Christmas 2010
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”
– Jeremiah 23:5
2010 was a year of transition and growth. Our family is growing up and we’re transitioning into a more settled family as we no longer have Dana’s flight benefits to assist our travels.
We started out the year by making one last trip on Midwest Airlines, where Dana worked for 12 years. Midwest was bought by Republic Airlines and merged into Frontier Airlines. Seeing Midwest fade away was like losing an old friend. While we can no longer visit, we still have fond memories. Our last trip was to California. Dana had won a trip, with six of her friends, to the People’s Choice Awards through a Clairol contest. Since Dana’s brother lives in Southern California, we decided to have a late Christmas. Dana’s Mom, Bonnie, and step-Dad Bruce flew down from Eugene, Oregon. Dana had a paid ticket so this meant Justin and the kids would fly standby. Unfortunately, all the flights to LA were full, so Justin and the kids flew to Phoenix and drove six hours to catch up with Dana. Dana had a great time at the People’s Choice Awards and the kids enjoyed the time with their cousins, grandparents, and aunt and uncle. We also made a trip to Disneyland. Fortunately, the return trip didn’t require driving 6 hours as we were able to fly back from LA.
Our youngest, Ian turned three in February. Grandma and Grandpa Marthaler and Aunt Keri, Uncle Joe, and Cousin Natalie came to celebrate with Ian. Our friends Brian and Sarah Hackman and their kids Amelia and Ben, whom Dana watches 2-3 days per week also came to celebrate. Ian loves trains so Grandma Sandy made a train themed caked that he absolutely loved. After eating cake, we went sledding on a nearby hill.
Justin is in his 13th year at Strand Associates, working as a network administrator. He occasionally travels for work and this year a well timed phone system upgrade project took him to the Phoenix office in early March. After he finished up the project, he was able to catch a Milwaukee Brewers spring training game.
Ben turned seven in April. He celebrated at a Milwaukee Admirals game with six of his friends. After the game, they slept over at the house. Even though he likes to watch hockey, his favorite game to play is basketball. During the winter months, Ben played Upward Basketball. He also enjoys soccer and has participated in a couple of soccer camps during the year.
In May, Dana’s friend Liz from Chile, came to visit. Liz was an exchange student who stayed with Dana for a short time during her high school days. Dana’s Mom Bonnie, her brother Mike and niece Kylie were out for a visit around the same time. It was a busy, fun time with lots of catching up, eating out, and visiting the sites in Madison.
Dana and Justin celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a trip to Wisconsin Dells with friends Becca and Bill Boppre. We all brought our kids and enjoyed a sunny day at the water park. After that, we took the kids to Justin’s parents. Their anniversary gift was a couples’ massage and a weekend without the kids. Awesome!
During the summer months, Ben and Cami participated in several Vacation Bible School programs. Ian even got to participate in one. He was proud to go to “school”. We also joined the Prairie Athletic Club in Sun Prairie for the summer so we could take advantage of the outdoor water park. We also enjoyed a few outings at the ballpark with the Madison Mallards.
Later in the summer, we went to State Fair. Justin won a spot in the state mooing finals which came with tickets to the fair. Cheering him on was our friend Brian and his kids Amelia and Ben. Justin mooed his best, but the younger moo-ers seems to have an edge as the contest was ultimately won by a 10 year old.
Cami celebrated her sixth birthday with Grandma and Grandma Marthaler, Aunt Keri and Cousin Natalie. Grandma made a princess cake that made the day even more special. The next day she had a pool party with her friends on a hot, sunny day in August.
Just before school started up again, the kids had a scare at one of their swimming lessons. A large amount of chlorine leaked into the empty hot tub at the facility forcing an evacuation. All the kids got checked out by EMTs and one of the instructors had to spend a night in the hospital. Thankfully, the kids were ok, although there was extra coughing for the next couple of days. Cami came down with a fever that kept her out of school for her first day of 1st grade. The kids are again attending Abundant Life Christian School. Ben is in 2nd grade. After getting through his boredom with the review portion that always starts a school year, he is doing very well in school. His favorite time is still recess, but he is learning how to carry in math and enjoys learning cursive writing and art class. Cami has blossomed academically and is reading extremely well, enjoys her time in art and music, and is doing well in all subjects. We feel blessed to have our kids at a Christ-centered school with excellent academics.
The fall has zipped by. Dana is watching 2 year old Chloe full time this year as well as the Hackmans 2-3 days/week. So the house is always busy. Since her car accident last winter, Dana has been doing physical therapy to improve her back. In addition, she tried a procedure called Prolotherapy which injects a sugar water solution into the tendons and ligaments to stimulate inflammation which causes the body to heal. Her first three injections went really well and have reduced the pain she feels. The fourth injection ended up nicking the spinal column, causing a leak of spinal fluid that resulted in a terrible migraine. She had to get a “blood patch” to alleviate the problem.
As the door closes on 2010 and we hurtle into 2011, we reflect on our blessings. We are so thankful for our family, friends, and most especially for our Savior Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2011.
