Some years just seem shorter than others and Christmas cards don't get sent, but we still love keeping in touch with all of you. We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!
I had two late Christmas presents in 07: 1) On Dec 27, 2007, Lauren, our daughter in-law, announced that we would be grandparents again, and: 2) With all the commotion on Christmas, I wasn't able to keep a date with Kyra to make gingerbread houses, and every day, according to her mom, she would wake up and ask, "Is THIS the day we go to Grandma's to make gingerbread houses?" So she and Jocelyn spent an afternoon with Grandma, gluing (using royal icing) graham crackers to milk cartons, and meticulously placing more candy than she had ever seen at one time - I was informed by Jocelyn - to form the doors, windows and roof. We sang and danced to Christmas carols, read "Where the Wild Things Are," and played with some of her toys. This was Christmas all over again!
On New Year' Day '08 we set out for our annual hike with family and friends in a beautiful part of Marin County. Unfortunately, I had an injured knee, so stayed close to the trail head, walking parts of the trail v-e-r-y slowly. Then came a week on crutches and six weeks of self-prescribed rehab - a lot of swimming and bicycling. By Leap Day I was walking normally and only occasionally feeling a twinge, until that night when we went dancing a little too vigorously, to the music of one of our favorite local bands "Dgin". Actually I was jumping. Well, back to ice and ibuprofen! This year's hike found us in Pt. Reyes Nat Seashore, on an amazingly sunny and mild day, with about 18 friends and family. Kyra walked, and ran, the whole 8 miles, and 3 month old Lily (see below) was content in her front pack or riding on Dad's shoulders.
In the spring and summer we continued exploring local waterways via kayak, sometimes with the Petaluma Paddlers, sometimes on our own. We even had Kyra out paddling once or twice. One memorable trip was a return to the Burney Falls area in northern California. After many weeks of heat waves, we picked the October weekend that a polar express hit the Pacific Coast, bringing 20mph winds and temps as low as the high 20s. There was one other deterrent. As we approached the parking lot for a put- in point at a serene lake where we paddled last year, we were greeted by about 70, mostly large, pick up trucks and RVs. One banner said "If it flies, it dies." The game warden confirmed - it was opening day of duck season - and kayakers, I suppose, too.
Tim and I had an exhilarating vacation in early April to the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley. In one day we were at 7000' at Lake Tahoe, and later that afternoon in balmy 80+ degree weather in Death Valley. We swam, hiked (the knee was stronger!) and took lots of photos. We spent each evening on the veranda of the funky resort watching the sunset, having dinner, and meeting other tourists. On the last night we went out stargazing and just happened to run into a group of amateur astronomers from Santa Barbara. Hardly amateur - the guy had a 16" telescope, and we could see galaxies and Saturn's ring in the starry desert sky. Tim has renewed his interest in photography, and had plenty of opportunities to shoot, including a pre-dawn trek to Zabriskie Point. We're looking forward to a return trip in March with friends Gretchen and Stuart.
In May, part of the Joslin-Jensen clan gathered at our house for a family get together. Tim and I spent a weekend in July camping at Lake Tahoe, hiking and kayaking, and attended a few concerts here and there. In the spring I took a singing class with some friends. Love to sing, bad voice, but a lot of fun! Great therapy! I signed up for a choir again this spring.
Lauren and Terry have had several major events this past year. Lauren graduated from the Sonoma State University teaching credential program, and continues to teach music students privately. Building a garage has been a major project - it's almost done!-and they've had a few other home improvement projects. But the big event was the birth of Lily Cora Morgan on September 17, 2008, six days after her dad's birthday. At 8lbs 2oz she really put her mom, dad, and Auntie Jocelyn, who was the auxiliary labor coach, through the ringer, but has been a joy since she arrived. It's very satisfying to see Terry and Lauren as mom and dad. Lily is our second granddaughter and adored by everyone. Cousin Kyra can't wait until she's big enough to play with her. I've been lucky enough to baby sit her every week, and see how much she changes. I'm convinced she knows Grandma's voice when I walk in the room! Terry is starting the application process for graduate school, and we hate the thought that they may be moving out of the area for a few years. He continues to work for Medtronic and has a few mad-scientist projects on the side. Last spring he spent a few days in Ireland at their office there.
Amanda changed her major at Academy of Art University from fashion design to photojournalism. So far, so good! She is also still working at Petaluma Health Center, and completed a phlebotomy course last summer. She has wanted to move to San Francisco for quite some time, to be closer to school. Recently she and her boyfriend Chris moved in with us for what we thought would be a few weeks while they looked for a place in SF. We also welcomed Sasha the cat, who at first was timid, but after a few days was queen of the house and thought it was a giant customized cat play structure! Well, Amanda and Chris found a room in a Victorian in less than two weeks, and moved out again. We miss Sasha - a little. With the reduced commute time, Amanda's life is a lot easier. We see her once a week as she is still working at Petaluma Health Center. Chris will be starting classes at SF City College.
Jocelyn continues to work very hard, and with great compassion, as a home health aide. She is currently working for a hospice and was a caregiver part time for her grandfather over the summer. She also took a phlebotomy course, continuing on her path to RN. Jocelyn and Martin, with Kyra, celebrated their anniversary with a trip to Monterey, visiting the aquarium there. Kyra absolutely loved it! A milestone for Kyra was starting kindergarten in August. She is learning so much so fast! She visits Grandma and Grandpa every few weeks, and has had a sleepover or two with us. One of my favorite Kyra sayings is, "Grandma? I'm so glad I 'choosed' you to be my grandma!"
In late October Tim's father Ken Morgan passed away at age 91 after five months of wonderful Hospice care, and some extra special care from his granddaughter (Jocelyn). He was an accomplished artist, talented in many areas, dedicated to his family, and always tried to have a positive attitude. He is missed by all of us but is at peace now. Tim helps his sister Kim provide support to his mother.
I'm nearing a year working at Southwest Community Health Center in Santa Rosa. The coalition of clinics in our area is making the transition to electronic medical records in the next few months, and I've been involved in that project. I continue to see patients 28 hours a week as well. Tim still does environmental consulting for ESA in Petaluma (approaching 12 years now) and continues to do volunteer work for the Military Officer Association of America and the Green Party, two totally connected (ha-ha) groups. In July, he went as a California delegate to the Green Party Presidential Convention in Chicago. He still does web design work but not as much this year due to pressing family needs. He has changed his website URL to: http://www.tsmorganfamily.us/ and when he remembers, updates it with thoughts and photos. He has even won some photo contests for his company this year. Hopefully there will soon be plenty of baby pictures posted!
With tremendous changes nationwide, some good, some not, we're just thankful we still have jobs and our families. We hope this greeting finds you healthy, weathering the storms with loved ones nearby, and looking forward to 2009. If you come this way, look us up!
Happy New Year!
Tim and Sharon Morgan and Family
Email: Tim - or Sharon -