Playing Catch-up

I wish that I had kept up with this blog starting back in December when I first set it up. A lot has happened in my life that I wish I had captured. Well, I guess the next best thing is to try and play catch-up. So, I will jot down a few details here and then I'll add some additional entries for other significant stuff that I want to share.

First, my family had a wonderful holiday season. We traveled to the Portland area for Thanksgiving where we stayed with Sharon's youngest sister DeAnne and her family who had recently returned Wilsonville from Chico, California. They are happy to be back and we are happy to have them closer to us. All of Sharon's immediate family was able to come for Thanksgiving and her grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins were also there. It was the first time in many years that all of us had been together.

We also made a trip down to the Salem area and spent the day with an old friend of mine from high school - John Troncoso - his wife Mindy and his daughters. It was great to get to get reacquainted. We also got to see John's parents, Jose and Joan. Brendon enjoyed the opportunity so spend time playing guitar with John and even getting some tips. He has a newfound passion for classical guitar now. One of the highlights of the trip was a mini classical guitar concert with Jose and John.

In January my son (Brendon) had a reconstructive jaw surgery to correct issues associated with his cleft palate. The outcome so far has been great. Everything is now aligned and he is ready for his final nose surgery this summer. The recovery for this surgery has been the hardest one yet for him. The worst part was having to have his jaws wired shut for 6 weeks.