Merry Christmas To All!

The holiday season came way too fast this year and with the house still not 100% complete, we were just putting up our decorations this past weekend! But now that it is Christmas Eve, I have some time to let all of our family and friends how we are doing.
Most importantly, my mom is actually doing fine. Thanksgiving wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I'm suspecting tomorrow may be a little tougher, but all in all, we are all doing fine. My dad is still here in spirit and his memory keeps us all laughing and smiling.
Samantha is doing great!! Crew winter training is in full swing and she is working out 5 days a week, plus 3 days of karate. By the time spring rolls around, she'll be rowing like a fiend. She is doing well in school and waiting to hear about whether she has been accepted to Holy Trinity High School. She will hear in mid-January.
Frank is doing fine. He hasn't been running, as he has a minor heart condition - don't ask me the medical term, but his heart basically has some electronic abnormality and he will be having an 'ablation' procedure at the end of January to basically 'kill' the extra nerves that are firing off. He's been frustrated about his inability to run, so he is looking forward to this and hoping that he will be back to normal. Other than that, he's been continuing to keep the construction workers in line.
I am also doing well. I was surprised this year by being nominated and winning a very prestigious award at work called the "Spirit Award". About 25 people win this within Canon, Inc. (internationally) and we will be getting a 3-day trip to NYC in January (I wish it was somewhere warm!) and then being 'presented' at an International Managers Meeting dinner. Canon has been affected by the economy, but not as badly as other companies. We still had a Christmas party, still got a bonus and still got raises for next year - thank goodness for small favors. I am very much involved in strategic planning for next year and we are really watching the economy and trying to make sure that we weather the storm. I also got to do some more performing at Holy Trinity - we got a small group together and sang at their Christmas concert. I was actually the Musical Director. We only had 3 rehearsals and some people only had 1, but the group pulled it out and sounded great. You can check it out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dzHMYN2M9w
The house is a few weeks away from being 100% done! Hallelujah. The upstairs is almost done - just needs a bit of painting and the downstairs is also close to the end - again, just some trim work and painting. It's been over a year, but it was well worth it....now you can come stay in the "Mill Hill Rd. Inn".
I hope that you are reading this in good spirits and good health. Hopefully, the economy hasn't hit you too hard. Let's all hope that Obama can fix the mess and next year we will see a great turnaround.

Merry Christmas to All and Happy New Year!!!