Christmas Greetings 2011

Moving deeper into retirement and into our 8th decade, we both count our many blessings:  good health,  happy family, three granddaughters and the freedom to live as we please and do (pretty much) what we like.  Highlights of the past year were being with our family on many occasions and several birding adventures.

Bob has become very interested in bird photography.  Birding is an interest we share and gets us outdoors in beautiful places.  We can now recognize local birds and, while neither of us have life lists, the more we know, it seems the more there is to learn.  We worked on an egret and heron nesting project in the spring.  We both were thrilled seeing many many different warblers at McGee Marsh on the shores on L. Erie.  We saw owls and thousands of snow geese in the Central Valley of CA and we could go on and on. 

Our family gathered on the shores of L. Michigan again this summer and enjoyed the many activities to do there and just being together, watching the granddaughters build sand castles, our sons and daughter-in-laws parenting and Erik being the best ever Uncle.  We celebrated Julie’s 70th birthday together there and took the family photo below.

Happily, we have been recruited on more than one occasion to babysit our three granddaughters.   Most recently we traveled to Michigan to stay with Erika and Sonja while Paula and Paul attended a conference in New Zealand and then had their first ever vacation without the children.

At this time of year, we realize again how important famlly and friends are and we wish all a joyful holiday and a peaceful 2012. 

Julie and Bob Stokstad

l.t.r. adults: Paul and Paula, Bob, Julie, Erik, Arne and Karna. Children: Sonja (2), Erika (5) and Elsa (1).

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