Merry Christmas! It is hard to believe that the year is almost over. It has been filled with lots of travel, meaningful work, and many wonderful connections with family and friends, old and new. Two thoughts have been deeply on my heart this year: “As much of Heaven is visible as we have eyes to see” and “All change comes bearing gifts.” With all the negativity and divisiveness in our world today, we all especially need to be focused on what is GOOD in our work and lives. I treasure our friendships!
The best news of the year is that Kinsey, my 17 year old granddaughter, finished her last chemo treatment for leukemia November 9. It has been a long hard 2 ½ year journey for her, and it is not through yet as the steroids have so destroyed her bones that they are anticipating having to replace both knees and ankles next year due to the constant pain. We are all so proud of her for her bravery and positive attitude. By taking extra classes and summer school, she will be able to graduate with her class next spring. How grateful we are for all the support and prayers from all over the world!
I spent last Christmas with my sister and brother in Grand Junction, CO, and then had a relatively quiet first of the year. I especially enjoyed Sarasota’s opera season and hearing Renee Fleming. I was asked to be on the Board for Designing Women, a high -end consignment shop whose proceeds go to help the arts and humanities in our city. I continue to be on Guideposts Advisory Board as well as the Lead Like Jesus Board,
My monthly book group, church Home Fellowship group, new clients, and a number of webinars, interviews and podcasts have kept me busy during my non-traveling time. A new business edition of “The Simple Truths of Service” came out in November, and we recently learned that the original book has now sold 400,000 copies. It just shows how everyone desperately needs hope today. Ken Blanchard and I are also planning a book on “Kindness,” a new speaking topic for me and so needed in our world.
I LOVE having visitors! My brother, Brian, from Chiang Mai, Thailand, visited in March along with the Whartons, dear friends from PA. Gretchen, Randy and the boys came from Portland for a week, my brother, Bruce, from CO for a week, and Erin was here for the July 4th week. What fun we all had on the beach!
I have traveled for both work and play to Atlanta, Savannah, Memphis, Philadelphia, Huntington Beach, CA, Copper Mountain & Grand Junction, CO, Dallas for NSA, Chicago to speak for my 21st year at the Society for Human Resource Management conference, Washington, DC, for the Veterans Speakers retreat, and San Diego twice to see both my precious 95 year old aunt who still does water aerobics and ballroom dancing, and Shannon Johnston, a friend for over 50 years!
Highlights of the year include Frank’s 80th birthday party when he brought all his family (and me) to the Homestead, a lovely resort in Virginia, for a week. The end of July I took all our family except Gavin, who had to work, to a really fun lake house outside Seattle for a 4-day weekend. We had a wonderful time being all together, playing in the lake with all the toys including Garrett’s jet ski, playing games, and eating and eating!
The other major highlight for me was a most WONDERFUL birthday celebration planned by Gretchen and Erin in Portland in May. They reserved a room at the fanciest hotel in downtown Portland, took me to a lovely restaurant for lunch and then gifted me with a facial. When I returned to the room, they had flowers, champagne, and chocolate-covered strawberries. That evening they treated me to dinner at a fancy restaurant and then cocktails on the terrace of the hotel. The next day the little boys joined us for a Bloody Mary brunch and then we all went to the Timbers soccer game. It was one of the nicest weekends of my life!
In August Frank and I took a 7-day cruise to the Western Caribbean where I did my first “helmet dive” – you go down 30 feet and walk on the bottom of the ocean and feed the fish. 
A trip to Disney with my sister, Beth, and her daughter, Katie, and 2 year old granddaughter, Riley, from Australia in November was a delight. I will spend Thanksgiving in Seattle at Garret’s and Christmas in Portland with Gretchen and Erin.
Gretchen continues to be Operations Manager for Adorn shops in Portland. OR, and Randy continues his freelance webmaster work. Owen is in 8th grade. His interests are video games, building Legos and anything to do with computers. He’s looking forward to doing computer programming courses in high school and wants to be a video game developer. Simon is in 6th grade. His interests are soccer and video games. His competitive soccer team is having a great season and he is loving playing left mid-field. Even though he’s right-handed, he is left-footed in soccer! They, including Erin, are all huge Timbers soccer fans.
Garrett has taken a new job with Amazon in Seattle and handles marketing for the electronic device Alexa. Ashley and Kinsey spend a lot of time with their horse, Rally. Gavin has graduated and is working two jobs, seven days a week, to help pay for his hot car. He loves anything to do with cars!
Erin is still in the fashion industry as a National Agent for a company called True Collaborative Fashion. She travels around the country to various markets to show her lines. She is the proud mama of two darling kitties, Cricket and Clover, and as Owen, Simon, Gavin and Kinsey would attest – the best aunt ever!
2019 is going to be a huge travel year. I have a trip scheduled to Iceland in March (I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights), Frank and I have rescheduled the Viking River Cruise from Berlin to Prague in late April, and we just booked a trip to Japan in September. How BLESSED I feel to be able to continue to see amazing places in our world! May your holidays be filled with peace, love, and JOY.
