Cam & Jeri’s 2006, Year in Review…

 

The year started with Cam having a pretty bad cold.  So bad it was probably pneumonia.  Had a chest X-ray and there was an unusual mass.  Had a CT scan and found that he had a extra lobe on his lung.  Weird but not life threatening though Jeri was certainly excited about this issue until the analysis indicated it was just the extra lobe on the lung .  Eventually the cold subsided, the hacking cough went away and all was well.

 

In April we celebrated our 11^th anniversary.  Then on April 24 the biggest event of the year occurred, our baby miniature horse Lily was born.  It’s actually quite a story.  Jeri had gone to the horse hospital where Cher, Lily’s mother, was staying while we were waiting for the birth.  Jeri was there on a Monday as that is her day off.  Had spent a couple hours and was just getting ready to leave as the vets had said that it would probably be another week before the birth.  After a short walk with Cher outside and then getting back inside the stall, Cher immediate went into labor. Lily was born about 15 minutes later.  You can see more of the story and pictures on our web page, www.litvinland.com.  Lily has been a real joy for us since.

 

The day after Lily was born, was a sad day.  My dad’s twin brother George passed away after an extended illness.

 

The last day of May turned out to be another sad day as one of our kitty’s, Frenchie disappeared and we haven’t seen him since.  Frenchie was a amazing cat.  We called him Frenchie because was a kisser.  Jeri had trained him to kiss and he loved to do it.  He was a sweet fellow and we miss him very much.  The neighbors reported that had seen coyotes in the area and they may have got him but we never found any sign of him so we don’t know what happened.  He had been pretty restless the weeks before he disappeared,  wanting to spend every night outside. 

 

During the summer we went to Sunriver twice, once in June and again in August.  We had great weather both times and really enjoyed the time there.  Sunriver is a resort in Central Oregon, just south of Bend.  There are miles of paved bicycle paths the meander through the Ponderosa Pines and by the Deschutes River.  It is a wonderful place to be, to rest and enjoy the great outdoors, yet have the comforts of home.  We stayed in Jeri’s Aunt Beverly and Uncle Weldon’s Cabin.  Also, Jeri’s mom and dad, Edith and Duane, her brothers Kevin and Larry and their families joined us.  In addition, Jeri’s Aunt  Margaret and Uncle Vernon and their two daughters, Shirley and Donna joined us in June.

 

In August, I took my mom to Canada for the annual Adventist amateur radio retreat.  We had a great time as we always do at Camp Hope in British Columbia.

 

Also during the summer and fall, our dear friends Cindy and Dino Calcagno stayed with us as they were looking for a new home.  After not having success they decided to rent in Joseph Oregon and have moved there.  It was great having them around as they provided us with great company and also helped with yard work.  Dino helped Jeri’s dad build some extensions to our barn to block the wind from blowing through so easily.  Joey, Lady and Lily obviously appreciate the added shelter.  A BIG thank you to Dad, Dino, Cindy and Jeri for getting the additions installed.

 

The last week of November we took a weeks vacation in central Florida at Walt Disney World.  It had been 5 years since we were there last (just 3 months after 9/11.)  Anyway we had great weather and it was a nice break.  We enjoyed several of our favorite rides, Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and new rides Soarin and Expedition Everest.  We also played 18 holes of miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens, something we have wanted to do in the past and finally got to do this time.  We enjoyed the Christmas decorations and singing Silent Night with many people from around the world a couple of times, once at the tree lighting ceremony at Epcot and during a concert featuring David Robinson, the great basketball center from the San Antonio Spurs who gave a inspiring reading of the real Christmas Story.   It was very special and touched me emotionally.  It made me think of how wonderful Heaven will be with people that are just happy to be there and thankful for a loving God and all want to live in peace.

 

We are thankful for all the blessings of this year and wish all of you God’s Blessing for a great Christmas and New Year.