2012 turned out to be a pretty low-key year for all of us... not too much going on, which I think has actually been a good thing! Willie spent the better part of the year in Hawaii working and exploring the islands. He also traveled to Alaska and to northern California, and was here visiting with us for a few weeks in October. He is spending the holidays on the east coast, so we will miss having him with us this year. But Willie is doing just great, traveling and enjoying life to the fullest.
James spent the first part of the year at home with us. He continued his college classes at Mira Costa and worked part-time with Gary. In mid-October, he decided to make a big move, and bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii. He is living in Maui with his older sister and her family and got a great job working at one of the big resorts there. He likes it a lot and seems as if he will stay there for a while, so unfortunately, he will not be with us for the holidays either, which will be a first for us not to have the boys with us at Christmas :-( We will miss them both! But hoping to see them soon in the new year.
Kelly is doing great and was busy as ever this year. She played soccer all year, first in pee-wee, then arena soccer and in the fall graduated to a local rec league. She has greatly improved and seems to enjoy it more and more (especially when she has friends on her team!). 
We began to host hula dancing lessons here at our house and by March we ended up with 14 little girls in class and practicing a routine for their school variety show. They were so cute and a huge hit! 
Gary & I took Kelly to Disneyland for her 7th birthday in June. She was thrilled to stay overnight in a hotel with her new luggage from nana & papa. We spent all day at the park and had so much fun! She went to several camps over summer including "Beach Kids" which is the predecessor for Junior Lifeguards, Dance camp and Gymnastics camp. She read about 30 books over summer, all from the "Fairies" series by Daisy Meadows. She began 2nd grade this fall and is thriving and excelling in all subjects. She is getting so big and brings us joy every day with her happy, humorous and loving heart.
My work in real estate has also continued to be good - My branch office and agents finally felt the full effect of the market turn-around this year, although it was slow. We are poised, ready and excited for success and growth in 2013. In June, my father went in for a "routine" surgery, but had complications during and after, which has left him in the hospital for the last half of this year. He has gone through a lot of ups & downs in his recovery and is still struggling at the writing of this. While it is all heading in the right direction, it has been a very long road for him and all of us supporting him. Thanks to everyone for all your prayers and good thoughts - please keep it coming as we still have some work to do to get him home and fully rehabbed. Although dad, work & Kelly has been my primary focus this last half of the year, I managed to fit in a Sprint Triathlon in October, and was really pleased with my time! I plan to do it again in 2013. Kelly & I also took a week long trip to the east coast for Thanksgiving and had a great time visiting a bunch of our cousins, aunts & uncles.We hope that you all enjoy your Christmas holiday season with your family and friends and are able to reflect on and appreciate all the blessings of your life, especially in light of the horrific and tragic event in Sandy Hook last week. Life is so precious, and we are grateful every day for our family and all the wonderful people in our lives.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah,
Happy New Year and God Bless!
Happy New Year and God Bless!
Love,
Gary, Kim, Willie, James & Kelly
