2011 McAnulty Christmas Letter

(Note: This letter is written by Will, and comments in italics have been inserted by LeAnn, aka the Princess.)

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, just yesterday I went down to the post office and received the first wave of Christmas cards for this year. That marks the end of my procrastination about writing a Christmas letter and the beginning of this document. (It did not, however, mark the end of any such procrastination for myself. Will wrote it the first part of December. My job is to edit, print and mail it. They went out in the mail on December 23rd. I appreciated learning that my two younger sisters got their cards out the same day!)

I am going to try for a recap of the last year without being boring. I do however enjoy being boring as well as just being ignored whenever possible. The wife/princess/ breadwinner and all around queen of this establishment is the one you should go to for entertainment and excitement. During the last year she has engineered the most enjoyable opportunities for us to log our entertaining pursuits far and wide. We have: fished for salmon in over 5 different rivers in the new boat, (We? I've been in the boat, but I'm happy to be just a joyrider! Will and his buddies have had ever so many fishing trips!), camped on the Metolious River for over two and half weeks, traveled to Canada and back, been to Idaho, read scores of books, had countless dinners and family time with our boys, enjoyed the company of our close family including the weddings of two nieces, and learned to smoke meat in our new charcoal smoker. (The list can go on but I fear you might be getting a little tired of the drone.)

It’s been a good year. The boat, you ask, what about the boat. Well it’s the one the princess and the builder told me to get, it’s the one that looks and performs just like I hoped my boat would when I started dreaming about it so many years ago. It was custom built in Eugene by Koffler Boats and has had over 35 Chinook Salmon in it since being purchased in December last year. If you don’t have a wife that lets you have something like that, well, I’m sorry. (I do love the smoked salmon and those salmon dinners!)

The camping, you ask, well that started early this year and included trips to the Oregon Coast and the Metolious River, where all our boys and other family members joined us.

(One of my favorite things in the world is hiking the Metolius.)

The Princess and I were in the trailer over two weeks prior to the trip to Canada. I might have been out a couple of days more, but there was a lot less solo stuff going on this year and a bit more the Princess and me. It was enjoyable as long as the Princess and Zeek got along. Sometimes when Zeek grooms himself, (making those dog sounds) and/or rolls on the floor without offering to vacuum, the Princess begins to make those intimidating noises that can cause man and beast to fear for their safety. As long as Zeek and I sit quietly and don’t make those disgusting noises, we will be fine and allowed to be inside. (No comment.)

Trip to Canada, you ask, well, this was the year to go to Ft. Saint John in BC, to join in the celebration of 40 years of marriage for John and Betsy (my brother). Great occasion to get a group together that most often needs no excuse to get together regardless how far away everyone is. For so many years we have been told that the area around these Canadians is packed with fish and all manner of wildlife, and that the weather is some of the best on earth. Temperate and dry with views and vistas is the area. Having traveled into the area years ago, we well understood just how beautiful the journey might have been. The part we could not know was that this time, rain and damp would rule the majority of our time in Canada. All rivers seen were high and angry that they weren’t in Oregon. All moose were temporally absent, and mosquitos were also having a reunion of sorts very near the venue we enjoyed. I was grateful the Princess and the rest of the family allowed me inside every so often to brush the deceased mosquitos from my beard and hands. What beautiful country.

Even with those weather and insect distractions, we truly enjoyed the trip, the hiking, and the time spent with family. (All those Canadian Troyers are truly hospitable and awesomely fun people! And what a joy to spend time with all those amazing great-nieces and nephews!)

More about Zeek, you ask, many do and it never seems to fail, those two things Zeek and I hear most often. “That dog sure has big feet!” and “How did you get so dark?“ All through the year those statements seem to follow us. I know they weren’t meant to be hurtful but what can you expect? The Princess often times won’t let us come into the house or we are outside by choice, and failing a heavy overcast in the dead of winter, it is so hard to stay pale skinned as the more healthy amongst us are. As for the size of the feet on that dog, they are necessary to allow him the mobility in the soft mud he loves to play in and the streams and lakes he thinks are for him to swim in. Zeek seems to draw no distinction between cold and freezing cold when he begins a swim, for no other reason than he wants the pleasure of shaking off while standing next to someone dry.

Dry, doesn’t that remind you of a rumor about the Princess this last fall. Something about being the only one in America that didn’t get the memo about washing her cell phone with the laundry and then turning it on to see if it would still work. Yes the very thought of the Princess getting a smart phone and all the technical challenges required to operate one may have scared her youngest son and husband. It was necessary to replace the phone but when and with what level of sophistication all feared to ponder. Finally something had to be done and decisions were made. All who might be impacted by the change were alerted and the purchase made. The Princess now has an iPhone and the impact was without turbulence, all fears unfounded. (I love it!) She also has an iPad, which may or may not be used by this humble servant.

Family, you might ask, not much has changed. The Princess still works at the middle school, the youngest still works as a computer person for a large retailer in the Northwest, the middle son continues to work in Albany and make music, and the oldest is also working in the area and preparing to return to school for more training as a culinary artist. They have all vacated the premises, and we have made a successful transition to empty nesters! (We love to horrify them by talking about their former bedrooms, Naked Rooms I and 2, which we discreetly refer to to NR1 and NR2. If you have seen the movie Failure to Launch, you’ll recognize the reference. No aquarium yet though.)

I, your humble servant, have fallen into the trap of doing what I want when I want as long as it is permitted by the Princess, whom we all strive to please.

Please, you ask, whom do we strive to please? A very good question, all in this house strive to please God. We wish you every one a happy and prosperous new year.

Love,
Will and LeAnn

Our Day Out

I realized today just how patient my husband is. Many women would love to see such patience demonstrated by their husbands. Why then, did I find it so irritating?

We decided to take the day off and have a fun day out. About 10:00 I told him I was ready any time he was. He was piddling around in the garage doing something. I tidied up the kitchen, discovered an extra set of lights and carefully strung it on the tree (a delicate task indeed on a decorated tree). I wondered what he could be doing to take so long, so I finally decided to take my jacket and a little cooler of snacks and drinks to the pickup. I was astonished when I opened the front door and found him sitting in the front seat with the pickup running, patiently waiting for me! "And just how was I supposed to know you were out here ready and waiting?" I inquired somewhat testily. "You saw me in the garage putting my coat on, didn't you?" Good grief!!

Well, it was a beautiful day at the Findley Wildlife Refuge. The sun was shining and it was 50 degrees.

We saw lots of ducks and geese, and a couple of hawks also.

We had a late lunch in Monroe at a little bakery/deli called "The Sweet Spot". Cute little place, very friendly proprietor. I liked her because she complimented me on my festive holiday outfit. (Red sweater with elf turtleneck. Oh, and of course, Santa earrings.) I enjoyed the red bows stuck up randomly on the walls as Christmas decorations, as well as the somewhat tacky red tinsel garland strung along the wall. The coffee was great, Will's Rueben was great, and my Philly Cheese Steak was a little dry. But I would go back. We like little local places.

Late lunch equals no dinner preparation required. How handy, since there is a 6 pm Friday night Zumba class to attend!

Birthday Dinner 2011

Oh joy. Today my oldest son cooked my birthday dinner and my two younger sons washed the dishes (well, most of them), by hand, because the dishwasher is still broken. Using no recipe, Craig made what he called "Lasagna Florentine a la Salmon". The garlic cooked in the clarified butter perfumed the air and whetted the appetite as he began this creation. It eventually turned into a rich Bechamel Sauce, to which he added sauteed spinach and cooked salmon before layering it with lasagna noodles and a mixture of cheeses. It's fun to sit nearby with a cup of tea and listen to him wax poetic as the dish develops. "Just look at the color!" "Something magical is happening here!" I used my new iPhone to take pictures while he was cooking, but none of them turned out. The finished product was a thing of beauty to behold, and a delight to savor. Paired with his garlic bread....well, I don't eat that kind of food every day. The unanimous verdict: fantastic!

The doorbell rang during lunch, which surprised all of us. What a fun surprise, a couple of very cute little girls at the door! They saw Nick's car when they were driving by and had to stop and say hi. I love delightful visitors like Madi and Rae and Tiesha!

Nick frosted the angel food birthday cake and put a full box of candles on it. Even though they were a bit short of my actual age, there were enough candles to be nearly impossible to light quickly. But many hands worked together for an exciting minute and got the job done!

I didn't have much luck with my annual picture with my boys on my birthday. After the first round resulted in squinty or closed-eyed laughing, ridiculous gape mouthed expressions, and eyes looking everywhere but at the camera as seen below, I ordered another round.

This is what happens when you say, "Keep your eyes open and smile while you look straight at the camera."

Maybe just a little creepy! Some things never seem to change - it's just not easy to get a nice normal looking group photo. And Craig is really slightly shorter than his brothers, he is just standing on the fireplace ledge.

Nick and Molly got me an awesome app for the iPhone called my TREK, which has an armband and tracks your heart rate, calories burned, distance gone and all that kind of cool stuff when you work out. I was practicing with it tonight and learned that I burned an average of 150 calories in 30 minutes while I'm sitting watching TV and playing with my laptop, iPad (another earlier present) and iPhone. No smart cracks about my "workout", ok?! I was just practicing so I'd know how to use it! I'm interested to see how many an hour of Zumba burns tomorrow!

State Champion Game

We joined family and friends and hundreds of other fans to watch Santiam Christian play Dayton for the 3A State Championship today. (My nephew Duane is a senior at SC.) It was definitely worth sitting out in the cold for a couple of hours to watch what was unquestionably the most exciting football game I've ever seen! We were sitting up high in the stands, and I admit I couldn't always see exactly where Duane was and what he was doing down there. People around me would start screaming his name and then I would hear the announcer say "Duane Troyer had the tackle" but I just didn't see them all. He played an awesome game!

The score was tied during the third quarter and Dayton was moving the ball down the field. For once I had an excellent view of Duane, #65, in the center of the defensive line as they lined up, and saw him as the football was passed - right to him for an unexpected interception! He caught it and ran with it a respectable distance! His friends, family and fans went crazy! I'm pretty sure his mother and sister cried with pride! I might have even wiped a tear! A few plays later, it resulted in a touchdown!

Dayton scored two touchdowns in the last five minutes to tie the game with 1:08 remaining. We figured overtime was in our near future. However, SC worked the ball down the field, and with two seconds on the clock, kicked a 47 yard field goal to win the game!

I have become a sportswriter!

The fans swarmed the field after the teams were presented with trophies. Duane is loved by all who know him, and his youth group friends showed up in some awesome tshirts! The back says, "#65 on your team, #1 in our hearts".

The front says "Go Duane" and something about Santiam Christian 3A State Championship.

There was ever so much hugging going on. Duane "the beast" lifted his sister off the ground with one arm!

And here he is with his proud dad, uncles and aunt. I love that gorgeous happy smile!

I absolutely love seeing my family members grow up to be wonderful adults and accomplish exciting things! Duane is an exceptionally terrific young man, talented in many areas. The next thing we are looking forward to is watching him play "Prince Charmless" in his school play a few months from now!

Then I was off with sister-in-law Carol to shop for shoes and a dress for Venisa's wedding coming up in just two short weeks - and scored there too!