Merry Christmas!
Dad reminded me to write a Christmas letter for the family. Since I don't talk about the mundane stuff nearly as much here, here it is.
Happy Holidays to all! We’ve had a long and arduous year in Illinois, but one with a lot of important milestones. Josh and I both share the feeling that, if we survived the last twelve months, then we’ll be able to see our way through anything.
I knew that Popo had gone into surgery shortly after my wedding, and that her recovery had not gone as well as hoped, but in December I got the call from my dad that said, “If you are going to come and see here, now would be the time.” The family helped me with quick travel arrangements, and Pizza Hut was more than obliging in working out my emergency absence. I arrived at BWI tired and stressed with the intention of lending my support to the family - but then Dad told me that he was taking me straight to the hospital and staying there for several hours. I was extremely uncomfortable with this at first, and spent a few hours sleeping in the car while Dad was in Popo’s hospital room. He came to fetch me for dinner, and I gathered the courage to venture into the hospital with him. Within minutes, I was thankful that I had come, and my aunts and cousins showed me how my touches and words were as good as the medical care being shown to her by the hospital staff. I immediately began asking questions about her treatments, and for the next few days I would spend as much as eight hours a day in Popo’s room, even if all I was doing was reading and being nearby. There were few times when she was able to interact with me, but the messages that I did get from her included greetings, inquiries about Josh, and asking when we were going to have kids.
Leaving Maryland was difficult. The night that I had left for Maryland, Josh’s worry about me had caused anxious insomnia and led to him missing work and being terminated from his job in my absence. I returned to Peoria and attempted to work, but a half hour into my shift, I broke down in tears and, after a few phone calls, was sent home for the next few days. At 6am the next morning, Josh and I were on a plane together to D.C. Josh learned that Popo had been asking about him, and he supported me and the family by coming to the hospital. Popo was conscious and cognitive for the doctor’s last gift, our final goodbyes, and Popo whispered into my ear, “Wo ai ni” and “He is your light,” referring to Josh. When we left the hospital, we felt at peace, knowing that Popo was “ready to go home.” She passed away peacefully on December 22, 2006, after being told that an air ambulance was on its way from Iraq, and a soldier might be in need of her room.
Christmas Day with Josh’s family was as joyful as always; they were sympathetic to our loss while being constant reminders of our ongoing blessings. Christmas with the Evans extended family continues to be one of my favorite days of the year.
The new year presented us with several financial difficulties. Josh, now unemployed, would spend the majority of the year searching Peoria’s meager job market for mediocre work opportunities. He looked at the Primerica options, and while he was impressed by the idea, we did not have the resources to wait for him to build from scratch. A job pushing carts for Wal-Mart led to a mild bout of walking pneumonia; a stint at the front desk of the new Washington community center led to severe frustrations with a management staff unable to cope with the start-up stress of a brand-new facility. He did, to everyone’s delight, announce that he was signing up for college in preparation for a Computer degree, specializing in Computer Forensics and law enforcement. He has just finished his first semester.
I, for my part, was unsuccessfully trying to escape Pizza Hut. The Knox College Admissions department had 6 openings and decided to “stir the pot” by sending out letters to alumni, inviting them to apply. I replied immediately and landed a phone interview within days, and had the very first on-campus interview where they introduced me to the rest of the staff and asked me questions all day. I left with the feeling that I had definitely set the bar for the other applicants, but although I was in the top very-few of 200-odd applicants, they did not have a position for me this time around. A few months later, the same Washington community center that hired Josh had an opening for techs in its brand-new, top-of-the-line theater, and they brought me in as a lighting tech. Unfortunately, lack of managerial planning led to a lack of hours, and after the initial exciting few days in the light booth, I haven’t had a phone call from them in weeks. Through all of this, Pizza Hut kept us financially afloat (with a lot of support - both emotional and otherwise - from both sides of the family) and although I hated the job, I continued to love my boss and the people that I worked with. Most of all, Josh and I were able to support each other, and that was what really made this year an achievement for us.
The end of the year finally panned out for us. A co-worker of mine landed a job with a new iPod repair company, and they found positions for me and Josh. We are now working in the same facility, same hours, where he refurbishes used iPods and I am being groomed as the new Inventory Control Manager and assistant to the Floor Manager. For the first time ever, we have a set Monday-through-Friday schedule with weekends and evenings off. Our company Christmas party was Friday night, and all thirteen company employees (all between the ages of 20 and 30) sat around to talk, drink beer and champagne, eat pizza, and play Halo 3 and Smash Brothers Melee on big screen TVs. We have joined a team that is quickly becoming extremely tight-knit and able to be co-workers at work and friends off the clock. It’s an invigorating environment, and we’re both really excited to be a part of it.
We’ve had a limited amount of opportunity to travel this year - all family visits, I believe - but there have been some great trips. Josh and I were able to go to Maryland for Popo’s funeral in January, meeting family members that we hadn’t seen before and being a part of the beautifully touching ceremony that celebrated my grandmother’s life and friendships. I had some especially close talks with Dad and Nancy, and their support and insight was wonderful. I took a few days in February to help set up for Chinese New Year’s in Omaha, and Nich, Andrea, and Bill were able to join us for the first time. (Anna and I also had an important bonding moment, where we got matching tattoos on our backs that depict the Ing family kanji surrounded by a Celtic trinity symbol. Why? Because I changed my name when I got married, and this is my way of saying, I will not forget my family.) My birthday and the Fourth of July celebration brought us to Cedar Rapids, IA, for fireworks and quality family time.
In October, we made the trip back to Cedar Rapids for a very special day: the wedding of Nich and Andrea Hayes. Josh and I have become very close to Nich and Andrea in the last year or so, and their friendship has been invaluable to us. I stood with them as the matron of honor, and Josh was the official photographer. He got some beautiful shots, and Doug’s superb camera work caught every word. The wedding itself was beautiful chaos - we ran late arriving and starting, we forgot the computer with the wedding music on it, and we forgot the copy of the vows. Andrea, through happy tears, winged the vows and everything came from the heart and no amount of scripting or planning could have made it better. We visited again for Thanksgiving, got to see Nich and Andrea’s new apartment, and grabbed lunch at a great little Indian buffet before heading back to Peoria.
On a personal front: my friend Bill and I have been working on a 5-book fantasy series, Fate’s Tapestry. It’s been a labor of love, but we’re really proud of the progress we’ve made so far. Building a world and having such a rich creative outlet has been a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to having enough on paper where we can start contacting publishers. I’m extremely excited about this, and proud of what it will become. I could talk about the books for hours, but suffice to say, it’s good.
I’ll say it again: This has been a difficult year. That being said, I have never been more proud of myself and Josh, or felt closer to both sides of the family than I do now. We never gave up, we had support from all sides, and we learned how to not have another year like this again. I am thankful for all of that.
Hoping that all of you can count your blessings, great and small, as clearly as we can now. Blessings all.
Leigh and Josh Evans
Christmas 2007
Happy Holidays to all! We’ve had a long and arduous year in Illinois, but one with a lot of important milestones. Josh and I both share the feeling that, if we survived the last twelve months, then we’ll be able to see our way through anything.
I knew that Popo had gone into surgery shortly after my wedding, and that her recovery had not gone as well as hoped, but in December I got the call from my dad that said, “If you are going to come and see here, now would be the time.” The family helped me with quick travel arrangements, and Pizza Hut was more than obliging in working out my emergency absence. I arrived at BWI tired and stressed with the intention of lending my support to the family - but then Dad told me that he was taking me straight to the hospital and staying there for several hours. I was extremely uncomfortable with this at first, and spent a few hours sleeping in the car while Dad was in Popo’s hospital room. He came to fetch me for dinner, and I gathered the courage to venture into the hospital with him. Within minutes, I was thankful that I had come, and my aunts and cousins showed me how my touches and words were as good as the medical care being shown to her by the hospital staff. I immediately began asking questions about her treatments, and for the next few days I would spend as much as eight hours a day in Popo’s room, even if all I was doing was reading and being nearby. There were few times when she was able to interact with me, but the messages that I did get from her included greetings, inquiries about Josh, and asking when we were going to have kids.
Leaving Maryland was difficult. The night that I had left for Maryland, Josh’s worry about me had caused anxious insomnia and led to him missing work and being terminated from his job in my absence. I returned to Peoria and attempted to work, but a half hour into my shift, I broke down in tears and, after a few phone calls, was sent home for the next few days. At 6am the next morning, Josh and I were on a plane together to D.C. Josh learned that Popo had been asking about him, and he supported me and the family by coming to the hospital. Popo was conscious and cognitive for the doctor’s last gift, our final goodbyes, and Popo whispered into my ear, “Wo ai ni” and “He is your light,” referring to Josh. When we left the hospital, we felt at peace, knowing that Popo was “ready to go home.” She passed away peacefully on December 22, 2006, after being told that an air ambulance was on its way from Iraq, and a soldier might be in need of her room.
Christmas Day with Josh’s family was as joyful as always; they were sympathetic to our loss while being constant reminders of our ongoing blessings. Christmas with the Evans extended family continues to be one of my favorite days of the year.
The new year presented us with several financial difficulties. Josh, now unemployed, would spend the majority of the year searching Peoria’s meager job market for mediocre work opportunities. He looked at the Primerica options, and while he was impressed by the idea, we did not have the resources to wait for him to build from scratch. A job pushing carts for Wal-Mart led to a mild bout of walking pneumonia; a stint at the front desk of the new Washington community center led to severe frustrations with a management staff unable to cope with the start-up stress of a brand-new facility. He did, to everyone’s delight, announce that he was signing up for college in preparation for a Computer degree, specializing in Computer Forensics and law enforcement. He has just finished his first semester.
I, for my part, was unsuccessfully trying to escape Pizza Hut. The Knox College Admissions department had 6 openings and decided to “stir the pot” by sending out letters to alumni, inviting them to apply. I replied immediately and landed a phone interview within days, and had the very first on-campus interview where they introduced me to the rest of the staff and asked me questions all day. I left with the feeling that I had definitely set the bar for the other applicants, but although I was in the top very-few of 200-odd applicants, they did not have a position for me this time around. A few months later, the same Washington community center that hired Josh had an opening for techs in its brand-new, top-of-the-line theater, and they brought me in as a lighting tech. Unfortunately, lack of managerial planning led to a lack of hours, and after the initial exciting few days in the light booth, I haven’t had a phone call from them in weeks. Through all of this, Pizza Hut kept us financially afloat (with a lot of support - both emotional and otherwise - from both sides of the family) and although I hated the job, I continued to love my boss and the people that I worked with. Most of all, Josh and I were able to support each other, and that was what really made this year an achievement for us.
The end of the year finally panned out for us. A co-worker of mine landed a job with a new iPod repair company, and they found positions for me and Josh. We are now working in the same facility, same hours, where he refurbishes used iPods and I am being groomed as the new Inventory Control Manager and assistant to the Floor Manager. For the first time ever, we have a set Monday-through-Friday schedule with weekends and evenings off. Our company Christmas party was Friday night, and all thirteen company employees (all between the ages of 20 and 30) sat around to talk, drink beer and champagne, eat pizza, and play Halo 3 and Smash Brothers Melee on big screen TVs. We have joined a team that is quickly becoming extremely tight-knit and able to be co-workers at work and friends off the clock. It’s an invigorating environment, and we’re both really excited to be a part of it.
We’ve had a limited amount of opportunity to travel this year - all family visits, I believe - but there have been some great trips. Josh and I were able to go to Maryland for Popo’s funeral in January, meeting family members that we hadn’t seen before and being a part of the beautifully touching ceremony that celebrated my grandmother’s life and friendships. I had some especially close talks with Dad and Nancy, and their support and insight was wonderful. I took a few days in February to help set up for Chinese New Year’s in Omaha, and Nich, Andrea, and Bill were able to join us for the first time. (Anna and I also had an important bonding moment, where we got matching tattoos on our backs that depict the Ing family kanji surrounded by a Celtic trinity symbol. Why? Because I changed my name when I got married, and this is my way of saying, I will not forget my family.) My birthday and the Fourth of July celebration brought us to Cedar Rapids, IA, for fireworks and quality family time.
In October, we made the trip back to Cedar Rapids for a very special day: the wedding of Nich and Andrea Hayes. Josh and I have become very close to Nich and Andrea in the last year or so, and their friendship has been invaluable to us. I stood with them as the matron of honor, and Josh was the official photographer. He got some beautiful shots, and Doug’s superb camera work caught every word. The wedding itself was beautiful chaos - we ran late arriving and starting, we forgot the computer with the wedding music on it, and we forgot the copy of the vows. Andrea, through happy tears, winged the vows and everything came from the heart and no amount of scripting or planning could have made it better. We visited again for Thanksgiving, got to see Nich and Andrea’s new apartment, and grabbed lunch at a great little Indian buffet before heading back to Peoria.
On a personal front: my friend Bill and I have been working on a 5-book fantasy series, Fate’s Tapestry. It’s been a labor of love, but we’re really proud of the progress we’ve made so far. Building a world and having such a rich creative outlet has been a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to having enough on paper where we can start contacting publishers. I’m extremely excited about this, and proud of what it will become. I could talk about the books for hours, but suffice to say, it’s good.
I’ll say it again: This has been a difficult year. That being said, I have never been more proud of myself and Josh, or felt closer to both sides of the family than I do now. We never gave up, we had support from all sides, and we learned how to not have another year like this again. I am thankful for all of that.
Hoping that all of you can count your blessings, great and small, as clearly as we can now. Blessings all.
Leigh and Josh Evans
Christmas 2007