Happy Holidays from the Northwest!  Can you believe that it is already time to celebrate Christmas again?  We have had an amazing year with lots of travel, activities, and time with family and friends.  We have had many happy times and heartaches and  the Lord has been with us through them all.  

Kim is still doing consulting work through her company, Landusky Consulting.  She was able to take some time off this summer to focus on the kids and to do some traveling.  It has been such a blessing to have the extra income without a huge commitment of time away from the family.  Troy is still working in Microsoft's Internal Technical Education Department.  He is able to work from home when Kim needs to work or just as a change of pace.  Troy is now the Chairman of the Renton Parks Board of Directors, overseeing the city's parks, libraries, theaters and golf course, and he enjoys it very much.  It gives us opportunities to learn more about our city and enjoy some of the events in our community.

We kicked off the New Year with a blow-out New Year's Eve party!  Like many of our parties, it began small and by the time the confetti settled on January 1, fifty friends had joined us in our modest home.  What a blessing and honor to celebrate with so many!!!

January and February were spent making reservations and finalizing details for our big trip to Florida for a cruise before attending Troy's family reunion.  Troy, Kim, Katie, John-John and Kim's mom, Fran, flew out on February 18th in the middle of the night.  We thought taking a red-eye would be a good thing to do with the kids.  The kids did great, but the adults were exhausted once we arrived in Florida.  We left that day from Port Canaveral on a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. This was our first cruise so we didn't know what to expect.  Wow, what a wonderful way to vacation: unpack once, gourmet food (at all hours), activities galore (even for the kids), a Midnight chocolate buffet (amazing what they can do with chocolate), white sandy beaches and light blue water, and just all around pampering by the staff on board!  How could you not love it?  Weeks after our trip on a particularly rainy day, Katie came up to Kim and said, "wouldn't it be nice to go to Cocoa Cay?"  We were amazed she remembered the name of the island.  Everyone had a great time and it was nice to share the experience with Kim's mom.  We spent two days in Orlando after the cruise and took the kids to Disney World.  Katie's favorite ride was the teacup spinner (we were looking a bit green after it however).  Fran flew out the next day and the four of us went on to Satellite Beach where Troy's sister and her husband, Vicki & Rick Beno, live.  They have a beautiful home with a pool inside their covered back patio and a boat dock just beyond that.

The entire family was able to come.  In the picture, from left to right by family a-Johnathan, b-Troy, c-Katie d-Kim from Washington; e-Barry, f-Penny, g-Charlie & h-Russell from Arizona; i-Todd from Chicago; j-Marlis & k-Glenn from California; l-Ryan, m-Kathy, n-Terry, o-Amy, p-Chad, q-Cal, from North Dakota, r-Rick & s-Vicki from Florida and their daughter, t-Kelli from California.  We even had the pleasure of a long lost cousin, Rick Perry from Colorado (who took this great picture for us).  Glenn's health had been poor so we were all glad that he felt up to making the long  trip.  It was wonderful for all the brother's and sister's to catch up and to reminisce about old times.  The in-laws had a good time listening to all of the stories and adding some of their own.  Katie and John-John absolutely loved their cousins.  Vicki kept us busy with fun activities during the week, which included another trip to Disney, a beach BBQ with family pictures, a trip to Kennedy Space Center, a picnic on an island near their home (snakes included), and an airboat ride into the swamps to see some alligators.  It was so much fun and the time went by too quickly.  It was sad to see everyone leave but we are already talking about our next reunion ~ Maybe we can convince everyone to meet on a Cruise J.

We spent another day and a half in Orlando after the reunion.  There is a great area outside of Disney World called Downtown Disney with lots of shops and restaurants and activities for kids that we went to the first evening.  We had plans of visiting the park one more time the next day but we all woke up with sore throats.  So instead we spent our last morning at a local clinic getting our last souvenir from the area: bags of antibiotics for everyone to take home.  We all collapsed once we got home.  It was a challenge supervising the kids 24/7, with the ocean, pool and crowds. We agree that is was one of the best vacations that we have ever been glad to get home from.  But, we would do it again in a heart-beat! The only mishap was having one of our suit cases stolen from the luggage carrousel in Seattle.

In March we helped several of our close friends move into new homes.  We were hit briefly with the moving bug until one day Kim went to help one of her friends pack.  The "dear in the headlights" look on her friend's face was enough to convince her that moving was simply not an option for us at this time. 

April, May and June were busy with retreats, conferences and Renton Park Board activities. Sadly, a good friend of ours, Jane Ashpole passed away, and we also had to put our cat Mystery to sleep due to leukemia. In June Johnathan turned two and in July Katie turned four. Johnathan's language skills are getting so good.  He loves to talk about bugs.  One day last month, the kids were outside with Troy and they found some worms.  They began calling their worms their pets, even naming them "Cutie-pie."  John-John told Kim later that "the worms love me."  Katie gets into the bugs right alongside Johnathan but her real love is playing dress up.  Often times she comes out of her bedroom in the morning already decked out in her Cinderella costume and will stay in it all day if we let her.  She is becoming a helper, extraordinaire.  The other day Kim dumped a basket of clean towels on our bed to fold later.  Kim had asked Katie to go in and clean up her own room several times and was getting to the point of frustration.  When she looked around and Katie was nowhere to be found she raised her voice and asked her once again if she was cleaning her room.  Katie walked calmly out of our room and said, "Well Mama, I have to clean up your room first!"  Amazed, Kim went in to find not only had the towels been folded (four year old style) but she had also put them away.

We made our annual camping trip in July to Gold Basin, Washington.  This year, we decided to make a general invitation to the folks in our church.  Our previously small gathering ended up having over 50 people join us at our favorite camp-ground.  Not everyone stayed the night, but most everyone showed up for a great potluck Taco dinner and smores around the campfire on Saturday evening.  It was fun finding out that so many of our friends like to camp but a little overwhelming trying to coordinate.  We may have to do several trips next year so we can actually visit with everyone who comes.

This year ended up being the year for family reunions as Kim, Fran and the kids drove to Montana for a Phillips (Fran's mother) family reunion in mid-August.  About 30 of the Aunts, Uncles and cousins were able to come out to Darby for the weekend.  They got lots of pictures and lots of time to share stories.  Once again, Katie and John-John had a great time meeting and playing with their cousins.

In August, we flew to California so Troy could be in our friend Phil Solomone's wedding. While there we stayed with Troy's Mom and Dad and helped them around the house a bit.  Wedding activities kept us pretty busy but we were able to spend some quality time with family and friends.  Kim's dad, Fred, was able to stop over in L.A. on his way to Dallas where he was moving to.  We spent several days visiting with him and we even took the kids to Disneyland.  Wow, coast-to-coast Disney this year!  John-John had never met Fred before but gave his seal of approval when he went right into Fred's arms from the minute they met.  Katie was so happy to see Grandpa again.  We shared lots of laughter and made many wonderful memories for all of us.  We were also able to carve out a bit of time to spend with a couple of Troy's old roommates, Kevin Sorg and John Demas. John came up for the wedding with his wife Noelle and their son Christopher.  We spent an evening together at the beach where the kids had fun playing in the sand and we had fun reminiscing.  The kids had a great time seeing Grandpa and Grandma Wiggy and playing in the back yard with Petey, the turtle.  We were so glad we had that time with them as Troy's father took a turn for the worse later in the month and sadly it would prove to be the last time we would visit with him.

As Glenn's health deteriorated throughout August, we were in constant contact with Troy's family to get the latest on Glenn's condition.  His health really took a turn for the worse towards the end of the month. He had been suffering from heart problems and diabetes complications for over a year. He ultimately had to have some toes amputated late in August.  His condition worsened and he ended up on life support for several days as his lungs and kidneys shut down. He didn't want to suffer any longer and on Labor Day he asked to be removed from the life support. He passed away shortly after with Troy's mom, Marlis and niece Kelli, at his side.  We were able to fly down within a few days.  Kim's mom graciously kept the kids at home so we could travel and help out a little more freely.  All of the brothers and sisters were able to come as well as many of the extended family and friends.  The funeral was a nice tribute to Glenn and his family.

For those of you who knew Glenn, he was certainly a character. He was always quick to tell a joke, spoke his mind freely (even when not appropriate), taught his kids to play fair, and was generous whenever any of them needed help. When family and friends gathered to pay their respects, everyone agreed that Glenn's greatest legacy was the wonderful family he left behind. He was very proud of his family and for his Norwegian heritage. He will be greatly missed. We believe that Troy's Dad made his peace with God before he passed away, as the Lord gave Troy Hebrews chapter 4 at the time of  Dad's death. It wasn't until later that he noticed the chapter's title in the Bible was: "The Believer's Rest." This brought us great comfort as we believe we'll see Dad again one day when it's our time to go, and we too make that final journey ourselves into the arms of Jesus.

We stayed a few days longer to help Troy's Mom take care of some business matters. We were scheduled to fly out on the afternoon of September 11th but instead watched in horror as the tragic events unfolded as terrorists struck New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. We stayed with Marlis another day before deciding to drive a rental car back to Seattle instead of waiting for the airports to re-open.  Driving turned out to be a blessing after all.  We were able to bring home some boxes Troy still had stored there.  The two-day trip also gave us much needed time to think, pray, and grieve for the events of the past weeks before being thrown back into the daily routine of life.

September, October and November have been a blur of every day activities.  As much as we enjoy traveling, we have enjoyed staying close to home lately and especially for the holidays (and in front of our new gas-insert fireplace).  It is amazing how quickly the days fly by, each year passing quicker than the one before.  The passing of close friends and family and the terrorist activities this year have given us a new appreciation for life, both our own and those we love.  These events have reminded us of how fleeting our lives may be.  This Christmas we hope you will take time to remember the greatest gift that was ever given to you: "For God so loved the world (that means you) that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever (that also means you) believes in Him might have everlasting life."  John 3:16.  Love like you've never been hurt, live like money doesn't matter, laugh a lot, do something nice for someone,  hug like there is no tomorrow and be sure to say "I love you"  to your family and friends every day.

May God bless you. We wish you all a wonderful Christmas with family and friends, and all the best for 2002!~ Take care, God bless and much love,

Troy, Kim, Katie-lane and John-John