Merry Christmas and Happy New Year “11”
With all the social media it seems anticlimactic to still write the dreaded Christmas Letter. So if you are, or were, interested in the minute details of 2011 you can friend us on facebook, connect with me on Linkedin, or even follow my Tweets @herb5247. There’s no need to read any further, unless you are either “social media” challenged, or enjoy punishment.
Highlights include Christy’s kidney transplant, Craig’s Ironman, Cooper and Sophie’s progress in music and sports. Still interested?
Christy got the call in April about the availability of a matched kidney, after being on the list at UAMS for about 18 months, and with the possibility of dialysis, it was very welcome news. Christy serially recalled each step of the day in detail, with lots of humor, later at a Kiwanis program on transplants. Getting the kidney of an 18 year old has left us wondering if she is actually 40 years old? She has been a great patient precisely following all the Doctor’s instructions.
Craig ran an Ironman in Phoenix, leaving some people to wonder if we had ever matched up our DNA. Something I’m smart enough to accept and move on. An ironman is about the equivalent to getting from Harrison to Little Rock in less than 15 hours and being told you would have to swim the creeks and rivers, bike for 112 miles, and run 26 miles. Driving the 140 miles seems a little less tiresome for me now, glancing out the window occasionally to see if I’m being passed by an ironman.
Cooper really enjoys playing musical instruments, (I see another DNA challenge coming), and plays piano, guitar, and violin. He’s now in the Arkansas Junior Symphony. Other milestones include chess championships and quiz bowl wins.
Sophie is a great student and enjoys music as well and playing soccer and basketball. OK no DNA check there. Her coming of age questions this year were “Will LSU dominate Arkansas?”Another one came at the Miss State game in 4th quarter, when the Hogs got a big lead, when Cooper was ready to leave; and she asked, “Why were all the people leaving?”
Sandy and Wendy continue to be iron women, getting less credit than they deserve, but always helping family and others to find the stuff that dreams are made of.
Herb, Sandy, and Christy Lair
