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December 2011 Greetings friends and family, Another year has flown by. It seems only yesterday we were worrying about what would happen with the New Millennium. As usual I have had a full eventful year. I continue to maintain pretty good general health, for which I am very grateful. I did give everyone a scare in January after donating blood in the blood mobile at church. I ate the cookies, drank the juice, waited the required 10 minutes, and managed to make it into the church and up the stairs to the choir loft for choir rehearsal, but still I passed out during the break between the rehearsal and the service. Dr. Ray Dunkin, a church member, who was called to my side, insisted on calling 911 because he said I should be seen in the ER. Both the EMT and the doctor in ER insisted that I not donate blood ever again, and I had been doing it for years. The only trip I took in my Little House on Wheels in 2011 was in April to Bandera, TX, the Cowboy Capital of America. Here I attended a Singles RV Dance Rally sponsored by (SI) Singles International. I did not attend the WIN Dance Rally that I usually attend in Casa Grande, AZ. Nor did I visit my friend, Marilyn Ziegler Cox (Murnie) on her ranch in New Mexico. I did, however, take advantage of the fact that John Michael Montgomery was giving a concert while I was there. It was a great concert, wonderful weather, and no catastrophe like what happened at the Indian Sate Fair in August when an outdoor stage collapsed in a terrible wind storm that blew up just when a Sugar Land concert was ready to start. I still do a lot of ballroom dancing. But the last two years I have also helped with the Hendricks County Special Olympics Dance group. We competed at Fort Wayne in 2010, but this year our main instructor was not able to hold enough rehearsals/practices so we had to forgo competition 2011. We did however do an exhibition for the Big Ball Room Bash in September. This actually is put on to benefit this Special Olympic Group. At this same event, when instructors and their students give exhibitions, my instructor, Scott Shook, and I did a Country Western Two Step exhibition. In August this last summer, I facilitated the Dance Morning Group at the AMUUSE camp that I have attended since I became single. This was fun as well as quite rewarding. I was the D.J. at the camp held in June. Both these were at a beautiful camp site on Lake Michigan, near Saugatuck, MI. I continue attending my Memoirs group. It is fun writing about things in my life, but the bonus here is hearing all the interesting stories that the other members tell. In September, Aaren, Jen, and their 2-year-old, Kevin, drove from Philadelphia to visit. It had been a year since I had seen them and I was afraid that Kevin would not make up to me. But it was instant love, and he was not a bit shy. He called me Nana Jane, as Ian and Emily have always done. But sometimes he would call me Banana Jane. His vocabulary, his humor, his getting around skills, and his social skills are all just great. In November I flew to Providence, RI, to visit Korben, my youngest son, his wife, Amy, and their 2-year-old, Julian. We drove up to New Hampshire to spend Thanksgiving with Amy's family. And what marvelous hosts Linda and Jerry are. Besides the wonderful camaraderie and good food, I had the joy of getting to know another grandchild a little better. We had 14 inches of snow fall on their mountain home. You would never believe how that little guy got around in the deep snow and played with his little snow plow so he could be like Pops. His vocabulary is also superb and he is clever kat figuring out things to do with his little wooden train. We hiked in the snow, built an igloo, and built a snow woman. Korben drove me to the Providence airport on Friday. I arrived back in Indy just in time for Larsen and Ian to pick me up at our new Indianapolis Airport and get me back to Grechen and Randy's home for another wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. Grand daughter, Emily, a seventh grader, is in her second year playing the violin. Three of her friends play instruments, so when they have sleep-overs, the music is included. She also played soccer on the Northview Middle School team. She is very creative and also does a lot in the kitchen to help out. Ian is a freshman at North Central High school. He is really interested in all our presidents, especially FDR, World War II, and Pearl Harbor. He loves his iPad, and is writing a book. He attends church with me and hates it when he has to miss. I must say, I haven't done badly at all when it comes to in-laws and grand kids. It is nice when we can all be together, but the one-on-one with the three visits was quite special. As the 2011 nears its end I have so much for which to be grateful. Guess I have mentioned some of this in my letter. I wish for you the happiest and most peaceful Christmas Season and a most joyous and prosperous New Year.
Much love, |