December 15, 2002

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I am semi-retired so I am playing piano, skiing (almost 5 feet of snow), hiking, biking (32 miles to church), golfing, relearning math and I enjoy them all!

The aphasia limits my speech; however, I learn new words all the time and continue to make progress all the time. I am thinking positive thoughts all along.

In February I was a torchbearer in Vail thanks to your nominations. Larry and I were in Utah for work and watched some of the Olympics.

In March I hurt my knee. I was skiing powder at Copper Mountain on a black run and I fell and tore my ACL in my left knee. I was sore and tired. I had surgery to repair the ACL and meniscus. I recovered quickly, but with a lot of therapy.

In September Larry and I, joined by our team ”One Step at a Time,” hiked the Pikes Peak Challenge for brain injuries. The 14 mile hike was tough and hard. Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet high and has 7400 vertical feet to climb. All ten team members completed the hike in eleven hours.

In October we had nice weather to golf for the annual Patty MacTwister tournament. I shared a few words of appreciation with everyone, which were, “thank you very much!”

Larry and I traveled for work 2 weeks in July and 2 ½ weeks in September. In July we drove as far as Idaho. We visited Richard and Chris, friends who both work and live on their ranch. They have horses and Richard and I rode on their ranch.

In September we flew to Prague, Czechoslovakia and Austria. We visited Brigette, Helge and Vati, (who is 83 years young). We also saw the Vienna Boys Choir, which was the highlight. They were inspirational and energetic. We finished our trip with a train ride to Innsbruck to visit our friends Christian and Karin. The scenery was gorgeous.

I am using my computer for daily activities, including e-mail. You may e-mail me at tornadopat@yahoo.com if you have time. For more information and pictures go to www.PattyMacTwister.org and www.pikespeakchallenge.com.

Season’s Greetings and best wishes throughout the New Year.

“Thank you very much for the Prayers, Love, and Support”

Larry and Pat