Blessed Christmas 2024!

First, let me break the suspense and ease your concern: Breathe easy because Cathy and I made it through another year! In truth, we not only made through the year but we were very much blessed and treasure many wonderful moments. Second, I humbly acknowledge that this classic work of literature is undoubtedly the highlight of your Christmas season. So, grab a hot cup of cider or hot chocolate (or maybe a good numbing agent), sit back, and relax as I drag you through everything you never wanted to know about 2024 from the perspective of Cathy and Jim Gantenbein—but mostly from Jim’s perspective.

• Jim began the New Year by not being allowed to eat on January 1 and 2 so he could have surgery to fix another trigger finger. The really fun part came just before the anesthesiologist put me under. The surgeon, who has fixed previous trigger fingers, checked up on me and noticed that another finger was also a “little” stiff. His last words to me (and over my objections) were a cheery, “I’m going to do both fingers!” And he did. I only mention it here because surgeries seem to be the only certainty in my life. None of them are life threatening but the recovery time for each of them seems to take so much longer than when I was… not as physically mature as I am now. The last thing about January was that I noticed my left heel was very sore and I began limping.

• In February we traveled to Eugene OR to celebrate Mom’s 95^th birthday. My heel hurt worse and my Achilles tendon began to hurt, too. Mom was doing fine.

• March was traumatic. We hosted a sleepover with our three local granddaughters on the 1^st - 2^nd. As you can imagine, at our delicate stage of life, we needed a period of recovery. So, after visits to the chiropractor and therapeutic massages, we went to Eureka for a couple of nights with the Calhoun offspring. As if Alison had had enough of us, she drove us 4+ hours to San Francisco on the morning of the 9^th, unceremoniously leaving us in some parking lot before driving straight back to Eureka. What were we to do? We spotted another form of transportation and took advantage of it. As it turns out, we were Shanghaied onto a commercial ship leaving on a round-trip voyage to the Hawaiian Islands. To our relief, the Crown Princess took good care of us for the 16 night cruise before Alison retrieved us in the same spot she had left us. A highlight of that cruise was our visit to the Arizona Memorial, a very solemn place. My heel/ankle/Achilles tendon was worse.

• March ended on Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and we joined others in celebrating and praising God for Jesus’s resurrection from the grave!

• Then came April. What is it that we call April 1? Oh, yeah, I remember now. On that day I had my semi-annual checkup with our doctor. He said something about where my Achilles tendon connects to the heel being damaged and gave me some exercises to do. Also in April—and since it had been over 3 months since my last surgery—I had a number of basal cell spots removed. That’s always fun. “Please, cut off some more of my skin. It feels so good when you stop.” But the truly difficult part of April was when our dear daughter in law, Denise, had cancer surgery which also signaled the upcoming courses of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. This has been an extremely challenging time for Denise, Aaron, Sélah, Emma, and Jada as their lives have been dramatically altered. Through all of this, God has been gracious and Denise has maintained her faith in God. Aaron has been doing double duty. Denise’s mom, Carla, has helped enormously with providing care, transportation, etc. for Denise and the girls. Cathy has had a new career as chauffeur, housecleaner, lady-who-gets-the-girls-to-the-YMCA-and-makes-sure-they-get-showered-and-dressed-after-swim-lessons, and anything else that comes up. My role? I get to be grandpa… one that limps.

• May 26 was spent at church and then coming home to celebrate each other and the countless blessings from God on our 50^th anniversary! Most of May, June, July, August, and September can be summed up with one word: Gardening. Cathy weeded pretty much every day while I remained in awe of her. And limped. I continued to limp.

• October 1 was a return trip to the doctor. This time he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle stuff. A muffled cheer arose from deep within. To celebrate, we left the next day for 6 nights in Hawaii! Hey, it was the year of our 50^th anniversary and we were going to celebrate every chance we got! As a part of our celebrating, we also flew to Oklahoma in October to attend our graduating class’s 50^th anniversary Homecoming at Oklahoma Baptist University. The month ended after a visit with the orthopedic surgeon and x-rays that finally revealed the cause of my discomfort. We are not certain exactly how it happened but, at some point in January, I broke my heel bone. Actually, I pretty well shattered the back end of it and the largest chunk of broken bone had worked its way up into my Achilles tendon. Surgery was scheduled.

• November started with a trip to Indiana to visit David, Jordan, Levi, Maelie, and Hank. We just don’t get to see this family enough! We also enjoyed the opportunity to visit with Jordan’s parents, Stuart and Debbi Groves. I continued to limp, but now with hope.

• December has been a great month (so far). My heel/ankle/Achilles tendon was repaired (Left Foot Osteotonomy Calcaneal, Strayer, Achilles Tendon Repair) and now I am developing a tremendous amount of sympathy for people who live with limited mobility. Everything is a challenge! Well, not reclining. Reclining is not a challenge. Reclining is easy. But, after many many days, reclining can be boring. 

I reckon that's it. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In His love,

Jim and Cathy

Blessed Christmas 2023!

Cathy and I are pleased to send you our love as we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us. 

2023 was our first year of retirement as a couple and we have been quite busy. In *review:

• We became members of First Baptist Church of Port Orchard WA, where our first born and his family are members.
• Following Cathy’s birthday on March 14, we took a three month “road trip” in our 1995 motorhome from March 15 to June 10, traveling over 10,000 miles, visiting family and friends, passing through over half of the states and part of Canada, visiting historical sites and natural wonders, and relaxing while camping and cruising. We experienced every kind of weather from heavy snow to energy-sapping heat and peaceful calm to extreme winds while driving past wild fires and tornado damage. No regrets whatsoever except that we wish we could have seen more friends and family.
• We gave our vegetable garden a sabbatical but will go at it again in 2024.
• We returned briefly to Oklahoma in July to attend the funeral and memorial service of our dear friend, Pastor David Young, with whom I served for 22 ½ years.
• In September we took our fourth cruise to Alaska and met wonderful new friends when we attended the worship service at White Cliff Church (formerly FBC) in Ketchikan.
• Also in September, we attended the Northwest Baptist Convention’s “Life Enrichment Conference” in Cannon Beach OR. We will be going again in 2024!
• I turned 71 in October. I still have most of my teeth and will be getting a new (replacement) one in January.
• In December we took another trip across the country to attend a very special occasion for one of our kids. More on that in the family update.

*Each of these events could easily be a long chapter in a book of how God has blessed our lives. There simply isn’t room to mention all the wonderful people we had the privilege to see and visit and who treated us like royalty, nor describe the experiences we had such as all we did to celebrate our 49^th anniversary at Niagara Falls.

Updates on the family—

Mom is 94 and doing well. She still lives in her own home in Eugene OR and still drives her own car, although less frequently. She misses Dad but is at peace knowing he is in heaven and that she will join him someday. We are not ready for her to make that journey, yet, and are so grateful for my niece, René who stays with her each night.

All three offspring and their families are in the same places we left them in last year’s letter.

• Aaron is still working for the government at the shipyard in Bremerton. He, Denise, Sélah, and Emma still live in the same house here in Port Orchard but Jada is no longer their foster daughter/sister because on September 19 her adoption became official! To put it in its proper perspective, Cathy and I have our eighth grandchild.
• Alison does something with cryptocurrency and is, apparently, fairly good at it. She, Shane, Cecilia, and Avery are still in Eureka CA but Dr. Shane Calhoun will have finished working in the California State University system at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State) by the end of December and will be growing his private counseling practice.
• David continues as the “Executive Pastor of Discipleship” at Graceland Church in New Albany IN. Earlier in December, we joined him, Jordan, Levi, Maelie, and Hank in Wake Forest NC as David was hooded, receiving his EdD (Doctorate in Education) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, concluding five years of academic work. We are very proud of his accomplishment as well as all the extra work Jordan has done while David was studying and traveling for school.

Now that we are both retired, Cathy and I are “relaxing” by trying to learn how to operate our toys. Cathy has Cricut and Silhouette machines that are supposed to make letters, designs, and stuff. I think they are best at making her frustrated. For my birthday, Cathy gave me a laser engraver and, so far, I have learned how to fill a room with smoke and make wooden objects that may or may not resemble Christmas ornaments. I also now have a box of very dry and expensive kindling for whenever we want to cook some s’mores.
Additionally, I have been given the opportunity to write the “Group Plans” (teaching plans) to go along with three months of adult Bible study for next winter. I am already behind.

In the near future—
We are looking forward to taking our first trip to Hawaii in March, paying off the car right after observing our 50^th anniversary in May, and this coming October we plan to console ourselves regarding this aging thing by attending our 50 year class reunion at Oklahoma Baptist University. It will be our first in many years. Surely we will feel better after seeing how old everyone else is.

Please, know that you are in our prayers! If there is anything in particular you would like us praying about, just send us an email, text message, or one of those snail mail things.

In His love, 

Jim and Cathy

Christmas 2022

What a Year!

Dear ones, 

I pray that 2023 will be a blessed year for you and your loved ones. May we all learn from this past year and treasure all the blessings that took place during it. 

Please, allow me to catch you up on what has taken place in our lives during 2022.
 
Our offspring—

Aaron and Denise (Port Orchard, Washington)

Aaron has finished the Apprenticeship program at the Navy Shipyard in Bremerton, graduating on September 23 and is now a bonafide Journeyman Pipefitter. So, if you have a ship that needs to come into dry dock, Aaron can hook you up. Denise, after dealing for many years with mysterious symptoms, had open heart surgery to take out, fix, and put back in an aortic valve as well as fix an aortic aneurism of 6.5cm (normal is 3cm and most rupture before 6cm.). We are praying for and look forward to her complete recovery! Sélah, our seven year old and first grandchild, is a first grader. Emma, our five year old and second grandchild, is in Kindergarten and loves chickens. Jada, our two year old foster granddaughter, is an absolute delight (and a messy eater like her sisters). We are all hoping and praying that she will be legally adopted into the family during 2023!

Shane and Alison (Eureka, California) 

Shane, aka Dr. Calhoun, changed schools without changing anything. That happened when Humboldt State University became Cal Poly Humboldt. He also met the president and has a thriving private practice. Alison continues to raise (corral, herd, shake her head at) our two free spirited California grandchildren as well as navigate the mysterious waters of crypto currency. (I think that is something like real money except when it is not.) Cecilia, our second three year old granddaughter, is a practiced climbing wall veteran, astute mushroom hunter, an egg gatherer, and interior house painter. (That last part is a polite way of saying that no surface inside their house is safe from her “artwork”.) Avery, our one year old grandson, loves his sister and will allow her to do pretty much anything to him with paint or markers.  

David and Jordan (Sellersburg, Indiana)

David is an elder and the Executive Pastor of Discipleship of Graceland Church in New Albany, Indiana. I believe he is very gifted for his calling but do not want to mention it too much because, well, David. He is supposed to be working on his dissertation, too. Time will tell. Besides helping David adjust to adulthood, Jordan deserves high praise and admiration for… Let me just mention my remaining three grandchildren. Levi, our third grandchild and the first to hopefully carry on the family name, has turned five years old and is in Pre-K. Pray for that boy. He shows many traits similar to his dad and he has no qualms about calling his grandparents in the morning three times zones away for a nice video chat. Understand, when he calls us at, oh, say 7:30am, it is 4:30am where we live. Levi does not care. Our sweet Maelie, is three years old and continues to live with Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex. She not only responds well to her therapy but absolutely loves her therapists. This year, we have one more grandchild to introduce to you. Hank Stuart Gantenbein was born on August 6. He was supposed to be born later but health issues called for an early arrival and both Hank and Jordan are doing great. 

Us— 

Jim and Cathy (Port Orchard, Washington)

Despite a very cold, wet, and windy springtime and early summer, we managed to salvage a fair garden season. I know, that is all you really wanted to know about so I thought I would just satisfy you and now you can stop reading. But on the outside chance that anyone should desire more knowledge of the mundane…
The most personal detail will be saved for the end of the letter but there are other lesser matters. First, I continue to be amazed at what an incredible grandmother Cathy is. She does not just have patience with our dear little ones, but she goes out of her way to involve them in what she is doing, especially when it comes to cooking. She makes each of them their own apron (as soon as they are old enough to “help”) and when they get started in the kitchen, I find a place to hide. 

Secondly, we took our first real trip in our “new” (1995) motorhome as we attended the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, California. The meeting aside, the trip went very well with only a few minor hiccups. But now that the AC is working, the cruise control is back in operation, the windshield has been reset and sealed, and the steps glide in and out on cue like they are supposed to, we think (hope) we are ready for the big trip we are planning to take this spring. 

A third matter is that of two more Mohs surgeries to remove basal cell skin cancer and reconstruct the areas on my head and face. No, it is not supposed to help my looks so quit hoping.

Fourthly, we enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip in September, beginning with a flight to London, England. At the time, all of Great Britain was mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth. Although our plans were altered a little, we were very impressed by the respect and courtesy everyone unfailingly displayed under very stressful and sorrowful circumstances. I commented more than once that it caused me to want to live there. After a couple of days we were transported to Dover where we boarded a ship for a transatlantic cruise. Before crossing the ocean and arriving at New York City, we had stops at ports in Le Havre (France), Portland/Weymouth (England), Vigo (Spain) and Bermuda. Most memorable was the opportunity to go to Normandy, France, visit several of the beaches of the D-Day invasion as well as the American Cemetery and Point du Hoc. Standing where so many young men gave their lives to defeat the evil goals of Hitler was a humbling experience. Our guide shared that when local citizens see anyone having fun—swimming, etc.—on those beaches, they go to them and tell them that they are being disrespectful toward those from other countries who fought and died on that beach to free France from the Nazis. They ask them to go to another beach. Respect!

The fifth little item is that, as of midnight on October 31, I retired from full-time ministry at the age of 70. That is right: No more vacations for me. From now on, we will just be taking trips. I expect to continue serving God in any way He directs. I thank God for the privilege of serving Him in various capacities including music, youth, education, outreach, activities, and pastor. The congregations included the dear people of: First Baptist Church of Lindsay, Oklahoma; First Baptist Church, Perry, Oklahoma; First Baptist Church, Rhome, Texas; Trinity Baptist Church, Lakewood, Washington; and the wonderful saints of Kitsap Lake Baptist Church, Bremerton, Washington who were challenged by God to call a career youth pastor to serve as their senior pastor.

Now, for that most personal detail. On May 25, Dad, who had been bedridden for a while, walked again. His first step was into the presence of Jesus and I can only imagine he has not slowed down one bit. Some folks may wonder and a few have asked, “What did he die from?” Simply put, he was 97 ½ years old. The WWII veteran was the youngest of five siblings who all exited this mortal life in birth order—the way it’s supposed to be done! To the very end, Dad honored God and pointed others to Him. He exhaled his last in Eugene, Oregon, and inhaled his first breath in Heaven. As many have observed, it was not his end. It was his true beginning. Our sincere appreciation to all the care givers, especially my niece, Renee, who, along with Mom, provided the greatest level of loving care every day.

I appreciate your prayers for our whole family. While we all miss Dad every single day, my dear mother misses him the most. God continues to use her to inspire and encourage the whole family as well as others. So, we want her to stay healthy and happy! Besides, my sister and her clan need Mom to straighten them out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! It must be a great relief to her to know that her three sons remain practically perfect in every way.

May your Christmas season be filled with thanksgiving to God for sending His Son, love for others, time with family, and treasured memories!

In His love,

Jim and Cathy Gantenbein

 It They Was Were a Very Good Years

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to wish you a very blessed Christmas and a joyful new year!

I have some male friends who made the decision to not get their haircut again until after all the COVID restrictions are lifted. (Actually, I think a couple of them cheated and got trims.) Instead of taking that step, I would like to say that I made the decision to not do another Christmas letter until COVID is over. Really, I would like to say that. It would probably sound better than admitting that I'm just…             Hey, how about those Seahawks!

Enough has been said (and experienced) regarding the pandemic and everything associated with it. 

In 2020 and 2021, we have been very blessed and I will now attempt to prove it in short bites so I don’t put you to sleep. I only wish I could show you a current picture of the whole family. Maybe next year.

Cathy 

• The love of my life had her first two years as a retired person. Our individual impressions about that are the same: WE LOVE IT!!! She does not miss work at all and has been able to keep in touch with some of her former colleagues.
• She has spent her “free time” being on the VBS Training Team (not the official name of it but it is more descriptive) for the Northwest Baptist Convention and Olympic Baptist Association. 
• She is teaching her kids again in Sunday School (observing all of Washington’s rather stringent mandates).
• She goes to the YMCA about five times a week!
• Our house is clean!… all the time!… every bit of it!… but never clean enough. (You always hear folks complaining about having to clean the house. You will never hear my Cathy making such a statement.)
• Our average meal time (dinner) is much, much earlier now that she is not arriving home around 5:45pm after leaving home no later than 6:30am.
• She is happier! (So am I.)

Jim

• I am in my 16th year as the pastor of Kitsap Lake Baptist Church (KLBC), Bremerton WA.
• I still have a passion for seeing people grow spiritually.
• I still enjoy being able to preach from God’s word each week. The preparation time continues to be very meaningful for my own spiritual growth.
• I learned how to record, edit, and put worship services on YouTube.
• I learned how to do meetings on Zoom… all the time… way, way, way too often.
• I have had opportunities to continue doing some writing for LifeWay Christian Resources.
• I know where the YMCA is.
• My body is older. Really. I feel it.
• Hair is overrated.
• I have had some basal cell skin cancer taken care of and my left ear rebuilt.

Us

• We have been able to take a number of trips to spend time with my parents in Eugene OR. For those who want to know: Dad and Mom are still married (75 years the day after Thanksgiving), Mom had back surgery to relieve the sciatic pain (She woke up here instead of in Heaven but wasn’t too upset because the pain was relieved), they are doing well enough physically for being 96 and 92, they still live in their own home but our niece spends most nights there, and Dad had a “significant” stroke in April of this year. On June 18, my siblings, our niece, some medical personnel, and I had a Zoom meeting to learn more about Dad’s health. To make a long story short, he has already lived past the prognosis. He does have increasing dementia but usually does fairly well during the daylight hours.
• We have also made a couple of trips down to Eureka CA to spend some time with Shane, Alison, Cecilia, Avery (our newest grandson, born on August 31), and all their animals.
• In March 2020, we flew down to Phoenix to visit with David, Jordan, Levi, and Maelie. In November 2021, Cathy returned to visit for a week only this time it was to Indiana where David is now on staff in New Albany.
• Like everyone else, we have had a lot of stuff called off and trips cancelled, too.
• We enjoyed the summer, including the vegetable garden and fruit trees.
• We continue to enjoy living close to Aaron, Denise, Sélah, Emma, and our foster granddaughter, and are very grateful for getting to see them frequently.
• We are grateful for opportunities to travel, visiting friends and family. Someday, we hope to do it much more, visiting more friends and family as well as seeing areas of this country to which we have never traveled.
• Sometimes, we hunt for mushrooms. Most of the time, they succeed at hiding from us.
• We treasure the time we have together, now as throughout our 47+ years of marriage.

Finally, Cathy and I want you to know that we are in awe of the countless ways God has blessed us. It is our prayer that you will experience His blessings, too.

Love to all of you!

Jim and Cathy

Has It Been Two Years?

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been just over two years since our last annual Christmas letter. I know. You are thinking, “FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for this since early January 2018!”

But, before we delve into all that has happened in our family since that time, please, share what has been going on with you. Go ahead…

Wow, that is a lot better than what I was going to share so I’ll just end this letter here.

Okay, okay. Stop begging. I will share.

First, the kids—

Aaron, Denise, Sélah (4+ years), and Emma (2+ years) purchased a house here in Port Orchard and have turned it into a warm home. They have a new addition, too. His name is Brodie. We look forward to the day when this energetic puppy is grown and his nails and teeth do not so easily scratch and draw blood. 

Shane and Alison also bought a house where they live in Eureka CA. They have plenty of room to stretch out, let the dogs roam, raise chickens (again), and pick apples. They love going mushroom hunting, fishing, and crabbing. They gained a new addition in November, as well. Her name is Cecilia Lynn and our newest granddaughter is SO CUTE (even if she looks like her daddy’s side of the family)! 

David, Jordan, and Levi (2+ years) were not going to be left out on this thing of expanding families. As a matter of fact, they added to their family back in July. Maelie Jo is also SO ADORABLE! Big brother, Levi, can already say his full name, although a “D” sound is easier to say than all those other consonants so, for the time being, it may sound more like, “Eevi Dames Dandendine.” No matter. He still gets an A+ from everyone.

The thirteen of us (excluding non humans)—

It is such a joy when your offspring and their families come to visit (usually one family at a time) and we had several of these blessed events over the past two years.

We were also blessed to have everyone here for this past Christmas. A classic example of how formal we are during these gatherings was when we posed for pictures. Well, perhaps “posed” is not the most accurate word for what went on. Despite taking over 180 pictures—individual families, grandparents with grandkids, and the group photo—the best picture was… let’s just say “natural” or “casual”… or chaotic. Yes, that is more accurate. But we had a wonderful time figuring out and demonstrating how four established families (and their “way of doing things”) can get along with patience, grace, and, most of all, love.

The two of us—

We both stay very busy as part of Kitsap Lake Baptist Church. This March we will celebrate fourteen years with this wonderful congregation. This past summer, Cathy joined me for the annual Kids Camp. She was helping with all the food preparation (and clean up) while I served as Camp Pastor. I hope she will continue to join me doing this each year but it is up to her. She continues to serve as the lead teacher for our Children’s Sunday School.

Cathy and I had one of those “experience of a lifetime” things when we went through the Panama Canal as part of a big vacation in Spring 2018. A few days before going through the canal, Cathy let me take her parasailing and she loved it! We would (and, hopefully, will) do it again without hesitation, given the opportunity. A big bonus was learning how to make  salsa, guacamole, and chili rellenos with poblano peppers from a chef in Mexico!

2019 was been a year of joy and sadness. On March 3, my dear mother in law, Dorothy Van Scyoc, entered into the presence of Jesus at the age of 93. We know that she is forever full of joy but we are saddened that we will be without her for the remainder of our time on earth. Cathy’s parents were very dear, generous, loving, and godly people. Their four children are proof. This was also the reason we made three trips to Oklahoma in eleven months, with the last trip culminating in driving a rental truck back to Washington State, carrying precious memories that are now part of our home.

I did say that 2019 included joy. The greatest of these were the births of Maelie Joann on July 11 (a real 7-11 baby) and Cecilia Lynn on November 2 (late, just like her momma). Added to that, we took a 7-night cruise to Alaska with our dear friends, Danny and Cathy Herron. We rode a real live steam train out of Skagway all the way into Canada on the same tracks travelled by the gold miners. The train passed within inches of the rock faces created by dynamite. The other side dropped off hundreds of feet to the river below. It was just like being at Disneyland!

This past Summer and Fall, we were also able to get some work done on our house, adding a cover to the patio, replacing the worn carpet, and making some other helpful improvements. I reckon we won’t be moving anytime soon. 

Finally (yes, there is an end to this novella), the big, big, big news: After 33 years of working for The City of Tacoma, Cathy retired on July 1. To celebrate, I took my wife on a wonderful nine-night mystery trip that included Branson MO, Disneyland, and her very first non-tourist train ride (Amtrak in a sleeper car). I am so grateful for all the years she spent helping to support our family as well as carrying the major burden of maintaining our household. Now, she gets to do whatever she wants! (I hope it includes taking me on vacations.) Oh, I almost forgot: The City of Tacoma dedicated the training room to Cathy and named it after her!

That’s it.

Happy and Merry all-those-special-days-and-holidays-during-the-year!

Our love to you!

Jim and Cathy

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