Merry Christmas 2012

You better not pout and you better not cry. You better not shout because I'm telling you why...the Durkin Christmas Letter...arrived!

It's a bit odd this year writing our letter. Usually there is snow on the ground which gives a real feel to Christmas. But this year the weather has been unusually nice for December. There have been a couple of days in single digits but for the most part we are experiencing temperatures around 10-12 degrees higher than normal. It kind of puts a damper on the holiday spirit. There are still a couple of weeks before Christmas so fingers are crossed and hopes high that we may yet see a white Christmas.

But enough with the griping! That's not why you all look forward to this letter. Your eyes scan the lines looking for the moment when I open up and divulge how I managed to injure myself this year. I am proud (and sorry) to say I was able to avoid any major catastrophes. All limbs, digits, appendages and whatnot accounted for. I pause to confirm this of course...yup...I am all together and in one piece. WHEW!

Annette managed to cut her finger off though. Okay, maybe it wasn't the whole finger. And maybe it wasn't most of the finger. Alright! It was the tip. But in my defense, had you been here you too would have thought her hand had been taken off. She had to go and get it cauterized. And by "she" I of course mean we and one of us had to sit in the waiting room the entire time with some annoying kids making a mess of the place. After what seemed like hours Annette appeared with a blackened fingertip. Gross...This experience has led me to come to one simple conclusion. Waiting rooms need to have mini bars. Whether for me or the kids...I don't care.

Since I started with Annette I may as well continue with her 2012 exploits. Let's see...

Annette is still over at Serenity Salon and still thoroughly enjoying herself and her profession. Her clientele list continues to grow and appreciate the works of art she creates on top of their noggins. In September (I may be jumping around months) she changed stations. Originally, she was at the front of the salon right by the front door a large windows. The location had its pros and cons. When random people would walk in, it allowed her to approach them before the other stylists could. It also meant that with those big windows, her area would really warm up in the summertime. If any of you know Annette at all, I'm sure you are wondering what the cons could be. Well as it turns out, even Annette can get too warm. I know right!?! Too warm??? How is that even possible? She is an Itzen after all. And Itzen is German for "unnaturally enjoys the heat" or something similar.

The opportunity came along to move when a station near the back became available. She took the spot and has decided it was a good choice. I've never met anyone who enjoys their job as much as she does. It’s awesome!

As many of you know, Annette had the opportunity to go to China on a mission trip in June. Needless to say it was an amazing eye opening experience. She taught conversational English to adults. During her time there, the group she was a part of encountered wonderful open people who were just as excited and curious about them. She spent a day in a rural village picking Lychee (a tasty fruit) and trying her best to avoid the "bathrooms" there. For anyone not familiar with squatty potties, I urge you to take the time to google it. Since I haven't yet experienced one, I cannot do it justice. But...if all works out, I may be going next year and then I can give you a detailed account of my, well...let's face it...its going to be quite the misadventure for Patrick and the squatty potty. Enough said.

Annette has always been involved with church and this past year has been no exception. Besides performing in a drama or two, working behind the scenes during the services, her biggest leap was helping with the high school youth group. It’s called "Collide" and she has been loving it! I applaud her for doing it. I made the mistake of sitting in a couple of meetings and it drove me crazy! If I ever behaved this way as a youth I sincerely apologize to anyone that dealt with me. There are two solutions for high school kids; a mute button or nerve gas. Where does this energy come from??? Annette is a saint for dealing with these youth. She does admit that it makes great birth control. YES!

I shall end Annette's year in February since it involves both of us. Some of you know we participate with a youth group called TEC (Teens Encounter Christ). It turns out the February TEC would be our last one for Lincoln. Each TEC was getting smaller and smaller and it finally reached the point where it became obvious God was ready for everyone to move on. It was sad for everyone of course and Annette took it hard. She had been doing it for long enough that it left a pretty big void once it was over. She has since healed and we were able to give all our supplies to another TEC.

So that brings it to me. It wouldn't be a Durkin Christmas letter if I didn't switch jobs. I'm still in the hospitality industry. At the beginning of January I started working for a company that cooks meals for fraternities and sororities. I was hired on as a sous chef (salaried position) and placed in charge of four houses. All of them were fraternities. And man could they eat! And drink...The weekdays were fine but it was the Fridays that were the most interesting. Thursday is the beginning of the weekend for many of the UNL students and almost all of the fraternities I cooked for. At least it seemed that way. So Friday was the "still drunk" or "hung over" day. I am so so glad not to be that age anymore.     During the summer break a friend of mine asked if I would help with a special catering function he was overseeing. I was free so I said yes. While helping out we talked and he mentioned he was looking for a catering manager. He already ran a food truck and was about to open a restaurant so his plate was full and couldn't do it. He was getting a lot of catering requests and hated having to turn them down. I talked it over with Annette and prayed about it and in the end accepted the position. The short version is the catering position was a much better fit overall. I am still with the company and enjoying it. Probably as much as Annette enjoys her job. Now I know the feeling too!!!

I have remained active with church as well. I still help run the services behind the scenes. I've also performed more dramas. I don't know why I do that. When I'm approached it always seems like a good idea but when I find myself standing backstage preparing to step on stage in front of several hundred people I feel as if maybe it actually wasn't a good idea. Then I do it and have fun. But holy cow, that second before I have to go out there is just terrifying. I played a king in one drama and Satan in another. Guess which play people remember me for? Yup...everyone calls me Satan. No one remembers I played God last year...nope, just Satan. Awesome.

I may not have gone to China but I did get to drive Annette and the mission group to the airport. It turns out I'm a good chauffeur. I also took a youth group to the airport and another one to Kansas City to an amusement park called Worlds of Fun. Annette and I chaperoned the Worlds of Fun adventure along with the youth pastor Jacob. Pastor Jacob is a really cool guy and I am honored to be one of his elders. But back to Worlds of Fun.

Let me give you a little advice. If you are going to be on your feet all day long walking around a muggy amusement park you should probably not wear brand new shoes. I say this because nobody was kind enough to pass this advice to me. I was fine most of the day. I had on sandals and was being careful. Then out of nowhere they turned on me. I still don't know what I said or did to them but wow, did I piss them off! I felt the beginnings of rubbing. No matter how I walked the sandals managed to reposition themselves to match my stride. The rubbing got worse. I thought maybe my feet were cold and trying to make fire. They were sure getting warm in spots. To ease the pain I went on a ride with Annette. The ride consisted of the cars shooting forward around a horseshoe shape, stopping and going back in reverse. The surprise bonus was whiplash. Awesome.

So after that bit of fun, (it is called Worlds of Fun after all), I stepped out and was quickly reminded that my feet hated me. I gritted my teeth and walked through the pain. Stupid feet! They weren't going to ruin my fun. That's what the rides were for.

Late in the day I was transfixed by a ride that did nothing more than spin. It went up and down and the car flipped over and over. Patrick liked! So leaving Annette and Jacob to watch, I climbed on board along with a bunch of other fun-seekers and prepared myself to be spun. The harnesses came down but for some reason they couldn't start the ride. Turns out someone's harness wasn't locking in place. Turns out that person was me. So the carnie (because that's what they are to me), came over and starts pushing the harness down on my collarbone like he's giving someone CPR. No good. So they had me move to a different seat. Supposedly one for bigger guys. And we went through the whole scene again. I remind you, there were others on there with me, watching me, wondering why I was ruining their ride. Well my shoulders were too broad and manly for the ride to handle. I was asked to exit. I did the walk of shame in front of all those people. I would have walked with my head held high but my shoulders had been driven too deep into my upper body making it impossible.

Worlds of Fun? You betcha. And you believed me when I said I was injury free...suckers!

So that's our year. We've had ups, downs and in-betweens. Annette and I hope your year was filled with laughter, love, family and friends. Before wishing everyone a great year I would like to take a moment to give thanks for those that are no longer with us. Even though you cannot be with us at Christmastime, you will forever be in our hearts and minds. You will be missed but never forgotten. And most importantly, you will always be loved.

From Finbar, Manny, Annette and I to you and your loved ones, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! May the new year bring you peace, happiness and joy. God Bless!