Friday, February 21, 2014

Christmas Letter 2013



Dear Friends and Family,

The year of 2013 has kept us running, both literally and figuratively. We
remain in Loma Linda where Barry has finished his third year of medical school and is now taking a year to complete his Masters in Bioethics. Christy is now halfway through her nurse practitioner program and will graduate in the spring of 2015.

In addition to our studies, we have both enjoyed various other pursuits. Barry continues to lead Loma Linda Street Medicine and has begun a research project investigating emergency room utilization by the homeless population. He has also been running in the Loma Linda hills and surrounding mountains. In October, he ran a 50K (31 miles) in Auburn, CA and in November, completed a challenging 50 mile race with 15,000 feet of elevation gain in the hills of Santa Barbara, CA.

In August, Christy transitioned from working in the adult Cardiac ICU to the Pediatric Cardiothoracic ICU. She has really enjoyed this change and loves taking care of the babies and children who come to Loma Linda for heart procedures.

Together we have also spent many hours backpacking and enjoying the mountains of the West. Late July found us backpacking on Mt. Hood, and during the months of August and September we took several trips to the Southern Sierra’s. We were also able to spend time back East in late August where we enjoyed a relaxing week camping at Metallak Island in Maine.

We greet the New Year in a cozy new-to-us apartment that we moved into last July. Advertised as a “1930’s bungalow”, we find ourselves enjoying its rustic charm while trying to stay warm inside its thin, uninsulated walls. However, we find plenty of warmth and good cheer in each other and the love of family and friends. These blessings are inestimable and we feel very blessed this holiday season.

Love,
Barry & Christy Howe