that Jake is gone!  Though Jake and I had little contact with one another since I left home so many years ago, I have always had such admiration for him.  He was humble, intelligent, wise, funny, and kind.  In May, we traveled to Missouri for a memorial service for Jake.  We heard beautiful stories told by two soldiers who served with Jake in Vietnam...stories that showed Jake's extraordinary character under extraordinary pressure.   Those two soldiers loved Jake.  And their tales confirmed what I had always known...that my brother Jake was a hero.  I feel a weight of grief in Jake's passing, and the loss feels heavier because of the ugly, messy relationships which have come to characterize our family.  I had hoped that this tragedy would begin to draw us together, but, sadly, the opposite has happened.

My Brother Jake is on the right.  He served as a helicopter gunner when he was in Vietnam. 

This year we also lost two family dogs.  Rocky disappeared in the summer.  We are not sure what happened to him, but we suspect that he drowned in the lagoon on the farm.  He was kind of a pain...far too energetic and  always begging for attention, but he was sweet and loyal.  A few months after Rocky disappeared, our other dog, Lucy, the yellow lab that everyone loved, was run over.  Jake and Harry miss these dogs the most, because they were true farm dogs, providing company with all the daily tasks.

Sofia was the only grandchild who could get along with Rocky. All the others were afraid of him.

Lucy with one of her litters of pups.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lizzie, Gracie, Kaya, Ava and Benjamin spent the night of December 31, 2010 at our house.

We got to celebrate Kaya's birthday all over again, play Bingo, make Shrinky Dinks, ring in the New Year, and watch one of the kids' favorite movies..."Bruce Almighty".