December, 2022
 

Greetings!

As I gaze out the windows at the beautiful golden oak trees here in the yard and across the canyon, I realize that another year is almost ready to wind down. I have spent the last two months here in California at Fred and Diana’s home enjoying family and friends in this part of the country. Soon I will be flying back to where my Maine home is waiting for me with Lanita and Norman Medina.

Last December was a busy time for the Medina family as Norman & Lanita celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Christmas Eve. Then Ben and Amanda decided that was a good time to get married so we celebrated a snowy wedding at the edge of a lake where I used to take Ben fishing when he was just a little boy.

Since only the Medina family and Amanda’s family were there for that wedding, they had another wedding for many family and many friends six months later on July 31 in the Medina’s grassy yard. Now the newlyweds are living in Fort Worth, Texas where Ben is studying to be a nurse anesthetist, and Amanda is working and studying to be a nurse practitioner.
 

Since Brendon has finished his physical therapy classes, he and Krista have been around the country some and are now working and enjoying life in Anchorage, Alaska for a while.

Kami and Andrew are living near Nashville, and Andrew just got his white coat which means he has finished his first year of nurse anesthetist. 

KK's cute dog Fenton keeps her company while Andrew is away.

Kandice and Jason still live in San Diego, keeping busy with work and Ramona and Ender. 

Ramona will be 3 in February, and is a busy little momma helping with Ender who had his first birthday in August. She's a cute little Shirley Temple!

They were even able to make a brief visit up here one weekend, and Ramona really enjoyed being out in the country.

At 91, I thought I was too old for another trip to our old home in Chiapas, Mexico, but Linda & Lanita thought we should go to the 75 year reunion.

In April we flew to Cancun and visited friends there, then went on to Villahermosa where the large Linda Vista van met us and took us to the school.

What a difference from our first visit there in 1958!  But it was a good difference and we were happy to see the progress. 

Some students and other friends from years ago came just to see us, so that was very special.  It was Spring Break, so a lot of the students were gone, but the industrial students were there, and our girls always bring gifts for them, and we enjoy seeing the different departments where they are working. It was a busy week, but well worth the effort.

Although Troy and Maryann live in Kentucky not far from Laurel and family, they seem to do a lot of traveling.  I can’t even keep up with that, but they do enjoy their grandchildren when they are home. 

The first day of this year, their two boys were joined by a little sister, Hailee James.  As you can guess, the boys, Eli and Owen, picked her middle name.  Laurel is busy with her job as a hospitalist in the Pulmonary ICU; and Alex is a good dad, so he helps her a lot.

Gloria and Vern manage to visit there also from their home in California.

Troy, Maryann, Laurel holding Owen, Alex, Eli, Gloria & Vern

Boots and Russ are still in Reno, both retired and enjoying that. 

Russ, Boots, Emilia, Deana & Gillian

It's hard to believe that Deana’s girls are grown up and Gillian has just started studying for her Master’s degree in a college in Salt Lake City.

Emilia is a senior at UNR, so still lives at home, but enjoys participating in Mixed Martial Arts more than college studies.  She’s doing well at it too, so who knows where she will go from there.

As always, Linda keeps very busy with her E.R. duties in Los Angeles, yet takes time to make frequent trips to Maine and other places to spend time with family members.

Daniel, Glory, Wyatt (age 4) and Weston (age 2) visited a few days this Thanksgiving.  They moved to Idaho last summer, but found winter weather too cold, so they plan to return to Washington. 

Daniel really enjoys driving trucks and spending quality time with his family.

When I’m in Maine I keep busy helping Lanita with her Creative Memories scrapbooking business.  There are usually little things that I can do to help her, and I enjoy that. 

Sometimes I go to the weekend retreats, and in March I was the Queen Bee for two retreats. 

Well, that’s what my year has been like, and now I’m waiting to hear from the rest of you.  May you be blessed and happy is my wish for all of you.   

~ Betty Adams ~