Intense Desperation

I am working away at my desk when our office assistant rushes in and says, “Uh Doug, there’s a man out front who says he wants to jump off our deck.”

OK, let’s move!

I told her to get building security called and as I approach the reception area I find a man just outside our entry doors. Let me explain the layout…

We are on the 13th floor of a combined use building – 13 floors of retail/business with another 5 floors of privately owned condos. We are on the 13th floor which is referred to as the Penthouse. As you exit the elevators you arrive at our glass doors – usually open, but closed this particular day due to the cold. After passing through the glass doors, its 30 feet to the sliding door to the deck.

So back to the scene at hand.

A man had exited the elevator and was standing just outside our glass doors staring through these doors and out to the deck. Once the receptionist noticed him just standing there, she cracked open the front door and asked if she could help him. He replied, “I want to jump off your deck.” Our receptionist, startled by what she thought she heard, said, “I am sorry, could you repeat that?” And he said again, “I want to jump off your deck.”

She turns to the office assistant who is there sorting mail, repeats what the man said and the office assistant is off to get me.

So as I approach the reception area, I find the receptionist still in the doorway and the man still just outside the door, 30 feet from his objective.

I slipped past the receptionist, closed our doors and started talking with this man – while standing between him and our doors.

He won’t respond to any of my questions. He just stood there and stared out towards the water, towards the edge of the deck.

Do you know how it feels when you are about to cry and you know if you utter one word you will just bawl? His lip was quivering and tears were welling up in his eyes. I so much just wanted him to start talking. I didn’t care if he cried.

And without answering any of my questions he said, “I just want to jump.” The only thing he ever said to me while on our floor.

At that point I started talking about going downstairs. We move towards and get on an elevator headed for the lobby. I’ll admit that while he appeared harmless, while there in the elevator with him was the first time I was a little afraid of what he might do. But he just stood in the corner of the elevator.

We exited the elevator and start moving towards the building lobby. He wants to go outside. To where, I don’t know.

I keep trying to talk with him. Finally I get a name. His name is Joe. He is still moving towards the front doors to leave. I just flat out tell him, “Look, I don’t want you to leave. Let’s get you someone that can help you work through this.”

By now a security officer has appeared on the scene and an aid car has been called.

Joe is by the door. I try to get between him and the door. I asked him what was going on in his life that would make him want to jump off the deck. He answered, “Everything in my life is wrong.” It was the most he said the whole time we talked. I said to him, “Wow, that has to be so overwhelming. You can’t change it all at once, but there are people that can help you to start walking through areas of your life one at a time to help you deal with them.” He doesn’t reply.

Between the security officer and me we convince him to sit down. While the security officer is off getting some hot chocolate for Joe, I keep talking with him. I learned he was from Miami. He said he didn’t have any friends or job here, and that he stayed in a different shelter each night.

I noticed he was clutching a folded, yellow piece of paper in his hand. I asked him what it was. He handed it to me. I read over the form which was a copy of a release form he had signed for the DSHS to give a nearby clinic his medical records. Plus, I now knew his last name and birthdate. He’d earlier told me his age, which the birthdate supported. He is 45 and completely without any hope for a tomorrow…

I asked him what the clinic was going to do or when he was supposed to go back. He replied, “I don’t know” to both questions. On the form was written, ‘Coordination of services’.

Just then the aid car shows up. I wish we’d had more time to just talk.

I shared with the EMTs what I knew and showed them the piece of paper. They were trying to decide what to do and I offered to go call the clinic to see what they intended next for him. “OK,” they said.

I called the clinic and after three people actually reached the mental health professional he’d met with right before coming to our office. She was clearly rattled as she let slip out, “He said he was going to go jump off of a building.” My gosh, why did they let him go!? She indicated that Joe should be transported to the Psychiatric ER of Harborview Medical Center and they would phone ahead to assist with coordinating his care.

I went back down stairs and they already had Joe in the aid car, just waiting to hear what I had learned and for the piece of yellow paper.

After I calmed down a bit, I called the lady at the clinic as I had a couple of questions. I told her how I believe she and others in the mental health profession must have such an incredibly difficult job and that I wasn’t trying to judge her, but asked why she let him go. She replied, “I didn’t know what to do and he didn’t want to go to Harborview and I couldn’t hold him.” She said, “I do know you saved his life.” Apparently though, if a person is about to harm themselves or others, the police CAN be called and they can then get him transported to a place of care/help.

I called Harborview in an attempt to see if I could connect with Joe and if nothing else, offer an ear. The ER nurse said that I couldn’t see him or get contact information, but that I could leave my name and number, which I did. I called the Harborview chaplain and he told me I had done all I could as far as trying to reach Joe.

Later I got a call asking me to give a statement as part of his evaluation process.

Today, two days later, I received a call from the local clinic. It was the clinic director calling to thank me for my “heroic efforts”. I played down that part, but she insisted that our actions kept Joe from jumping and taking his life. She walked through the event with me, amazed that I was able to talk him down to the lobby area. She says there are trained people in her clinic that find that hard to do.

I shared with her how unnerving it was to look in to his eyes and see such intense desperation…

We concluded the conversation with her letting me know that because we’d stopped Joe from jumping and then kept him from leaving the building that he is now getting the care he needs. That he is in a safe place. Otherwise he may have found a place to jump from.

I guess I have done all I can and can only pray for Joe and those that are helping him.

But it’s a good feeling to know I had a part in Joe having a tomorrow.

Collided with a Pigeon while on the Motorcycle...

I got a chance to test out my motorcycle helmet yesterday. Score – Doug 1 Pigeons 0. Well, mostly.

I was zipping along Hwy 520 on my way to work, travelling (please pay careful attention to the wording here) along with the flow of traffic which happened to be about 70 mph, when all of the sudden I see a pigeon coming right at me! There wasn’t even a chance to avoid the collision. All I could do was duck. (No pun intended or attempted)

Fortunately the pigeon hit the windshield first before slamming in to my helmet. The windshield broke down towards the base and has a white powder-like residue and scratches on it where the pigeon hit. The top of the helmet is covered in the same white powder-like material with the outline of a wing tip in it! An air vent sliding-cover was askew, easily snapped back in place, and there are scratches from a beak or claws, but otherwise the helmet is OK.

Immediately after the impact, which was at the left temple – I felt pain in my right temple. I slowed down, surveyed the windshield damage, and decided to go on. By time I got to work I just “felt funny”. Not disoriented or sick, just funny. Then I found as I was working on spreadsheets or completing forms it took more effort to decide where to click or what to do next when these were routine things I was working on. A little dizziness now and again, but nothing major. I just felt “off”. As the morning progressed the right side of my neck began to ache and get stiff.

I called this 800-number nurse hotline (No honey, I didn’t say that I called a hot nurse…) and after a series of questions she recommended I at least go get checked out. So I finished a few tasks, had one more meeting that was on my calendar and headed out. Yes, of course I was on the motorcycle! The windshield snapped just above a clamp that holds on a side piece. I was able to snap the top piece back in to the clamp and it seems to be holding. Although, without a doubt it won’t withstand another pigeon collision! Time for a new one.

The doctor examined me and took three x-rays of my neck. He concluded I have a mild concussion and cervical strain (caused by whiplash). In fact I looked up cervical strain online when I got home and the picture they show of the straightening of the lordotic curve was exactly like the x-ray! The neck has a natural curve, but mine was straight as a result of the muscles spasms caused by the whiplash. The doc says this is what caused the pain in the right temple – the whiplash in the neck radiated up to my right temple. And the concussion, well it’s just making me expend more energy on staying focused and concentrating…

The effects of the concussion will slowly wear off over the next two weeks. In the meantime, no jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles. He says studies have proven that concussions heal faster if you “rest the brain”. Guess I’ll get back to my Alzheimer fighting tactics in a few weeks. The whiplash will potentially get worse before getting better, but within a month I should be fine.

AND payment for these medical services? Covered as a MVA (motor vehicle accident)! As I was filling out the form I had to answer questions about the “other car”. Year, make and model? It was a pigeon. How fast was the other vehicle traveling? I don’t know – maybe 5 mph – it was a pigeon. Was anyone in the other vehicle injured? It was a pigeon folks!

But what fun with people… I told a couple of people I was taking off to go to the doctor because I hit a pigeon on the way to work and their reply was, “Yeah, and my dog ate my homework.” I get to the doctor’s office, the nurse calls my name and as I am walking up to her, she gets this crooked grin on her face and says, “A pigeon, huh?” The “MVA lady” says, “Good for you! We have way too many pigeons.” And my insurance agent, who is also my nephew, has a new story to add to his store of stories, saying, “Nope, haven’t heard this one before. And probably never will again,” as he busts out laughing.

So that was my Thursday. How was your Thursday?

Mercy

In April of 2007, we found a little home in Kent to buy. And a cat.

One day in 2006, the previous owners, Paul and Norma Butler, found a cat under their deck. They soon realized the cat was a female and also had kittens with her. They eventually were able to get the cat out, who was just skin and bones. They took the cat and her kittens to the vet, getting them all fixed and vaccinated. Soon afterwards, one of the kittens disappeared and the other two were given away. The Butlers named the cat Mercy. She hung around…because they fed her!

When we made the offer on the house, one of the Butlers first concerns were about us taking care of Mercy. "We can't take her with us. Will you put food out for her?" Of course we will.

We bought house and the cat.

After moving in we realized how skittish Mercy was. Some people called her a "scat" cat – a cat that is sneaking food from wherever they can find it and then run off by people saying, "Scat! Get out of here!" If Mercy was on the deck when I put out the food, she would run off if I made a noise or moved my leg/foot or arm/hand too quickly. Sometimes we wouldn't see her for up to three days.

Then one day, probably close to being there a year, she let me pet her. Not for long. And only by the food dish. But she let me pet her.

I tried string on a stick and other toys, but she would never play with me. We caught her once in a while playing with a wind-blown leaf on the deck, or swatting at a stream of water from the soaker hose, but she wouldn't play with us. We figure she must have been abandoned at an early age and survival in the wild was foremost on her mind, not playing…

As time progressed, she began following me around the yard…never coming too close…even running off if I acknowledged she was there. But we were becoming friends.

Eventually, she even let me pick her up…for 30 seconds or so. And then one day…she purred. Yes, she was getting comfortable.

As time passed she even came in the house. She never wanted to stay for long. Maybe 10 minutes or so. This eventually grew in to 45 minutes. One day – and one day only – I found her curled up in the middle of the guest bed comforter sleeping like a baby. But she was definitely an outdoor cat.

There were times when I would be on the deck at night and she would hear a noise. We'd walk together to investigate the noise, Mercy on one side of the deck and me on the other – between her and the noise of course. Once satisfied there was no danger, or after scaring off the raccoons, we would go back to the step to the sliding door and sit down. I would pet her for a while and then say goodnight.

We had a bed for her on the deck. She would always be there in the morning and as soon as I opened the sliding door, she would meow, jump off the bed and run in to the house. She would plop herself on the floor, roll over and wait for me to rub her belly. This is how we started most days. (You need to know Cheryl and I sleep with our bedroom window open – all year round.) On mornings where we tried to sleep in, Mercy would get up to our window and meow, "Get up! I am hungry!"

Every evening would find her waiting at the slider for us. For most of the 4 years there, she never came inside in the evening – just waited outside while I prepared her dinner. But the last few months, she would come inside in the evenings too for some belly rubbing.

Remember how I said she would run at the slightest noise when we first met? As time progressed she would accompany me in to the shop and despite the loudest bangs, she would stay there with me. Eventually she would even allow herself to be petted or picked up other places around the yard, not just by her food dish.

Mercy grew to trust me, letting me play with her paws, put medication on her, look at scratches… I even got her to sit on my lap a few times.

But she was still an outdoor and "wild" cat.

We moved to Woodinville one week ago. We are out in the country with coyotes. On top of that we just didn't see Mercy making the adjustment very well. The two neighbors, Kathryn and Kathy (two different neighbors) said they would feed Mercy and watch out for her. After all, one of them was already feeding her anyway, and Mercy frequently slept on a chair of the other neighbor's front porch. But as the week grew on, the neighbors reported Mercy was acting more lost and just sat at our back door and cried.

I went down one day to get mail and she comes up to me, lays down and wants to be petted. She let me pick her up and hold her for a long time. I went in to the house; she followed me in and then wouldn't go out when I tried to close up the house. She missed me…

So we decided to transport her out here to Woodinville. She was one scared cat by the time we got here. She immediately went behind and then under the couch. She came out a couple of times. Cried. And went back under. Finally she came out and over to me. I picked her up and she sat in my lap purring.

I took her out to the shed by the horse pasture to show her where her bed, scratching post and dishes were. She sat in her bed for a minute and then went behind the refrigerator where she remained the rest of the afternoon. I coaxed her out that evening with some canned food. She ate the food, letting me pet her and looking around. Then she went back behind the frig.

However, Monday morning she was gone. And her dry food was untouched. I hoped she was just out exploring. We added more dry food and went to work. We came home and still no Mercy and no sign of her eating her food.

Who knows where she went, or if she will come back. I don't think her odds are good out there with the abundance of coyotes – brave enough to walk the streets here in daylight! And if she tries to go back to Kent, it's a long way and she would need to cross I-90.

We left canned food out last night, but it hasn't been touched.

She grew from running away for three days if I moved too fast to trusting me. And I feel like I let her down. Maybe we introduced her to the outside too quickly. My heart breaks when I think of how scared and disoriented she must have been. And now she's on her own.

I hope you come home Mercy. Your food and bed are waiting for you.

Introduction to My Harvest America

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Merry Christmas from the Haleys - 2010

2010 has been quite a year for the Haleys... Full of joys, sorrows, losses and lots of thanks for every day they have been allowed to take another breath! They'd like to share the year with you!! (The blue, underlined words are links to pictures on smugmug or to other sites.)

Let’s start with an update on their grandkids! Mya and Austin turned 14 – they will be 15 in 2011, old enough to drive! Serena, Taylor and Tanner turned 12, Kinley and Reghan turned 11, Makenah and Ashton turned 7, Ella turned 5 and Josiah turned 4. Let’s see… Yup that is 11. AND #12 will be here in April! Daughter Megan is expecting her 4th child.

And now, before we get too far in to 2010, let’s see how 2009 ended…

Marissa and her family – husband Johnny and sons Taylor and Ashton – came to Cheryl and Doug's house for Christmas Eve. They cheated though and went out for dinner – Mexican of course - El Charro. Then they went home and opened gifts ending with the customary treasure hunt!

Check out the pictures of a fun Christmas Eve here.



Then they crashed the Spokane Christmas celebration! There was food, games, fun and gifts. The partying tuckered everyone out – even Doug's Dad’s dog Bo!






See all of the fun in pictures here!










So now, let’s visit 2010…

January

The year started the way 2009 ended, connecting with old classmates, old co-workers and “long lost” family members they never knew they were even related to! Haha Cheryl decided to head to Colville, WA to visit with an old girlfriend there – Lori and her husband Les.

These were both friends from Cheryl's junior high through freshman years of school. She also visited with some other former classmates while there. Pictures of the visit are here.

For Christmas 2009, Doug gave Cheryl (and himself!) dance lessons at the Abbey Ballroom in Tacoma with Terry West Productions. They started in the beginner’s class for the West Coast Swing. Doug didn't have a problem knowing which foot was left and which was right, but be darned if he could keep a beat... Anyway, they went to 4 weeks of lessons before Doug tweaked his back and lessons were out of the question for several weeks. They hope to pick them up again in 2011! Check out Cheryl's dancing boots!

Both Doug and Cheryl's birthdays occur in January - two days apart from one another. However, Cheryl wants it to be pointed out she is 1 year AND 2 days younger than Doug... They decided for 2010 they would celebrate their birthdays in Boise with several days of skiing at Bogus Basin.

Check out pictures of the weekend here.

They were able to head up to Bogus twice. Once with Caleb, Greg, Mya, Reghan and Tanner. Monica even went along and hung out in the lodge. They went up again on Monday with Greg, Mya and Tanner. This was Cheryl's first time boarding in SIX years since her back surgery. Check out Cheryl @ Bogus! She did great and is feeling fine!

They also started adding older pictures they've scanned to FB and SmugMug. Check out their growing album of "old" pictures here!









February

February included a trip to Boise to help Monica move, a Valentine's get away and a three day trip to Phoenix for Doug to attend a conference on Financial Management for Law Firms.

While the focus of their February visit to Boise was to help Monica move, Cheryl managed to find time to spend with her friends Rita and Jorene.




For Valentines, let's use Cheryl's FB post - Doug, you are the greatest example of a sweetheart! So grateful I'm your Valentine! Surprising me with the South Pacific play, dinner at Palominos & a night at the Pan Pacific Seattle hotel with an afternoon checkout (reservations you made back in Nov.!) I love you Doug & feel very spoiled & loved!! What's amazing is that you do this stuff for me all year long, not just today!! Thank you for the man you've chosen to be!!

And you remember a little earlier in this post where it mentioned Doug had tweaked his back? Well here's a FB comment about his back on February 14th... I am so crooked that from behind, my head is to the right of my right hip... I am so crooked, even if I stand on tippy toe on my right foot I still am not straight... I am so crooked, I need to whine...I hurt! boo-hoo After some x-rays, an MRI and a few doctor visits they determined he needed physical therapy and would be fine... It was the middle of March though before he was 100% again!

March

Grandson Ashton celebrated his 7th birthday in March. He had some friends over for a sleep-over and then family joined in on the celebration the next day. Check out more pictures of his birthday party here.

Cheryl had rotator cuff surgery in March. It has been a long recovery and still aches at times, but in the long run the tear has been repaired and they hope the surgery gives her a stronger shoulder!

And while Doug rides the Gold Wing to work almost every day, he looks forward to "real" rides!
He took his first ride in March on a warm and sunny afternoon. Check out the blog post here.

April

April brings baseball in to their life - grandkids and Mariners! They took in one of Ashton's games in April.

More pictures can be seen here!




Caleb visited for a long weekend. One of the days involved a visit to Seattle to do some shopping and goof around at the Seattle Center.

Check out more pictures of his visit here!




And April brought their first Mariners game of the season.



They were given some wonderful seats just behind home plate. Remember the Seattle Sonics? Remember Detlef Schrempf?


He was seated in the same row as Cheryl and Doug. Doug went down and said hello along with some other mumbled words... haha At least he didn't bother him for his autograph!


May

May? Well, May was about Hawaii! Mostly. Doug's office was moving over Memorial Day weekend and that was his focus for May - even at the rate of 2 to 3 hours a day from Hawaii. The time invested was worth it as their move went off without a hitch. 30 people shut down on Friday and started back up Tuesday morning as if nothing happened. Nice!

But now back to the highlight of the year! Hawaii!! It was the first time for both Cheryl and Doug so they decided to spend nearly three weeks there on three different islands!

They left on April 29th and came home on May 16th.


The trip started on Oahu where they attended the wedding of a daughter of a long time friend of Cheryl's.

They were able to spend some time with other relatives including son Greg and his wife Megan.



They visited Pearl Harbor and the Dole Pineapple Plantation, snorkeled from a catamaran off the beach of Waikiki and visited Haleiwa.

From there they traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii. They did the most organized tours here -


snorkeling from a catamaran in a beautiful bay with a shark, a volcano tour where they got to see the glow of the flowing lava at night and took in a wonderful luau!




















The last island, and by far the most beautiful and relaxing of their trip was Kauai! No organized trips...just relaxing on the beach, snorkeling here and there,
an open-door helicopter ride, a hike along the Napali coast and Doug rented a Harley to "ride the island"!




It was a wonderful vacation and yes, they will go back, to Kauai!

In case you want to see ALL of the pictures taken during their vacation, here are the links!

• Oahu - the Wedding
• Oahu - Pearl Harbor
• Oahu - Dole Pineapple Plantation
• Oahu - General
• Kona (Big Island of Hawaii) - Volcano Tour
• Kona - Luau
• Kona - General
• Kauai - Waimea Canyon
• Kauai - Kalalau Trail
• Kauai - Ke'e Beach
• Kauai - Helicopter Ride
• Kauai - General

June

Along came summer and Doug and Cheryl were out and about - Mariner games and street fairs. Doug even got to meet Dino Rossi!

June also included a visit from Cheryl's Mom and Dad. They did some sight-seeing and took a trip to Port Angeles to watch Doug's sister-in-law Gwen finish her first half-marathon - the North Olympic Discovery Half-Marathon. Afterwards they visited with Doug's Uncle Tom and Aunt Joan, as well as with Doug's Dad and step-mom Linda and Gwen and her family.

They also took a quick weekend trip to Boise to help Monica move in to a more appropriate place for her and the kids. They always enjoy seeing family in Boise - especially Doug when he gets to go to the Boise co-op and buy wine!

July

July continued their round of the street fairs and Mariner games - many of them aboard the Gold Wing, including a trip one day that included Kent Cornucopia Days, Ballard Seafood Fest and a Mariners' game with Felix Hernandez pitching!

And of course they were there when Jose Lopez hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 8th to give the Mariners a win over the NY Yankees! Oh yeah!

They rode the Gold Wing to Lynden WA to attend a surprise birthday party for Cheryl's Cousin Keith.



The ride included their first visit to the Conway Pub and a chance to meet some other motorcycle riders.
Check out the pictures here!

July also included a retirement party for Doug's brother-in-law Wes. He had decided to retire early to help with his cancer battle. His son Colin and wife Isha threw a wonderful party at their home!







And July brought more visitors - Talya and her family from Oklahoma! They were here for a wedding and to visit family.
Doug and Cheryl were able to spend a number of days with them as well as have some wonderful pictures taken in Darrington!

When Talya and the grandkids arrived, they headed for a Chinese buffet! While sitting around after lunch, Kinley (now 11) turned to Grandpa Doug and asks, "So Grandpa, what was it like in the old days?" LOL The question was humorous, but they actually had quite a conversation around how things have changed since Grandpa was their age... One of their adventures was to Kingston - just cause.





Check out a few more pictures of their visit here!







August

August started with a 4+ day motorcycle ride to Glacier Park and Going to the Sun Road! Total trip - 1478 miles!


They road with friends from Spangle, WA - Marty, Kathy and Gary.

Check out the blog post about the ride - more pictures and more links! Glacier Park 2010!











September

September 3 brought the passing of Doug's brother-in-law Wes. He lost his courageous fight with cancer and went home to be with our Lord. It was of course a hard time for Doug's sister Debbie and her sons Kenny and Colin.



A Celebration of Wes' Life was held shortly after his passing - a time to remember Wes - for family, friends and former co-workers.



Rest in peace Wes.

September also included a cornhole tournament at Doug's daughter's place in Oso, WA.
They even had a taco truck there with some yummy food! All had a good time and Marissa ended up winning the tournament! Check out a few pictures of the day here!




And Doug and Cheryl went to the last four games of the Mariner season - yup all four of them. And they lost all four... Maybe next year! Doug finally got to stop at this Mexican Food bus along the light rail!

Doug and Cheryl went to the Puyallup Fair in September - Cheryl's first time.
They participated in 3 simultaneousness treasure hunts taking them all over the fairgrounds! Check out all of the fair pictures here!

And September included an ABX (Airborne Express for you uninitiated! haha) reunion at Sammamish Lake State Park!



September also saw the loss of Cheryl's job. She was laid off on September 3 and as of the writing of this blog is still looking for work...

October

October included attendance to some of grandson Ashton's football games - his first year playing tackle football. You can check out more pictures of #12's stellar season here!

Doug's nephew Ben ran a half-marathon in Spokane - so that gave the Haleys a reason to have a party in Spokane! Food, family and cards - a great combo!


Caleb also came out to visit again in October...mostly just spent some time with his Mom hanging out...







November



Doug and Cheryl celebrated their 5th anniversary on November 14th. Doug's FB post on the 14th - FIVE YEARS and two months ago, I met this lady from Boise, ID. We met online @ christiancafe.com 9/9/05 and after exactly 1 week of phone conversations, I flew to Boise to meet her on 9/16/05. As I walked towards her after coming off the plane, I knew in an instant this was it. As I hugged her and we walked towards baggage claim, it was like I was with a life-long friend. ‎4-1/2 hours later I asked her to marry me. Just shy of two months later we got married and she moved to the Puget Sound area. Now five years later we get to celebrate that "instant" in life. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CHERYL ANN. I love you - forever!

The weekend after their anniversary, they went to a Weekend to Remember Marriage Getaway at the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine WA. It was a rich and re-affirming weekend, ending with a renewal of their wedding vows. The Haleys recommend this get-a-way to all!

November 22 brought quite a winter storm to their area. The Haleys would eventually get a foot of snow! Doug's commute home on the 22nd was horrendous! A 40 minute commute turned in to 6 hours. At one point he moved only .3 miles (Yes, POINT 3) in TWO hours! Then, just 2 miles from home, Doug skidded on ice, crashing in to a curb. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the car was un-drivable and needed to be left near the scene of the crash. Doug's office closed the next day and he was able to recover his car and get a rental car. Their car is back on the road again!

Cheryl created a great snowman out of the snow and then she and Doug had a little fun with Frosty...





Thanksgiving followed a few days later.
Cheryl and Doug invited her nephew Josh and his wife Kerstin and their daughter Claire over for dinner. They played guitar hero,


ate WAY too much GREAT food and then played cards.


Check out all of the pictures here!


Wrapping up November was a dinner cruise as part of the Christmas Ship Parade. The Christmas ship was followed by several boats including their ship where they enjoyed a 4 course meal. All of the boats were decorated with Christmas lights.

The Christmas ship would stop offshore from various locations and carolers on the boat would sing, broadcast to the shore via huge speakers. Doug and Cheryl were able to go outside on to a deck of the ship and listen to the carols.



Pictures of the evening can be seen here.


December

December started with a fun weekend...

Doug and Cheryl did some Christmas caroling of their own - from kayaks!



That's right, they paddled a kayak up to houseboats on Lake Union where they sang carols along with 40 other kayakers to party guests at the particular houseboat.













Then on the 5th they were able to attend a Seahawk game against the Panthers (compliments of some friends!).



Enough said!

So, that's the year for the Haleys in a nutshell. A very large nutshell! LOL There is still more ahead though before the end of the year. You'll just have to check back again next year to see how they finished off the year!

The Haleys just need to say they have a very blessed life. They are thankful to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for their health, Doug's job and beautiful family.


Merry Christmas everyone!