Warm greetings from our home to yours! (incl. beautiful "Seven Mile Stream" above)  May the coming year find us all in the center of God's will. We thank God for all of you, our family and friends, whom we count among our most precious blessings.    :)

As we did last year, I will share highlights from "the home front", and Bob will follow with highlights from our ministry, "Roadmap To Heaven".  

2006 has been another extremely blessed year for us on every front (though not without its challenges and pressures).  In November Bob began his 8th year working at the Maine State Museum, and his 6th rewarding year leading a Bible study at the Somerset County Jail (Skowhegan).  On October 7th we celebrated six happy wedded years, and in July we reached the 12-year anniversary of when Roadmap To Heaven was birthed.  As I have time, I continue to work on the web site of our church, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, and Bob and I started weekly door-to-door witnessing  in November.

WHAT FOLLOWS IN THIS ISSUE:
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HOME FRONT
- Somerset County Jail
- Mary's Niece, "Rachel"
- Tetreault Photos Go Digital
- 2006 Trips
- Our "Free" Cats
- "Mary, Did You Know (Your Cats Would Be A Bother)?" -- short musical video re: our "free" cats, by Dean Bureau & Josh Witham (best viewed on a connection speed higher than dialup); also, words to this song
HIGHLIGHTS FROM ROADMAP TO HEAVEN

SOMERSET COUNTY JAIL
To your right you will see some of the guys from our church who minister at the Somerset County Jail. From left to right:  Peter Bolduc, Mike Witham, Steve Cates and Bob.  Not included in this photo are two other faithful jail warriors, Jim Begin and John Ames. Not all six of these guys go every week, but often there are four present, and what a great year it has been.  Peter, Steve and Bob bring their guitars, and the men really enjoy worshipping the Lord.  In addition to much Gospel seed being planted, several men have truly gotten saved this year.  You can really see the change in their faces.

In fact, one new believer told Bob last night, "Even though I'm behind bars, this is the best Christmas I've ever had. Usually I can't afford Christmas presents, and have no use for the holiday.  But this year I have Jesus -- and I know the real meaning of Christmas."  Peter and Rose Bolduc have also blessed Bob and I every Monday evening by serving us dinner in their lovely Waterville home before we have headed up to Skowhegan.  How we have enjoyed breaking bread with them and Peter's dear mom, Julia. Then we head to Skowhegan where I visit my elderly aunt while the guys "serve time".  :)  

MY NIECE, RACHEL
For home front news, I'll begin by mentioning my dear niece, "Rachel".  Rachel is 20 years old, married to "Peter", and mother of "Nicolas" (17 months), all living in Madison (ME).  Rachel is a new Christian this year, and has been a pure delight to me.  Until she started working at a nursing home recently, we spent countless wonderful hours on the telephone or in person, talking about the Lord and getting to really know each other.  Rachel is a blessing to me not only as a niece, but also as a best friend. Please keep her and her little family in prayer to grow close to Jesus.

TETREAULT PHOTOS GO DIGITAL
In 2006 we purchased our first digital camera (a "point and shoot", refurbished "Canon Powershot SD 400 Digital Elph"). WOW!!!  What a blessing from God!!  This cute and tiny wonder truly opened up a universe of beauty and enjoyment, art and creativity, wonder and thrill for me this year.  A Chinese proverb says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  Well, similarly, a journey of literally at least 10,000 photos began with the first one taken on January 10th. You won't see many photos of me in that 10,000, though, because I'm always behind the shutter!

Bob and I have figured out that, in being called to serve God as a team, our giftings are in the world of "audio-visual". No matter what the project, Bob always gravitates to the "audio" end of things, and I to the "visual".  So, as you can probably guess, the camera instantly became "mine" -- Bob not having much interest in it (or chance at it?!!)  Bob doesn't feel deprived, though, because he has had exciting developments of his own this past year in the field of sound -- including winning an "Ipod Nano" at a work related conference last month.  Go, Bob, go!  He now can boogie with the best of them!  No, seriously, he uses that iPod for audio books and sermons.  iSermons?!  Why not!   [A  familiar sight to the right:  Bob doing "Roadmap" work using audio software and ear buds.]

Of course, (my) new camera has also been invaluable for web work, which I am still doing for several different sites.  In addition, this month I began a large scale craft project that utilizes printed photos to bless others.  More about this exciting development another time!  Meanwhile, you'll see many photos from the little Elph in this correspondence....

Jan. 23 - Feb. 2 -- Florida with Dean and Kathy Bureau to see Mom Tetreault in Sanibel (Ft. Myers area), Kathy's family in Ft. Lauderdale, and Bob's sister and family in Orlando; enjoyed sightseeing at "The Holy Land Experience", "Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge", and "Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary" (bird watching was a popular interest we all shared in common).

April 22 -- Caleb (jail ministers') Conference in Camden, Maine with Mike and Sue Witham

May 22 - May 31 -- England, UK!!!!  With Mom T. (and thanks to her sponsorship!) to see two dear British friends, Ronnie and Bev.  Galloped through two  first rate museums in London, two castles west of London, town that is the birthplace of Shakespeare -- "Stratford-on-Avon", the beautiful Cotswold Hills region, and other wonderful things.  (Hurrah for Cornish Pasties!)  How blessed we were for this once-in-a-life time opportunity.  Too wonderful for words.   Sophie Lynn was at the breeder's for a romantic rendez-vous with "Odin" (ragdoll stud).

June 1 - June 5 -- Old Saybrook, Connecticut (on Long Island Sound) to putter and open up summer cottage for Mom T.  POURING RAIN!!!  (It must have followed us from England!)

July 15 - 19 -- Old Saybrook, CT to meet up with Bob's sister, Laurie, and kids -- up from Florida for a visit.  Sweet time together, but VERY HOT!!!! Bureau's patiently cat sitting a pregnant ragdoll for us back in Maine.

Aug. 27 - 30 -- Bill (Bob's twin brother) and Phyllis here for a cherished visit from Long Island, NY.   Windsor Fair together, etc..  Wonderful time for the four of us (except that five kittens lurched into "potty training" that particular weekend).

Oct. 11 -- whirlwind trip to Springfield / West Springfield, Massachusetts with Mom T. to see Aunt Dot and reminisce in the Tetreault's old stomping grounds / hometown.

Dec. 3 -- Camden, Maine.   Bob and I enjoyed a wonderful Sunday afternoon touring beautiful B & B's ("Bed and Breakfast" inns) open to the public during "Christmas by the Sea" festivities.  Then we walked through downtown after dark, enjoying the warm glow of Christmas lights and colorful Christmas store displays.  Another great "first" for us:  neither one of us had been to Camden in the winter.  Again, a new and charming perspective here, too (though chilly!).  Very special time together, and LOTS of terrific photo opportunities!  

OUR "FREE" CATS
Last, but certainly not least, I'll tell you about the children.  Our happy family now consists of Bob, myself, "Sophie Lynn" and "Sasha Marie", our two beautiful girls. We have adopted!  As you know, along with parenthood comes many character building moments, as well as delights.  We've sure been tried and tested since the end of August.  In fact, Bob is ready for full canonization to sainthood, and I'm not far behind!  

What I'm talking about is my two precious ragdoll cats (mother and daughter, actually).  You may remember from last year's Christmas newsletter that our dear old cat, "Monique", died in October 2005 and, through a series of events, we landed up with a purebred 6-month old kitten for free.  But we got "Sophie" for free with the stipulation that we would raise a litter from her for the cat breeder to sell.  This deal really WAS very fair on the breeder's part, since we couldn't (and wouldn't) spend a lot of money to buy a cat.  Should have been easy, right?  IT WASN'T!  

Things went fine until the five growing kittens turned one month old.  Sophie was an awesome mother.  But, at the end of August, those curious cuties could climb out of their nursery and also needed litter box training (which, by the way, happened to hit on a weekend when we had overnight guests; THAT was fun!).  I've been cleaning poop -- and lots of it -- ever since that time. More on this lovely subject later.

Meanwhile, would you believe how much (destructive) energy five well nourished, bouncing kittens possess?!!  Faster than speeding comets, too.  It was like having five two-year olds at the same time. You're cleaning one mess, and four other messes are instantly happening out of reach!   Creating a flood with the water bowl was a favorite of theirs, as was unrolling the toilet paper.  And, oh, how they loved to jump in wastebaskets, turning them over and emptying out the contents.  Once or twice a couple kittens got sick.  We barricaded off parts of the house in order to limit destruction, but barriers kept us out as well as the kittens.  And those little claws were like razor blades climbing up your legs, even through thick denim. (Note Bob with ice pack on jaw and other woes....) 


Since "a picture is worth a thousand words", here are some photos of my little sweethearts.  And there's other cute snapshots of the babies at this link -- kitten slide show.  

Well, at nine weeks old four mischievous imps left for good homes.  In return for selling my litter, and half of another, the breeder let me keep not only the mother cat, but my favorite kitten, too -- also for free. Bob absolutely grinds his teeth when I use the word "free" about my adorable babies.  He feels that we worked hard enough with the kittens to pay for 100 purebred cats, in addition to the cost of expensive vet bills and damage to furnishings that followed with our own two.  He doesn't feel our cats were "free"!
















And so little  seal point"Sasha" with the sweet disposition joined our family.  At the time of this writing she is 5 1/2 months old, and Sophie 1 1/2 years. They are beautiful cats and play so well together, tearing through the house and teaming up to send scatter rugs flying, to knock down lamps and to demolish silk flower arrangements.  Sophie and Sasha like to chew silk flowers, satin ribbons and plastic, too.   One fake hibiscus tree in the bedroom -- once beautiful and lush and full -- has so often been climbed and chewed and felled, lumberjack style, that it will soon be ready for the dump.  Two years in a row with a kitten in the house have taken a toll!  ("Destructo's" Sasha and Sophie above)   So now we're hiding away all decorations, and the upholstery is covered with old bedspreads to protect them from being clawed to smithereens.

But, actually the worst of the "Great Cat Adventure" has been since the middle of October.  Since then, off and on, both cats have been having severe bouts of diarrhea -- due to a bacterial infection of unknown origin, says the vet. Cleaning cat diarrhea is TOO much fun -- more than anyone should have!  Have you ever tried washing the back end of a long-haired cat?  They don't relish it, you know, and they have sharp claws! If you don't clean them, though, and they go sit on your furniture with a dirty rear end.... Well, you get the picture.  Also another important trick during this crisis: immediately seize cats in their litter box before they step in fresh you-know-what and track it all over the house. (Bob has been refering to my furry children as "Big Poopy Paws" and "Little Poopy Paws".) I pride myself on my efficiency. Along with that trick, I have a motto:  "Grab it and flush it as soon as it leaves the cat."  HaHa. It's been just a barrel of laughs around here every day.  Well, after two 10-day rounds of antibiotics (shot down the throat past sharp teeth with an eye dropper), I THINK our troubles are over (as of two days ago)....  I never thought I would get excited about a cat's stools but, trust me, these days I'm ECSTATIC to see normal cat poop.  Hey, after what I've been through, you would be, too!  

When it's all been said and done, though, it's worth it all when a small, fluffy munchiken finds you in bed at night and burrows under the blankets to snuggle tightly against you.  (They're so sweet and innocent when sleeping!)  Or, as last night happened, you wake up to find that same trusting little one lightly tapping your face with her soft paw, purring loudly, hoping you will cuddle with her.  Ahhhhhh. Your heart just melts. How can a mother stay mad????  (Mother and Sophie at right)

As for poor Bob -- Bob says, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows but Jesus -- and Dean Bureau". Bob feels deeply understood since Dean's debut of the hit song, "Mary, Did You Know (Your Cats Would Be A Bother)?" You can see a short video clip of this stirring performance by Dean and Josh Witham HERE, OR can read the insightful words of this song HERE. So, Bob feels a measure of comfort in his troubles from the support of his friends. [EDITOR'S NOTE: By the way, Dean -- I surely did NOT know!!]

Yes, even Bob has come a long way since November 2001 when he emphatically said to me, "There will be NO cats in this house unless you give birth to one!!!"  He has become a resigned  long-suffering parent -- a real saint -- just like all of you that have your own children. As I tell him (from a safe distance), "What can we do?  Parenthood demands this; love endures all."    [WINK]
 
Anyway, I hear the cat breeder is extending to others the same offer she made to me.  If you're interested, let us know and we'll put in a good word so your family can get a "free" cat(s), too.  Come to think of it, you better let me know -- not Bob -- or he will give you our own two!
















Well, more than enough from me for "home front news"! Click HERE for Bob's Roadmap To Heaven update.

Affectionately,

Bob and Mary
and
Sophie and Sasha