Happy Holidays from Downtown Indy

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Dickens must have been thinking of us.

We started off the year with Julie being diagnosed with breast cancer. Whoa! Wait a minute. That's the worst of times? It sure felt like it at first for me and the kids, but we cannot begin to tell you the love and support we received from so many friends and family. Every time we had a need, someone was there. Julie experienced all of the ups and downs...surgery, chemo, radiation, and the associated fatigue one would expect. However, she also felt blessed to have found "it" early, had great doctors (including Jo, Joel's fiance', and Brian), great caregivers at IU, and hundreds of prayers on her behalf. She is still a quart low in the energy department, but still does more than two people drinking Red Bulls. She is continuing to become more deeply involved at the IU School of Nursing. Somehow, I knew that was going to happen. But, she is in the right place at the right time for the two of us. IU and the health care world are fortunate to have her passion and expertise.

Myself? I retired on Sept 30th (thank you my love). After 37 years in the graphic arts biz, I was "well" done. I am just getting into my new life, so allow me some time to decide what I plan to do. Right now, I rant on my blog, AskIndyTed, and do whatever Julie thinks I am qualified to do. So far, cooking is not one of them. I still fantasize about walking the Appalachian Trial. We'll see.

Kyle is still loving and living in NYC. He moved to Brooklyn last year and is exploring the possibility of owning rather than renting. If anyone has info on Kyle, please let us know. He likes to keep us all guessing. All we know is he's single, handsome, talented, charming, and a wonderful son. Look for his newest production on CBS College Sports (Dish Channel 152) on December 18th. The show is about Billy Cannon who won the Heisman in 1959 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. By the way, Kyle is a great storyteller.

If you didn't notice in paragraph two, Joel is engaged to a wonderful woman named Jo Chien! She is a breast oncologist at UCSF Medical Center. Google her and be amazed. Speaking of Google, Joel continues to play an important operations management role for Google Apps. This letter is a Doc which is one of the Apps. Confused? Google it. You'll find the information. Moving on, they are getting "hitched" (Do they say that in CA?) on May 1st in the Santa Cruz Mountains. If you didn't have the opportunity to meet Jo's family at our home over Thanksgiving, they are a delight! Don't Google them. There is way too much info on their accomplishments. It will crash the servers.

Brian, Brooke, Parker, and Finley are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Harrison sometime around New Year's Day. The stork will have his work cut out. Harrison is huge! As for the rest of the family, all you need to do is read Brooke's blog, www.thethreeolives.com. It tells it all. Let me just say that B & B are doing a great job. Brian continues his anesthesia residency with the possibility of focusing on pain management. Meanwhile, Brooke continues to be a great Mom and more. I haven't seen the likes of her since my own Julie. Hang in there Brooke-only 2 1/2 more years of residency.

All in all, we are truly blessed. We hit a few chuckholes along the way in 2009, but we have each other. What else could you need? So, when your times are a little rough, may you and yours be reminded to hug and appreciate each other in celebration of the birth of Christ as the true joy and meaning of this Christmas season!