The Un-commercial

In our long search for something to help us keep our weight down, Cathy and I became interested in a company others were using to help with their health. The company is Plexus. We asked questions, learned what we could, decided to become “Ambassadors”, and started using Plexus products.

That was a little over three years ago. Before we began, I was…

• exercising regularly (walking 5K most days).
• eating healthy (at least 4 cups of low/no sugar or carb veggies nearly every day) and limiting desserts to once a week (twice at the most except during holidays).
• still slowly gaining weight.
• struggling to keep my bad cholesterol down and good cholesterol up. (Every check up with our doctor of over 30 years contained the following: “Your good cholesterol is too low and your bad cholesterol is too high. You could stand to lose some weight.” I thought it was a recording he made back in medical school and lip synced it just for my entertainment.)

Back in April of this year, while we were on a wonderful vacation, I was exercising every day (stationary recumbent bike for 20 minutes, light workout with weight machines, and walking 5K) when my left knee started becoming sore. I immediately stopped exercising. It has been getting worse ever since.

This morning, I went for my 6 month visit with our doctor.

• My weight was not a concern.
• The bad cholesterol was lower than ever.
• My good cholesterol was higher than ever.
• Every part of my blood work was very good.
• I told him I hadn’t exercised in 4 months because my knee hurt.
• He sent me for x-rays. (I should find out something tomorrow.)

In all honesty, Cathy does the work (the Plexus business). I have personally experienced the results in my own life. Besides the cholesterol and weight issues, I no longer have bronchitis and sinusitis at least twice a year and I have stopped needing to take Mucinex-D twice a day.

If you would like to know how Plexus can help you, please contact Cathy. She is genuinely interested in helping you and is becoming quite a fountain of information.

As a pastor, I have tried to avoid anything that might be seen as a possible conflict of interest. I will continue to do so. I will not use my position to promote a business and my position is a 24/7 responsibility. That is why I refer you to my wife for information on how Plexus might be able to help you. For issues of a greater and more permanent nature, i.e. eternity, God, your purpose in life, etc., I would be happy to talk with you or refer you to someone who lives close to you.

I'm Not Crazy!

(No, unlike Sheldon, my mother did not have me tested.)

For as long as I can remember, certain sounds have triggered very intense stress and tension in me. The primary sounds that inexplicably irritate me come from other people eating and drinking, specifically crunching or chomping, smacking, gulping (swallowing air along with liquids), and, to a lesser extent, slurping or loud sipping. Sounds pretty childish, doesn’t it? It is also potentially harmful to relationships, especially when the sounds are coming from people you love more than your own life.

During my adult years, I came to understand that the problem was not with others. Oh sure, I thought people could eat and drink less like pigs at the trough, but it was obvious to me that I had a problem because no one else seemed to be ready to go into an uncontrollable rage over such ordinary, seemingly innocuous, and apparently unavoidable sounds. As a boy, I disciplined my self to learn how to drink without swallowing air, thus eliminating the gulping sound. I felt others were just lazy and inconsiderate because they wouldn’t do the same. As an adult, I realized that this was rather obsessive by everyone else’s standards.

So, I just tried to cope with those sounds as well as I could. For instance, music or the television is always on when it’s meal time or when we are having snacks. Restaurants are usually safe because of all the ambient noise which drowns out the sounds that set me off. But none of the coping mechanisms countered my self-deprecation.

Then, on February 7, 2018, one of my dear former youth posted a link on Facebook to an article. That article caused me to search for other articles because they were talking about me. And I’m not alone! I’m not crazy! There’s even a name for it: Misophonia. I suffer from Misophonia. It wasn’t even identified until 2000 or 2001. It's not even included as a word at dictionary.com. It has also been identified as “selective sound sensitivity syndrome.”

An article in nytimes.com (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/health/sounds-people-hate.html) states, “In a report on the latest study published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, the neuroscientists say that brain scans of misophonia sufferers show that particular sounds, like eating and drinking, cause the part of their brain that processes emotions, the anterior insular cortex, to go into overdrive.” The study of it seems to be fairly new and there is a lot to be learned. For instance, I can’t recall anything remarkably negative about my wonderful childhood (loving parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) but the nytimes.com article quotes Dr. Sukhbinder Kumar who states, “We think that misophonia may be heavily connected to recalling past memories, because people with misophonia have had very bad experiences.” Hmm. I think more research is needed. Or maybe I have still not adequately dealt with having my birthday overlooked on the day we were moving into a new house. (That would be very childish on my part.) Or my siblings, cousins, etc. owe me an apology. I like that one: Blame my siblings and cousins!

2017-2018 Family Letter (aka Annual Christmas Letter)

Jim & Cathy

We Are Grandparents

and Other Less Important Information

The Very Short Version

• We adore our THREE precious, wonderful, incredible, beautiful, heart stealing grandchildren!
• All three kids and kids-in-love are in their 30s and busy.
• We are still living in Port Orchard and serving at Kitsap Lake Baptist Church in Bremerton.
• Our folks are pretty old now and we’re catching up with them!
• We love vacations and think they are too few and far between.
• We continue our gardening among raised beds and dwarf fruit trees.
• We now have our Medicare cards (so speak up).
• We will be offline April 5-22 but don’t worry. We will be just fine! 

__________________________________________________________

The Less Short Version

They have stolen our hearts!

Selah Grace Marie turned two on October 27. Emma Lynn Marie was born on June 17. Both girls belong to Aaron and Denise.
Levi James was born on August 8. He belongs to David and Jordan.

On being grandparents…

WOW! WOW! WOW! If we had known how great it was going to be, we may have started with the grandkids. It was tempting to just post family pictures in this letter, starring Selah, Emma, and Levi like this one with my parents. It was taken the day after Christmas. For those who wonder: Dad and Mom are doing pretty good for being 92 and 88. Here they are with our three treasures.

They are real adults! 

Adolescence begins at puberty and ends when a person fully assumes adult responsibilities. We have been the proud parents of real adults for some time now and are thankful for phones, etc.

The run down…

Aaron, Denise, Selah Grace Marie, and Emma Lynn Marie (grandchildren get to have their full names listed) Gantenbein live  just 15 minutes away. Aaron works at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton and Denise has recently become a stay-at-home mom, taking care of Selah and Emma.

Shane and Alison Calhoun have embraced the coast of Northern California after moving from Phelan, California earlier in the year. Now, they are just a quick 10 hour drive from us (8 hours closer). Shane is on faculty at Humboldt State University in Arcata and Alison works with special needs students.

David, Jordan, and Levi James Gantenbein live in “warm” Phoenix AZ, just a short 23 hour drive from us (plus stops). Flying is so much quicker. Either way, Phoenix is HOT! David works with Students (Youth) at Foothills Baptist Church. Jordan works, too, but lives to come home to Levi (and David).

A family Christmas…

Although the kids didn’t come “home” for Christmas this year, they did something even better. Everyone travelled to Eugene, Oregon on Christmas Day where we were able to stay together, play together, pray together, and get together with most of Jim’s sisters’ clan (Nancy). The trip provided several special opportunities for my folks to spend time with their youngest great grandchildren. (BTW, in two more months, they will be great, great grandparents!)

For Gantenbein and Poppino relatives, here are most of us who gathered the day after Christmas.

We have other family, too. Our kids aren’t the only ones who married up. I set the example by marrying into the Van Scyoc household. Cathy was able to return to Enid in December for a visit with members of her family, especially Mom who resides in a Christian Senior Adult Living community and continues to live with worsening dementia. Nevertheless, my godly and caring 92 year old mother-in-law continues to have a sweet spirit and loves singing familiar hymns of praise. 

Moving Forward

“When will you retire?” With over 31 years working for the City of Tacoma, we are both looking forward to her retirement sometime before 2020. She’s already working at developing our new business as Plexus Ambassadors, helping people who want to improve their health!

Currently, I (Jim) do not have plans to retire. However, I am fully aware that the time will come when I will not be physically (and/or mentally) capable of serving as the Pastor of a congregation. Until God directs, I will continue trying to make and help develop disciples of Jesus.

Both of us are looking forward to a wonderful time of rest and relaxation as we sail away on the Disney Wonder with stops in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Panama Canal, Central America, and Mexico. 

Woah! I almost forgot the garden. Here is a quick photo from this very successful past season:

Now to close with the latest picture of our family…

We thank God for our family and friends. It is our hope and prayer that you experience the most wonderful year of your life by living it immersed in the love of our Savior Jesus Christ!

In His love,

Jim and Cathy