(See Photo)

We had a very nice time on the days preceding Christmas and on Christmas Day. Chris and Sara came down early because Chris was in a wedding so we did different things together and attended Christmas Eve services.
We were joined by Jim, Bridget, Ryan, and Alexa on Christmas Day. There was good food, fun with the grandkids, and presents. Dan got a Dogpatch Band wind-up toy similar to the one he had as a small child. It is pretty cool….there is Daisy Mae playing the piana, Granny on top of the piano, Grandpa playing the drums, and Lil Abner dancing.
The Christmas gathering ended by opening Nerf guns from “Santa” and the traditional Nerf gun fight which involves rampaging around the house and widespread chaos
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Unfortunately we were unable to go to Chicago as planned. We had hoped to see Dave, Ann, Josh, Kate, and Abby. We wanted to celebrate Dave’s new partnership, look at the house they hope to buy, and hang out with the grandkids….but Dan didn’t feel well and I didn’t think I could make the entire drive myself.
Dan’s blood pressure has been low, his creatinine high, and his hemoglobin is low. All this means that he has been very tired. It is a delicate balance keeping all these systems in synch.
One of the frustrating things about this experience is the daily ups and downs. Some days dialysis goes well, Dan feels great, and he does things afterwards. Other days it wipes him out because something is out of balance. It is hard to plan for things. However we both feel it is important to keep trying to do “normal” things and not let the disease rule our lives. We plan to go to Chicago over my Spring Break.
Hope you had a Merry Christmas. Wishing you a Happy New Year. Incidentally, in a few days we will celebrate our 29th anniversary........29 years with the most wonderful woman on the face of the earth.