ghs1974 - Francelia Baker

(pictures from Tim's grad in '05)

April 1, 2009

Greetings from Vancouver Island, BC Canada,

I have been thinking about doing an update for a while now but just never pushed to have access to this computer so I could do it...but this morning my husband got it all hooked up for me so I have easy access.

To say that 2008 was an eventful year is a bit of an understatement: there were fun trips, special moments, life changing events, and moments of great joy and great sadness......

The first six months of the year went pretty smoothly, kids were working and or going on in their educations and John and I were enjoying our life as empty nesters....my mom's immigration process was getting closer to finishing (we are now really close to her moving here). At the end of May and first part of June John and I went to Mom's and we all went on a road trip to California. It was so good to see people that I had not seen in years. We drove up the Coast Hwy. from Pismo Beach to Monterey, then back to Gilroy. Then to SF and through the Redwoods. This was a treat for John as he is in the logging industry. The only thing wrong with the trip was that there just wasn't enough time to spend. We did get a chance to see lots of people we wanted, but alas there were others that we didn't get to see. In July we went to Alberta for a neice's wedding and to see some of John's family. In August #3 son got engaged while he and his girlfriend were in Paris. Then came the last six months of the year...

On September 17th I was off on a trip to see my Mom, and go to a wedding reception down in Vancouver Washington...I was about 45 miles from home when I lost control of my little focus and within moments was hit on the front passenger side by a 26' motorhome. I am so grateful that no one died in the accident and even though it has been a long road of recovery that is still going on life is good. The couple in the MH were on vacation frome Germany. It was over an hour before I was removed from the reckage because the cel coverage really sucks in that area (pretty much there is no service for 2hrs) and they had to send someone to one of the small communities 15 miles away to make the call to the Fire Department in Port McNeill where I live....but they arrived and removed me, got me back to town, stabalized me, then sent me byambulance to the "big" hospital in Campbell River (2 and a half hrs. away) to be put back together. Injuries were: tib/fib double compound of the left leg, double compound of the right arm, stable fracture of the right pelvis, 3 ribs left and most of the bones in the front part of my right foot including 4 out of 5 toes. I was in surgery all night, I now have a rod in my left leg and a plate in my right arm. I was down in CR for 5 days and was then sent back to our little hospital in Port McNeill. I do mean little, we had 8 rooms, I had excellant care durring my 3 month stay. I was actually pretty spoiled, I had my husbands mega gaming laptop and wireless internet from one of our friends who lived across the lawn from the hospital. Small towns are great. Fianlly on December 16th I was allowed to bare weight for the first time, and on the 20th I was allowed to go home. As we have 2 sets of stairs in our house I was set up in the tv room where it made it easier for my husband and son to look after me. I started walking with a walker and then cane in the house but still used the wheelchair when we went out for ease and safty reasons. I am now walking with or without the cane but slowly. Fast like turtle, quite a few scars, but I'm alive. To top everything else off, in October due to stress and a 5 meter fall while working in the bush my husband John suffered a mild stroke which thant God he has recovered from quite well. Then of course hearing the news about Gerilyn just before New Years, we were more than happy to say goodbye to 2008.

2009 is going ok, we are just waiting for my mom's background checks to be done and sent in to the Canadian Embassy in Seattle so we can get her moved. I am planning a trip down to see her soon, I just have to work it between physio appointments and hatching chicks. LOL, I can't work, so I am going full out on my little egg bussiness and will be raising some turkeys for the coming holidays. Over all life is good if not a challange, but no one ever said it was going to be fare or easy.

Wishing everyone health and happiness.

God Bless,

Fran

January 3, 2008: another UPDATE (finally)

Hello again from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada:

Well you may have noticed that there were pictures from the grad in 2005, thanks to Grant, he got to it before my husband got home from being in camp. I am just grateful, thank you Grant.

Things here have been moving along pretty well. I actually started a new career after the grad in '05, I got talked into becoming a morning cook at one of the local fish 'n chips/burger joints... has 12 whole tables, any way I like it, but this past summer it was sold and the folks who bought it ( mother, daughter, son-in-law who have now split, what fun) don't know how to cook. Any way this is the slow time of the year to begin with, but with all the drama surrounding the owners, business just isn't there, so since I work for fun I took what is supposed to be a 6 to 8 wk lay-off, we'll see, word is the daughter/bookkeeper wants to shut down. Not a problem for me in my real life I am still raising chickens (layers) and selling fresh eggs. No turkeys right now, we ate the last 2 (32 lb tom, 16 lb, hen) cooked the tom for Christmas and the hen the next day...sent home lots of left overs and 7 1/2 doz. eggs with the boys (that should hold them for awhile. and sold the 3rd, a hen. Will get more babies in the Spring for next year. I will say that it has turned into a nice little cottage business. We are still renovating the house, have to change some of the stuff we already finished, ie: the computer room and the "guest" room next to it. We will be taking out the wall and making it a nice large room for Mom.

My mother will be coming to live with us now that the boys are all out of school and gone (mostly), I say mostly, because the youngest who just graduated this past Spring will still be here off and on between fishing trips. Right after graduation he went tuna fishing and the skipper raved about him, so his brother-in-law really wanted him for fishing Black Cod, so he had a few weeks off in the Fall and he was gone until just before Christmas. He will be gone again in a few days for another few months. My oldest, James now 26 is down in Vancouver Washington for now, but it getting ready to head back here back to school and more student loans, Sean, now 22 gave us a bad scare on Sept. 11 '05, when he flipped his car a few times and landed in one of our neighbor's ditch. A few stitches and some bumps and bruises and a little wisdom. He went back to school at the community college until he got excepted into the Navigational Marine Officers course @ BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology), he started there in the Fall, where Tim, 20, (the '05 grad) was just finishing his welding course. So the two of them are sharing a place on the lower mainland. They were both home for Christmas so we had 3 out of 4 here. It was convenient to have Tim home, we had a 14' tree, Tim @ 6'5" just leaned out from the walk way between the upstairs rooms and put the angel and lights and ornaments up there for me....who needs a step ladder when you have a kid that tall. The youngest is @ 6'1" like the oldest and Sean is now 6'3". Who ever thought I would feel short?

We are planning a trip to California in the late Spring/early Summer to take Mom to see some folks. It has been a while since she has been there and even longer for me. Would like to show John (hubby) where I grew up. We went to Colorado in '01 when brother Bill got married again, and we make a few trips a year down to Bremerton Wash. where Mom lives now to do work on her place for her. Will have to go there soon to get it ready to sell once we have the go ahead to move her up here. She is still very active, but at nearly 82, she knows her limits. Still drives but won't drive at night.

Well I have been trying to insert a new picture (form last grad), even called my husband, I am totally flustered now and will wait until he is home... but for now I will say good-bye and God Bless... I have to take 12 doz eggs into my friends store... Pictures to follow...I hope... just might have to e-mail them to Grant again. lol HAPPY NEW YEAR to all, Fran

Update on the pictures: We (actually John) put the pictures into the insert/edit for me, then he had to go to fire practice (we have a total volunteer fire department), so I have tried to muddle through now that everything has loaded, and they seem to be there as attachments,(we are still on dial-up so it takes forever. But alas after 10 years of lip service we are getting high speed cable this month). I will believe it when I see it, any way I do ok with email and the basic stuff, and if I do something often enough, I do get it. lol Once again, wishing everyone the many blessings in the New Year.