Christmas 2010
We all love this special holiday season every year that inspires us to have kind feelings for our fellow man and to hope for peace and joy.
We are counting our blessings this year as we’ve had no hospital stays - we’ve been known to say that we are thrilled for a seemingly boring year. YEA for boring!!!! My knee has behaved well and become fairly strong again. I am walking with no pain in that leg and that is terrific news for me. On the other hand, Sterling decided to scare us when the painful sore on top of his head revealed Squamous Cell Carcinoma. The doctor removed a small section the first time, but needed to remove a larger section the second time to get all of the cancer. We were both relieved when the tests came back that the second skin graft was cancer free.
Our picture shows us at our lovely condo in Palm Springs. We enjoyed February and March there this year. It’s a beautiful place where we see spectacular flowers, palm trees and lots of sunny days. We found numerous restaurants awaiting our visits who happily took our money but left us extra poundage.
The thrill of the year came with the birth of a beautiful great granddaughter, Ellie May Hallam, on May 18th (our Susan is the Grandma!!). Further excitement came in June when three of our grandchildren (Shae Whitney, Adam and Tynette Spafford) graduated from college. And in July our grandson, Derek Whitney, from Denver got married. Our son, David and his wife, Susan, arranged for Sterling and me to fly from Laguna Beach with them to attend the wedding. David was called to be the Bishop of a student ward in our church. He will be very busy for a few years. We are very proud of him and his wonderful family. We also love having two grandsons (Jake and Sam Spafford) still serving in the mission field. Yes, we finally made it to Laguna Beach after three years’ absence. Can you believe we were actually cold at the beach this year? Temperatures in July were below average and the sun only came out a few days. August made up for it, however, and the sun was our companion once again, and we warmed up a bit. Back home to St. George on September 1st found us really warming up, temperature-wise. The weather in Utah was above average and we were hot.
Christmas is just around the corner, where it is time to remember our Savior and His precious gift of eternal life that He gave to us. May we strive to be worthy of His blessings as we enjoy this special season and send best wishes for the New Year.
Mom and Dad
Marilyn and Sterling Grandma and Grandpa
