As I sit at my desk gazing out the window, it is clear that winter is upon us. Our current early morning temperature is -8 degrees. We had two winter storms come through this week with almost a foot of fresh powdery snow on the ground and another 2 to 4 inches still to come this weekend. In fact we have already had half a dozen nights with single digit temperatures. If all of this doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, nothing will. Our Christmas tree is up as are all the decorations both indoors and out. I feel so on top of things this year, the extra week with Thanksgiving coming early is such a blessing.
Our first full year of life in Minnesota has been a real roller coaster, filled with ups and downs. For the most part the major challenges are behind us. The kids have finally settled into the new school system. New friendships are developing while at the same time our California friendships are still an important part of every ones life. We survived our first winter in the nations ice box and lived to tell about it. We embraced spring with new eyes, and wondered at the beauty as nature was reborn after the harshness of winter. Summer was a time of warmth and playing in the water and battling the weeds in the yard. And of course fall brought the explosion of color and a crispness in the air as we begin our preparation for the cold that surely would come. Yes, we have come full circle. God has blessed us in so many ways and we are very thankful.
The big story in our life this year was the back surgery Chris experienced in February. As many of you know, she has had severe back problems for many years. I won't go into the detail here, if you want the whole story of surgery and the long road to recovery it's pretty well documented in my blog. The good news is that she is now 10 months into recovery and the spinal fusion is healing right on schedule. When she over does her daily activity, at times, she deals with inflammation, which leads to stiffness and soreness. She is learning each month, how to keep the inflammation to a minimum. Everything she deals with is a normal side effect, but overall she is in very little pain and discomfort compared to pre-surgery. We continue to pray that at the 18 month mark she will be pain free. Since her back is doing better, in late August, Chris returned to her part time job at EAT Catering, a gourmet catering company she started working for back in September of 2006. She really enjoys her job with its many opportunities to learn and grow in her abilities.
Nik is 18 years old now, which just doesn't seem possible! In June of this past year, Nik walked across the stage in his cap and gown to receive his High School diploma as a graduate of Minnetonka High School. We are all so very proud of Nik. He just quietly goes about his business accomplishing anything he puts his mind to. He is now in a program called Transitions Plus which is a 3 year program designed to help prepare him for life on the college campus. One of his favorite classes is a culinary arts class he takes at Hennepin County Technical College. Nik is also very much still a Californian at heart. Even with the weather below zero, Nik will be found walking around the house in bare feet, shorts and a t-shirt!
Alex is now 16 years old and a Junior at Minnetonka High School. His second year in his new environment is going well. He has made several good friends that he enjoys hanging out with. Alex also joined the ranks of the working back in August, working as a sandwich artist at our local Subway restaurant. He has been very good about managing his new found income and is watching his savings account steadily grow. Alex's really big news is that on December 7th he passed his behind the wheel test and now has his drivers license! He is over the top excited. He worked really hard on improving his skills and was able to pass on his first attempt.
Catie is now 12 years old and in 7th grade at Minnetonka West Middle School. Where her brothers took some time to get used to Minnesota, Catie has taken to it like a duck to water. She has many great friends that she enjoys spending time with. I also got her hooked on Cross-Country skiing back in February. We went out skiing at night with headlamps right after the snow stopped last Sunday. She has also taken to Kayaking and Canoeing with me in the warmer months. She is still very artsy and creative and enjoys scrap booking, shopping and exercising her culinary skills in the kitchen. Recently she has started playing around with making videos with her friends that are pretty imaginative.
As for me, there is probably not much that hasn't been chronicled on my blog throughout the year. I really enjoy my job at Quad, having now been there for 23 years. We have a trainee that is working in our office that was born two weeks after I started at Quad. How's that for some perspective? I also enjoy all the opportunities to hike, paddle and ski that Minnesota offers. Alex and I witnessed history when Brett Favre threw his record breaking 421st Touchdown pass against the Vikings.
I am most thankful that Chris is doing so well in her recovery from surgery. That stretch was a pretty scary one for all of us. Finally we are grateful for the many opportunities we have had to visit with family and friends. Special thanks to those that have made the trip to Minnesota to visit us. We look forward to many more visits both home and away this coming year. From all of us, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and continue to pray for peace in the coming year. God's blessing to all of you.
The Wunrow's, Jeff, Chris, Nik, Alex and Catie
Mailing Address: 6361 Melody Lane, Excelsior, MN 55331 - (952) 474-3644
E-mail: jwunrow@gmail.com; cwunrow@gmail.com; njwunrow@gmail.com; ajwunrow@gmail.com; ccwunrow@gmail.com
Web: http://homepage.mac.com/jeff_wunrow Blog: http://jwunrow.blogspot.com/
