Hi! We sent out our Christmas cards a couple weeks ago, but we couldn't send them to everyone. Here's the card and letter that was mailed out. If you follow our blog, you already know about the stuff in the letter :) Sorry if you didn't get a card from us!! I still have a few if you really want one ;)
Happy Holidays!
We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. I can’t believe this year is almost over.
We ended 2010 unsuccessfully trying to have children, so we bought Doug a new truck – we figure it costs about the same, but it doesn’t talk back :). Doug’s old truck was very well used and it was definitely time for a new vehicle anyways. I started 2011 with a very bad cold and cough, so I sat around and watched all the Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring sagas for the first time…for my Sedgwick peeps: no, I still haven’t watched Star Wars.
In April, Doug was sent to Maryland for training. It was very last minute and a great opportunity for him. I’m so proud of the steps he has been able to make. He has worked very hard for so many years and it was finally starting to pay off. While he was in Maryland I heard water running, but I couldn’t find the source. Various websites taught me how to check for leaks throughout the pipes; according to the internet we had a leak in our concrete foundation. Lovely. I didn’t know what do to, so I waited for Doug to get home. While venting to my mom about it my stepdad said we shouldn’t have the water running at all. So, we kept the main water line off for a couple weeks, only turning it on long enough for a shower, to refill the toilets and to do a load of laundry and dishes occasionally. We contacted our insurance company and learned more about our leak when they sent a leak detection specialist to the house. It turned out to be a leak in our concrete slab under our kitchen island. It was going to be quite an ordeal. I researched contractors and then decided to contact the home builder because our home isn’t very old. Since we’re the second owners I figured we were out of luck, but we are so thankful the home builder took care of and paid for everything. WHEW!
Doug and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary and took an Alaskan cruise in July. Doug working two jobs only leaves us one week a year to spend together, so we make it as fun as we can. Our Alaskan adventures included: a train ride and hiking, rock climbing, a helicopter ride and dog sledding, a ropes and zip line course, and whale watching.
My stepdad, Glenn, gave us a bit of a scare in July. He was dealing with some pain/numbness for a while and went to the doctor for an x-ray. The doctor saw spots in his lungs during the x-ray and sent him for further testing and more scans. He ended up having a biopsy to determine if he had lung cancer. Luckily the biopsy came back better than we all expected. He was diagnosed as having granuloma in his lungs (it’s an area of inflammation due to tissue injury, which could have been caused by many different things). After all is said and done, he’s fine, but he’s still a pain in the butt. hee hee.
August was the Sedgwick family reunion. It was great to get to know the Sedgwick family better since some of them live out of state. They are all so fun to talk to. We were sad that Mark’s family and Brian/Bonnie weren’t able to go. We weren’t able to stay the whole time since we just took a vacation, but we had fun while we were there. A few of the uncles were launching the kids in the air while in the pool; it was so funny to watch and we got some great photos!
During August and September we finished some projects we put off for too long. We also had a friend living with us while she was in transition to move to Washington. It was nice to get our projects done and off my mind; we put ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, painted 2 rooms that were painted in a Hawaiian theme by the previous owners and we installed two security doors (the security doors are going to be so nice to cool down the house in the summer). We didn’t get a garden in this year, so hopefully next year. Our fruit trees have grown a lot, but only the lemon tree fruited this season. The poor mandarin tree didn’t survive being planted in the ground, so we’ll have to level the ground and plant a new tree in the spring.
October was a very difficult month. On October 12th Doug’s brother, Brian, lost his battle with cancer. Brian worked really hard to make sure he would be around to watch his kids grow up and be there with Bonnie, but there was a different plan in the heavens for him. Brian stayed so positive through his trials and he was a blessing to so many people, even from his hospital bed. He is dearly missed and not a day goes by that we don’t think about him.
Just a couple days after Brian passed away, Doug finally got the promotion he was waiting years for. I don’t know how to explain our rollercoaster of emotions that week, but we know Brian was already working on the other side. After 4 ½ years, Doug is only working ONE job. He’s still working a lot of hours, but that’s typical for the holiday season at his company. He has learned a lot over the last couple months and continues to learn his new position. I’m so excited and proud of him.
Thanksgiving has come and gone and we have so much to be thankful for. We are very thankful for each other and for our families and the love and strength each of them have. We are thankful for our friends and the support they give us throughout the years. We are grateful for our jobs, our home, our adventures (even if they’re not good because we can learn and grow from the experience) and the love and laughter we have in our lives.
November had a few changes for my family: My mom settled into her new job at the prison, while hoping to get back to a tower soon. She’s one more year closer to retirement, but as she says she’ll be there for “25 to life”. My older brother, Jason, reenlisted in the Navy for his final enlistment. I’m so happy for him and his family because he will retire from the Navy at the end of this enlistment. My younger brother, Justin, began a project as a NASA test subject. He is currently lying down at a slight angle (head down) – everything is done while lying down; eating, showers, “business”, etc. – so NASA can research the effects of compression suits, vertigo, lost muscle mass and the many other issues that astronauts have when they get back to Earth.
We are wrapping up this year with another busy season and we are looking forward to next year. We hope your holiday season is filled with family, friends, love and laughter.
Warm Wishes,
Doug & April Sedgwick
We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. I can’t believe this year is almost over.
We ended 2010 unsuccessfully trying to have children, so we bought Doug a new truck – we figure it costs about the same, but it doesn’t talk back :). Doug’s old truck was very well used and it was definitely time for a new vehicle anyways. I started 2011 with a very bad cold and cough, so I sat around and watched all the Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring sagas for the first time…for my Sedgwick peeps: no, I still haven’t watched Star Wars.
In April, Doug was sent to Maryland for training. It was very last minute and a great opportunity for him. I’m so proud of the steps he has been able to make. He has worked very hard for so many years and it was finally starting to pay off. While he was in Maryland I heard water running, but I couldn’t find the source. Various websites taught me how to check for leaks throughout the pipes; according to the internet we had a leak in our concrete foundation. Lovely. I didn’t know what do to, so I waited for Doug to get home. While venting to my mom about it my stepdad said we shouldn’t have the water running at all. So, we kept the main water line off for a couple weeks, only turning it on long enough for a shower, to refill the toilets and to do a load of laundry and dishes occasionally. We contacted our insurance company and learned more about our leak when they sent a leak detection specialist to the house. It turned out to be a leak in our concrete slab under our kitchen island. It was going to be quite an ordeal. I researched contractors and then decided to contact the home builder because our home isn’t very old. Since we’re the second owners I figured we were out of luck, but we are so thankful the home builder took care of and paid for everything. WHEW!
Doug and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary and took an Alaskan cruise in July. Doug working two jobs only leaves us one week a year to spend together, so we make it as fun as we can. Our Alaskan adventures included: a train ride and hiking, rock climbing, a helicopter ride and dog sledding, a ropes and zip line course, and whale watching.
My stepdad, Glenn, gave us a bit of a scare in July. He was dealing with some pain/numbness for a while and went to the doctor for an x-ray. The doctor saw spots in his lungs during the x-ray and sent him for further testing and more scans. He ended up having a biopsy to determine if he had lung cancer. Luckily the biopsy came back better than we all expected. He was diagnosed as having granuloma in his lungs (it’s an area of inflammation due to tissue injury, which could have been caused by many different things). After all is said and done, he’s fine, but he’s still a pain in the butt. hee hee.
August was the Sedgwick family reunion. It was great to get to know the Sedgwick family better since some of them live out of state. They are all so fun to talk to. We were sad that Mark’s family and Brian/Bonnie weren’t able to go. We weren’t able to stay the whole time since we just took a vacation, but we had fun while we were there. A few of the uncles were launching the kids in the air while in the pool; it was so funny to watch and we got some great photos!
During August and September we finished some projects we put off for too long. We also had a friend living with us while she was in transition to move to Washington. It was nice to get our projects done and off my mind; we put ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, painted 2 rooms that were painted in a Hawaiian theme by the previous owners and we installed two security doors (the security doors are going to be so nice to cool down the house in the summer). We didn’t get a garden in this year, so hopefully next year. Our fruit trees have grown a lot, but only the lemon tree fruited this season. The poor mandarin tree didn’t survive being planted in the ground, so we’ll have to level the ground and plant a new tree in the spring.
October was a very difficult month. On October 12th Doug’s brother, Brian, lost his battle with cancer. Brian worked really hard to make sure he would be around to watch his kids grow up and be there with Bonnie, but there was a different plan in the heavens for him. Brian stayed so positive through his trials and he was a blessing to so many people, even from his hospital bed. He is dearly missed and not a day goes by that we don’t think about him.
Just a couple days after Brian passed away, Doug finally got the promotion he was waiting years for. I don’t know how to explain our rollercoaster of emotions that week, but we know Brian was already working on the other side. After 4 ½ years, Doug is only working ONE job. He’s still working a lot of hours, but that’s typical for the holiday season at his company. He has learned a lot over the last couple months and continues to learn his new position. I’m so excited and proud of him.
Thanksgiving has come and gone and we have so much to be thankful for. We are very thankful for each other and for our families and the love and strength each of them have. We are thankful for our friends and the support they give us throughout the years. We are grateful for our jobs, our home, our adventures (even if they’re not good because we can learn and grow from the experience) and the love and laughter we have in our lives.
November had a few changes for my family: My mom settled into her new job at the prison, while hoping to get back to a tower soon. She’s one more year closer to retirement, but as she says she’ll be there for “25 to life”. My older brother, Jason, reenlisted in the Navy for his final enlistment. I’m so happy for him and his family because he will retire from the Navy at the end of this enlistment. My younger brother, Justin, began a project as a NASA test subject. He is currently lying down at a slight angle (head down) – everything is done while lying down; eating, showers, “business”, etc. – so NASA can research the effects of compression suits, vertigo, lost muscle mass and the many other issues that astronauts have when they get back to Earth.
We are wrapping up this year with another busy season and we are looking forward to next year. We hope your holiday season is filled with family, friends, love and laughter.
Warm Wishes,
Doug & April Sedgwick
No comments:
Post a Comment