…but the Goats Stole My Lunch Money!

I am mindful of those dreadful Christmas card letters that talk about banal minutia of family life like, “Our lovely daughter is a precocious third grader this year!” Yawn. Time passes. It isn’t news.

With that in mind, here is my 2008 year in review…

• February: Abby receives a treatment for her rheumatoid arthritis with a drug called Rituxan.
• March: Abby visits her daughter in Baltimore, and says that her arthritis is much better.
• April: I am privileged to teach photography at the vo-tech.
• May: After being ill for less than 36 hours, Abby is admitted to the intensive care unit at Valley View hospital with pneumonia. Just 36 hours after that, she lapses into respiratory failure, and is placed on a ventilator.
• June: After a six week hospital stay, Abby is finally strong enough to return home. Only after another three weeks is she able to return to work.
• July: with Abby well, I am able to vacation in southwestern Utah, on a trip called The Plateau of Mirror.
• September: I teach another class at the vo-tech.
• October: Abby and I celebrate our fourth anniversary by touring the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
• Also in October: I am able to take a hiking trip to southeastern Utah. The trip is named The Quietest Moments.
• December: Abby and I hosted Christmas.

There. Succinct. Pithy. Lean. Brief. All year-end letters should be so cool.