Randy and Sandy Stahl

2906 E. Thersea St.

Long Beach, CA 90804

Randy and Sandy – December 30

Randy – January 14

Sandy – June 29

Spring/Summer 2007

None

Fall/Winter 2006

Dear Family,

Happy Thanksgiving from Sandy and I to all of you.

We truly hope that everyone is healthy and happy and doing well. Hope everyone’s turkey day was filled with over filling oneself, time spent with family and friends and of course, leftovers. We had a quiet Thanksgiving with each other, which was fitting considering this years events and just how thankful we both are for each other, for our families and the fact we're both still alive and kicking.

Earlier in the year I scared Sandy, not once but twice in a months time by having to be rushed to the hospital with a 106 temp and 5 days of intensive care. Thankfully she was here to dial 911 and save my life; enough about me.

Sandy has had a time of it in the past few months. First she had half of her thyroid removed due to some lumps. Then the call came that were our worst fears, the evil "C" word, cancer, and one week to the day from her first surgery she went back into the hospital and had the rest of her thyroid removed. Following a 6 week period of special diet and medicine she had to spend 3 days in solitary as she was given radioactive iodine treatment which was supposed to get rid of any remaining thyroid and possible cancer that might have been present. She really disliked the isolation part of this and how she felt like she was a leper; the staff at the hospital was only allowed one entrance into her room a day because of the amount of radioactivity. I visited and we looked at each other through a couple of windows and chatted by my cell phone and her room phone. She had a reaction to the medicine, which caused her neck to swell and had trouble breathing but the Dr. was able to give her medicine to help that. This was just last week and even when she came home she was to keep her distance from me and the cat, use disposable dishes and utensils. That has all relaxed now.

Today she went for a follow up at the doctors and was not given a clean bill of health. They found something in her blood work that caused alarm and until the 3rd of January she has to wait for the next follow up to today's visit. She said there was an indication that there may yet be cancer present but we won't know until after the first of the year. In the mean time she had a bump on her cheek removed and we're awaiting the news on that. We're all praying and hoping that there is nothing to report on that or after the first of the year. Oh yea, somewhere in there I managed to total my car. Last weekend we got a new car for Sandy, as she's managed to keep her car since 1999 intact, while I've managed to total 2 cars. Why get me a new car all I do is wreck 'em!

That's the condensed version of what's going on here in Cali, as you can see we have even more of a reason to be thankful this year. We hope none of you can come close to or top our adventures. For the upcoming holidays we wish all of you the best, and smooth sailing in the upcoming new year.

Our love to all,

R & S

Spring/Summer 2006

Dear Family,

Hope all of you are doing well. Here on the west coast, besides being warm, things have been a little unusual for us. Where to start, Mother's Day weekend, I'm feeling sick, like having the flu but 100 times over, went to the doctor, went home, and when Sandy got home from work I was in such a condition it scared her, and I am sorry for that. I could hear Sandy asking me questions but was unable to answer. She called 911 and it was good she did, I was boiling my brain with a temp of 106.Got put in Critical Care for 4 days and released from the hospital the following day. What brought on this ordeal was an infection in my leg that had come back with a vengeance! It's called cellulitus and it is just short of a staph infection. Heavy duty antibiotics daily and all is well ... or so we think.

A week ago I'm feeling once again like I have the flu but 100 times worse. Sandy comes home from work and I send her to get a thermometer, by the time she returns my temp is actually low, but increases quickly. No ambulance this time, we drove to the hospital and they sort of had me waiting like many before me until they realized I was about to explode from fever and was totally incoherent and acting weird, so I am told. This time I had a spinal tap done, yeeoooouuuch, do not recommend, a cat scan all while in the emergency room. Was transferred to ICU hard core this time was there for 4 full days and 1 day in the regular hospital. This infection doesn't seem to want to leave me, I can't see why I really don't treat it to nicely. So were out of the hospital and off for another week taking antibiotics and crossing our fingers it's gone. It all came about as a complication of my diabetes, my weight, my smoking, among other things. Presently, my diet and weight loss have made the doctors take me off daily meds for diabetes, I've quit smoking, and thanks to my lovely and caring wife now eat much healthier, hence the weight loss and exercise more often than in the past, having a treadmill helps, living 6 blocks from the ocean we're talking about walking at the beach soon.

Enough about me, Sandy is the one who has had the worst of it. Not only has she had to try and talk with me when I'm completely unable to communicate, she's had to go through my being hospitalized twice so close together, do her job and then fit traffic to come and visit me. She is a strong lady and a force to be reckoned with. She has done a wonderful job caring for me and keeping everyone informed I'd be lost without her. I don't know anybody who could have done all this; I truly am blessed.

Our love to all of you, I'm glad I am around to write you all as there have been two recent occasions where I almost checked out, it's not time for me yet!

Love to all

R & S (Randy and Sandy)

Fall/Winter 2005

None

Spring/Summer 2005

Hello dear family one and all,

Here on the west coast all is going well. California has not fallen into the ocean, We've had relatively normal weather so far this year, and we've seen that some of you have experienced very unusual weather. We, as always, hope everyone is doing fine and things are going well.

Sandy is still the only reason that the city of Signal Hill, CA. has a Chamber of Commerce. She still works in excess of 16 hours a day, I don't know how she does it, but she does. She is planning and getting things ready for this years Health Fair, shortly followed by the annual Golf Tournament. Both projects are very demanding and I am in awe of her keeping all things straight and coming off without any hitches.

As for me, I’m still employed at a job. Yes, I said "a job". Mom always taught my sisters and myself that if we could not say anything nice, to say nothing at all. So that's my daily work in a nutshell. It is having fewer and fewer enjoyable times. There are things that defy simple common sense and civility that go on daily. There is no interest by the owner to even look into things that have been calmly and objectively presented to him, he honestly wants to have no problems , for us to blindly be full time yes people and it is impossible with some of the outrageous things he does and or allows to go on. I keep my eye on new jobs all the time, but have yet to see the one that will take me away from where I'm at now. Plus, employers are looking for someone half my age or more to fill positions. So I try and make the best of it, Sandy needs to be made a saint for listening to me vent my frustrations about work, often. Lately I am trying to ignore my way of thinking; common sense hopes that I will not be so affected by the nonsense at work. It's tough.

Recently found I have diabetes. Very low level, Dr. feels with exercise, diet and now daily medication I should be able to keep this under control. I am still dealing with severe edima in my right lower leg and ankle, the Dr. is having me go to a cardiologist for some testing. The swelling or build up of fluid has not decreased in my leg, ankle and foot in a long, long time. The doctor wants to make sure the old heart is working correctly. So we have those results to look forward to.

We recently made arrangements for our final resting, so to speak. That's taken care of just in case. Sandy is going to carry me around much like Anna Nicole Smith has been doing with her late husband.

Now, the exciting news, for all of you who did not know, Sandy has 3 children, 16, 15, 14, that are with their father. We have been looking for the children for years as their father took them out of California and Sandy was never informed as to where they went. Sandy at one point found them in Louisiana, but then they disappeared again and we never really found them. Late in January, this year, Sandy called me during the work day crying, sobbing, uncontrollably. It took a few times of her repeating herself, before I understood what she was saying. She had just been contacted by a former pastors wife from the church where she, her former husband and children had attended. The pastors wife said that Sandy's first born, her son Jessie wanted to get in touch with her and had approached the pastors wife after more than a year of trying to locate his trying to find Sandy. She wanted to know if it was ok to give him our phone number. Sandy has hoped and prayed for so many years that one day the children would be able to make their own decision and want to seek her out. And as we all know prayers do get answers. To shorten this up, Jessie was living at his Grandparents in Anaheim, not that far from where we are. So our spring has been spent with all of us being together as much as possible. He recently left. He has gone to Washington state to live with his Grandparents who just retired there. Jessie knows that if he wants, he can come to stay with us. He isn't sure what he wants but we let him know he can come here if he wants to. We at least know where he is and can get in touch with him and he, us.

So I guess you could say it's been an unusual year so far but in a
good way.

Our love to all,

Randy & Sandy

Fall/Winter 2004

Hello Family,

It's hard to believe that this year is almost over, this has been the fastest year ever. Just as hard to believe is how old I'm going to be real soon .. completely unbelievable. Here's a little about us here in the west. Sandy's just finished putting together another successful golf tournament for the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce, where she's the Executive Director (for those who may have forgotten). She also put together a Health and Environmental Fair this year, a success as well. The rest of her time is spent going nonstop with 12 hour or more days with Chamber business. It tires me out just watching her go. She loves the work and is happy most of the time with what her job demands. As for myself, I have just finished another week of school at Toshiba, for certification on the latest hybrid copiers. These are black and white copiers that have color copying as well. They come out of the box already to put into your network and used as a high speed printer. They fax, send and receive e-mail, scan, and oh yes make copies, too. It was a class I have wanted to go to for some time and I was happy to finally go. Extremely intense, difficult, exhausting and draining. Toughest class I have attended at Toshiba to date. They crammed too much into to little time. In the end I managed to pass and get certified, I just wished that the class had been longer so more would have soaked into my thick skull and then a better grade might have been achieved. I passed that's all that matters. So it can be said that we here are doing great, keeping busy and enjoying each others company immensely.

We do hope that all is well for all of you and that the upcoming holidays will be filled with happiness and joy. We'll be thinking of you in the snowy areas from our sunny and warm climate here and all others as well. Those traveling, be safe. Those spending time with family, enjoy the time together. Those scheduled to have babies, have 'em!

Our love and best wishes to all,

Randy & Sandy

Spring/Summer 2004

Dear Family,

Everyone's heard of this global warming stuff, right? Well, we're here to tell you it is for real. Over the last 2 weeks we've had to endure record breaking heat. The highest here in Long Beach (which is on the ocean, we're 6 blocks from it and usually enjoy the cool breezes coming in off the ocean) has been 109 degrees! That is not a typo I said 109 sweltering, drenched in sweat, to hot to be outside degrees. So the next time those of you in the colder climates start crying about how cold it is think about poor old us burning up out here! (Thought it time I rubbed in our lovely weather again, sorry, but I couldn't resist.)

Not much to report from the west coast. Sandy is hard at work with the Signal Hill Chamber of Commerce and Friday Study Ministries/Blessed Hands. How she manages to keep going 16 hours a day is beyond me. For the Chamber she is beginning to get things going for the second golf outing, last years was a success, and so should this years. As for me, I'm still at the same old job, nothing new or exciting to report on that topic. We hope all of you are doing well and happy.

Randy & Sandy