Xmas 2023

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The theme of this year was friends and family. We started the year with a visit from Sae Fukuhara, Meggie’s brother’s daughter. Our ten days with her was really our first chance to spend one-on-one quality time with her, and it was a delightful visit.  She’s a really good kid. And yes, we got some good dirt on the rest of the family.

Not to be outdone by his sister, Gen Fukuhara came to visit again.  Gen honed his driving skills by cruising all over, often by himself. Gen is an incredibly hard worker and was dealing with video-conference job interviews while here, and we’re happy to report that he’s received a few offers.  Whatever company he ends up with will be lucky to have him.

Scott’s brother, Ian, and Ian’s two sons, Ben and David, also came to visit. Scott, of course, had to bring them to a whorehouse and opium den.  It’s not what it sounds. The Pendleton Underground Tour is one of the best tours ever, and showcases the colorful and somewhat dark past of Pendleton.  The picnic you see to the left is Scott and Ian’s traditional beef wellington, which came out surprisingly well in the RV convection microwave.  It was great spending time with all of them.

We learned that one tiny, little leak can wreak much havoc. Thank you to Amica, our insurance company, and all the contractors who took good care of us and did so quickly. Even so, this was a four month project. The wooden flooring had to be replaced throughout the whole house as well as the entire kitchen.  It was quite an adventure. We’re not sure how this would have been avoided except for crawling the length of the crawlspace on a regular basis. (Which isn’t going to happen.) The construction zone we lived in is a distant memory, and we’re enjoying our new kitchen.

Meggie had eye surgery for cataracts and nearsightedness. They actually replaced both her lenses. Neither of us are quite sure how that works, but the surgery was less terrifying in reality than was anticipated and was a smashing success.  Meggie can see better than she has in many decades. Recovery was very quick and not needing to wear glasses is wonderful. If anyone is considering this, know that it’s much quicker and easier than you’re probably imagining. It’s a bit of a miracle that surgeons can do this.

Scott went to a birthday party in Birmingham, AL for a dear friend from college, DeLeal Wininger, who’s been going through a very rough time fighting cancer. This turned into a bit of a reunion of many friends from the Chi Phi fraternity at Emory University. It had been a long time since he’d seen some of these friends, but such friendships do not fade over time.  It was a Beatles theme party and

Meggie made two business trips to Japan this year, and Dominique was able to join her for one of them.  Meggie still doesn’t like training via Zoom, but having a less crazy travel schedule is nice too.  It’s hard to strike a balance.  And for Dominique, Japan is more a home-away-from-home than a foreign country.

Meggie and Scott made a short trip to NYC which I can’t tell you much about since we haven’t left yet.  I’ll update this in a week when we get back. Top of our list is to visit The Met, MOMA, eat a proper pastrami sandwich, and get together with friends.  It’s been way too long for us to get back to the city.

Dominique & Kyle are moving to Perth, Australia. Soon. Dominique will be starting at Edith Cowan University to get her masters in dance education.  She starts in mid-February.  Kyle will follow as the logistics of emptying and selling their condo as well as the logistics of bringing two cats and two dogs into Australia will be rather time consumer.  Kyle has been accepted into a PhD program to further his career in bio/chem research.  Meggie and Scott will join Dominique in January to help her get settled in.

And lastly, Joey and Daisy.  They enjoy life to the fullest.  They sleep; they eat; they nap; they play, and they demand attention or treats, which they always get.  Life could be worse.