To all my family and friends:I didn't get my letter out this year with my Christmas cards, so here is what I was going to send:
Wow! This year has been a whirlwind of activity! And one that has brought changes to all of us. First, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I hope this letter finds you in good spirits, and spending time with family and friends.
The New Year started for David and I with a move. We found out 3 days before Christmas last year that the house we lived in was being sold. Try as we did, we could not convince them to wait until summer to sell, so we needed to find a new place to live. A few calls and visits later, and we signed a lease for an apartment. I swore I would never share walls with anyone again, but here I am! My neighbors for the most part are quiet at night, and the complex has children everywhere (I love listening to kids!). Many of the residents here are of Russian descent, and some do not speak English, but we all get along. The apartment is only a few years old, so everything generally works. I have the world’s smallest porch, but it is nice. Mike, our roommate and friend, also moved with us. He has lived with us since August 2005, and is a longtime friend of mine (I used to work with him).
Rory’s father passed away in April. I miss his conversations on the phone. I know since he had the stroke a few years earlier that many people wouldn’t take the time to listen to him, but he was the same guy. He just spoke slower. I will really miss him.
After Rory’s father passed away, Rory’s mom made the decision to move closer to Luane (Rory’s sister) in Connecticut. She is living in a senior housing center, and enjoys the area a lot. I really want to go out and visit her. We talk on the phone, but it isn’t the same. I haven’t seen her since January 2005. I miss her.
I finished school in May, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Biology, concentration in Microbiology, and a minor in Chemistry. Although I had graduated, it took CSU Sacramento until October to send my diploma. But, my degree was on the national system by July, which was good. Suddenly, I was looking for work again!
Before graduating, I had taken an exam for a state job. The title was “Hazardous Substances Scientist”, and I scored very high. I was in the top 3 scores. The only person above me for some time had been on the list for almost a year, which suggested that he/she already found a job elsewhere. So, then the “Employment Inquiries” started coming. I responded to all of them, and interviewed in Glendale. Didn’t get that job, but I later interviewed in Sacramento.
In the meantime, I was working 4 part-time jobs to make ends meet. DMAT, the Rivercats, a friend with an EMS company, and Bloodsource, the local blood bank (Like Red Cross – all voluntary donations). I worked there until last August, when I took the job that was offered to me at the Sacramento office of the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Yes, it is a state job, but the pay is ok, and the benefits are wonderful. This job has given me a chance to learn many new things, and to consider a different path for my life. I plan on staying in emergency medicine, no matter what, but I can certainly consider different directions.
During my final weeks in school, I was nervously awaiting a phone call… from Diana. She was expecting, and her due date was around my last days of school. I got through finals (Don’t ask me how!), and went straight out to Salt Lake City, UT on May 18th, right after my last final. My mom went out there, too, although she wasn’t able to stay until the baby was born. After a “trial of labor” with medication, Diana came home for two more days, then the real labor started, and she was admitted to the hospital. Diana and Jon welcomed Jonathan Douglas Lester II into the world on May 22. Little Jonny had a bit of a rough start, with a high bilirubin count around 4 days old, but home UV light therapy for a few days fixed that! I stayed another week, but then had to leave.
David proposed to Candace in July, and she accepted. He borrowed my wedding rings (on my suggestion) so that he could “do it right”! They haven’t set a date (yet), but they are beginning to see that married life carries with it some good things, and are considering when to “tie the knot”.
I went back out to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City for Labor Day weekend, and for Thanksgiving weekend. While in Las Vegas, Dan, Josh, and I all got pictures taken of us in uniform. I miss seeing Diana and Jonny all the time! I want to be out there everyday, watching him this first year. Diana sends me pictures just about every day (I am so thankful for picture messaging on cell phones nowadays!), so I get to see those little glimpses of Jonny.
After a rough last few months, Diana and Jon have decided to break up. Diana moved out into an apartment of her own, still in Salt Lake City, so that Jon can be a part of Jonny’s life. I know both of them love Jonny dearly, but Diana has matured more, returning to school as well as working full-time (and caring for a baby!), and realized that she and Jon were not going to be together forever as a result. Jon has some other issues to deal with that were taking priority over Diana and Jonny. I hope that he gets control of those issues, and continues to mature and be a part of Jonny’s life. He is a great guy, and I know he loves being a daddy to that little guy. They are sharing responsibilities for Jonny, alternating caring for him to accommodate their work schedules.
I helped both Diana and David to obtain newer cars that will carry them for a long time to come. It put my plans to buy a newer Jeep off for some more time (another year or two), but it was more important to help them.
So, here we are at this wonderful time of year! My finances don’t allow me to travel to see everyone this year, as I want to do. But I will sure try to stay in touch!
I wish all of you a wonderful New Year!
Labels: Family
