Dear Family & Friends,

Has it really been a year since our last epic novelette about misadventures and heart-stopping events of The Southern White House? Where has the time gone? When I began to think about this year, I realized it has been a year of recovery, discovery, accepting change, with a long look toward the future.

This is our 5th year in Virginia ... (Hey, every year now sets a record for us being in one location!) Let me see now... January and February saw me, DJ, recovering from knee surgery (a medial repair and cartilage clean up). The end result is better, though some discomfort will remain. :<

Meanwhile, over the last 3 years, Den has lost over 80 pounds, and a year ago was swimming and cycling 4-6 days a week. The only problem was his worsening chronic back pain from a 15 year old back injury. After multiple doctor visits, and doctors "practicing' medicine, Den had a spinal fusion May first (L4-L5-S1 TLIF for you medical types), with a minimum of 6 weeks at home recovery to return to a light work schedule... and an 8-9 month full recovery period.

Well Den, ever in a hurry, was released by his surgeon to go home 30 hours after his procedure. We were told it was a hospital record! Even so, when Jenny-Rose and I had him settled in the van after his hospital discharge Den turned to me and said "Let's going look for a recliner"! The utter cheek of the man! I replied "Are you crazy? You just left the hospital after back surgery!" His reply was... "Hey, I just had all my meds, I feel fine." Yeah, I just bet he did! :> I humored him by taking him to Lazy-Boy to see what was comfortable for his back, figuring that we wouldn't find anything we could afford on the first try.

Oh ye-of-little faith... God had a way different plan! When we explained what we were looking for, after trying a couple of styles of recliner, the salesman asked if we were interested in 'a throw-a-way chair', because if we were he had a discontinued floor model at 75% off! Den tried it and thought it was great and I bit my lip to keep from snickering; it was nearly the exact same color I'd just painted a wall in the family room! We squeezed the thing into the back of the van and voila!... a chair for Den's recovery that went with the room. Amazing!

Den was in such a hurry to get well and get on with life, (mostly back into the water, and then on his bike) that well, he over did it a little... well okay a lot...and eventually the Doc had to rein him in (that and the excruciating nerve pain and numbness in his right leg!).

Den has bad days now and then, but fortunately they are few and far between. His November totals (he keeps an exercise log) were 310 miles on the bike and 16 miles in the pool! His 2007 goal is to compete in a ½ Ironman Triathlon (though only the swim and bike, since his ortho says "no more running, old guy!") :>

It's tougher now as he has to exercise either before or after work. It's a sacrifice for all of us 'cause he leaves earlier and gets home later every day. His old job at JWAC allowed 3 hours a week on the clock to do his PT, but not so with this new position. Oops! Did I mention that Den changed jobs? He is now back working @ Dahlgren with the human system integration group that he worked with a few years ago.

As for me, I am the same. Mostly just searching for what the Lord would have me do for the next few years. In the meantime, I continue to sort our 'possessions', keeping things that truly make me smile and that, ladies and gents, is not always easy. I am the biggest romantic and sentimental fool there ever was, but I've come to appreciate that life really is too short, especially this side of 50, to cling to the burden of clutter!

So-o-o, my resolve for the year 2007 is to continue scrapbooking 28 years of memorabilia and memories I'd forgotten (I have already started sorting and have begun a timeline, which is just way too much fun). I have recently made a "to sew-it or toss-it" rule with unfinished craft and sewing projects and a "use it or lose it" rule to bless others with things that are just taking up space. I will admit that, less is definitely better these days!

Back to this year -This summer disappeared as quickly as the spring did with surgeries and recovery. No move in the offing, so-o-o we've changed the look of things instead... added new colors, hardwood floors, carpet, tile for the downstairs entryway...come to think of it... it would have been easier to move! You think not? Well, I never figured it would take so much time and effort to paint, choose flooring, move a household of furniture (several rooms of it twice), and to change a couple of rooms from one floor to the other! Still with the addition of wood flooring we've temporary stored the dining table and added mirrors upstairs to create a dance studio of sorts to practice our fancy footwork. :>

Yep! Den and I are still taking ballroom dance classes one or two nights a week and we try to practice at least three or four nights, so we can recall the things we learn and not have to stop to ask each other "so, what else do we know"? In fact, we are taking a few extra technique lessons as well, so as not to embarrass ourselves on the cruise! Oh, cruise - I'll explain below...

I'd say that between the dancing, swimming, cycling, redecorating and everything in-between, the old folks are staying as busy as the offspring!

Speaking of ... Bridget is a 5th year Biomedical Engineering student, graduating in May 2006. Thus far she has a 3.9 something (she got her first B last fall, but has fully recovered thanks to her therapist). This year she is sharing a row house with a Christian classmate, and is relieved to be out of the student apartments. Her experiences with room and flat mates over the last two years have been pretty awful! Until Megan approached her about sharing the house, she was planning on commuting the 50 minutes to school from home to avoid another dorm situation... not a great idea in winter especially!

Having taken her MCAT exam in April ...(the medical college admissions test - an 8 hour endurance exercise that includes all you ever wanted to know about biology, chemistry (organic and inorganic), physics and some critical thinking), Bridget got her results in June and sent out the recommended 6 or 7 applications for various medical schools. She has received requests for secondary applications from all but one, and will begin interviewing in early December! The next step in the process is actual acceptance and if she doesn't make the cut... she will reapply next year (after more counseling and a trip or two to the spa) :>. Actually, is not that unusual for people to apply for two years, but we are praying for Bridget to make it in year one.

Jenny-Rose is ever busy with her Mary-Kay business, being web mistress for several non-profit organizations, as well as keeping her own website complete and up to date! This was the first year that she attended Costume College in Los Angeles, CA. She has been a part of group of dedicated costumers online for over seven years now and is very well known and respected in her circle of costumers. Her live journal of step-by-step making of her costumes, complete with pictures of both the successes and failures, is a source of encouragement to many, and theirs in turn to her! Den has even met ladies at work and on travel who are involved in some area of costuming and recognize Jenny's website as one they have been to or heard of! Way cool if you ask me!

Jenny is also an active member of an 18th century dance group, now taking the media committee into the computer age, as well as making her own period correct costumes for live events. She also participates in the education program, traveling to schools to not only talk about 18th century life, but to show it as well! She is currently finishing a redesign of a ball gown for dance demos at Stratford Hall's holiday candle lit dinner and tour, (Stratford Hall is the birthplace and family home of General Robert E Lee of Civil War fame).

As I write, we are busily preparing for Jenny's second annual MK Holiday Open House on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It required me to start the Christmas decorating process early this year, but it is a blessing in a way 'cause it really frees up the month of December for me! 2006 will be the last Twelfth Night Celebration the girls will host, and their theme is a Victory Ball - it should be a hit!

Now that this year is coming to a close, Den and I are looking at the next few years with an eye toward government retirement and where we will go from there. There has been an increase in travel with Den's new job, which is tough on his back, but the miles make it possible for me to accompany him occasionally. I took advantage of the opportunity to visit San Francisco with him in October. It was unfortunately one week after my niece's wedding (which was in the area), but it was a delightful stay in an awesome city! And in the end we did get to spend some time with my nephew and the just-returned newlyweds over In-and-Out burgers and a shake! Yum!

Of course there was the flight SNAFU @ Dulles airport getting to SF... I knew it couldn't be good when the pilot walked off with his luggage! My flight was canceled 10 minutes after scheduled pull-back time and Den's flight left 20 minutes before mine. It took me (and others) 5½ hours standing in line to get a flight out for the next day and accommodations for the night... don't ask! I say that only because the same thing happened on our trip home to Den and I together this time! We did finally get out of Chicago on the last flight that night. What is it about us?

Believe it or not, the same thing recently happened again! Den surprised me with a cruise for our second 25th wedding anniversary. If you have never heard the story about our second wedding, - you should, it's funny now... but at the time it was dreadful! Anyway... Den went to all the trouble to surprise me... and booked a cruise in December, and now ...IT'S BEEN CANCELLED due to mechanical difficulties. Can you believe it? It's okay... I'm calm now...

After talking to the cruise people, we will take the cruise at a later date (now booked for the week of Valentine's day) for - I guess I can handle it - FREE! Yes, they refunded our money and gave us a free cruise to make up for it. Some customer service huh? Sometimes I forget that God is in control and despite higher gas prices, appliances and cars that die and the weeds that won't, cat's that fight, stress, traffic snarls, long lines in malls and nasty tempers in parking lots, Christmas lights that fail in the middle of the tree, and then there are cancelled flights and cruises plus the disappointment and frustration involved... through it all though... I know that I have a simple, personal relationship with a Lord and Savior that I trust with my life. With God all things are possible.

Having said all that... and which despite the length of this letter, is really just a part of our year in review... it is the hope of The Southern White House that you will find joy in the Christ child sent to earth as a tiny baby, so we could hold Him, see His face and know the miracle of Emmanuel (God with us)... this Christmas and always.

May God richly bless you and yours this holiday season!

DJ, for the White House