So what has gone on this year? Last Christmas we were fortunate to have Jeff’s entire family in for the holidays. It gave us a great chance to spend time playing board games, going to movies and basketball games, and just visiting with each other. Due to everyone living so far away from each other, these opportunities are few and far between.
January and February led to plenty of men’s and women’s basketball games at Notre Dame, It kept us busy and helped pass those cold wintery days. March and April were pretty quiet but May and June kept us busy. In May, Melissa’s oldest niece Sarah graduated from High School and we celebrated being married for 4 years now. Its hard to believe that 2008 marks our 5th Wedding Anniversary.
We marked June with a visit from the whole Murawski clan. Jeff’s 35th birthday was at the end of the month and his brother Kenny and his wife Katie were planning on leaving a day later for a whirlwind trip around the world. The start of their trip began with them visiting South Bend. Jeff’s sister Kim and nephew Lance came in town as well and we all went down to the lake house that Jeff’s parents and aunt and uncle jointly own. Evenings of card games and trips on the lake provided for a great visit. The day before Kenny and Katie were to fly out to Italy the family spent the day at Navy Pier in Chicago. Aside from the thunderstorm that plowed through that day, the time was well enjoyed.
This past July, Melissa’s sister delivered her second child prematurely on July 22nd. Delaney was born 6 weeks premature. She is doing wonderfully now and is such the princess. We also had the opportunity in early August to get away for a few days and drove down to Bedford, IN. Bedford is the Limestone capital of the world. There we visited a farm in which an underground cavern was discovered many years ago. If you ever have the chance, go to Spring Mill State Park. There we were able to visit an old pioneer village, a working grist mill, as well as the official Gus Grissom Museum. We also got to connect with one of Jeff’s former college buddies who he hadn’t spoken with in 12 years. On our return trip home we stopped at Oliver Winery for a tasting and fell in love with some of their wines.
This year also saw a change in Melissa’s family. You may recall last year Melissa’s Grandmother had a stroke in August of 2006. In June of this year she moved in with Melissa’s mom and dad and put her house up for sale. At the end of October the house sold and the entire family worked over 2 1/2 weeks to clear out her house in preparation for the closing. It was a time filled with memories or our childhoods as we pulled box after box out of crafts, decorations, picture albums, etc. She has settled in to Mom and Dad’s house but there still tends to be times where the two matriarchs don’t see eye to eye. Grandma will be 92 this February.
This past August we also had the opportunity to celebrate with Jeff’s Grandma and Grandpa Honkoski their 60th wedding anniversary. Many of Jeff’s cousins and out of town aunts and uncles came in for it. It was an interesting drive that evening as thunderstorms and winds blew in, bringing in a fear of a tornado. Fortunately we had nothing to worry about.
This year at work we were both faced with the question of whether we would have a job as of January 1, 2008. St. Joseph County faced a large budget crisis to the tune of $10 million. Until October many departments didn’t have clue as to what faced them. To top things off, Melissa, who basically ran and worked her department by herself for 4 months on her own, had to write three grants in less than a months time. One of the grants, a state grant, was cut once again. If Melissa is unable to obtain additional grant funding in 2008 for 2009, one of the positions in her office will be cut. For 2008 both of us have a job. Please keep us in prayers for the next year.
Overall our health has been doing okay . Melissa, a self proclaimed klutz, dislocated her clavicle this spring in an attempt to catch a domestic rabbit from our backyard. She did eventually catch him. This summer she messed up a tendon in her foot and for a few weeks was wearing a walking cast (boot). All these appear to be related to a much larger issue which she will be seeing a doctor about after Christmas. Melissa has Fibromyalgia and has begun experiencing addition pain not conducive with her Fibromyalgia. We hope that the doctor can find the root of the pain and help it get under control. Other than for a few colds that we both have experienced already this holiday season, we maintain fairly good health.
Additional prayers are asked as we look into the possibilities of adopting. This fall, Melissa was approach about a young woman who was pregnant and planning on giving the child up for adoption. Shortly after we expressed interest to this young girls mother in doing a private adoption, the baby’s father returned to the picture and it seems as if our opportunity has slipped away. Our dreams of having a family seem to get slimmer and slimmer as each year passes. Please keep us in your prayers.
After Christmas we will also be putting to sleep one of our beloved pets. Sadie, Melissa’s Grandma’s Boston Terrier whom we adopted from Grandma when she moved in with Melissa’s mom and dad, has several cancerous tumors wrapped around her bladder. She has increasingly become more incontinent and has for the most part gone blind. She sleeps most of the day and is bound to wearing a doggy diaper at night. The tumors have been growing fairly rapidly and rather than have her suffer, we thought it important to give her one more Christmas before she goes to doggy heaven. Sadie was a rescue dog through Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. She had been abused and neglected. Her oral health was never cared for so shortly after Grandma got her she began to lose teeth. She loves to cuddle close up to Melissa on a warm fleece blanket. Melissa and Sadie are very close and it has been very difficult for Melissa as we’ve been preparing mentally for the day we say our goodbye to her.
As we write this, Melissa’s brother Marty has moved back to South Bend, IN from Bridgeman, MI. It is nice to have him local again. This year, no more than in the past, family means a lot to us. We wish both you and your families a very merry Christmas. May all of your wishes be granted and all your dreams come true.
Merry Christmas,
Melissa and Jeff
Murawski
