Christmas Letter 2001

By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III

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Dear Friends: Another year is coming to an end and as we look back we find that we would both like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. With the closing of the year we also feel that we would like to give to each of you the gift of self, so we thought we would take a moment to tell you about the things that have happened in our lives this year. Well, the biggest change of course came in August with our wedding. It was just beautiful and we are so happy so many of you were able to attend. The time we got to spend with those who were here was wonderful. We are so grateful for all the helping hands and hearts that made our day so special. Our hearts and thoughts were with those who could not make it. Immediately after the wedding we were off on our honeymoon. We went on a cruise of the Caribbean and had a great time. We went to five islands and enjoyed Curacao the most. We really enjoyed ourselves. This was the first cruise for both of us and I know we will enjoy more in the future. Our stateroom was out of this world with a private balcony. We could see the ocean and every port out of our sliding glass door! We would love to tell you that the food was wonderful, and when we were off the ship it was, but the food on the ship was less then we expected. As Linda says “Like IHOP for breakfast and Denny’s for dinner.” Oh, but we still had a great time. When we got back we spent a week recovering. The last night of our time off (the honeymoon goes on and on) we visited Astoria, Oregon, and Odell showed Linda her first shooting star. Well, what was the rest of the year like? It has been a very hectic year and not all (but most of it) from the wedding. Linda started the year still working for Southwest Washington Medical Center. With all the pressures of putting on a wedding by ourselves we decided that Linda should take some time off and concentrate on the wedding. Linda is now working on getting her own business off the ground. She is offering medical transcription services. The way this area is growing there will be a big need for companies like Linda’s. The company Odell worked for had been in financial trouble for several years with weak sales, and finally at the beginning of November he was laid off. Fortunately, Odell knew the company was in BIG trouble and had been looking for a new job. In fact, he had an interview for the day after he was laid off and got that job a week later! The company is here in Vancouver and is much more rewarding in many ways than his old job. His commute used to be 50 miles a day now it’s down to 4. While he took a small cut in pay, the perks with the new job more than make up for it. Oregon has one of the highest state income taxes and Washington does not have a state income tax. He also has better insurance, retirement plan and profit sharing, and this company is actually making a profit! We did have some bad news this year. A few weeks before the wedding we noticed that Zaphod (one of Odell’s cats) was losing a lot of weight. The vet told us that he had diabetes. We went through tests and trials of insulin, but could not find a regimen that worked for him. He was miserable and we finally had to put him down. Every one in the house misses him; not just Linda and Odell, but Trillain, Minnie Driver and Samantha Fox (Linda’s cats). On September 11 Odell was getting ready for work when he happened to turn on the TV and found not local news and traffic but mass destruction and murder. He then woke Linda and we were together for the first few minutes of this new world. It is a strange and frightening new world, but at least we have each other to help us through. Odell’s parents were on a plane from Washington, D.C. where white powder was found. Thankfully, all the tests came back negative. Odell is more than a little worried that the Bonneville Power Association has an office next to his new office! Apart from that we are busy making a life together. Linda has started teaching Sunday School at our church. We are both involved in the Christmas Pageant. Odell hopes to open his own web development business as soon as he settles in to his new job. Well that just about wraps it up for the year 2001 and the first year of our new life together! We want to tell each of you that we care about you and we love you. We wish a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year, and as Tiny Tim is fond of saying “May God Bless us every one!” Love, Odell and Linda

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