Well, Christmas has come and gone and New Year's is fast approaching. 1998 has been an exciting year for us in The Bear House. Some of the highlights include: us getting married in May, Ed's promotion to Senior Paramedic in July, the continual battle to pay off the debts, and Ed's introduction to the Internet via Webtv thus enabling the creation of this website.

Kelly's birthday was December 14th and we had a good time celebrating it. She got lots of nice presents (I knew all that overtime I was working would come in handy) and a lot of nice email. Thanks to all that contributed! Over that weekend she had a surprise for me also. She took me to Armands for pizza. We flew to Chicago, got some pizza for lunch and then flew back. A little extravegant but a nice adventure none the less.

Christmas was a little more low key. We both worked on Christmas and went to sleep with dollar signs dancing in our heads (double time and a half for both of us those days). We had John and Stacy over the Saturday following and had a small family get together. We decided not to exchange gifts with each other this year but to buy ourselves some much needed pots and pans. Kelly broke the rules and got me a gift certificate to buy some CD's. Then I broke the rules and went out and bought her a new car! OK so it was a little over the top but boy was she surprised! It's not as extravegant as it seems, we will still have to make payments on it! So she is the proud owner of a 1999 Honda Accord "Special Edition" (well her and the American Honda Finance Corp.). The Civic was starting to give us a lot of trouble which was sad considering it was only 10 months old. With all the driving that Kelly does it is absolutely necessary to have a reliable vehicle. She loves it and it's a beautiful car!

As 1998 comes to a close and 1999 approaches we have taken time to reflect on the many wonderful things that have happened this year and look forward to what awaits us next year. We have been blessed with love and devotion, challenged with trials and tribulations, comforted by friends and family and grown in each other's love. We look at our lives and remember the milestones that pass not realizing that each day together is a milestone in itself. The song that plays in the background on this page (if you have your audio turned up) is called "A Long December" by the Counting Crow's. In addition to being the song that was playing when Kelly and I first met, it has a very poignant verse at the end.

It's been a long december and there's reason to believe...
Maybe this year will be better than the last.
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself...
To hold on to these moments as they pass.

So my advice for the New Year is to make everyday special, remember the one's you love, remember that you are loved, and be good to one another. From the Bear House to your's: Best Wishes For The New Year!