Hope the holiday season finds you and your family well. Another hurricane (Dorian) paid a visit with lots of fanfare but little damage—only a few downed tree limbs. Fortunately, the storm skirted along the coast of NC until the outer banks. We were far luckier than some parts of the Bahamas.

We visited Charlotte several times for grandchildren events. We saw lots of field hockey as Cate’s (16) team played in the state championship again—it wasn’t their year to win like last year! Paige’s (14) field hockey season was cut short by a foot injury, but that didn’t slow down her social life. Cate is driving and both girls got their boat licenses. Sam (12) had a full year of baseball, including a trip to Cooperstown, NY for a fun baseball experience with his parents and the team. Will (12) is loving his second year at the Northwest School of the Arts—he was in a play in the Spring and a musical this Fall. Liz’s family was here for part of the summer for the beach, etc.

We had planned a great family trip to Moab over spring break for hiking other adventures at Arches and Canyonlands NPs. Unfortunately, some complications with Brooke’s shoulder surgery (more on that later) kept Cathy and Brooke from going with them. Our money and the Bundons, had a great time!

Back to the shoulder! In January, Brooke needed rotator cuff and bicep tendon resection on his left shoulder (three years after the right one). Unfortunately, it appeared as though it became infected a month later. This led to two additional surgeries for cleanouts and 4 weeks of IV antibiotics. Eventually, the medical community decided his body had a strong reaction to some of the screws and pins (same ones in the right shoulder). After they were absorbed into the body, the reaction went away. Some nine months and several other procedures later, he finished up physical therapy and is back playing golf. Out of concern for your wellbeing, he won’t share the shoulder pictures!!

We had several trips to DC/Baltimore/Annapolis/Myrtle Beach this year to visit family and friends. These included a mini East Coast AF Academy reunion, AF Navy Football game (we lost), and family in Baltimore—brother-in-law’s 70th birthday. And, we visited friends in Harrisonburg, VA.

Cathy stayed busy with Mah Jong, cards, and Deacon responsibilities at the church, not to mention taking care of Brooke with his shoulder. She’s also a regular at the gym. During a visit with a cousin from California, he invited us to join his sister and him in her timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, MX. We took them up on it and spent the first week of November with them. The weather was perfect and the water temperature was 84 degrees. Besides excellent food and friendship, we tried deep sea fishing and pulled in a marlin and a mahi mahi. You only have to go a mile offshore or so for these fish!

Out of the blue, Brooke received a phone call, voicemail, and text about his beautiful 2014 Corvette. The text said that the original owner of the car from SC (whom we didn’t know), wanted to buy it back. It was a surprise Christmas present from his wife and he felt badly about letting it go four years earlier! Not knowing who owned the car, he called his local sheriff and asked for a “favor” (no impeachment followed!). After the sheriff “illegally” found and shared my contact info, the previous owner called with his request. While I didn’t want to sell it, he had sentimental reasons for wanting it back. We were in Charleston and met them in Georgetown, SC the next day and agreed on a price. Thus, I upgraded my 2014 for a 2019—a win win!!

Brooke decided that skiing is too risky for his shoulder—another injury would likely result in a shoulder replacement. So, he sadly passed on the trip to Aspen with his friend in early December.

Best wishes to you and your family. Merry Christmas! Cathy and Brooke