2010 Year End and on to 2011

I have some time to breathe and get caught up on some things. I was rather crafty this year when it came to presents for Grandpa Raul and Justin's parents this year. I decided to make the presents for them. I made them each a fleece blanket and pillow cases.

The material above is the material that I used for the blanket. It stated Live, Love, Laugh and had wine glasses on it. It reminded me of Grandpa Raul. He told me though right now he is not on the wine cycle but is on the chocolate and sweets cycle. The pillowcases were a Susan Winget fabric and it was pine cones and pine branches.
I finally got pillowcases made for Justin from the fish fabric that he picked out a year ago. I really used my gift from last year to make gifts this year. I am starting to plan the gifts that I will make next year and give to people. I also thought of somethings that I can make up and have on hand if there is a birthday or anniversary and we need something. I was told that the gifts I did last year and the few that I did this year were very creative and different. I hope I can keep that going.
Michael was very excited with his gifts this year. He had gone to Big 5 and found some shoes that he wanted just before Christmas. I had him put them on hold and then went back and got them with the intent to give them to him as a gift. I also had him pick out a new baseball glove that he wanted for the upcoming season. I went and got that too. I had the box from an order that I had just received from Boy Scouts and so he was totally thrown that here was this box and I had it packed in such a way he was totally stumped as to what it could be. We had been at Costco around Thanksgiving and he saw a sled/bodyboard and since it was under budget we got that as well. I had the large bags for wrapping and it was behind the tree. We were able to surprise him with his gifts this year which was a nice change.
Justin was totally surprised that I was able to find a game for his PS3 that he had been searching for months for. I also got him a charging system for the controllers for the system as well so that they can be charged together and not just one at a time. I found a jacket and 2 shirts that he wanted as well. I know that he was shocked and overwhelmed. He was kind of upset to think that I only had 3 presents to open when he had about 6.
Justin got me a Pan digital ereader. I am rather excited as I can carry that with multiple books and it fits in my bag. It can also access the Internet, email, etc. Not too bad. Michael gave me the Whistle Stop Cafe cookbook as well as an Indian Cookbook that I had wanted. So over all not a bad Christmas for us.
We felt so bad as Grandpa Raul was alone for the Holidays. We made sure to call him and make sure that he was okay and let him know that we love him. He spent most of the day at church serving at masses. I guess not a bad way to spend Christmas but we would have liked it if he was here with us and able to relax and enjoy. Had to laugh as he said that he had tamales and he had eaten some of them. When we were talking about it he said that his favorite was pork with red chili so I guess that I better work on making them and see if I can have some for him next year. Not a bad thing to have to work on to perfect. LOL!
We have been blessed this past year with great friends and good times as many blessings and tender mercies from our Heavenly Father. The last fight/hurdle that we had for the year was that the VA was trying to declare him incompetent and that he would have to appoint a fiduciary's. We were able to get good direction from Brother Palmer at church who had actually worked with the VA and visited with vets that were declared incompetent. He had advised us that we should get letters from Justin's psychologist, psychiatrist, and any creditors that we could that would vouch that he was competent to handle his finances. The greatest letter came from his psychiatrist Dr. Alan Radant who stated that most that were incompetent were ones that had issues paying rent, basic necessities, gambled or drank and in the entire time that he had been a patient that had never been the case. The same was also stated by Dr. Jerry Butler his psychologist. They notified us on the 21st of this month that they signed off and that Justin was deemed competent. What a weight lifted!
This year has given me medical/prescription insurance since Justin's disability rating is now 100% totally and permanent. This is such a huge relief as well.
We were not sure in November when we got the letter from Dr. Radant if we would ever get home. On November 22nd we had gone over to Seattle for Justin's appointment and then after we decided to go to the Supermall in Auburn. We do not get to go often so we took the time. We got Justin something from Casual Male XL Outlet store, had lunch and then headed home. We thought we would be home in an hour or so we thought. I decided that I would drive around instead of going back up and taking the ferry. That ended up being a good choice and must have been a prompting from the Lord. Once we crossed the Tacoma Narrows bridge and got close to the Kitsap County line the weather decided to go south. Snow up here is rather out of the ordinary and so it does not take much to shut down most everything. The closer we got to thinking we would be getting home the longer it took. We were on the road for about 4.5 hours for what should have been about an hour drive.
The snow became heavier and it grew colder. The speed we could travel was slower too. The scary part was when we were coming around the bend in the sound/bay and people were not paying attention to the road and that it had become like driving on a bed of ice. We got stuck when someone ended up backed into the center divide and everyone stopped. I was up on the shoulder as I was trying to keep traction and just kept saying/praying "Don't Stop". Well, needless to say I started to slide sideways and just kept praying that I would not hit the car(s) beside us. Thank heavens we stopped and did not hit anyone. I finally got moving again and got past it. We spent about the next 3 hours trying to go less than two miles. We sat at one corner for over 45 minutes. The hard part was that we live in a very hilly area. You must go up and down hills at some point. We finally got to an area where I could get around and I said prayers each time that I knew that I had to deal with a hill. Justin was very anxious and I did my very best to stay calm. I was able to get over all the hills and get home. We noticed on the corner that most were without power. We got home and were rather relieved that we had power. Well that was until we got to the door of the house. Poof! Power went out. It was about 7PM. We were lucky. We sat around for a bit to talk and unwind. We gave up and went to bed at about 8:30PM. I fell asleep because I was exhausted from the drive. I was awakened by the light in the room around 11PM so I guess we did not turn off switches before we went to bed. I got up, turned off lights and fell right back in bed. Over all we only had about 6 inches of so of the white stuff but it shut down the entire peninsula until Thanksgiving. We had prepared and we were safe. We had our fireplace and blankets so we made it through. Others were not so lucky as many were still without power on Thanksgiving.
The year is drawing to a close. It has been a good year and although we have had our bumps it has been smoother that others. Michael is now 14 and will go to the Multi-Stake New Years Eve celebration. They go ice skating and then to a Ward building for more festivities. It is over at about 12:15A. Justin and I get a nice, well hopefully quiet, (if they do not light off too many fireworks, that does a number on Justin) evening at home. I will make a Prime Rib Roast and then Ribs for New Years Day. I guess it could be worse. I could have to pay for those dinners if we were to go out.
I will still be working on perfecting Indian dishes this year. I am looking forward to it. Bring it on 2011, we are looking forward to a new year. Tomorrow, Justin sees Dr. Butler for the last time as he is retiring and then has an appointment on the 7th with a new Dr. to continue the work with the PTSD. We will see what happens and if it is a good fit. Dr. Chalmers seems to be very good on paper anyway. We will take each day as it comes. Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Christmas Letter 2010

Happy Holidays! It is hard to believe that it is December already. Time has gone extremely fast this year. Maybe it is me and the fact that I am getting older. 2011 will be here before we realize it. We have had a rather good year considering that it could have been worse. Just days before Thanksgiving we were hit with a snow storm. We got about 6" of snow, which may not sound like much but, for us that is a hefty amount. We were out as it hit and spent 4 hours trying to go 16 miles to home. It shut down the city for the week. It was also power outages because of wind that made things rough. We made it though without much problem.
Michael is in 9th grade this year. He is a freshman but is still at the Jr. High. He played on the football team and did very well this year. He is going to baseball practices already and try outs are at the end of January. He really wants to play this year for Olympic High. He is doing well with grades and is working already to make sure that he is accepted to BYU. We went to a seminar that is on a 3 year rotation and he is planning. This summer just after school was done he went on a pioneer trek with the youth. I will talk about it more later.

Justin is doing okay. We received notification around our anniversary that he was given the status of 100% total and permanently disabled by the Veterans Administration. That was not an easy road but we did it. He still battles migraines sometimes daily as well as the insomnia. One physician is trying to look at the big picture to see if there are other factors that may be contributing to that. We have to keep working on it. This ruling gives Michael and I medical coverage, which is such a relief. We now teach Webelos/Cub Scouts and so that is a new adventure for us. He keeps busy with college courses, helping me with the projects for the boys as well as playing games on the computer.

I am still working at the Family History Center each Wednesday from 2P until 6P as well as still doing PR for the Kitsap BlueJackets. I enjoy it. Then teaching the cub scouts, keeping all of the schedules together and straight, running Justin to his doctor appointments and keeping my head on straight is quite a load at times. Typical Mom chores.

This summer as I said, Michael did a pioneer trek with the youth from church. Justin and I were called to work on the base camp committee. We helped plan and prepare all of the meals that were served the 4 days. We were supposed to be around Mt. Rainier but just a month before the location was changed to the border of Washington and Oregon by the Columbia River in Eastern Washington, Near Tri-Cities. We had cool weather and going there it was 95 and humid. The participants had a hard time because of it. Lots of blisters, heat & hydration issues, rashes as well as bug bites. I got them really bad on my arms and legs. They sent me home early the last day because they wanted me to get Benadryl in my system on a regular basis. I have some good scars from all the bites but okay none the less. Michael was the biggest kid in his family and ended up being in the yoke of the handcart 98% of the time. He had to step out when they did the women's pull but then took over again. His Ma & Pa really praised him for his help and his attitude. They sent us a beautiful letter telling us what a special spirit they feel he is. We are very proud of him.

In July, we went down to California to visit with friends and family. We were there for 2 weeks. We had a great time. Grandpa Raul was gone but came back just in time that we could spend a day with him. We would have been really disappointed if we had not been able to see him. We spent 3 days in San Diego with the Martin's and that was a great visit. We love them so much. In Los Angeles we were able to visit with the Vargas' and get together with Brain & Sarah Thomas and their girls. They now live in Minnesota. It was great to catch up with them as well as others we do not get to spend much time with. We also spent some time with Justin's parents while in California.

In August, we experienced the loss of my Great Uncle Ray. He was 94. In some ways I was happy to know that he was freed from the confines of his earthly mind and body, but the loss still hurt my heart. I do miss him He was always so active both physically as well as mentally until almost the end. The positive side of this was that we are so glad now to have the contact with his daughter Linda, her family and his son Don and his family. We are so glad to have communication with them now. Uncle Ray will be missed but he is now with his parents and family that have been patiently waiting for him. I am sure it was a glorious reunion. In retrospect it does not seem like it was 7 years ago this month that we lost my mom. Uncle Ray actually died the day before her birthday. I am really missing her.

In September, we had gone down to Astoria Oregon to the Commercial Fisherman's Festival. I called my Uncle Ben who lives over in the Portland area to see if it was possible to stop by and visit with him. I did not realize that we were so close to the Portland area being here in Washington. That weekend we took the opportunity and went to go visit with him and his wife Kathy. Justin and Michael had never met them. It was great to see Uncle Ben after so many years. I had forgotten that family had told me that he was due to have heart surgery at the beginning of September. He was looking great when we visited. He said that immediately after the surgery that he felt so much better. It was kind of fun to be able to tell him some things that he never knew. I told him that Uncle Ray was 2 years older than their mother (my Great-grandmother) was at the time of her death. It was nice to walk down memory lane a little, as the last time I was really in Portland was to visit him and his family when I was maybe 8 or so. I remember that his kids had been sprayed by a skunk and they had to bathe in tomato juice to get rid of the smell. I am pleased to find that both of his girls are here in the area of where we live and his son is there near him. It was a great visit and we hope to see him and Kathy more frequently. I hope to also be able to get together with his girls since they live in my neck of the woods.

It is so good to be able to be in contact with a lot of my extended family on Facebook. I am under the impression that I have some cousins near in the Vancouver, BC area as well as here in the Puget Sound. It is a blessing to find that there is family so close.

I have rambled on long enough. I will close this newsletter for this year. We sincerely hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas season. We are busy but cherish our friends and family. Please keep in touch. May God Bless you and keep you in the coming year. We wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. May 2011 be filled with many blessings and fun filled memories for you.



Love and Holiday Greetings,

The Leyva Family ~ Justin, Shirley, Michael, Smokey, Sylvester, & Shadow