1997. Can't wait until it is over is our theme of the year and it is just about upon us! Many of you we haven't kept in touch with throughout the year and we apologize. As with everyone it seems the years get busier and busier. This year we were also filled with much sorrow. We've lost many loved ones this year, but we look forward to the coming years with our heads held high!

In February we lost Jeanel's mother. She had been in the hospital for several weeks for largely minor things. Suddenly things turned bad and within a day she had passed. Fortunately Jeanel and her brother Mike were able to spend some time with her before her passing.

In August Gary's dog Missy became very ill. The veterinarian said her spine had grown very hard and brittle and therefore very painful. He was hopeful that he could treat the pain and give her a good quality of life, however we couldn't get the right combination of medicine before she passed. We came to find out the next week that Schneider, Gary's mom's youngest dachshund, was put to sleep that same morning with various digestive problems.

July brought word that Gary's mom's brain tumor which she had lived with for nearly 20 years had began growing rapidly and the doctors gave her two weeks to a year. Over the next several months we made numerous trips back to Indiana. While Gary was visiting in early October on his way to a business trip his mom became bedridden. Gary stayed at the house from that point on, working from Indiana. Two weeks later she passed away.

While Gary was in Indiana, Jeanel's father had been taken to the hospital mainly for observation as he struggled with pneumonia. While Jeanel was on the phone with the nurses she heard the code blue announcement for him. Before she could get to the hospital he had passed also.

So now you understand while we wait with great anticipation for January 1. We have a lot to be thankful for. The memories of our loved ones will live on with us. Brian, Gary's brother, moved out of the house in September to his own apartment. Looks like he'll be staying in Kansas City for awhile-he's already talking about a small house. Jason came back from the Navy and is living with us again. He's got a good full time job and recently bought himself a new Saturn car.

During the year the house has seen some improvements. Recently Jeanel bought cordises for all of the windows throughout the house. They do look very nice indeed. Also, the area under our deck has become a pond with fish, plants, and our hammock positioned nicely underneath. Gary dug a 1000' gallon hole with a small waterfall in the early summer and it has become a favorite decoration and a relaxing location. The water's sounds reflect off of the deck above allowing anyone underneath to hear the rumblings of water over rock and very little else.

Jeanel and Gary both work in the same building again, at 63rd street in Kansas City. Jeanel works the evening shift while Gary does the traditional days. We are well beyond being fed up with corporate America. We've been slowly making plans to sell just about everything, buy a RV, and hit the road for several years. While on the road Jeanel could study for her doctorate and do light consulting, Gary can do a variety of computer consulting, and in the process we get to see America and Canada. After making the loop around the countries, if we choose to continue on, we can take slower trips allowing Jeanel to do her consulting full force. The main wait sign for this now is Jeanel and AT&T. We aren't about to throw away 26 years of service with severe penalties on her pension and benefits. If there is any offer for her to get out with money and benefits though, don't stand in our way at the driveway!

That's the scoop on what's been happening this year. We hope the year has treated you very well and the holidays are a joyous time.

If you have an email address, give us a write! Ggressel@att.com or Jgressel@att.com gets you to us.