2007 Christmas Letter(Long)

I have been doing my letter after New Year's, but with so much happening it wouldn't have been prudent to wait... Enjoy... You may receive a copy of this in the mail...

Christmas 2007

Hey Relatives and Friends,

Wow, how to summarize the year 2007? It was full of beginnings, ends, and continuations. Rick has a new position at church…Bishop of the Sitka Ward… We have 2 new additions to the family... One in the form of 6 lb. 9 oz. Samantha Moya Smith, our first grandchild and one in the form of Anna-Maria Mück our AFS exchange student... We have a new doctor in the house... We have experienced England and Paris... We still live in Alaska and it still rains...

Anneka/Mike At publishing date Lori is in Idaho Falls helping Anneka, Mike and Samantha. Our first grandchild was born Tuesday 6 November. She was officially 3 weeks early, but since Anneka tried to go into labor 10 weeks early we are grateful that we Samantha got another 7 weeks to “simmer”. Yes, Mike and AJ are doing well, but there is a new star in the family. Mike is continuing to take classes for his electrician journeyman’s license and AJ has been still working at the bank. They are living in Mike’s parents’ house while they are on a Church mission in Florida.

Lori is now officially Doctor Hart. She finished her Ph.D. after jumping through all the hoops. She then started working at the mental health clinic at SEARHC(where Rick works). Eventually, she was offered a job with Weber State University…the school she worked for when in Logan… as a professor of nursing. Part of her duties will be to help develop classes for a Master’s of Nursing program. She has to attend some faculty meetings in Utah during the year so she can see Samantha(Anneka/Mike too). In fact, she just got back from Idaho after helping AJ, Mike, and Samantha for 3 weeks. Lori arranged for us to get some used kayaks, so she is becoming familiar with the water surrounding our little cove.

Rick is still with SEARHC. Usually this “STILL” comment is in a not good sense, but in this case it is with pleasure that we say it. The staff is wonderful, the other doctor(Pam Steffes) is great, and the chance to be an employee with great benefits can’t be beat. Rick traveled 7 times for work this year..one to Yakutat and 6 to Prince of Wales Island(Klawock). Using his benefit for the continuing education he needs we all traveled to England in May/June so Rick could attend the British Contact Lens Association meeting in Manchester. He learned to drive on the right side of the car and the left side of the street. He has also used some of his sick leave to be with his parents as his dad gets worse. Being bishop at church is a huge responsibility. He is in charge of everything at church now. A very busy and scary experience, but rewarding.

Meg has been working hard this year. She has worked in a local coffee shop where she has trained to be a barista. She works part-time after school and Saturdays. Drama is still her passion and her work with the Drama/Debate team has paid off. She is involved in NHS(National Honor Society), Drama, and music. She is also beginning to make plans for here post-high school life. She just turned 18, but has had no desire to drive yet. Meg has traveled a bunch with 2 trips to Anchorage, places all over the southeast(Alaska that is), California, Utah, England, and Paris. She spent 4 weeks as a Junior Councilor at Kennolyn Camp near Santa Cruz. Oh, she is painting her room…Picasso, Chagall, Van Gogh, and Monet…she copies the picture on the wall and then fills it in. Photography has been big for her and her birthday present was an photo enlarger for the darkroom she is setting up in her bathroom.

Charles is a sophomore and is involved in Drama/Debate, Student Council, irritating his sisters and the dog, and hanging out with his many friends. He got to go to Anchorage twice this year for Mock-Trial and for a state Student Council thing. He too has been all over the southeast, California(for his 5^th year at Kennolyn), Utah, and Europe.

Anna came to us in August from the Bavarian region of Germany. Her English is excellent. In fact, she has been doing both drama and debate, is in Honors English, Calculus, and AP Chemistry, and having a boyfriend. She has learned to take the teasing our family give and can also give it back. She is fun to have in our family and we are glad to have her.

Richard is at Utah State University. His classes are going well. He spent the summer here in Sitka working at the Raptor Rehablitation Center. He’ll be up here again for Christmas and has plans to work up here again next summer. Richard is working at the USU library in addition to carrying a full schedule.

D’Artagnan is a great dog. He is HUGE… about 90 lbs.! He loves being in the water and swimming… the problem is getting him out. He is 20 months old now and Lori is getting him to walk off the leash without running off to the woods.

Our Europe trip had two main reasons. One, Rick has always wanted to attend this British conference and Two, it was for Meg’s 16^th birthday trip…to see top quality theatre. We saw Sir Ian McKellen(Gandalf) in King Lear in Shakespeare’s home town, Othello in London at the Shakespeare Globe, and Wicked, The Lord of the Rings Musical, and Spamalot on the West End. We got to spend a couple days with Annika, our first exchange-daughter. We rode the tube/underground in London. Paris was a whirlwind… we spent 2 days there and saw lots. We took the speedy Eurostar train under the English Channel to London.

Lori and Rick traveled to San Diego and visited/helped Rick’s parents. Rick also went to his folks’ in September to help. His dad has Alzheimer’s and finally had to be put in a nursing home this summer. He has really deteriated quickly. Rick’s mom is feeling the stress, but has been doing well. She spent Thanksgiving with John(Rick’s brother) and his family in Logan. She has plans to visit us in a couple of weeks and then be at David’s(other brother) for Christmas. Then to Anneka’s for the blessing of Samantha.

We hope your Christmas season is full of love for each other and for our Savior.

Love, Rick, Lori, Meg, Charles, Anna, and of course, D’Artagnan