Christmas

The Year of Our Lord Two ThousandTwo

Greetings and happy holidays!

            Things are always challenging for the Gardiners and 2002 was no exception. I cannot recall if we sent a Christmas letter last year since we were in the process of setting up a new home in Pennsylvania.

            Richard started his new position as the Pastor of Huntingdon Presbyterian Church last December. What a fabulous church! The congregation is healthy, Rick’s colleagues are first-rate individuals, and the history here is remarkable.

            Richard also continues with his Ph.D. studies through Marquette University in Milwaukee and will, hopefully, be finished with course work soon and on to the completion of the dissertation.

            Lesley has been struggling to get her business, Nurse Practitioner Services, up and running but some success has been forthcoming. The area we live in is not exactly on par with many areas of the country and her chosen profession is a bit of an anomaly here. Perseverance has paid off somewhat and billing for her time and services commenced in August. Lesley will be adding a second job in January 2003 as well. She will be teaching LPN students at a Vo-Tech school 40 minutes away. Plans are being laid for entry into the Ph.D. program for the fall of 2003 at Penn State for a doctorate in nursing.

            This was a year of much traveling and sightseeing. Lesley’s parents, Dr. Scott and Dr. (almost) Paula Boaz, came up in the Spring and we did some excellent Pennsylvania sightseeing. In addition to Gettysburg, Amish country (Lancaster Co.), and Valley Forge, we also spent a day in Philadelphia. Lesley and Scott are pictured here beside the Liberty Bell and in front of Independence Hall.

            After two days of very frustrating delays due to the inept services of American Airlines, Richard, Lesley, and MaryBeth took a two-week trip to visit the land of our ancestors during the summer. We spent one week seeing the sights in London and one traveling the countryside. Rick did some valuable Ph.D. research. We went to the campuses of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and we ferried over the Channel to France for an afternoon. Dover Castle and the White Cliffs (see Mary on the ferry to the right) were quite impressive. One side trip included a visit to Huntingdon, U.K., from which the name of our town in Pennsylvania ultimately originates, and is the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell.

            For some extra education and fun, Richard and Lesley took a week long trip in October to Boston and its surrounding suburbs. The leaves were gorgeous and the history of the area was interesting. We went to Salem, Plymouth, Lexington and Concord, and to the long rocky beaches along the coast. You can see Richard on the beach at Cape Ann (in front of our new beach home! Yeah, right).

            Rick’s mom has visited our new home several times, and we have spent a few nights in her new place in Columbia, MD, where she will be retiring next month. After Christmas we have another vacation scheduled to a ski resort in upstate New York with Mary, Ben Skidmore, and Rich Brown’s family.

            Another reason this year has been particularly challenging is due to the unexpected and fateful turn in the life of Lesley’s brother, Andy. In August, Andy was in a sporting accident which resulted in a traumatic brain injury, leaving him incapacitated. He is very slowly regaining some faculties, but has a long road ahead.

            The Presbyterian Manse where we now live is quite a magnificent structure. Work on restoring and redecorating the building has begun. A new kitchen floor and new rolling island were added this summer. A fresh paint job completed the restoration of the 1960’s kitchen and we are very much pleased with the outcome. The back gardens have also been uprooted, remulched, and replanted in spots for Spring. The front gardens still need work but we’ll get to that later. Stay tuned next year for more updates to our 1899 This Old House project.

            Stinky and Obi (our ferrets) transitioned to the new home well. Too bad they don’t have the run of the whole house now. The place is just too big for them to run wild through. They are sequestered in three rooms on the second floor and may travel beyond this realm only with supervision from Mom. We are hopeful that our new lives in Huntingdon will be fruitful to the glory of God, and that the blessings we enjoy under His Grace will abound in the year to come. We are also hopeful that you have discovered His bounteous grace even in the challenges of your life this year.

 Rick, Lesley, MaryBeth, Stinky, and Obi Gardiner