Christmas Letter

Note to self, never write a Christmas letter in the middle of the night when you are really tired and never ask your husband to proof it for omissions. This year I had some major omissions from our Christmas letter, but since there is no way I can reasonably send out 110 more letters, I am posting the letter here with some amendments. I am also thinking this may be our last Christmas letter. With the blog, the letter is becoming less necessary and I have a horrible time summarizing our year in a letter, as evident by the terrible job I did this year. The omissions are posted below the letter.

As you can observe, this letter is inevitably late this year. Not from lack of inspiration, but too much inspiration and I could not decide how to condense our year into a one page letter (Brian’s rule is that it must be one page). So here I sit in Dallas after another inspiring night with just more to add. I just left my brother’s house where he received a group of carolers. Not just normal carolers, as if there were such a thing these days, but a group of friends from church, college, and life. They got together to spread a little Christmas cheer and lots of goodies. They stayed to visit and I was able to experience just a little bit of the amazing support system my brother’s family has in Dallas. Of course they have my mom and stepdad and Danielle’s parents, but they also have an amazing group of friends who have rallied around them. For those small few not on facebook or some other form of mass media, my brother’s cancer returned this year with a vengeance. He started with a new tumor in his heart, which has now spread to his liver. He has tried a couple different forms of chemo, but they have not worked as well as the doctors would like, so he is starting a new chemo a couple days after Christmas. We are praying for another miracle and that he will beat this cancer for a third time.

Our year in brief:
2008 ended with a Laynor family reunion in Dallas, short but sweet. I introduced Shane to the world of skiing, and he mastered it in no time. I’m thrilled to have a new skiing buddy, since his Daddy is still not a fan. In January we had visits from Aunt Sandy and Cheryl and the Cross Family. In February we took, what we hope to be an annual ski trip to Big White (Canadian ski resort) with the Prizemans, and really enjoyed the time. Sadly, as we packed for the trip, Brian’s uncle and friend, Uncle Brad, unexpectedly passed away. Brian spent his birthday in Omaha celebrating the life of Uncle Brad and sadly saying goodbye.

In March, my brother and his family were able to follow through on their plans to visit even though they thought the news of his cancer would derail the trip. They came and we had a wonderful time of skiing and showing them winter life in Spokane. In April, Brian and I made a quick weekend trip to Austin for a benefit for my brother organized by a group of high school friends and my sis-in-law Tiff. Yet another example of how I was inspired this year. The benefit turned into a mini reunion, and served as a reminder that 15 years is nothing between friends. In July we returned to Texas with the whole family to celebrate Brian’s Grandpa’s 90th Birthday. He is an amazing man who can still hang with his grandkids far into the night. We also had a big July 3rd party in Houston so we could visit with friends that we don’t get to see enough on our Texas trips. Sometime this year I also realized that this was our last year not dictated by a school calendar, so we took advantage with lots of trips. Brian was not always a willing participant, but he agreed and actually used his work vacation days for the first time EVER! September was a trip with my parents to the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, and Vancouver. Absolutely amazing and I already want to go back. I went on a much needed getaway weekend, to Dallas, to meet my friend Tricia for the Britney Spears concert and shopping. October was our getaway to San Diego. Ok, so Brian worked, and I hung out with friends, family, and coworkers. We had a visit from the Martinez family and then Brian had his guys’ weekend in Vegas. November was one week in Orlando at Disney World with my dad and stepmom. Lots of fun, but 7 hours is a long time on a plane with 3 small kids. And now it is December, and we are in Dallas. Boos Family reunion this Christmas and then on to Houston to celebrate the New Year with Brian’s family.

This year has brought to the forefront something I already knew but never fully appreciated… my brother and I have been blessed with the best and most amazing friends and family any person could hope for. Everywhere we go, we seem to find the best of the best, we were born into the best, and married the best. In celebration of Christ’s Greatest Gift, I pray that we give the same love and support that we receive.

If you don’t follow us on the blog, this is a bit on the kids: Shane is 4 ½ and already challenges us in the academic department. I pray next year he has a patient teacher who is willing to answer his inevitably tough questions. Myann is our very strong-willed 3 year old, who is too cute for her own good. Anders has just begun walking at 15 months, but then again he is the same size as his sister, so carrying his own weight has proven to be a challenge. He is the sweetest baby constantly giving out hugs and kisses, though I am frequently the lucky one who gets most of those kisses.

Merry Christmas
Brian, Kari, Shane, Myann, and Anders Johansen

Not sure how I missed these, they were huge events in our year. First, the Texas trip included the luxury of taking our wonderful babysitter, Tina, with us to Texas. Amazing coincidence, but Tina has family not far from where our family lives in Houston, so she helped us on our flight there so she could fly to Texas for the first time to see her family. Most would balk at Houston in July, but Tina is a lover of heat, so she enjoyed the miserable heat. Brian could not be with us on the flight back home, so Grandpa Jo and Grandma Anne flew back with the kids and I. I loved the help and they got to experience a bit of what our trips are like. Back in Spokane, we enjoyed having a bit of family with us. I always crash hard emotionally when we leave Texas, because I love being surrounded by so many family and friends, and it is always hard for me to return to Spokane, so having my in-laws in Spokane helped both the kids and I with the transition. One highlight of their stay was biking the Hiawatha Trail. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the bike ride, even Grandma Anne who crashed into the wall in one of the tunnels. Fortunately no injuries, but it provided lots of laughs.

In August, we had an amazing time when Richard rented a lake house in Coeur d'Alene, ID and Richard's family and Brian's mom and siblings all arrived for a week of fun at the lake. We had some wonderful family time and enjoyed boating and jet skiing. It was a full house, like 20 people there at any given time. Brian loves Coeur d'Alene, so I know he enjoyed having all his family there to experience it.

And how can I forget my last weekend before leaving Spokane, where I was blessed with another mom's weekend. This time it was Seattle with two of my wonderful friends and we stayed with another friend who had just moved from Spokane to Seattle. We enjoyed a day of shopping and an evening of sushi and dancing at a piano bar. Seriously one of the most fun nights in a long time. Then Sunday we met up with another friend at the Pike Street Market, always a hit, and ended with more shopping.

I'm sure there is more that I missed, please forgive me, but my brain does not retain things like it used to.