We are embracing our ³new year² here at the Lesh family home in Kansas City. We have much to reflect on in this past year and new purpose and meaning for the coming year.
We welcomed Katie Coleman and her family to ours with Joey¹s and Katie¹ wedding in April in Kansas City. They are enjoying married life now in Chapel Hill North Carolina while she pursues a Master of Public Health. Joey was quick to find a good job there developing software he learned at the company in Chicago. They were just home for the holidays and Katie was surprised with a Miniature Schnauzer from Joey for Christmas! We had a great time playing with Francine for a few days. We are so happy for both of them in their new life.
Jeff graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland and is making his life in Portland living near downtown, riding the bus and working at Serena Software. We celebrated his graduation with a grand brewery tour with the honeymooners, his grandma and our Portland Lesh family. He has been to KC a few times this year for moving, visiting, and holidays.
Dan moved back to Grinnell College last January and spent this summer in Salina, Kansas working for the Land Institute which envisions a future with perennial grain crops conserving our precious, non renewable soil. Come Spring he will spend two weeks studying ecology in Belize, completing his bio major next Fall.
Anna, as most of your know, is eager to see this year pass. She has had more challenges that most of us have in a lifetime. A brain stem and a hemorrhagic stoke have kept her in rehab for a full 12 months. She has seen the inside of FIVE hospitals and three rehab units this year. It has been a whirlwind of challenges, changes and adjustment to new places, people and abilities. I am very pleased to be able to write you of her progress recently. She started talking in sentences a month ago and is able to move around the house in her wheelchair. She is no longer fragile, but coming back strong. She ³trains² at an Elder Spa in the 90 degree therapy pool and on the NuStep recumbent bike for 45 minute periods every day.
She is in charge of her own therapy now, and likes it that way. She might start getting more social this Spring. It has been an arduous year for all of us helping interpret her needs to all the new situations and medical crises. Dave, Karen and I were the primary front, backed by all three boys when they were able to be here. We were nourished during all the hospitalizations by the support everyone passed on through her guestbook and blog at www.gustavusinn.com/anna. Anna had lot big humps to climb (sometimes twice) and each and every bit of encouragement inspired critical steps forward toward life and love. She is a true expert on rehabilitation and a true inspiration. She would like everyone to know that she had her Christmas shopping done at least three weeks early!
We moved to a lovely new home near our old one in June. It is a spacious ranch with a full basement and additional upstairs bedroom. Dave and I live upstairs or down to assist Karen with Anna where they live in the main part of the house. We had a lot of moving in to do, Dave is currently finishing our ³pied a terre² in the basement and we still have to fix the bathroom that I ripped up when we needed wheelchair access! Lots of decorating and collecting from the abundant recycled stuff around here. I have both a sewing and art room and made a ³hanky panky² quilt with the KC Quilt Guild that I joined.
Dave ran the Inn alone (with great staff!) this summer since we were tied up with moving, therapy and stokes. Jeff was able to bring his girlfriend Katie Gavula up for a few weeks and Dan visited before school started Anna and JoAnn deeply missed coming home for the summer. Next year we¹ll be back!
For Dave and I, the challenges of this summer have eased and we are having fun learning salsa and going out dancing at clubs around town at least weekly. Our challenge is to find other ³dancers² to go with. Dave completed an ultra marathon, ³Dude, where¹s the trail?² in November and ran a very fast Leg 1 on the Klondike Relay Race, 9 miles with 2000 elevation gain. We are becoming better bridge players and partners also by taking lessons in ³Bidding², ³Playing² and upcoming ³Defense². Also, there is a great resource center here for families stressed by chronic illness where we are taking classes. Now that the holidays are over and Anna¹s provider Karen is back we will be traveling a bit.
Best Wishes for the New Year. We miss seeing all our friends and family around the country.
Please stop by and visit Kansas City.
