Merrifield Times

Bozeman Montana was the late November destination with a two fold purpose: visiting Montana State University and Thanksgiving with family. Trevor really enjoyed the campus visit. He’s interested in studying engineering and has been accepted at MSU. It will be interesting to see if there’s yet another Bobcat in the family. Which brings up the second reason for the trip. Jolyn's aunt Judy hosted six Oregonians (including Jolyn's folks Richard and Sharon) and Judy's son and daughter in law, Tim and Tracy (plus Kimber and Jill) joined us from Missoula! We all had a grand time preparing a wonderful meal, counting our blessings, and just spending time together. The day after Thanksgiving became White Friday... A far more desirable goal for this crowd than the much darker alternative. The caravan first stopped at Bridger Bowl to let Kimber and Jill run and play in the snow. Bridger was not yet open for the season but many people were skinning up for a little alpine tourin...

Jolyn has gone back to school! She still volunteers in the Career Center at the kids’ high school but this fall she became a student again taking Medical Terminology at Lane Community College . As Trevor and Hannah become young adults and gain more independence, Jolyn has turned her attention to the possibility of a new career as a Physical Therapist Assistant. In what could easily be an intimidating situation, Jolyn became known as one who “exudes confidence”, corrects the teacher and a sought after study partner. Needless to say she did very well in the class and looks forward to satisfying another prerequisite (Human Anatomy and Physiology) before applying to the program next spring.

It felt a bit like Planes, Trains and Automobiles in July as the family flew to Detroit, rented a car and drove to Ithaca. It was great to spend a week with Mike’s sister Merri. They are doing well and the kids are growing out of hockey equipment before you can say, “Keep your stick on the ice.” Mike’s mom struggles with dementia so visits were short but frequent. Celebrating the 4th in Fair Haven with family and friends was fantastic even if it wasn’t beach weather. Other leg 1 highlights included a Cornell campus tour, a Borg Warner tour with John (Thank you!), a quick trip to Baldwinsville to visit more family (Hi, Sharon and Phil) and a stop at Niagara Falls on the way back to Detroit! Leg 2 was spent in Michigan with Jolyn’s sister Rhonda and family. It was good to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company. Rhonda was in the middle of treatment for breast cancer so no adventurous plan. The cousins spent lots of time together at the pool (it was HOT... hottest July EVE...

You may remember our adopted cat, Earl , who kept returning to his original neighborhood after his people moved across town. Our friends living in that neighborhood took him in until they move out of town. That’s when, in 2006, we took him with the hope of breaking his homing instinct. Since then he has become more comfortable with us, Lido (our 90lb. Lab.) and his new life as an indoor cat. He even survived our latest move into town without too much trauma. Sadly, Jolyn noticed a tumor in Earl’s mouth earlier this year.  Without much hope of curing the oral fibrosarcomas, we said goodbye to a good cat. This Christmas we’ll miss his eyes peering out from under the tree.

Mike  and Jolyn  enjoyed a wonderful time exploring the island of San Juan earlier this year. Their private B&B cottage provided a lovely secluded retreat. It was a special compliment to experiencing the natural beauty (both on and off shore), historic sites , restaurants , modern harbors and more . It was a special time together in a special part of the Pacific Northwest. Oh, yes... There was shopping too including a stop at Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market on the way home.

We love the idea of publicly thanking moms. We don't do that enough. It somehow costs more to do it this way. It's more meaningful perhaps.  The other awesome thing about The 1K Moms Project is that it helps other Moms and their families. How appropriate since that is what moms are all about. Helping others -- particularly their families. The story about the mother duck plucking her own feathers to line the nest really resonates with our family.  Houses may be bought, built, or borrowed. But homes can only be made. And only with  bits of ourselves . When you build a home, you start with a blank slate. It only comes together (both as a house and a home) with "bits of ourselves."  Jolyn poured much more than her own feathers into our previous home.  She was all in -- making sure that every detail, every decision was going to bless her family. “Mother ducks pick feathers from their chests to line their nests.” She lines the nest with bi...