Merry Christmas

I have received many Christmas cards and pictures already this year and yet, once again, I didn't get any out!  I know, I'm a slacker...I have no excuse, I just did not do it...it's just that simple.
2011 has been a challenging but really good year for the Cheney family.  Let me see if I can break it down by the months...here goes:

JANUARY:  Cleo and I went into surgery on the 14th...myself to donate a kidney, Cleo to receive it.  It was a successful surgery from the get go and we were both home & healing by the 18th.  We had wonderful family who came and cared for us for 2 weeks until I could drive again and lots & lots of friends who brought us food for weeks on end.  We did a lot of napping, daytime tv watching, and walking which really helped the healing process

FEBRUARY & MARCH:  These 2 months were mostly healing time...miles and miles of walking and starting to do small projects around the house, garage, shed, etc.  Gearing up for spring and baseball season and Cleo looking forward to going back to work.  Cleo was also able to enjoy turkey hunting, which thankfully doesn't require a lot of physical strength.

APRIL:  Cleo returned to work...slowly at first, but after less than 2 weeks he was pretty much back to a regular schedule.  He is feeling great, has lots of energy and doctors are very pleased with his progress.  Went to a couple Braves games and watched even more on tv (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE baseball season!)

MAY:  The transplant doctors reluctantly give permission for Cleo to fly and we head to Utah for our oldest sons' wedding.  We are happy to welcome Mikell into our family and wish Kyle and her many, many years of happiness together. I flew to Wyoming to spend a week with my parents.  Dad is having a lot of health issues and I'm grateful I could spend a little time with he and my Mom. Got to see my sister and both of my brothers as well as my 3 beautiful nieces,so that was an added bonus.  Went to several more Braves games (did I mention I LOVE baseball??) continued walking and started doing yardwork.  Love being outside, especially before it gets really hot here in Georgia.

JUNE, JULY & AUGUST:  Lots of baseball, lots & lots of yardwork (only now it's starting to get really hot) bbqs with friends and enjoying getting back into a normal routine.  But most importantly, we welcomed our latest grandchild...Dachu Lee on August 31st.  He is super cute and completes Cori and Brandons' little family perfectly.  Cleo starts feeling crappy and the Dr determines that he has contracted the CMV virus...not uncommom for transplant patients...and he is put on anti-virals and antibiotics.

SEPTEMBER:  Drs say it's ok to fly and the virus counts are not dangerous, so we pack up and fly to Houston to spend Labor Day weekend with Tommy & Cindy (Cleos' brother).  We got to see 2 of their kids and some of their grandkids too, which was a bonus. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed saying goodbye to the end of summer and the start of Fall and with that comes hunting.  Cleo started bow hunting for deer.  Thankfully he can do it in our own back yard so he's able to spend many hours down in the woods.  He loves hunting as much as I love baseball so we are both happiest during these seasons!

OCTOBER:  Not such a great month...the CMV virus took a toll on Cleo and the combination of that and the meds to treat it, wiped out his white blood count.  He became really sick, really fast and ended up in the hospital for 5 days!  Piedmont Transplant Team is top notch...they had him home and on the mend in no time.  He only missed 3 days of work...what a trooper!  I was able to spend a weekend at the lake with some dear friends and another weekend in Florida with my best friend Tammy.  The rest of the month was spent watching my beloved Braves season come to an end...so sad, but seeing the Brewers go to the post season was equally as satisfying.  We'll get 'em this coming year...go NL!!!  And Cleo was finally feeling better and able to resume hunting.

NOVEMBER: We celebrated Jarods' 30th birthday (as well as he and Lindseys' 5th wedding anniversary) in Asheville, NC.  It was a really great party and an awesome way to celebrate 30 years of life, 5 years of marriage and being Cancer Free!!!  You Rock, J-Rod!!!  The 2nd weekend of the month, we flew to Utah and met up with Cleos' siblings, their spouses and his parents to celebrate his Mom & Dads' 60th wedding anniversary.  Park City was absolutely gorgeous, the snow fell to make for a beautiful back drop and we ate and laughed and shared so many memories and created even more with the family. It was a really fun weekend and one that we will all cherish for many years to come.  Before heading back to GA, Cleo and I were able to see Sara and her family and Cori and her family for a really short visit.  We sure do miss the kids, but we really miss the grandkids...they are each so unique and sweet in their own ways.  And although it's hard to not have them close, it makes us appreciate the time we get with them even more.  We finished off the month celebrating Thanksgiving with Jarod and Lindsey.  And Cleo continues to hunt...still no kill!

DECEMBER:  Always such a busy month...decorating the house, finishing the Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, mailing packages, baking and Christmas parties and for most, doing Christmas cards!  As you can tell by this post, I skipped the last thing on that list and opted to do a "techno" Christmas card.  I vow to do better next year and actually mail a Christmas card, but for this year (and for lack of an excuse) this will have to suffice :-)  If I've forgotten anything, it doesn't mean it wasn't important or special, it just means sometimes I forget things, LOL.

So, as 2011 comes to a screeching halt, Cleo is still hunting (yep, still no kill!) and I'm already looking forward to baseball season and warmer weather. We hope to see lots of you in 2012 but most especially:

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY 2012!!!