Looking Forward To An Amazing New Year

I can’t believe that it is 2025 already. We are looking forward to a fabulous new year for America and for the world. I pray for peace in this world every day.

This past 2024, we spent a lot of time enjoying our home on Maui. We worked on our cottage and property and enjoyed tending to our various plants. We had a fun excursion ziplining both upcountry in Kula and over on the Lahaina side. Our traveling included trips to visit family on the mainland and going to Thailand for my dental work. We did several web posts about the Thailand trip. I have at least one more trip to schedule this coming year to Thailand to complete getting crowns on the implants.

One heartbreak this year: we weren’t able to go visit Neil’s daughter Ari, Eric, and our grandsons in Missoula, Montana. We are grateful for Duo video calls, and we look forward to an in-person visit this summer with lots of playing and hugs.

We are very fortunate to have Neil’s daughter Mailea, and her boyfriend Daniel live just a few minutes away from us.  We enjoy dinners, game nights, outings, and work projects with them in addition to being kitty grandparents.

My great-nephew Quentin, 24, continues to live on Maui and is currently working in a legal office as receptionist and paralegal. He enjoys it but would like to get back to a technical IT career. I enjoy the few times I get to see him each year. We did have a wonderful Christmas meal with Quentin last week.

I was very happy to get to visit my mom Audrey, 89, and her husband Bill in Ridgecrest for a few days in December. We were having such a great time visiting that I forgot to take photos. I will include one from 2 years ago. They haven’t changed much. They are both doing well in their mature years, but Bill has a cancerous growth on his ear that he is having treated.

My dad Bob celebrated his 90th birthday in April and my siblings put together a great party where nearly 80 friends and family came to celebrate with him. I visited Dad at the beginning of April and again in the summer and this past December. The sad news is he has been diagnosed with Leukemia and it has moved to his lymph nodes; they have labeled the diagnosis as CLL. He has decided to stop the extensive hospital treatments and enter the hospice program. We fully support him in his decision. My siblings Pamela, Melanie and her husband Will, and my brother Warren, all live within 15 minutes of him and they are taking great care of him. I am headed back to Ohio next week to enjoy time with him as he is growing very short of breath and low on energy. Dad’s wife Jane is still in a care home, also on hospice, and has been bed ridden since last April. Dad visits her once or twice a day.

Neil’s stepfather Morley continues to live next door to us. He has slowed down and has stopped driving, but he is still completely independent at home.  We do help with his shopping and drive him to his doctors’ appointments.

Thank you all for your recent cards, letters, and communications. We are grateful to hear from you and hear all your news. Sending you love and prayers for a prosperous new year.

Click into the website and then click on the first photo below and arrow through the album to read more about our adventures with family and friends. There are descriptions under each photo giving more detail. You can look at the previous posts if you want to see more about our international travels.