Mary

Hi Everyone,
Here is my completed (too long) Christmas letter.

Dear Fellow Conspirators,
As we read each others letters this year let us pray that our numbers will continue to grow and REAL Christmas letters will eventually be the law of the land. In the name of honesty we will prevail!
This year in the Knoth Family it has been the year of the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!! Moving into a 10+ year old home we have discovered that this is just about the time the roof needs maintenance, the inside & outside need painting, the toilets are beginning to have issues, the irrigation tubing outside is drying & springing leaks and the hot water heater dies & needs replacing. I think I am also seeing the slow demise of our garage door as it seems to struggle ever so slightly with each opening & closing. All the above cost a lot of money-which is why most of the jobs are still on the waiting list! It's also been fun hiring the neighborhood handimen who all have a different opinions about what is the best way to get the job done-not to mention the dented hot water heater that was "oops" dropped by our experienced handiman.
The house is not all that turned 10 this year. We also have 10 year old cars now which have needed regular maintenance to the tune of the amount it would cost for a monthly payment on a NEW CAR! Actually we have only 1-10 year old car now as our son, Geoff, has adopted the other 10 year old. The issue of having 1 car to share between the 2 of us is a whole different story. We tell ourselves we're helping the environment by having only one car but we still need just as much gas to get where we're going!
The kids remain in college ( and doing well I must brag) but the 4 year loan has run out for Geoff as he is into his 4 1/2 year. Kims loan continues through this year but she will have 1 more year after that. I never understood why colleges charge more for upperclassmen as the money begins to run out (?) not to mention tuition going up every year anyway! The high point is that Geoff is graduating in December! The graduation expenses are a small price to pay to see him successfully finish his college career and get out into the REAL world (and make some money!). As he leaves Michigan possibly for Colorado he will leave Kim his 10 year old car (which is better than her current junker) and probably adopt our current 10 year old leaving us with a NEW CAR PAYMENT! OK, OK so enough about the money already-it is only money. A few other things have happened this year that warrant complaining about.
I have a new boss at work (NOT the same as the old boss). This is a woman who was recently a staff nurse but who forgot her roots the minute she joined administration. She has managed to screw up everyones schedule so that we all have to switch days with each other to get what we need. Having to have a boss is one of the main reasons I continue to work part-time-preferably on weekends and Holidays so I don't have to interact at all! Two weeks before Thanksgiving I reminded her that I had put in for a Christmas vacation (about 5 months ago) due to Geoffs graduation and she told me that she couldn't guarantee anyone a vacation at Christmas . I didn't let her know the plane tickets were bought 2 months ago! So by the time you read this I may not have to worry about this boss anymore!
We also started 12 hour shifts on our unit which is like running a marathon most of the time but with the nice payback of having more days off-the first day off being the one in which I recover from the marathon!
In closing just let me say that the money will come & go (mostly go) but the love of family & friends remains with us always and will always be what makes each of us truly rich. The best to all of you in the coming year! Love, Mary