2014 Family Update

Happy Holidays! I know that it sounds so cliché, but I wish I knew where 2014 went! Typically Guinness, our “wouldn’t hurt a fly” Australian Shepherd writes the Christmas Letter, but this year he is busy chewing on the best tasting rawhide and laying on the most comfortable couch that heaven has. After 13 years of filling our hearts with happiness, Guinness crossed over. To be honest I almost didn’t send any Christmas cards or give any updates, but even through our sadness, life continues on and there were happy occasion to celebrate as well as a handful of sad. Isn’t that life, though, a balance of both?

In January Chuck and I traveled to Las Vegas and then to St. George, Utah where I did several lectures at the most amazing spa and resort, Red Mountain Resort. During the holidays last year I unfortunately contracted H1N1 and was horribly ill and the bug decided to invade Chuck in the middle of our trip. We are scheduled to go back this January and decided to do it backwards with Utah and then Vegas and fingers crossed that we stay healthy.

Throughout the year we continued to travel (mostly for business), visiting Sioux St. Marie, spending the night in an old haunted prison in Kentucky, touring Milwaukee and investigating a haunted Catholic school, and exploring the ghosts on Mackinac Island. Chuck also took an unexpected trip to Jacksonville, North Carolina when he helped move the new Mrs. Micaela Even Kempf to her husband’s base at Camp Lejeune. Yep, Memorial Day weekend Micaela and Caleb were married in a beautiful ceremony. Under the afternoon sunlight, they exchanged vows and just a couple days afterwards Caleb headed back to California to prepare for the move to North Carolina. In September Micaela transferred from Wayne State University to the online program at the University of Illinois. I would be lying if I said that I’ve made the transition well. I haven’t.

And yet another wedding happened, this one on Halloween and that of Cora and Brian. The reception was a costume party, and although it snowed, it was a fun night and we are so happy to welcome Brian into the family!

Molly continues her graduate program at Michigan State University and is doing great! Steven, her long-time boyfriend, will be graduating this year from the engineering program at Wayne State University, and is already employed by Ford Motor Company. They are both dedicated to their studies/career and they keep Chuck and my head spinning with their busy lives!

Connor will graduate from high school this May. He’s been accepted to every college he applied to (University of Michigan D, Michigan State University, Eastern University, Northern University, Ferris State and Grand Valley), but hasn’t made a decision yet. And like most all of us, is still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up – right now he’s chosen Criminal Justice.

Chuck’s mom had varying ailments this year, but continues to be as spunky as ever, and my dad the same. We are very grateful to have them both with us. Several relatives crossed over this year, including Chuck’s aunt Gail and my kids’ grandpa. With darkness, though, there is always light, and we all believe our loved ones watch over us in some way from the Other Side.

Other than the traveling, Chuck and I have been quite busy. A television show that I filmed regarding a police case I worked on aired (Chuck was edited from it, to his dismay) – Restless Souls, and we went on to film a pilot for another television show. We are still in talks about optioning my October release of Forevermore – Guided in Spirit by Edgar Allan Poe into something more (movie or television) and August 2015 It’s a Wonderful Afterlife will be released. I’m currently working on a fiction series and we are finishing up Chuck’s book.

After 14 years, I didn’t do my Personalized Santa Letters and instead we went to Disney World for a {bit less than a} week. It was nice having a bit of a break, but I admit that I missed it!

Once Connor graduates we will be looking at the possibility of moving. Maybe this next year will bring the farmhouse I’ve dreamt about for years.

I’m sure I’m missing something in this update, but if you follow my Facebook and/or blog, you will see updates all year long!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!