Year end report

I hope your Christmas was Merry and that your New Year is happy!!

So many good things happen each day, let’s see if I can remember a few.
Grandchildren: We have visited with all five of our grandchildren this year. And they are wonderful!
Megan gave birth to a brand new baby boy, Derek Michael Watson born 10 days before Christmas—on December 15. (If he hadn’t been brand new the birth would have been difficult.) He is a wonderful boy.
Steven, Liz and Amara moved in with us in October and we celebrated Amara’s first birthday together. She is of course the most incredible one year old in the world. She started walking at ten months, bosses the dogs around, and wraps her Granddad around her littlest finger!
Nola and Talia came to visit for a couple of weeks before school started. We had a good time every day. We are just waiting to get the whole family out here from NYC!
Mike and Gabe came for visits last winter and again in the summer. Gabe and Granmuz went for lots of hikes. Gabe won every race to the tops of the hills! We miss them!
Education: Michael finished a Master’s Degree in Spanish this year, and Charlie and Leslie, both graduated in May. Michael came out for their graduation, and we celebrated 3 Master’s Degrees in the family. Ari is finishing her Master’s Degree at Pratt, and Maren is working and going to school for her Master’s at U of Az. She’s been hard at work recording Hopi oral histories. How can you call that work? Morris just finished his first semester at Columbia! Wow. It’s not the community college that’s for sure.
Life: Mo and Seung Hee are working non-stop. Seung Hee is at MOMA, and Mo is still working at TBRC. They’re busy, busy, busy!
Steven is working construction at the border, waiting to hear on a more permanent job. Liz is teaching me to make Mexican Hot Chocolate and other tasty treats!
*Graham’s working up in Phoenix, but he’ll be back in school in January.
Dogs: Dogs?? Since when? We agreed to take care of Megan’s bulldog Dozer for a few months while she was expecting, and he has really moved in. We were just getting used to Dozer when a friend offered us a pure black German Shepherd. Well, I do have a soft spot for German Shepherds, and so now there are two dogs sharing our space. Who would have ever imagined? Certainly not me!!

We’re happy, we’re blessed. We have 8 kids who are grown, and employed! We’ve enjoyed visits with all our kids and their spouses, all 5 of our grandkids, and with family and friends in California, New York and Utah this year. (California for a funeral, New York after our son in law was crushed in a horrible work accident--and made an amazing recovery!) I keep hoping the doctors will find a miracle cure for Mike’s back, but in the meantime life goes forward!


And may the greatest gift of this holiday season, Jesus Christ, continue to bless you and your home throughout the coming year.

We love you and miss you all.


Mike and Karen

Writing at night

Thanksgiving this year was great--happy, traditional, family centered. I should check the blogs more. I used to blame facebook for the slow down in blogging, but I don't have anything to blame for the very little I post on facebook!
Today was day one of year 38. What a lot of years together, and as the song wishes us: And many more!
I love reading Megan's posts. That's really what brings me to the blog spot! Ok, I am rambling.
Good night all.