Seasons Greetings 2008

Christmas greetings to all our family and friends. Our country has had a tough time in 2008. But it's important to remember that our country has seen tough economic times before. We as a people will always pull together and rise above these challenges. So, this year more than ever we need to pause during the craziness that the shopping season brings, and reflect on all that we have been blessed with. We live with freedom of speech, of choice and of action. I pray that we never take these for granted. We live with the knowledge that together we can accomplish more that as individuals apart. We live in a country free of religious persecution. In a country where all people are created equal. Where anything is possible. Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

For our family, 2008 has been a good year. The kids have all planted roots of strong friendship within their schools. We have had many opportunities to have family from Wisconsin visit us over long holiday weekends. We have also been able to travel back to Wisconsin ourselves to take part in family events that we would have missed were we still living in California. We even have new relatives close by as Rich and Sheryl Schwarzinger moved their family from Detroit to Excelsior and now live one mile away from us!

Our oldest son, Nik, is now in his second year at Transitions Plus. This specialty school trains young adults with minor and major disabilities, they prepare them for the real world and they help each student excel with what gifts they hold within. Nik will begin a Mac Genius training program in his second semester. He is passionate about computers and with the proper training, he is hopeful to work in a computer related field. In the meantime, he is working two days a week at a local high school coffee shop, where he makes smoothies and does prep work for the school kitchen. At home, he is my go to guy for mowing the lawn in summer and shoveling the driveway in the winter. If you asked him, he'd tell you he much prefers the lawn...it's not cold out when you do that! Nik still loves to travel and is always up for a road trip. It doesn't even matter where, he just likes to be on the move, exploring new places.

Alex, now a Senior at Minnetonka High School, has had a great year in 2008. He attended is first Prom and Homecoming dances. Has been working part time at a local pizza joint several days a week, a job he seems to enjoy much more that Subway. This past summer saw Alex doing college campus visits, studying for and taking the ACT test and finally the college application process. He has applied at around 15 colleges both in the Midwest and West coast. So far, he has received acceptance letters from Winona State and the University of Nebraska. We are so proud of all his accomplishments. It's an exciting time for AJ and he looks forward on deciding which school to attend. I'm trying not to think about my feelings the day we drop him off at campus. It will be heart breaking.


Our youngest, Catie, is in 8th grade at Minnetonka West Middle School. Like her brother, Alex, she is very social and has made lots of good friends. She is doing well in school, even though it's not her favorite place to be. She does however love to dance! She has been studying Ballroom since this past Spring. She is really doing well. In October she got a partner and they are now training for their first competition this coming February. It's so fun to watch her, she is so graceful and beautiful. I just know she will do well. Catie is also my kayaking buddy. She enjoys getting out on the local lakes. She is interested in joining me on my next adventure down Minnehaha Creek in the spring. It's good to always have things to look forward to!



Chris is still the rock of our family and the love of my life. She has made tremendous progress on her recovery from back surgery. She continues to focus her energy on keeping her back healthy and enjoys running our household like a well oiled machine. Earlier this year, she had gotten back into the culinary world working part time. Unfortunately the economy hits the caterers first and she is no longer with a company that had to close it doors of business this year. Chris is also excited to have my cousin, Sheryl, living in our neighborhood. They volunteer at Minnetonka High School together, besides volunteering, they also make time to go shopping and I believe many projects they want to complete are in the works. Lastly, she was introduced to Facebook by our sister-in-law Tracy, and she is now a junky just like the rest of the free world! If you are really nice to her, she may agree to be your friend.

As for me, I'm very grateful for the job security that I have with Quad. Even though the economy is tough all over, we have the long term vision and focus to come out of this recession in really great shape. Anyone that reads my blog is pretty up to speed on my daily life. If you're not signed up for my blog and would like access, please drop me an e-mail.

Thanks to all those who took time out of there busy lives to visit us. We are also thankful to those family and friends around the country that opened their homes to us during our travels this past year. We really enjoyed the opportunity to re-connect that these visits brought us. In closing, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. God Bless You!

The Wunrow's, Jeff, Chris, Nik, Alex and Catie

PS: If you've made it all the way to the end, Thanks for handing in there. Your reward is the link to our Year in Pictures on our family web site. Happy Holidays!