Christmas 2000
The first year of the millennium has been memorable, to say the least. There were two graduations, a wedding, an awards banquet, interesting travel and a funeral. All of them blessings in their own way.
Brian and Jen tied the knot on May 27th in Carbondale, Illinois almost three years to the day they met in the church in which they were married. This momentous event happened two weeks after Brian received his MBA from the University of Illinois specializing in finance and one week after his bride-to-be graduated from The University of Southern Illinois Medical School. They moved to and bought a house in Charleston, South Carolina. Brian is making use of his forestry and finance background at Westvaco, a big paper company and Jen (the new Dr. Peura) is a first year medical resident.
Jessica, our little girl, turned thirty this year, making her one of the oldest full time undergrads at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. She is doing well in her studies, having received several recognitions (and bucks) at a recent scholarship banquet. She is hoping to be accepted into Veterinary School and will be on her way in January to a five month exchange program in South Africa.
David continues to put in 26 hour days seven days a week. He has a big clinical following and somehow manages to squeeze in University committee work, activities with national medical organizations, and traveling with his consultant business. And this year he has a Palm Pilot and has become technologically challenged!
Kristin continues to manage shopping centers, but has recently taken on responsibility for the computer systems at her company of 45 employees. Time management has become a critical issue as she must drop her regular work to solve the frequent and mostly unexpected problems of others.
Along with the joys of family, has come a great sadness to our lives this year as David’s mother, "Grammie," died on October 20th after a fall caused her to quickly fail. She had lived a long and fruitful life, though in the past few years health problems and old age slowed her almost to the stopping point several times. Though she gave of herself to others right up to the end, she had been ready to die for several years. And so we celebrated her life among those who had loved her and had been touched by her generous spirit in a memorial service at Peace Lutheran Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. And later this winter, we shall to take her ashes to Florida to mix them with Grandfather’s in the columbarium at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Vero Beach.
We hope that this millennium year has brought you blessings in abundance, as it has been renewed in our family this joyous Christmas Season.