We welcomed 2023 with high hopes of better days ahead after saying goodbye to the last of our parents with John's mom passing and a funeral in late December, 2022. We lost 4 parents in 4 years. (Not trying to turn this letter into a depressing cry for sympathy). Just sharing our life in the same open book manner as has been our custom from the start of writing these Christmas year end updates.
As for the Scotts, this year is the first year in 23 years that John and Tere took a few trips without children along, including a short musical tour to Wisconsin and a trip to Oklahoma, Fredericktown, and Jackson, MO to see family for a graduation party, a funeral for John's Aunt Joyce, and a Thanksgiving gathering.
John and Tere also got to go ride bicycles on a section of the K-T Trail that they had not ridden for about 20 years.
Of course, our biggest news is that John and Tere became grandparents and Graham and Eliana became uncle and aunt when Jaléna and Andrew welcomed a baby girl in November..... More on this later.
Now, here's how each of us has been doing...
John -
This year had a rough start for John but is getting better by the day. In February, he had a severe case of covid that, because of his previous brain injury, left him in recrudescence... Something we had never heard of until now, but what happened is he relived all of the initial symptoms he suffered in 2019. It was horrifying and he had to relearn several songs and words and memories he had initially regained. Because of the medication they put him on and the strange episode last December right before our daughter's wedding, he often struggles with short term memory loss but has worked hard and prays as he keeps going like the Energizer bunny. He enjoys every opportunity he still gets to keep performing for retirement communities. He also is taking part in an aphasia study through Purdue University.
Tere-
She has traded in her chauffer hat in exchange for another teen driver in the house. But, that doesn't mean she has tons of free time. She is still the one to take care of the family's needs, which largely turned into a lot of taxiing to doctor appointments for various family members and just overall basically trying to be the glue that holds the family together, though most days she feels inadequate for the role and relies a lot on faith. She is still writing for online sites, though the development of AI has significantly decreased writing opportunities for her. She still sells on eBay and Poshmark.
Graham-
For most of the year, he has been trying to get to the bottom of some health issues we still have no solid answer about. The best answers we have received have to do with gerd. An autoimmune disorder was also considered with blood work. He also underwent a gum graft surgery. Meanwhile, he's been working hard to build his resume' to find work in computer programming.
Eliana -
She is a high school senior this year and turned 17 in September. She got her driver's license in July and her wisdom teeth out just before Christmas. This girl has accelerated as a dual enrolled college student and was inducted into PTK honors fraternity. She is also a fruit expert at Edible Arrangements which takes up a lot of her time. She has been accepted to a local private university where she plans on pursuing a degree in art therapy in the fall of 2024. In the meantime, she's enjoying her senior year.
Jale'na and Andrew Barton -
Jaléna traded in her Scott name to become a Barton in 2022. They were married last year, and this year welcomed a beautiful daughter, Abigail Katherine on November 10.
Andrew graduated college in May and now works as a youth pastor, and Jaléna works as a music director, voice instructor, and assistant dance instructor.
We hope you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year.
Love,
The Scotts
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