Date: January 7, 1999
Subject: Sped's Biannual Christmas Letter
To: Friends, Family, and other Interested Parties
Well, this Holiday Greeting Card, which has already turned into a New Year's Card, is fast becoming a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Card, so I better just sit down and write it. What you hold in your hands is the last official Sped Holiday Card; while it may not compare to the previous biannual letter, it might become a collector's item someday. Yeah, right.
Why is it the last Sped Holiday Card? Just in case you haven't heard the news, an official merger is in the works. That's right, in the spirit of the well-publicized corporate takeovers and initial public offerings of '98, Sped decided to get in on the action and offer one share of diamond ring to Ms. Trish Pedersen in May of last year. The proposal, if accepted by all shareholders, will become official on March 13th of the coming year in a grand ceremony on the campus of Jamestown College. Needless to say, the Erstad parents are proud as can be and can hardly contain their excitement (which is why you've probably already heard the news). All versions of the Holiday Card will hereafter bear the letterhead of the newly created "Sped and Trish Incorporated."
In the two years since the last Holiday Card, many things have changed and many have stayed the same for yours truly. I am still currently employed at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center here in Jamestown, I'm still taking a few odd consulting jobs on the side, and I'm still driving the same used-to-be new car that I referred to in the last letter (Just for the record, the Commitment referred to in that letter was a commitment to my first car payment, not a girlfriend. Glad I cleared that up. I received many, many questions about that one...). I did end up giving up softball, but I'm still playing a little hoops once in a while.
But changes? Besides the aforementioned fiancée, I did manage to pull a triple threat this Fall: professor, student, and alumnus. Alumnus: Got to see two great years of football here at Jamestown College and I created and currently maintain the JC Athletics page. Student: Remember that English degree thing I was working part-time on? I did end up finishing it in December. What I'll do with it (if anything) remains to be seen, but I did learn a lot and I'm glad I followed through on it. Professor: I was asked to teach a computer class at the college this Fall. It was a full-blown series of lectures, tests, and grading, and was a great experience. Trish and I went into September with the attitude of "If we make it to December 18th we can handle just about anything." December 18th has come and gone and all is well.
Trish and I have both put on quite a few miles in the last 24 months. A ski trip here and there, a whitewater rafting trip to Montana for me (ask me about waking up to the sound of a moose snorting sometime), a nursing mission trip to Guatemala for Trish. Assorted concert trips here and there and one very memorable trip with Grandma Polly to Milwaukee to see the Michael Jordan and the Bulls play (Grandma got to see the game while Sped spent the day finding a new tire, which he blew out pulling up to the Bradley Center. Trish: "Shane, your tire is flat." Sped: "Whatever .... Uhhhh, you're serious aren't you? D'oh!"). Trish also spent the entire Summer of '97 in Connecticut on a nursing co-op project, so I got to fly out and spend a few days on the East Coast, which included a whirlwind day and a half in New York City.
Sadly, 1998 also had some difficult times as well. In May, Trish's brother Andy was taken from us in a car accident, and in November, Grandma Erstad passed away after a short but difficult bout with Leukemia. This was my first real encounter with death, both tragic and expected. While very difficult at the time, I grew very much with the experience, and watched in awe the great support network that people create for each other in time of need. I learned much about the importance of Family, Friends, and Faith.
Our last Christmas as single people was very hectic. Since Trish is a first-year RN and had to work Christmas weekend (midnight shifts no less!), we conveniently moved Christmas up 24 hours in the eastern part of the state, and I traveled alone to Beach on the 24th to celebrate with my family. Trish and I did one final round of gifts on the 31st with my sister and her family in Scranton and then we celebrated a fun New Year's Eve with friends in Hettinger, ND.
So with two people working on next year's and all subsequent letters, we'll try to turn this biannual thing into an annual deal. I hope the last year of the Millenium (or last two years, depending on how you look at it) is prosperous for all of you. Make sure not to let that Y2K bug bite!
Bye for now,
Shane "Sped" Erstad (still at sped@mailandnews.com for you e-mailers out there...)
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