Happy Holidays 2003
Hello again. As I write this, I’m just recovering from the flu. Or at least I hope it was the flu because I don’t want to get sick again this winter.
It has been a good year for us. I’ll start off with the news of Funk for a change. He is still a very lucky man, happily sharing his spot next to me in what we call “the sacred bed.” Funk has been in the news quite a bit this year, but his biggest honor has been winning a national “public servant of the year” award in DC. He was one of 11 people who won the award nationwide – right up there in the mix of Governors and Mayors and the like. Funk asked me to go watch him receive the award, but I declined, as I still don’t like to travel without the kids. But the more I thought of how my poor little hubby never asks much of me, the more I thought I’d better go. So Andrew and I took a great adventure across the country by train and surprised Funk in his hotel room just hours before the ceremony began. Poor Funk was so shocked to see us that he almost looked scared. He had, just moments before, hung up the phone from telling me that he had arrived safely in DC and then, there we were, knocking on his door just a few minutes later. It didn’t help that I greatly embellished mine and Andrew’s ruse for being out of town together – that I was doing my 1st breech birth 3 hours from home with a famous midwife and that Andrew was along with me to help watch the laboring mom’s kids for a paycheck. Since Funk bought the whole story, he was quite shocked to see us standing outside his hotel room door. He was even more shocked to find out that he was taking the train home with us. It was a whirlwind trip, but we had the best time. And believe it or not, Funk’s speech got the most laughs. I’m not kidding. My little man is changing right before my eyes.
Andrew is doing much better this year now that he is out of the hellhole of a school that he went to for the past two years. I can safely say that I have never been involved in a sicker environment than the one at St. Agnes School. And I’ve been in a lot of sick environments by way of all the births that I do. Fortunately, he’s back in public school – his first year of high school, and he’s doing great. I should’ve known a suburban school would not be right for Andrew the day he came home from visiting one of his friends schools 5 years ago and he said, “that school scares me, all the kids are lined up in rows and there are no black kids.”
Anyways, Andrew is holding his own as a high schooler and I’m holding his sweet little boy face in my eyes longer and longer each day. It is still a baby face – all rosy and soft and hair-free. I stare at him so much that he gets annoyed with me. But I grew him and it’s my right to look at my beautiful creation as much as I want while I still have my little boy all to myself. I think I’m going to start praying the same prayer as my friend Aaaahnne. She prays that her little boy is going to marry an orphan with a high need for a mother figure in her life. I don’t want to wish ill will on my future daughter-in-law, but it’s probably better than calling her, “that bitch,” every time I think of who she might be and what she might do to me.
On a brighter note, Andrew, Funk and Andrew’s friend-from-birth, Abbey, took a bus to DC for a peace rally last January. They left on a Friday morning, got to DC in time to march on Saturday and were home by Sunday evening. It was so cold that ice formed on the inside of the windows of the bus. All in all it was a wonderfully, miserable trip – but none of them would have missed it for the world.
My little Tara. I don’t think I can get through this section without tearing up about her. I’m getting sappy in my older age, but this time next year she is going to be visiting us for the 1st time ever. I have to keep telling her that she is going to have a ball in college and to not worry that I seem sad that she’s there and not here. I really do want her to go and have the time of her life, but while she’s doing that, I am losing my daily companion of the past 18 years. Tara and I spend so much time together and I have so much fun with her – yet I know that once she leaves for college, it will never be the same again, ever. Some dirt-bag she calls a husband and some snot-nosed brats she calls her children will be first in her heart. And I’m not so good at being number 2. I guess I’m going to have to either start learning how to be number 2 or learn how to worm my way into the hearts of my children’s sweethearts. I guess I’ll pick door number 2 – that way, I’ll end up gaining more children instead of losing mine. Can you tell I’m still sick? Take it from me, you should never write a holiday letter when you have the flu.
I almost forgot. Due to Tara’s mother’s good looks, she received a full-tuition scholarship to her 2nd choice in colleges – the University of Pittsburgh. She is now in competition there for the Chancellor’s scholarship that includes full-tuition, room, board and a stipend. We are also waiting for her number 1 choice – Tulane – to “show-us-the-money.”
Tara and Justin are still going together. He has been accepted to his 1st choice in colleges recently. They are feeling the pain of being in-love, yet knowing they will break-up for college soon. It will be hard, but they know that they have to sow their wild oats while they are still young and if they’re meant to be, they’ll be together again when they are ready to settle down. One thing I never expected was to fall-in-love with the people my children love. I didn’t know that happened. But it only makes sense – if you love your kids, you’re going to love their friends and their loves. It’s been a nice surprise.
Some people we have been praying for this year are the Minard’s, who lost their daughter, Lori, from a choking incident this time last year and a Jr. High school friend of mine, Jim Demestihas, who’s little girl, Niki, has been fighting brain cancer for almost a year now. I know you have a lot of people in your prayers, but if you can add these people to your list for a little while I’d appreciate it.
We hope you have a year filled with much love, health and happiness.
Love,
The funks