Saturday, December 29, 2007

Year-End by the Sea



Seth, Sara (with Bam Bam), Zsa (with Kinnon), Aaron, and Andrew


Back Row: Seth, Andrew, Greg, Aaron



Front Row: Sara, Kathy (with Kinnon), Zsa Zsa



A grandpa? Yeah, I like it.




A very lovely grandmother





Auntie Sara cuddling Kinnon














Kinnon, undisturbed by his popularity

















Aaron, a proud Dad









Well, It's been quite a while since I added anything to this blog. So I guess this will sort of be the chronicle of the year.

Once again, we have moved. This time to Lincoln City, Oregon, on the beautiful Oregon Coast. I am still working with Samaritan Health, but in another location.

We've been here since August, and my work was initially a bit slow, as any new practice might be expected to be, but it seems to be picking up a bit now. The people are nice, and the view of the Pacific Ocean out the window of the house we are renting is quite awe-inspiring.

Kathy has restarted her PhD coursework on-line through Walden Universty. That adds a bit of stress to life, but I think she's finding it a good challenge. It will probably be continuing through the next three or four years.

Seth, our youngest, will be 17 in three weeks. He is the only one still living at home full time, and is attending Lincoln City SDA School as a Junior this year. He has surpassed his next older brother, Andrew, in height, but it looks like Aaron, the oldest, is still quite a bit taller.

Andrew (18) is a senior at Maxwell Academy, in Kenya. He will be graduating in May and we (Kathy, Seth, and I) are planning to be there for that, mixing the trip with some volunteer work in Ethiopia along the way (OK and a little fun traveling, too).

Sara is a junior education major at Walla Walla University. She is bummed that the college schedule doesn't get her out of school early enough to be able to join us in a trip to Africa, but she has been traveling considerably more than the rest of us anyway. For more on her escapades check out sarai04ever.blogspot.com. She and Andrew both spent the summer working at Big Lake Youth Camp (her third summer there, his first), so we visited there a couple times, as well.

Aaron and Zsa both graduated this year, she from the School of Nursing at Walla Walla, and he from Portland State University with a degree in Economics. In late July we helped them move down to Loma Linda, California, where Aaron started medical school a few days after getting there. The BIG news with them is the expansion of their family with the arrival of Kinnon Kuthayywa Saunders on December 3. Grandparenthood has overtaken us, and we rather like it.

Over the Christmas weekend we were able to get down to Loma Linda to visit, and we share a few photos here.


Wishing Peace and Joy to all,


Greg, Kathy, Aaron, Zsa, Kinnon, Sara, Andrew, and Seth






























Sunday, January 14, 2007

Winter Contentment?


There's something very serene about fresh fallen snow, especially in the woods. It evokes memories of a Robert Frost poem ("Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening") that I memorized in my youth. There was little meaning to it during the many years that we lived in a tropical climate, and even during the Air Force years when we were stationed in North Dakota (the windswept ever-so-cold prairie). But walking in the woods near our new house after the recent snowfall is a very peaceful experience. The areas that, just a few days ago were muddy and difficult to navigate (if you wanted to keep your shoes clean), are now firm and covered with pristine powder. It brings to mind the promised transformation described by Isaiah (1:18) and the peace that comes from being forgiven.

While we enjoy the beauty of the snow, we miss the warmth of Africa. Sara and Andrew have gone back there and are now enjoying the perfect Kenya climate. Aaron and Zsa are back in school in Portland. It sure was nice having everybody together over the Christmas break.

Here are some pictures of the snow beauty:



Rommel seems to love the snow.



Monday, January 1, 2007

Christmas Newsletter


Dear Family and Friends,
It's been another year of transition for the Saunders family. Our biggest news this year is a change of location from Tillamook, Oregon, to Lebanon, Oregon -- just a little over one hundred miles. As much as we liked living in Tillamook, and the church family there, my practice didn't prove to be either very professionally satisfying (seemed like I was doing mostly colonoscopies) or very financially bouyant. So after a bit of looking around the Northwest (we wanted to stay close to parents) we settled on Lebanon, Oregon, and have now been in our new house for about three weeks. So far the practice is proving to be more what I was looking for, and I'm finding that there are nice people to work with here, as well.
Our kids are still a bit scattered. Aaron and Zsa are still in Portland where they both should finish their undergraduate degrees this year. Zsa is finishing nursing school, and Aaron will have a degree in economics, but has applied for medical school. Lately, though, they have been trying to decide if they want to take a year out and go for a volunteer year in Africa before continuing professional pursuits. They celebrated two years of marriage in August.
Sara came home from going to school at Mission College, Thailand in June, worked the summer at Big Lake Youth Camp, and then went to Kenya where she is serving as a student missionary teaching in the elementary school part of Maxwell Academy. She is trying to find out if that is really her calling, or if she should change her major. We think that she will be back at Walla Walla for the next school year, but who knows?
Andrew decided to attend Maxwell Academy, in Kenya, and flew there with Sara in August. He seems to be enjoying being back on the Great Continent, and is planning to climb Mt. Kenya in February with a group from Maxwell. He and Sara both flew home for the Christmas break. It's been nice having the whole family together again for a little while.
Seth has been home-schooling again this year, so we're not quite empty nesters, yet. I think he has just passed me in height, so I have no reason to feel tall.
Kath was enjoying her part time work in Medical Nutrition Therapy. When patients would actually take her advice and make some lifestyle changes (and see their health improve and weight go down), that was pretty rewarding. She hasn't pursued work just yet, since we moved, but our hospital CEO has told me that she is very "focused" on having a discussion with her about the potential for that. It's good to be sought after, rather than seeking, when it comes to employment.
Well, that's sort of our year in a nutshell (without a lot of the details). We like our new house and hope to share our hospitality with any of you who happen to be in the area and would like to drop in. We have room for guests, and I think the food is pretty good, too. We're right on the edge of beautiful woods where you can walk, run, bike, or whatever.
Hope you all are feeling as blessed as we are. Wishing you Peace.
Greg & Kathy, Aaron & Zsa, Sara, Andrew, and Seth
New address: 29764 Bartels Creek Drive
Lebanon OR 97355
Phone: 541-258-0748