Walters Family Christmas Letter 2011

Well, Alrightey then!!....

Time for the annual Walters family Christmas letter.  Hope you enjoy!

Well, we've had some big things happen this year, so let me just go down the list.

Cliff's year was a little tough. He started it out with a torn rotator cuff.  After a rough surgery, and even tougher rehab, he can now wipe his own ass.  He also started a new profession as an alligator wrangler. You can check him out on the History Channel's show "Swamp People". 

Donna's year was extra trying.  She took care of her dad for most of the year until he passed in August. Although she greatly misses him, she doesn't miss watching The Andy Griffith show and Sanford and Son on loop every-single-day.  She didn't get to do a lot of traveling this year, but she did make it to Philly and Jersey for her nephew's wedding.  Unfortunately, she was unable to really enjoy it because she was going through Sonic and Wayne's withdrawals the whole time.  It was quite unbearable.

Jennifer's year was pretty exciting. She had a wonderful experience on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua. She had a dance off with her favorite New Kid On The Block, and her Thunder basketball team made it to the semi-finals. Later that year she booted her roomate and after running inside the house the second she moved and yelling "FREEDOM!" in her best Braveheart voice, her cousin calls 2 hours later and asks if he can move in. DOH! He has been an absolute blessing though. Especially after she hurt her back serving the peeps in Nicaragua. Now, it's incredibly difficult for her, to wipe her own ass. 

James probably had the most exciting year. He got a fiance and a baby mama all in one year. He also regulated on some brothas who was tryna jack from him in da hood. Ya-no-wha-I-mean? After that, his little spawn was born. Little baby James has the Walters butt chin and he mumbles just like his daddy. Hopefully he won't have his freakishly large head and big toe.

All in all, it has been a very memorable year.  We are so lucky to have Krystal and Kalih in our family and have decided to have mercy on their souls for one more year before we feed them to the wolves in our next letter.  So...from our family to yours, we hope you have a merry christmas and a happy new year!

           From The Walters Family





Rangers!

As I'm sitting here watching the World Series I wanted to tell the story of why I love the Texas Rangers so much. When I was in 8th grade, my mom's friend, who is also my cousins aunt (just go with it) asked me if I wanted to go to Ft. Worth with her and help with a birthday party.  Royalin, who has always been a dear family friend, always put on the best birthday parties for her family. She has two sons and I always helped with their over the top birthday parties. Her sister Deanna lived in Ft. Worth and twice a year I would venture there to help with her daughters birthday parties.  These entailed months of planning, weeks of preperation and always a day before all nighter.  Every birthday had a theme, which included Little Mermaid, Star Trek,  Beauty and the Beast, firefighter, farm, Ninja Turtles etc.  And each one was absolute over the top, yet so fun and memorable.  I remember dressing up as Simba, a flight attendant, a clown, and a vulcan.  I remember staying up all night to finish making the Beauty and the Beast village out of cardboard boxes, paper machaeing a giant cow, and painting the house grey so it looked like a sewer for the ninja turtle party. But the most memorable party was the 101 Dalmation party.

     Deana was contacted by a friend to help with a large kid birthday party.  She obliged to do so and got Royalin and I involved.  I was so excited because the party was for the son of Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez son Derek.  I don't remember much of the party preparation, but I do remember making a load of dog bone cookies and croissant dog bones.   I also don't remember much about the party itself, but I do remember having the absolute best job.  I was in charge of going in and out of the house to get things from the kitchen, like utensils and ice and refilling the punch bowl. This was so awesome because thats were all the guys were hanging out.  And when I say guys, I mean super stars!  Not only was I in the midst of a 3 time Golden glove winner, Pudge himself, I also rubbed shoulders with Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzales and Mario Diaz. (Okay, not exactly rubbing shoulders. The people that really know me, know that I was a shorty until I was a senior in high school.)  They all said hi to me and were very nice.  They had a game that evening and they were eating beans and rice and watching a game in the next room.  I remember thinking it was odd that they were eating beans before a game, because I know that would've been a bad idea for me.  What I remember most was admiring all the awards that were hanging in the hallway and thinking about how normal these guys seemed to be.

     Ever since then I have absolutely been a Rangers fan. Im also a Yankees fan and I know a lot of you will be hating on me for that, but its always Rangers first. I was totally obsessed with Pudge Rodriguez after that.  I used to cut out newspaper slippings of him and save them in a scrapbook. I still have his bobble head on my nightstand next to my bed. I have a collectors baseball card with part of his jersey on it.  I kept up with his career when he moved to Detroit, and then to the Yankees. And was so happy when he came back to the Rangers to close it out.  I was in the Rangers parking lot tailgaiting before the OU / BYU game at Texas stadium a couple of years ago and in my tailgaiting stupor (some of yall know what I mean) tried to bribe a Rangers maintenance guy on a golf cart to go get Pudge for me. (No there wasn't a game that day but I was feeling really hopeful that he was just hanging out in the stadium for no reason.)

    So Im sitting here watching Game 1 of the World Series with the Rangers vs Cardinals, yelling at the TV.  The Rangers are down 1 run at the bottom of the 8th with a Cards runner on 3rd with 2 outs.  And I'm loving every minute of it because baseball has always made me happy ever since I was a little girl.

Last day:(

Today was the last day of our trip.  First let me tell you a little bit about yesterday.  We saw about 50 patients in the morning and then we packed up.  During the week most of the patients had been bussed in from other areas, but yesterday when we got there, there was a line of people just waiting for us to get there.  We were supposed to see children from an orphanage, but they double scheduled another trip for that day, so we just saw the locals that had heard about us being there through the grapevine.

Afterward we took a small trip to see Pastor Waynes school that he built.  He has started a small school in the dump grounds where they teach up to 9th grade.  The dump grounds is an area where the poorest of the poorest live in Nicaragua.  Nicaragua is actually the 2nd poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere behing Haiti.  So when we went down there it was so sad.  It is basically the city dump, where people have set up little huts and they actually live. They try to get the first dibs on the trash for either food, or to find things they can sell on the street.  Pastor Wayne has worked hard to set up a school for these children, in hopes that one day they can find their way out of that situation.  When we went to the school, it is inside a big compound with large cement walls and barbed wire with an armed guard there all the time.  He showed us the place that they had the school before, it was just a small building down the street.  But he said that while they were there a few of his young girls were assaulted and one boy was kidnapped, so he had to move to another place that was safer for them.  He is real excited though because graduation is in about a month and he is so proud of his students.

Today was our free day so we went to a couple of places to do some shopping and then we went to go zip line.  I really was looking forward to that but I didn't partake because my back was really hurting and I didn't think it was a good idea.  But the area we were in was just like a jungle.  Some of the people said the year before they saw monkeys, but we didn't see any today. So Kate and I, who is pregnant, just acted as the cinematographers:)  After that, we drove by a volcano. I don't remember the name but they said about 40 years ago it erupted and caused a lot of damage to the town.  However, it has created a lot of lakes and inlets that are so beautiful.  There was a lot of smoke coming out of it and it looked really cool.  Some people have predicted that it should erupt again within the next 10 years.  Also while traveling around the last few days it is very apparent that the sandanista group is still very present these days.  If you haven't heard of the sandanistas, they are a group of rebels that have used terror strategies against their own people and to keep corrupt government officials in office.  There are many armed guards placed in random places and their signs are prevalent across the country.  Usually, this trip takes place the second week of October, but that is when the elections are this year and there is so much political tension, they decided to go earlier.  Unfortunately, there is so much government corruption and it seems that many of the citizens are brain washed as to what leader would be the best for them, and how an actual democratic government should work.

Nevertheless, opportunities like this are very humbling.  Sometimes it takes certain things in life to realize how lucky we are.  Not only can we make our own choices and have equal opportunities as anyone else, simple things like eating 3 meals a day, sleeping in a warm bed, or having medical attention at our fingertips is simply overlooked and underappreciated. I am so glad I was able to attend this trip and hopefully I can continue to share the compassion towards people that I think I have been lacking.

Day 4

Ive been hard at work these last couple of days.  We have been averaging about 200 patients everyday.  Usually a group is bussed in in the morning and a new group comes imn the afternoon.  Most times the groups are mixed, mostly consisting of mothers and their kids.  The main concerns we treat are children with allergies, fungal rashes, and parasites.  Most everybody here has to be treated with parasite medication because the water is so dirty that they drink.  The kids get stomach aches, fever and itchy rashes all over their body from different parasites.  The good thing is that can be treated just by taking 2 pills oncer every 6 months, but unfortanely most cannot afford it.  Yesterday was probably my favorite day because we got a large group of people from the nursing home.  They were all elderly people who were so grateful that we were here.  We fit many people with canes, walkers and orthotic shoes.  One of our nurses recognized an elderly man from last year.  She went up to him and asked "do you remember me?"  And he said "yes, I've been praying for you all year".  This from a man that didn't have anything.  His toes were hanging out of his shoes, and we couldn't find any that would fit him, so one of the guys took the shoes off his own feet and gave them to him.  Today I took my flip flops with me in case I found somebody who needed my shoes and I did. I gave him my shoes and half the day I wore my flip flops. 

Today it rained a lot, which was a real blessing because it cooled down the temperature.  Tomorrow,we will only work a half day, take down the clinic, and then go to a small village where we can do some local shopping.  This week has just flown by.  I will try my best to keep checking in and letting you know how things are down here.  Until then...hasta luego!

Day 1

Today was our real first day at the clinic seeing patients.  Two busloads of people came throughout the day.  I saw 60 patients myself and I am so tired.  I think we saw a total of about 250 patients today.  We had mostly kids with colds, sinus infections, and fungal infections.  A lot of the people come to get medicine to prevent worms and other parsites that they would get from food and drinking water.  Everybody is so greatful that we are there.  I thought that there was a clinic that is staffed throughout the year by different groups of people. But in actuality, there only about 3-4 weeks of the year that people provide medical care here.  So its a big deal when we come to town, and the word gets out.

I will try to explain the setup of the clinic to give you a vsual of what exactly we do there.  First the are checked in by the nurses who take vital signs, medical history and assessments.  This is what I do.  There are 4 of us.  Then, they go to a separate room where a missionary is there to provide morale support and to offer prayer.  Next they give a urine sample and they wait for that to be analyzed and then they can see the doctor.  We have 4 physicians that came with us.  Once they have seen the doctor, they proceed to the pharmacy to pick up a 30 day supply of their medicine and they have the oppurtunity to go have their vision checked and get eye glasses. Finally at the last stop they are given bags of beans and rice to take home and we offer them shoes, clothes and toys if available.

Im having a great time.  Everybody is so nice and helpful. We have translators, but I'm not doing so bad at my spanglish.  I can't wait to post some pics.  Maybe I will later this week when Im not dog tired.  Until then, keep us in your thoughts and I'm going nighty night!

 

Arrival to Nicarauga!

Whoo! It's been a long day of travel.  I just got settled into my room and am ready for bed.  We have an early start tomorrow.  Church starts at 8 and then we will set up the clinic the rest of the day.  I have had a good time getting to know a lot of my teammates.  Theres not a better time to do that crammed on 3 different planes with people you don't really know. There are about 25 of us and I am 1 of 4 newbies. There is definitly a close sense of family with everyone.  They are all so fun loving and humorous so I think I will fit in just fine.

Once we arrived to Managua, we stood outside for about 20 minutes waiting on our hotel van and it is soooo humid here! Not too hot, but let me tell you, my hair instantly fro'd up withing a matter of minutes.  I can't wait to send a pic of this freak of nature masterpiece.  I feel kind of like Monica from the episode of "Friends" when she goes to the Bahamas.  Except 5 times worse.

 Also when we arrived I met Wayne, who is the missionary that lives here who we will be working with.  He is originally from Amarillo.  His son joined us in Dallas and will be spending the week with us.   His other son was in an accident about a month ago and broke his neck.  Thankfully, he can still walk and move around, but he has to do therapy for a couple of more months.  So Waynes wife, who is usually here, is staying in the states with her son. 

I will end this right here because I am ready for bed.  I will definitly be back to you tomorrow.

Gramps

Just last week I was talking to my mom and we were saying that we should write down some of our favorite memories of my grandpa.  He passed just this August and it was really hard, but there are so many wonderful memories I have of him and some of those I would like to share with you.

When I was young I remember going to his house a lot.  My grandma passed when I was very young, and I don't really remember her, but I do have such great memories of going to gramps' house.  It was always so clean and at Christmas time he always put up the white Christmas tree.  I always thought that was so cool.  My cousins and I had so much fun playing at that house.  He had a steep hill next to his house and we would roll down it into the street.  On the 4th of July, we would climb on top of his roof and watch the fireworks show. He had this big old Dodge pickup, and I can still remember the way it smelled.  Gramps always had Juicy Fruit gum for us too.

Over the years I got older and moved away, but these last few years have been so special to me.  One of my favorite memories is when I took him to the International Festival and we sat down at a picnic table and shared a fry bread and watched some Polynesian dancers.  He kept saying, "man, they can dance!"  As we were walking back to the car I stopped and pointed out this huge turtle in a cage that was on  display and he just stood there for a second and out of nowhere he yells "Hey!", as if the turtle would look up at him and aknowledge him.  I was so embarrased because right next to us there was a table full of young army recruiters that were just cracking up.  And, I couldn't help but laugh as well.

This last year I tried to go home every weekend so I could spend time with him.  On Saturdays I took him to dialysis and he just loved riding in my car.  You see my car has a the handle on the top you can hold on to, as if you were on a bus or a trolley.  He remembered that everytime he got into my car.  Whenever we would hit 38th st and Gore (those of you from Lawton), he would say "Hold on", but of course I would hit it  like the Dukes of Hazzard and he would just giggle like a little boy.  "Oh Boy" and "Boy Howdy" were a couple of his favorite phrases.  He also LOVED football.  On the TV it was always football,  John Wayne, The Andy Griffith Show, or Sanford and Son.  Just the other day I was at the gym on the treadmill flipping through the channels and I landed on Sanford and Son.  I continued watching it, while looking like an idiot laughing the whole time, but feeling really connected because this was an episode that I remembered watching with him.  This past spring I stumbled upon the Lingerie Football League.  I immediaely called my dad and asked him to turn it on for gramps.  Dad said he got such a kick out of it.  He didn't say much but the one thing he did say was, "those girls have Big Legs!"  Im sure thats all he noticed:)

The beginning of the summer we had to move him to a rehab facility.  The place was kind of in between an assisted living and nursing home.  My family was very diligent about going there everyday to visit and eat meals with him. The word got out that there was a piano there and my cousin told him that next time I came I would play for him.  I was very nervous when I heard about that because I havent played for about 12 years.  So I get there and of course he doesnt forget, so we walk down to the common area and I apologetically try to squeak out a couple of songs.  He claps and gives me a sympathy "that was good", but the last song I remember is an old hymn, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus".   After hearing this he wants me to play it again and again and again.  I should have know this would be the one he would love so much because of his deep love of Jesus.  Whenever he would talk about Jesus, he would never say his name, he would always just say "my friend". A few times I would think, who is he talking about, he doesn't have any friends. (Which was mean, I know). But I realized he wasn't talking about any friends here on earth, but his Saviour. Gramps would always say the prayer whenever we had big family dinners and whether he would say it in Kiowa or English he would say at the end "I love you , I love you, I love you".   He taught me that God isn't this force or great spirit that sometimes seems beyond us, but that he can be our best friend.  He is so close to us that its not necessary to use big King James majestic words to communicate with him, just talk to him like he's your friend that's sitting right next to you.  Im sure he is sitting next to Him now with my grandma just gabbing away about OU football or the Denver Broncos or those girls that played football with the big legs.

Let's try this!

Just recently I have been inspired to start a blog from my friend Emily who has been writing such eloquent, entertaining antecdotes.  I can't promise you all that,  but I will try my best.  I will be going on a mission trip in 2 days and I want this to be a gateway that I can keep in touch with my friends and family.  For those of you that know me, know that I am in no way a computer genius.  I sometimes feel like such an old person getting mad at these "young people" texting all the time with their "loud music" and not having any "social skills" because they don't know how to talk to people without using an electronic device.  It takes me about an hour to figure out how to organize my pics on facebook. I really don't listen to that much music that was made after the new millenium. I felt so happy that my friend Kasey once jokingly said "I cant stand the youth of America". It was funny when she said it, but at the same moment I was wanting to slap the piss out of these kids sitting in front of us in the movie theatre.  The point of this whole rant is that Im old and you'll have to  bear with me as I tip toe through this new endeavor because my computer skills aren't anywhere near my num chuk skills.

Another reason I am doing this is because sometimes I feel so oblivious to things going on around me.  Some of my main philosphies in life include the phrases "dont sweat the small stuff", "just roll with it", and "move on".  To some people this could be seen as an "I dont care" attitude, but to me, I see it as a "no drama" attitude.  There are so many things in my life I can be thankful for, so why sweat the small stuff.  I've always been like that and I make no apologies. The only thing I do apologize for is using so many air quotes in this blog.  But in all seriousness, I want to be more observant about things going on around me and figure out how lifes little tickles and hiccups relate to my life in the big picture.

Tomorrow I will be sharing stories of my grandfather who I recently lost.  The other day I was talking to my mom about all the things I will miss about him and all the craziness.  We both decided that it would be a good idea to write these memories down, so I hope you will be looking forward to that.  Then I will be heading to Nicaragua for a medical mission trip, which I am super syked about, and can't wait to share with you.  Hope you enjoy this and I will see you soon.
                                                                                      Jennifer