Dear Friends and Family,

Another interesting year has flown by. We send our “glad tidings” in the spirit of joy, forever grateful that God is good and faithful. In spite of heartbreaking events all around us, this season of hope gives us even more cause to be thankful for what we have, to share when we can, to love our families, and to praise God for His gift of Jesus. We hope all is well with you and your loved ones during Christmas and the New Year.

Last winter we decided Southern California just wasn’t warm and toasty enough for us, and in January we flew to the island of Oahu, Hawaii for a few days of sun and surf. We spent a delightful time with cousins Elwyn and Joyce Johnson, who graciously guided us around the island and accompanied us on many of our Hawaiian adventures. Our most thrilling escapade involved donning parachutes and tandem skydiving over Oahu’s lovely north shore. We even have the pictures to prove it! We swam, snorkeled, and scuba-ed to our hearts’ content. We also visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, Pearl Harbor, and Pali Lookout Point.

We really needed that vacation because it has been a tremendously busy year for our respective professions. In March, Ed received an invitation for an endocrinology fellowship in Bethesda, Maryland at the National Institutes of Health. We were thrilled that our trip out there last autumn was so worthwhile and are eagerly awaiting our move to a completely foreign east coast next summer. Ed happily completed his Internal Medicine residency in June. In August, he passed his Internal Medicine boards and is now fully certified and working at Kaiser Medical Center in Riverside.

Gina was diligent as well. In May she became a licensed physician. This inspired her to apply for the chief residency in Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda, a position she obtained and has been holding since July. It has been challenging and demanding in many ways, but also full of rewarding learning experiences. She is looking forward to finishing her Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and is enjoying doing research in a departmental walnut study. She anticipates her graduation and completion of residency next June.

Last summer, Gina was asked by her cousin, Edwin Bravatti, to play her violin in honor of the dedication of his two daughters. We drove to Newbury Park and spent the weekend surrounded by five sets of Meza great-aunts and great-uncles all gathered for this joyous event.

In September, we were overjoyed to participate in the lovely garden wedding of Ed’s brother Ron and Susan Beh, right here in Loma Linda. Ron and Susan met two years ago in Malaysia, Susan’s homeland, and he surprised her with a proposal when she was visiting him in America earlier this year. Family from near and far assembled to celebrate the occasion. We are so happy to have a new sister in our family.

This Thanksgiving, we hit upon the brilliant idea of driving cross-country from California to North Dakota with Ed’s parents, George and Shirley, to spend the holiday weekend with Ed’s extended family, most of whom Gina had never met before. Despite every imaginable type of precarious weather condition, we managed to find New Leipzig, North Dakota, where we shared a delicious Thanksgiving feast with about twenty Grade descendants. It was a fabulous family reunion. On our way home, we visited with Ed’s uncle and aunt, Arv and Diana Silcox, in Colorado and also spent some time in New Mexico with Gina’s grandparents, Esteban and Olivia Lopez-Porras. Gina cannot wait to make a scrapbook out of this trip!

This Christmas hopefully will be a quiet and somewhat relaxing one spent with Ed’s parents, Ron and Susan, Leonard (Gina’s dad), and Ken and Doris Cummings (her grandparents). That is, it may calm down a bit after the multiple music programs we find ourselves participating in every year. We plan to really enjoy this year’s musical festivities because it will be our last chance to do so in Loma Linda, and we’re going to miss all our melodious friends.

So what was your year like? We hope to hear from you. Have a blessed season, and may God’s love and peace surround you always.

Love,
Edward and Gina Javor