Thirty-third Annual Christmas “Missal”
Carter 57 is stable at 197# with cholesterol stable and prostatic specific antigen rising (on drugs for both). He still works 18 night shifts/ month in the ED and exercises 3-4 times per wk. Excursions this year included Miami, Vietnam, Washington DC, Denver, Ashland, and the Caribbean for the usual reasons….sanity and escape! This year has been focused on health care remediation (lipoma removals, arthroscopic knee surgery, a sleep study for mild sleep apnea, colonoscopy for 50 some-things, and prostate biopsy to chastise him for his family history)….all is well in the final analysis.
Winnie is expanding her work and time commitment with Prevention MD where she provides Travel-Medicine advice to upcoming world travelers via an Internet consultation.
With only Alemitu and Kit home this year, she has had more time to devote to church activities (hospitality and Stephen Ministries), books on tape, and keeping up with Carter’s ever increasing money-laundering activities. Winnie has reluctantly taken up a physical fitness regime with her very own personal trainer (Kit) and the results are conflicting (depends on who you speak to).
Ben (Mako) is 25 and truly independent…from his parents! He is a grad student and living (with Mika) in Cambridge, Massachusetts attending MIT’s media lab. He and other folks are creating a $100 laptop for the Third World (One laptop per child OLPC). His responsibilities are primarily in creating/applying a Linux-based software operating system for this computer utilizing his talents/experience in literature and technology. Needless to say, we haven’t heard much from him this fall but consult his website at http://mako.cc/copyrighteous for cyber-updates pertinent to his world.
Mika is 25 and finished her Master’s degree in Nutrition from Columbia. She currently loves her laboratory research job at Harvard in the field of nutrition/polio. She has several websites which outline some of her interests; http://www.nutritionchick.com and http://www.flickr.com/photos/soulfish. Winnie and I miss her tremendously….She is the only person in the family who writes to us regularly!
Kit 23 is our second college grad and has used this year to transition to the ‘working world’. He is a certified personal trainer initially with Gold’s Gym (read corporate pond scum) here in Seattle. He recently became an Independent PT with all the attendant joys and frustrations but seems much happier. Consensus of everyone who works with him… “He is very good at this and really fit.” All this is to provide a nest egg and livelihood while pursuing his long term passion in music and theatre in the NYC scene next summer.
Nate is 21 and in his second year at Linfield College in Oregon after scribing with Dad this summer in the ED. He is really enjoying his college educational opportunities and is midway through a class learning sign language for the hearing impaired. He loves the symbolic/theatrical aspects of this language. He is leaning toward a new major in International Communications (includes history, sociology, anthropology, international studies, and religion) with a minor in Theatre. Sounds to me like 5 years or a lot of summer school classes.
Lisa is 20 and still flogging away in Denver (Junior at Johnson and Wales University). Still trying to find her niche in the food and beverage/ hospitality field, she is searching for that great job that doesn’t involve a great deal of time interacting with other people…She does her best work and seems happiest when working independently. Methinks some time in the trenches and away from school will give her the direction and enthusiasm she seems to be missing right now. She entertained dad on campus this fall during parent’s weekend…and dad really enjoyed the cultural offerings and meeting her many friends at the dining commons… Lisa truly appreciated the BBQ dinner out!
Alemitu is 19 and has completed her H.S. curriculum….Hooray! She is considering vocational training in 2006 in an allied health field (yet to be determined). Still working in child care after school, she has been a disciplined saver in addition to her considerable contribution to the nation’s GNP. She works out regularly with dad but these 2 hours of sweat don’t compare to the physical exhaustion we observed after her H.S. graduation photo shoot. She is very, very excited about her inclusion in Dad’s upcoming World Cruise but is more a little nervous about the sleeping arrangements in an officer’s cabin (Mom and Dad) aboard the Prinsendam…See website for her (and our) contributions: http://www.mannhill.blogspot.com.
Woguyo is 17 and is trying to position herself for H.S. graduation from boarding school in MO during 2006-2007 academic years. She still finds math an incomprehensible language but appears to be moving forward nicely on most other fronts. After a “Come-To-Jesus” visit from Mom and Alemitu in October, she now realizes 1) She is not welcome home without a diploma 2) She can not survive on minimum wage in MO and living on her own as a H.S. dropout. 3) There are real-life consequences to poor decisions.4) We do love her and would love to help her fulfill her life’s dreams…on OUR terms!
We as a family in 2005 find we are preparing ourselves and our children for the reality of life without their parents…at least on a day to day basis. We are very proud of their successes and mutually suffer with their set backs… helping them to learn and grow in experience as their lives progress. We are returning to an earlier life style where outside friendships can be nurtured again (in person), and we can think about our personal needs at least on a par with those of our dependents. We look forward to your communications and letters. Please visit our website http://www.mannhill.blogspot.com regularly during next 4 months for our thoughts, photos, musings as we travel around the world where Carter is the ship physician, and Winnie and Alemitu explore the many remote and exotic destinations in the Southern Hemisphere: www.hollandamerica.com; Destinations; Grand World Voyage; 2006 brochure(bottom of webpage), Prinsendam sailing Jan 5-April23, 2006 for those interested in following along. Photos will be posted regularly at http://www.flickr.com/photos/carterhill.
Carter & Winnie Hill
6805 SE 32nd St
MercerIsland,WA 98040 carterhill@comcast.net
December 26, 2005
posted by Hills @ 1:20 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home