A. B. BARTHLE NEWSLETTER (1996)

Welcome to the 1996 Newsletter for
the A. B. Barthle family!

Front cover

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR
Seasons Greetings to All
From the Denney's

Last year as I wrote my update, we were planning and getting ready for Mary Beth and Gene's wedding on the 9th of December. Everyone had a great time. I want to thank everyone for their help before, during and after all of the events. The newly weds left for a honeymoon in Hawaii. They had a great time and brought home a lot of pictures. Upon returning to Florida their home was finished. By the end of the year they were moved in and arranging and then rearranging things.

They have a beautiful place and Gene has the most beautiful plants around their pool and he has built a real nice arbor in the yard for his bougainvillea.

They both have had a great year in their sales. As usual they have attended and worked several shows. Gene still has the states of Georgia and Alabama and Mary Beth has Florida. They are gone during the week and return home most weekends.

Mae, Steve and Chris are a happy family and enjoying life as they go. They still go camping every chance they get. If they cannot go off to a campground, they camp in the backyard sometimes. Steve and Mae still work at the Spring Hill Fire Departments as well as being Den Parents. They took the Scouts camping and had a Soap Box Derby this year. Besides being a Scout, Chris plays T-ball, Soccer, Basketball and Football. He is in 2nd grade and is making good marks. Tomorrow night is his last football game. Jimmy, Bret (Kathleen and Duane's Son) and I are going to the game and then we are going get Pizza to celebrate.

Renee, Clark and Jessie have had a busy year as usual. Clark is still involved with the Pasco County Fair which is in February. He has many things to do before, during and after the event. Clark has accepted a new position, Purchasing Manager at the Ogden Martin facility here in Pasco County. He has had to work many long hours.

Renee is still at the Pasco County Data Processing Center. She now has worked with the county for 14.67 years and counting. She is a sponsor for the CYO at church. This year in April the second 'Small Town Festival' dedicated to the Memory of Jennifer was even a greater success than last year. The CYO was able to donate $1600 to the Missing Children's Foundation and take a trip to the Tennessee Mountains from August 7 to August 12. Renee helped drive and chaperon 14 teenagers on this trip. They stayed in two large cabins at Pigeon Forge. Each day they traveled to various sites, went shopping at Gatlinburg and went white water rafting. The CYO participate in several community functions throughout the year, such as serving at the Ham & Turkey Dinner at Church, serving at the Rattlesnake Snake Roundup in San Antonio, and the Christmas stroll in Dade City. This year they have had a Christmas Card painted for the Christmas Card Lane at Church. They are making plans for the next Small Town Festival in April.

Jessica is now 13 and is a member of the CYO and is in the seventh grade at Weightman Middle School. She is in the band, playing the French Horn and is a member of the FFA Chapter. The band plays at the schools home football games and have had to march at some parades. The FFA members went on a field trip to Moultrie, Georgia to the Agricultural Expo. She is also a member of the Progressive 4-H Club. The hog she entered at the fair did real good and she is getting another one ready for the fair in February.

Renee, Clark and Jessica also took a vacation, August 16-24 to the northeastern states. They traveled 4400 miles. They spent a day with Clark's Aunt on Cape Cod, saw the Statue of Liberty, the U S S Constitution, Niagara Falls, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, went to Chinatown in Boston, in New Hampshire they had breakfast with Lisa, Alan and Becca, then went shopping for school clothes.

Kathleen, Duane, Bret and Jake are busier than ever. Kathleen is always helping someone. She works at the store three days a week, keeps books, makes signs for the store. She teaches CCD every Wednesday night, is the current Secretary of the Cattlewomen's Club, has helped with weddings, goes on field trips as well as being an excellent Mom.

Duane is busy at the store, in the orange grove, taking care of his cows, helping the neighbors with their cows, helping cook at large cookouts or going fishing, usually with Bret and Jake. He is also getting the land ready for their new home they hope to build this next year.

Bret is in the First grade at St. Anthony's and is making excellent grades. When Bishop Robert Lynch became our new Bishop this year, his first public Mass was at St. Anthony's and Bret invited Jimmy and I to attend. What an honor for grandparents! Last week when Bret was to read one of the intentions at Mass, he invited Jimmy to go with him. He is always so thoughtful to remember. Bret plays T-ball and Soccer, enjoys fishing and is an avid Atlanta Braves fan. He and Gene keep each other informed as to what is happening with the team. Kathleen, Duane, Bret and Jake went to one of the last games in Atlanta before the playoffs.

Jake is still attending Sacred Heart Day Care when he is not helping his Mother. He is really growing up and is getting ready for kindergarten next year. He is a fisherman, too. One of his favorite friends is Luke Zeranski.

The Barthle Family Reunion in Atlanta, June 15 was a production under the direction of Cinda and Ben this family will not forget. Cinda & Ben scheduled the whole weekend for all of us (80 plus). They made reservations at the motel, the Braves games, the birthday barbecue picnic, Stone Mountain Laser Show, Father's day reception and the Baptism of Nathanial Petters. We were greeted upon arrival and given a schedule of events planned, along with directions, maps, etc. Cinda and Ben, WE ALL THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL FUN TIME TOGETHER.

Although Jimmy says he is retired, he is probably as busy as ever. He still works at the Farm Basket Market two or three days a week. He plants a garden twice a year, takes care of the orange trees and keeps the yard looking real good. He enjoys fishing when the weather is nice enough. I believe he enjoys trying out new recipes and is spoiling me with his pies and biscuits. It sure is good to come home from work and meals are usually ready or at least planned. He bought a new 4x4 Ford Ranger last month. He had his annual physical is October and got an excellent report. Jimmy walks almost everyday, too.

I had my annual physical in October and was told I was good for another 5000 miles. I am still working for Crawler Rail & Roller Company. I have completed more than 25 years working for Mr. Polk. I have begun cleaning out closets and rearranging things here at home. The accumulation is unreal after so many years. Also, I have crocheted several doilies this year. Embroidered some pillow cases and scarves.

A couple of other notes:
1. We want to welcome Herman Schrader, a lifetime friend into our family as he and Monica get married on December 7. We wish them both a blessed and long happy life together.

2. The Pasco County Courthouse is being renovated. After most of the year being an eyesore to downtown Dade City, it is beginning to really shape up and look good again.

3. Just want you to remember Gene's brother in your prayers. Kerry has been diagnosed with leukemia. He is taking treatments and is going to have a bone marrow transplant after the first of the year. Kerry's daughters were the flower girls at Gene and Mary Beth's Wedding.

In closing Jim and I want to wish each of you a VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Love, Margie

From Lisa- Hello to all!!!

To Cinda and Ben, this is the thank you card that I've been meaning to send for the last 6 months. The reunion in Atlanta was terrific and very much appreciated by all in my family who went...What a great time!!! Thank You!!

Not a whole lot has been going on with Mom this year, pretty much everything is the same. She has been remodeling her house quite extensively, which she seems to be excited about most the time. As always though the highlight of her life is when her children and grandchildren come to see her. July was really special because everyone was there including Mike and Sandra. Most of us manage to get together at least once a year, but for Sandra and Mike to be there as well sometimes takes 2 to 3 years because of their difficult work schedules. Oh yea, mom got a german shepherd and two kittens this year. The cats came from Teresa. Teresa and Jessica assured mom that the cats were male, even though mom said it was too difficult for her to tell because they were so young. Not wanting to doubt her child and grandchild she named the kittens Captain Hook and Mr. Stubbs due to the peculiar characteristics of their tails. Apparently one tail has a hook in it and the other is very short. Well sometime after the names were well established, a visit to the vet revealed that both kittens are indeed, (you guessed it), female. Both cats however seem quite content to be called Captain Hook and Mr. Stubbs.

What a crazy year for the Bergers. At the end of January we put our condo on the market and started looking for a bigger home in a more rural setting. In March I got pregnant. In April and May Alan was in St. Louis most of the time for upgrade training in the 767. (Most of the time means he was home 3 days a month!) He was very excited about becoming first officer in a wide body aircraft. He was set to fly the 767 in July. June of course was the Atlanta trip. July was a trip to Florida to see the family, came home for 3 days, just in time to hear about a horrible explosion bringing down a TWA 747. How awful, and 25% of the people on the aircraft were Alan's coworkers. We were then off to Alan's parents for a visit, as well as a long awaited trip to Mohonk Mountain House Resort for our 10 year anniversary. While we were at Alan's parents we received a call from NH that a very good friend died, and as if that wasn't difficult enough, I retrieved a message from home that one of my prenatal tests came back showing a highly increased risk for a downs syndrome baby. The 3 day trip to the Mohonk Mountain House was absolutely beautiful! (I saw it 9 years ago and just dreamed of swimming in the lake that was surrounded by cliffs and mountains.) It was a nice reprieve from all the bad news of late.

August improved greatly. We had breakfast with Renee', Clark and Jessica who were in New England on vacation. It was great, and Alan really enjoyed getting to know a wonderful guy named "Clark". Thanks for calling Renee'!! Now all this time we have looked at tons of houses, not finding anything we liked, and our poor little 2 bedroom condo, with the horrible condo market hadn't even received "a boo" from anyone. Well maybe a Boo! I had given up!! I told Alan, "there's no time left, we have to get this small condo ready somehow for another child". Two days later we saw a house we liked so much we were willing to buy it and put our condo up for rent. We made an offer which was accepted, signed and sealed on Wednesday afternoon. "Landlords" had become our official title! We were NOT excited about that. Until...the very next morning at 7:30 am, when a call from our realtor revealed an offer had come in for the condo. An upgraded offer was accepted a week later. Only one kink, we had to be out of the condo Sept. 30 and couldn't close on the house til Oct 31.

Alan finally started flying the 767 in September, his bid had been delayed for two months by TWA. We moved 90% of our stuff into storage and 10% into a friends house (actually it was the good friend who died in July). Her two sons, also friends, invited us in for a month til we could close on our house. We did that on schedule, Oct 31. November 1st Alan was on his way to Barcelona for a 5 day trip because his November schedule was international. We moved in a week later. Becca is thrilled about the baby, loves the new neighborhood, and school. She has met two great friends on our street, and has joined a swim team that she really enjoys. We've been settling in for a month and I have to say Alan and I really love the neighborhood as well. Great neighbors, rural setting (quite a bit of farm land around), excellent commuting location and central to all of our friends. We're 20 minutes from our last home. Lot's of room "FOLKS", when are you coming???

The baby is due Dec 6 thru Dec 12 depending on who you listen to, which is any day now. Believe me it's a little rough when you get as big around as you are tall. Every year I plan to shorten my part of the newsletter, I'm doing pretty good so far-Don't cha think!!!

P.S. My doctor decided to induce me due to the fact that Rebecca was 9 lbs 14 ozs at birth, and he thought this baby was approaching 9 lbs. Induction was started at 8:45 am on 12/9. Four hours and 20 minutes later, at 1:05 pm a 10 lb. 2 oz., 21 1/2" long baby girl was born. My doctor was slightly off on the weight! Her name...KATIE NOELLE BERGER...what a doll...definitely a KEEPER!!!

Love, Lisa, Alan, Becca & Katie

From Teresa & kids,
The beautiful house we were renting finally sold. We are now renting another house while looking for something permanent to put on our one acre lot. (If anyone knows someone giving away a house or mobile home, give 'em my #.)

My job with Sweetwater Fellowship came to an end when the church disbanded in February. However, within five days I was employed by Greenhouse Community Church and back in the same office I started in back in 1989. (Sweetwater sold the building to Greenhouse in 1992.) I didn't even have to job search. Greenhouse called me before Sweetwater closed. God provides! This works out well with our home educating as I can take the children with me. They have school in another room while I work. I'm there for them and they get to serve the staff and help with various events going on at the church.

Jessica and Caleb are in 7th and 5th grades now and are keeping up their piano lessons as well as trying for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award in P.E. They continue to create a book every year and eat more and more. Jessica recently had the opportunity to be on a leadership team over children's activities every week for eighteen weeks. This team consisted only of youth. We parents were very proud of the character qualities these youth demonstrated while teaching, interacting with, and caring for the children. And the children enjoyed it. I am amazed how quickly they grow.

Overall we're pretty busy most of the time, but not too busy to miss all of you. We love you and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Love, Teresa, Jessica & Caleb

Sandra & Mike
Everything is pretty much the same with Sandra and Mike. They were able to come to Lakeland in July and had a really good time. Sandra particularly enjoyed being able to do some walking, swimming and riding bikes. There was one drawback to the trip however and that was that Sandra lost all three of her wedding rings. Believe me, she and mom were really sick, especially since they were not insured. Mike really misses being able to hunt and fish. Apparently, he only has Sundays off and none of his friends are into hunting and fishing. Anyway they both get pretty sick of work, which I think makes them appreciate their dog "Baby Boy" and cat "Lucky" quite a bit.

From Melinda:

The Young's Family are still doing good. Jimmy and I are still working the same jobs. Warren is three and doing great. He knows that daddy's birthday comes first, his is second, and mommy's is last. He likes to be first to go anywhere, like to the bathroom, dining room, or the front door. He has been saying that he can't wait to be four years old. He loves to was dishes, make cookies and help mommy make food to bake. He also loves to play neat games on Jimmy's computer.

Warren can spell his full name and count from one to twenty in fingerspelling. He can fingerspell the ABC's with a little help. He can do alot of signs and is making up some homemade signs which mom & dad sometimes don't understand. Warren has begun to use facial expressions with us, he likes to copy our facial expressions. One morning, he signed to us that he had a bad dream with a yellow frog on his leg which woke him up.

On Halloween Day, he worn a costume of Dalmatians puppy.

Last August, Warren attended Daycare school at the Lutheran Church. He loves it. He can play with kids his own age. He likes to pray to bless the food. We will teach him how to pray in signs soon. He hates "time out" at school and at home as well. He takes a computer course every Friday.

We all visited Sandra and Mike in Miami during the Labor Day Weekend. They are doing great. Mike took us to tour at Coconut Groves and a huge cruise boat. After that, we went to Miami Beach. It was crowded, there must have been a concert at the park.

Last October 30 someone broke into our van at Jimmy's work. They failed to start the motor after they took out the ignition switch. The van has an anti-theft system. We are very glad to still have the van.

Jimmy's car was old, a '85 Somerset and he started having troubles. Finally, we bought a '96 Cavalier. We love it and it is good to drive in local area. We prefer to use the van for long trips. We are looking forward to camping in the spring, before summer gets here.

From "Aint B":

I can't remember what I (or rather Lisa) wrote about us in the last newsletter. I do remember something about being told I would work 11 hours a week. It turns out 11 hours a week meant 11 hours a day, for the first couple of months anyway. I know 6 out of the 11 rural routes which is good considering they only pay you to learn 3. Oh well, the more you know the more you make. Now when they teach you a new route they like to give you a map and say "If you just follow this, you won't have any problems", Yeah, right!!! The route I trained on wasn't even 20 miles long. Seniority then bumped me up to route #1, which is 67 miles long. Oh well, I can't complain, I really do love it.

Michael's been at Lake Alfred a year and a half now. He did a lot of bowfishing this year and we got alot of perch. He has 50 hours toward his private pilot's license. He's learning on a Cessna 172. Rachael has been asking and talking alot about my dad. She says things like "I'm sorry your dad fall down on the ground in the airplane. I tell her "yes me too and I miss him alot". Then she says, "It will be alright Gomee (mom) will get you another dad". What a cute thing to say, don't you think? She is ready to go to school and ride the school bus. Samson on the other hand, besides learning body parts, can be the most stubborn kid I've seen. Where do you think he gets that from?

We went to Ryan's the other day for dinner and before we ate the kids said we have to pray first, so we did. Later, this elderly woman walked up to our table, on her way out an said, "I have to say this. I think you have a beautiful family and I think it was wonderful what you did." (Prayed) She said, "I was watching you from my table and you just don't see people doing that anymore. I think it's wonderful." She said something to the effect that we were raising them the right way and she was glad to see it. Anyway it was nice and made us as parents feel pretty good.

(Guess you figured out that Bonnie is the one who is affectionately known as "Aint B".)

From Sam:

Hello everybody' 1996 was a great year. We built a house in Mayberry, I mean Mulberry. Carlene got rid of her 1987 Escort and bought a new Plymouth Voyager Minivan. Kyle just turned five and got a bunch of "COOL" toys that I really like, I mean that he really likes.

Earlier this year Carlene and I discovered Kyle was born with an abnormality, two small holes at the top of his skull. Four Doctors later we learned it is not all that uncommon, and Kyle should have no problems connected to it.

I heard the party in Atlanta was great. Sorry to have missed it. Maybe next year.
Love, Carlene, Sam & Kyle

From Janet:
Hello everyone, hope you all had a wonderful year. We are all doing fine. Fred started part time at Publix warehouse in the produce department around mid October, then in mid November he went full time. Kenny and Jenna have been keeping me very busy. Kenny is 3 now and energetic as ever. He likes his little sister and has given her a new name. Everyone now calls her "Jennarie" instead of Jenna Marie. Kenny likes playing ball, riding his bike, watching videos, and talking on the phone. Jenna follows him around everywhere. She will be a year Christmas day. She is growing so fast. She can stand alone and thinks she is just "Miss It", and everyone should stop and pay attention to her. She is something else. Wish you all the Best!

Fred, Janet, Kenny & Jenna
AS ALWAYS... WE WISH YOU ALL A SAFE, HEALTHY AND BLESSED HOLIDAY!!! MAY GOD KEEP YOU IN HIS CARE ALWAYS AND MAY HE GIVE US EYES TO SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS HE BESTOWS!!!

From The Jim Barthle Clan

From The Petters' Family

The Petters' family sends Holiday greetings to all of our family. We have continued our extended family ways; the six of us now are building our families in six different states spanning seven time zones. Fortunately, e-mail has allowed us to keep in touch a bit more than in the past, and we all managed to get together at that great blowout in Atlanta on Father's Day (thanks again, Cinda & Ben!). Our children continue to grow (there are now 8 grandchildren, with another due in April). Dad is working on selling his business, and looking forward to his official retirement in February.
FAMILY NEWS
FROM MIKE & NANCY: (74710.643@compuserve.com)
It's hard to believe, but Nancy and I are celebrating our tenth Christmas in Newport News this year. It seems like just yesterday that we were in Florida for Christmas (actually, the last time we were there for the holidays was 1984 when Sarah was one!) Well, the Colonial Christmas parties are underway again here in the Old Dominion, and all of you are invited to come visit.

The girls have continued to grow faster than we can cope with. Sarah is now blazing through the Seventh(!) grade. She has continued to develop as a first-rate french horn player, receiving a "superior" rating at her first solo contest in May. She was invited to audition for the All-City Band, and she will tryout for All-District in January. She has performed as part of a Horn Quartet at our church this summer and she and I are trying to play some Christmas Carol Horn duets this holiday season (for fun). Obviously, she gets the lead part! She also won first place in her science fair category for her research on the impact of age and gender on music preference and will compete at the city level in January. Finally, she has been asked to take part in a special careers program sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and, as a result, will be taking the SAT's in February. She is growing up much to fast, but she has a heart of gold and is a joy to be with.

For her part, Caroline has become a standout second grader. In addition to her school work, she enjoys drawing, and has joined the Brownies (Girl Scout cookies, anyone?). Her artwork won first prize in a poster contest for the school's Family Fall Festival, and she also won recognition for drawing an answer to the question "It Could Happen ...?" with a colorful rendition of "Flying Cats". She has joined our church's children's choir, and made her stage debut in a November production of "Oh Jonah", playing two parts: the tail of the whale, and one of those "Nasty Ninevites." She has become quite the practical joker, often hiding my keys and then blaming my absent-mindedness. She will be taking her creative talent to the piano in 1997. More music to our ears!

Nancy and I spent most of this year working on our "new" house. Actually, the original house was built in 1939. All we did was completely refurbish the original structure, and then added about 50% more square footage; a combination of overhaul and new-build, to put it in shipbuilding terms. It has been quite a learning experience, which we are in no hurry to repeat!

We moved in on November12, and have been unpacking and inspecting ever since (making the holiday rush extra challenging this year!). There are still some things that need to be completed, but it is nice to finally be in a place which we expect to stay in for a long time. Now that the house is built, we can go back to building our home. (Our new address: 206 Hilton Terrace, Newport News, VA 23601, our phone number has remained the same.)

Throughout all of the work on the house, Nancy has continued with all of her volunteer, church and school work, and has taken on a French student as well. As for me, work goes well. Just this month, our company (Newport News Shipbuilding, Inc) completed the nine-month process of "spinning-off" from Tenneco. What that means is that now we can be found on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: NNS). It has been a busy year!

We would love for y'all to visit. Hope your holidays are happy ones.

FROM BERNIE & JENNIFER: (bcpetters@juno.com)
The year began with us getting ready for Nathaniel's arrival. Jennifer continued working until 2 weeks before her due date. I was working and interviewing, anticipating the loss of income when the baby would come.

On April 12 (3 days early!) Nathaniel August Petters became the second Native Atlantan in the family (its Floridians 2, Georgians 2. We haven't settled on a tiebreaking procedure, yet). The delivery went smoothly (check in at 2:45pm, birth at 4:09pm). Nathaniel was happy and healthy. Cinda and Ben came to visit, as did Jennifer's mom. Matthew thought that it was really neat to finally be a big brother.

The next big event on the schedule was the family reunion in Morrow. A special thanks to Cinda and Ben for all their hard work. And thanks to all who traveled from afar to be here. It was great to get together with everyone for a happy occasion this time.

Meanwhile, I was promoted to the Aaron Rents home office in Buckhead. I am the Audit Coordinator, performing special projects at the direction of the Audit Department Head. My primary concern this summer was to track the movement of 30,000+ pieces of rental furniture for Olympic-related events. The real challenge was removing 12,000 pieces from the Georgia World Congress Center in three days. We shipped 45 trailer loads to 30 different company stores from Miami to Denver.

While I was busy tabulating the final bills for all the damaged and missing furniture, Jennifer was busy at home with the boys. Nathaniel is developing rapidly. He has an infectious grin and a giggle that puts Elmo to shame. He loves to crawl, and races across the room anytime Mommy moves.

In October, Jennifer decided to take a part-time job as a server at Longhorn Steakhouse. The extra money is very helpful, and she gets to talk to real live adults every day. She stays with the boys during the day, avoiding the need for daycare.

As the year ends we are looking forward to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. We're still here, on the north side of Atlanta, and the door is always open.

Love to all.

Bernie & Jennifer, Matthew & Nathaniel.

FROM TIM: (tpetters@aol.com)
The day after Christmas last year, Tim began a contract job for GTE Data Services in Temple Terrace, building computer network servers. The contract was supposed to last for a couple of months, but was to give him breathing space while finding something more permanent. Tim managed to survive as one by one other contractors were either let go or moved to other departments. Slowly he has made himself invaluable to the organization, and now it appears that he can remain at GTEDS as long as he likes. (or until the next reorganization, which should be at least a couple of weeks down the road.) If you want to know what working at GTEDS is like, just read the 'Dilbert' comic strip. Also, Tim has decided to move back to Saint Joe, which is the only place he feels at home. He will live with Dad, who is happy to have someone else in the house.

FROM SUSIE: (MDavid6122@aol.com)
Susie, Jennifer and Michael are still in paradise while she serves in the Army there. She just started a new job in November (the fourth job she's had this year; either everybody wants her to work for them, or she just can't keep a job...) Now she is serving as the Support Operations Officer (SPO) (okay, we all know the army can't spell or even abreviate correctly, but they can BEAT NAVY!!) for the unit, and is in charge of 57 folks. Primarily the SPO coordinates all external support requirements placed on the unit and she looks forward to the thrill of it all.

The children are growing so very quickly as they always do... Jennifer (4) is 42 inches and about 45 pounds, Michael (2) is not far behind at 37 inches and about 35 pounds. They are truely a blessing to have around, especially now that Christmas time is here. They got to play in the snow a couple of weeks ago as a local shopping mall (the "yellow thing" in Jennifer's words, the parking garage is painted yellow) brought in 40 tons of the white stuff. Jennifer thought it was "too cold" and Michael thought it was "too wet", so neither of them will be olympic skiers ... oh well. A big invitation is open for all of the family to visit the wonderful land of paradise at any time.

Although Susie's apartment is rather small, there is lots of floor space and she does have friends who will gladly help host some M&Ms for her ('Mainland mouchers' as visitors here are affectionately called) so please take advantage of the opportunity to see Hawaii at a relatively low cost! After all, she did travel to Atlanta to see all of you last summer. Have a great holiday season and remember how blessed we are to have such a wonderful family. Love to All!

FROM DEAN & ANNE: (dpetters@mindspring.com)
Hi everyone from southwest Ohio. Anne and I have had a very busy first year of marriage. We are just now finishing the remodeling of the master bathroom and closet (it only took 8 months!). They say that if a marriage can survive a remodeling project, it can survive anything and I believe it! I am still working at Universal Technologies and had two technical papers and a book chapter published this year. Anne, still at Reynolds and Reynolds, is as busy as ever with her computer support work. We are looking forward to the opportunities and challenges of the next year. (PS - we have a new phone number: (937) 434-2704)

FROM BRIAN & VICKI:
Greetings from Bossier City! We've been here since June and are settling into the Shreveport, LA area. we're happy to be close to Vicki's parents, if not to Brian's dad - it was either here or Ismir, Turkey. After two assignments close to home, we fully expect our next assignment to take us to ... Greenland!

We really enjoyed the reunion in June, and thank Ben and Cinda again for all their preparation and hard work.

We are expecting a baby around April 2nd, and we're all very excited - especially John and Ben! Thankfully, Vicki's back problems have not resurfaced.

Brian is enjoying his new job in curriculum development for the B-52 weapons school here at Barksdale AFB. The military personnel here are very friendly. Brian oversees the writing and publishing of the textbooks for the school.
Well Dan, that about wraps it up for us. Thanks for putting all of this together.

Greetings from the Carr's
From Connie-
Here we go again, don't get me started or I may not know when to stop. First of all we had that "Great January Birthday" gathering at Melda & Jack's. It was a lot of fun getting together for an afternoon with family.

Then came the trip to Atlanta, for the equally "Great June" Birthday gathering hosted by Cinda and Ben. They did a great job, with the planning and getting everything to work just like clock work. I was glad so many of the relatives were able to participate, we had a good showing from all the family. The whole weekend was so much fun. The Ball game was fun, and just visiting with everyone was so enjoyable.

Between these two events, I had gone to San Antonio, Texas to pick up Nichole, as her dad was working nights and having a difficult time getting a baby sitter for her so I brought her back to Land O'Lakes.

Since we returned from Atlanta, Marie, Chris, and Tiffany moved into an apartment, Joe got out of the Active Air Force and moved home, to be a full time Daddy, he joined the Reserves, and got a job with "Matt Stone" in Zephyrhills as a dispatcher. In our spare time we have been busy fixing up the house, we have painted all of the inside of the house, and am now in the process of replacing the garage door. It has been about 10 years since the old door fell apart and we put the room in the garage. Now we are in the process of taking out the room. Simply having a garage door will help improve the outward appearance of the house. I wouldn't have been able to get so much done if it had not been for Joe's help. Even the mailbox was falling apart so he built another. You should see it. It has cows on it, we have even thought of putting some milk bottles on it. Joe is into cows, not the kind we had to milk and feed seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, these are the kind you look at not feed!

Last week, I had the seats recovered in the Honda. They did a great job, they look almost like the original covers. I still have some more work to get done on the Honda, it is due a paint job next. That is going to be one of my future projects. It is still running good.

From Marie's family-
Hello to all. I hope everyone has a Great New Year. As most of you know we have a new person in our group this year. During March while I was working Spring Training for the "New York Yankees", I met Jeff Hill, we started dating, the kids seem to like having him around, so we moved in to an apartment together, in August, so the kids have a full-time father figure around. We all have adjustments to get use to. Jeff has never had any children, so this is all new to him. Things seem to be going pretty good, I have a new job, back in the Insurance Industry. I really like my position, I'm in charge of the Mail & Supply for Fireman's Fund (Tampa Office.) I must have gotten lucky, "The Angel's" must have been looking after me and helping me with this family of mine. Tiffany and Chris are growing bigger and Chris is doing "great" in school. He is adjusting real well to a new school, he made the High honor roll with A's and three B's. He said he'll try to bring these up. Also he says the 5th grade is a little harder. Well that about does it for us. Everyone have a Great New Year and Bless you all. Love Marie, Chris, Tiffany & Jeff

From Joe and Nichole-
Hiddy Hoe Family, Well I finally decided to become a full time father and start raising my beautiful "little" girl without the interruptions of war (real or imagined.) I separated from active duty in September and moved in with Mom to help fix up the house and give her some assistance while she helps me with Nichole. I am still attached to the active reserve unit at MacDill and after seven years I will still be eligible for my retirement come the ripe old age of 60. I thought I would regret getting out but it has been a serious relief being able to come home and see Nichole every night and not have to worry about being recalled at 3:30 in the morning. I found a job dispatching Tractor-trailers full of patio stones and landscape material all across Florida. We supply all the stores in Florida from three factories and I am making better money than I was in the Air Force. Finally, I have met a wonderful single mother from Zephyrhills who has given Nichole a great role model from which to learn. She has a seven year old girl who gets along with Nichole like a sister. And to top it all off her Step father went to school with Dan (Tommy Dieffenworth). Well, I need to go for now so we wish everyone the best and hope to see you all very soon.
Joe and Nichole

From Jerry, Kelly and family,
Hello to everyone. 1996 has been a wonderful year and a bad year in our household. Jerry was laid off at Entergy in January and decided to become Mister Mom, and stayed home with Jessica and worked at night and weekends at Wal-Mart. We had a wonderful little boy, on april 30th, he weighed 8lbs 6oz, we named him Noah Ryan. Jerry decided to go back to work, when Noah turned 3 months old, he is now working for Sheppard Electric. Jessica will not let us go anywhere without Noah, unless he is staying with Grandma Carr or Grandpa Jordan, (he will not stay with anyone else) and even then she asks us a thousand times where he is and that she wants her brother. I am still working for Aetna right now but it looks like my department will be laying off at the beginning of the year. I just hope this does not include myself. Well, I don't have much more to say other than have a Good year.

From Kathy, Kelly, Hunter and Justin
Hunter is 16 months old now, he's growing, walking, trying to talk, and his favorite pastime is kissing all the girls, he is a very affectionate bundle of boy. Kelly has gone into business with his brothers, they do electrical work, mostly Street Lighting Contracts with TECO (better known as Tampa Electric Company.)

Kathy is still working for Aetna Insurance, she just celebrated ten years with them. Justin is seven years old and in the second grade and doing good in school.

We had a great time in Atlanta, it wan an enjoyable weekend getting to know some of the relatives better.

Kelly went hunting in Kentucky, all he'll say about the trip is that the weather and sunshine were great and the deer were hiding out in the hills.
Love to all.

Thom has gone to Truck Driving School, and gotten his CDL license. He has an appointment December 16th with Lester Coggins Trucking, to get some over the road training and experience driving the big rigs. Lester Coggins Trucking covers the 48 states, 2 Providence's in Canada, and Mexico. So he could show up anywhere at anytime. Good Luck, Thom.

David shows up from time to time to keep us in line, we miss him every day.
This is the greatest family in the world, Love to all, Connie

Hi Everyone from California,
"What a year"! We started the year off great! Great sking, good health, still employed and almost everything was going along pretty smooth.

Our ski season got off to a slow start and then when it snowed it really snowed and sking was going on into June. Laurie and I took Nicholas, signed him up for a one on one lesson and we created a "Snow Bonsai Monster"! He truely has no fear and chasing him down the mountain at times was a little scary. We had to keep him in tow. He loves it and wants to go again. We will get brave and take him again but this time, hopefully Grandpa will go with us so we can share the experience. Danny wants to take Evan but we have to wait until he is Four or Five.

The highlight of our year was going to Atlanta and being with all of you. It was a wonderful time and created lasting loving memories which we will never forget. Hopefully next time all of our family will be able to make the trip. Thank you again, Ben and Cinda for making it all so very special.

Briana came down for 2 weeks this summer and we really enjoyed having her here but the time goes by so fast. I think I have met my match with shopping. She is a real "Shop till you drop kinda gal". I have never seen a little one that loves clothes as much as Briana. She wore Laurie and I out at the mall. (Not to mention our pocketbooks)! She is quite a young lady, very bright and reads as well as any adult and she is very mature for her 9 years.

Nicholas is doing well. He is quite a challenge sometimes. When he gets his mind set on something there is no negotiation! He has his camoflage belt with his tiger patch and is doing so well in Taekwondo. Dan bought him sparring gear for his birthday and he is very agressive. He spars the other kids right off the mat. He will be a black belt by the time he is 10 at this rate. He also played soccer this year and did really well, although he always says he doesn't want to play, somehow he always does and plays well and has a good time. His last game was this past Saturday and the season is over until spring. He is going to be quite a sports lover. He wants to play football and basketball but he is still too young for the leagues out here.

One of the best things that happened with Nicholas was that Laurie made the decision to hold Nicholas back into another kindergarten class and the results were amazing. He has matured so much and has learned so much, its almost unbelievable the difference it has made and when he enters first grade he will be more than ready.

Evan is doing great and is a really good kid. He looks more and more like Danny at that age. He has a real mellow disposition and listens well. When he is around Nicholas and sees Nicholas praticing his Taekwondo, he tries so hard to do it too and it is a really funny sight to see. He is such a little doll. Evan loves trains so much. I bought him a train movie and I think he has recited every part of the movie. He is also going to be a sports lover. Evan is now three and talks like a little adult. He is also very bright and can already count and knows all the ABC's. He also knows his shapes and colors. He goes to a very neat private child care provider named Carol and she works with the children all the time.

Dan was laid off at Northrup/Grumman and has been off work for about a month. There are thousands of aerospace employees out of work. They have a special program in Palmdale/Lancaster area dedicated to aerospace workers. They give you a battery of tests for 3 days along with classes to see if you can be placed in other fields. I don't think Dan was too impressed with all of it, although he says it had a few good things in it.

He does have some things going for him. At present he has a job in Lake Charles, Louisiana to which he reports on 1 Dec 96. It is computer support and is what they call a job shopper. He has no benefits but the pay is good and he will be able to work as much overtime as he wants. He will be a long way from home but until something better comes up we will all make it work. He can come home every month or so on a holiday weekend. He will also be home for the week of Christmas because the plant closes down that week and he already has his plane ticket for that. He will probably be more homesick for us than I think he realizes. This will be the first time he has ever had to physically go away and work for any length of time without us going with him. It will be a challenge. There are some other options too. There is a chance of a job here at the airfield but several people applied and it is a civil service position and he will have to qualify over several other civil service employees to be offered that position but we still are hopeful. Then still another chance is a job at Edwards Air Force Base which he qualified for and is alot closer to home. It is about 1 and 3/4 of an hour away and will come home on weekends if not everyday, so we are hopeful for a couple of other areas but for now he will go to Lake Charles and work there.

The "Blue Angels" celebrated their 50th anniversary a few weeks ago. They had a big celebration at Pensacola, Fl and Dan was able to attend. There were several parties and a reunion of all past & present members of the "Blues". Dan had a great time renewing friendships with all his "Blue Angel Buddies". He took plenty of film of the base, the new museum, the air shows and even found our old apartment still standing in Warrington. The Blue Angels have formed an alumni association of which Dan is a member and they will have active participation in other events and changes for the future.

My job is pretty secure except I am not working for the base here anymore. All the Contract Specialists that handle facility contracts, such as Government construction and services were bought out by NAVFAC out of Washington, DC so they can keep everyone at close range and know we are all conducting business the same way. So l am part of an elite group except that we are back on the GS payscale and promotions will be very limited as they have there own thinking on promotion policy, which is none. I am really greatful that I still have a job. The base and government wide have direction from Congress to outsource as much as possible because they want to cut as many government employees as possible due to budget constraints and the Government just plainly wants to get of in house business. I'm sure glad I'm in contracting because the more they contract out, the more secure my job will be in administering these contracts.

Laurie is well and her cable company was bought out by Mediacom. So far so good. She seems to like it better. She is also learning new things to help her future promotion potential. She and Nicholas are spending Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe with friends. Nicholas will be in Florida with his daddy for Christmas. Laurie has started seeing an old friend of hers from high school named Scott. He is a very nice young man and a warrant officer in the army and a helicopter pilot stationed in Colorado Springs, CO. Its rough having a distant relationship but so far so good.

Danny is doing well also and is still gaining knowlege on computers and networking. He has taken classes at the college and is doing well at work. He goes on travel next week for a few days to another class. He is still in a band called the "Burners" and they limit themselves to mostly special occasions and a few gigs now and then. All members are professionals and this is a part time activity. He is dating a real sweet girl named Celeste who also went to school with him and sang a little for one of his earlier teen bands. She works on base for the protocol office.

All in all we are going through alot of changes but sometimes change is good. Hopefully it will bring all of us closer together and to God for giving us new challenges and hopes for the future.

We all thank God everyday for not only our family here but being part of such a wonderful loving family with all of you.
"God Bless you all", and " Happy Holidays and Love to All" Barbara and Dan

P.S. I'm not saying a word about the"New York Yankees", No, Not Me!!!

From Cinda
OK, the Braves didn't hang on this year, but they did keep us in suspense. Fun season. So glad that so many of you got a chance to join us for a game this year. Special thanks to Paula and Ralph for our first ever World Series event! First baseball game from which we ever got "frozen-out" ...emotionally and physically! It rated a 10, though, in terms of memorable fun.

Speaking of which, I can never thank you guys enough for making the effort to congregate in our fair town back in June. Now that you know we are literally just "a little way" up the Interstate, please stop by when you're "on the road".

Besides the family reunion here in June, Ben and I went to the little town of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania in August for a reunion with his family. Not quite so large a group! He has one remaining aunt and a cousin and her husband and son. They all still live on the old `homeplace". The original house is over 100 years old. Philipsburg is in mountain country, and we learned that they had snow on the ground from October through March last year. (Sounds almost like South Dakota!) The son has just graduated from Penn State which is 30 minutes from Philipsburg. Ben's sister and her husband from Chattanooga joined us there also.

Many of you may not know that Ben taught school for nine years. He was a band director in Brunswich, GA and Morrow, GA. He then moved into computer work, and that was almost the end of his teaching career.

After fifteen years away from schools, he will be teaching again in January `97. This time, he will be teaching computer programming, and specifically the "C" language, at Clayton College & State University just up the street. We've been very busy this fall preparing his course material. (He writes the words and I make them "pretty".) His instructor status is only for the Continuing Education Department, two nights per week. (Of course, this is in addition to his full-time job at TransQuest...Ben did some C++ programming this year, and is now a SQL Server Database Administrator and Database Modeler.)

1996 was a good year for us. Don't know how, but Ben and I both escaped the three big rounds of layoffs at TransQuest. They said they won't do anymore "mass" layoffs, just little ones from here on out. Anyway, when Ben gets his Microsoft Certification for teaching, I'm going to stay home and eat chocolates! (You can picture that, can't you!)

We'll be spending the weekend before Christmas with Lexi and Chris at their home in Charlotte, NC. Chris's parents will be there as well. Maggie and Bruce Lupfer are from Kissimmee. (They used to bring Chris to the Dade City Fairgrounds to ride his dirt bike years ago! For real!)

Congratulations to Herman and Monica on their new life together. Welcome to the family, Herman! We love ya!

We wish all of you the very best in 1997. Y'all keep coming back now, ya hear!

Love, Cinda and Ben

Greetings from Tampa!
Another year is quickly coming to an end. The time has really flown by for our family. Thankfully, we have all enjoyed a year of good health and many other blessings. We had fun hosting the January get-together honoring the January birthday kids! Of course, that little get-together was nothing compared to the all-out family reunion Cinda and Ben put together for us in Atlanta in June. We all have many wonderful memories.

Rob graduated from Jesuit High School in early June. He was named a Florida Academic Scholar and received a scholarship. He also received a scholarship from the USF Athletic Department, as well. The commencement exercises were held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Bishop Lynch, who succeeded Bishop Larkin recently as Bishop for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, was the keynote speaker. Rob, along with approximately 30 of his classmates, spent a week in Cancun, Mexico, celebrating. They all had a good time, but were glad to get home again to get some rest. Throughout the summer Rob coached at the USF basketball camp for kids 5 through 13 years old, as well as helping the new coaching staff make the transition to USF. His official title is team manager, but it seems he is really more like the program manager since he has approximately 10 years longer with the basketball organization than anyone else! He will be traveling quite a bit this season with the Bulls. If any of you can catch a USF basketball game on TV, you'll probably see Rob--he is always on the sidelines near the bench and usually the camera gets several shots of him each game. Needless to say, we are very proud of Rob.

Rebecca became legal (21) in March. During Spring Semester, she quit her job at Haagen Dazs to concentrate on her studies. She found that she could graduate this year is if she received a waiver allowing her to take extra hours in the summer and would take the maximum number of hours in the Fall. She will graduate December 15th with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Rebecca spent a week and a half in California visiting Travis' family during early August. Last month, she went to Nashville for a long weekend at Vanderbilt where she attended all the Homecoming festivities. After graduation, she plans to be an entrepreneur and is quite excited about pursuing a career in network marketing with STS full time. She also makes us very proud parents!

A couple months ago, I met one of our relatives--Rose Marie (Eisele) Guntert. She is the daughter of Sophie and Ed Eisele (Jr.). Rose Marie's grandmother was Great-Aunt Mary (married to Ed) Eisele [Grandpa (John) Barthle's sister]. Rose Marie's mother, Sophie, married Pete Barthle later. Sophie was a half-sister to Mary (married to Clem) Gude. When Rose Marie was growing up, they would often visit the Gude's in St. Joe--the family of Aunt Eda, Cecelia Scharber, Mildred Scharber, Agnes (married to John) McCarthy, Carl Gude, Frank Gude, and Florian Gude. There is a lot more history which Rose Marie will share with us to help us document her side of the family. She recently moved from Tampa to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, which is in the panhandle. When I met her, I thought she looked familiar--turns out, she went to St. Mary's Church (our church) and lived only a couple blocks from us--small world. You just never know who might be a relative!

Jack's mother (Mrs. Higgins) is doing fine. She is still living on Harvey Drive, but is looking forward to finding a buyer for her house and moving to an apartment or condo which will be less up-keep for her. While she would like to move, she is concerned she will miss her good neighbors a great deal.

Jack and I are still planning to move to St. Joe. It is taking a little bit longer than we initially anticipated, but we hope to start building as soon as we have a buyer for our house. We haven't exactly been aggressively marketing our house since it really is convenient for both Rebecca and Rob going to USF. Our efforts on the property this year have been concentrated on cleaning out the pond and clearing for a home site.

Congratulations to Monica and Herman on their marriage! We are glad to have Herman as part of our family.

We wish all of you the best Christmas and happiest New Year ever! Love to all,

Melda and family

Holiday greetings to all!
From Shelley:
Hello All!!!
This has been a year of Moving for Luke and I. We have been out on our own since February. You can now find us at 16736 Powerline Road, Dade City. I have also moved on from my station at Huss Drilling (a change in state environmental processes caused a drastic drop in the company's work load). After being given my two weeks notice at Huss, I started putting out the word to friends that I was in need of a job. Within 2 or 3 days, Rob Luttrell, a friend and the local Chiropractor, heard of a position and called to let me know of the opening. I called Katherine (Hormuth) Britton to get the details on the job. The position was Office Manager of Cooper & Associates, a Real Estate firm in Dade City. After a brief telephone interview Kathy said she would talk to Diane (Pike) Cooper, the Broker, and call me back to set up an interview. Within 30 minutes Diane called me back. After listening to my qualifications, Diane told me that she knew Mom very well and based on Mom's merit alone she would like to offer me the job (sight unseen). She asked if I could start the following Tuesday (January 2nd). Thus my current job began.

My life as a college student had been put on hold, and after much discussion I decided to move out on my own. WHAT AN AJUSTMENT!!! A friend and co-worker was getting married and was willing to let me move into her home on 23 acres for minimal rent in exchange for helping to manage the property, however, there was one glitch - her 18 year old son would still be living in the other half of the house. Instant roommate!!! Travis was great. We shared bills, chores, secrets, dinners with our boyfriends and girlfriends. It was just what I needed, Luke and I would not have handled being completely alone very well after the activity level at Mom's.

In May, Luke and I decided to get a dog (much to Moms disappointment --- she wanted me to take Alex), we bought an Astralian Cattledog. Luke and DJ decided to name him PeanutButter. It was the perfect name he sticks to my side and always watches Luke. He is like my other child.

In August Travis got a live in job helping a local photograher who is partially handicapped. We thought we would miss him, however, the photographer lives just down the road so we see him almost as much and have more privacy, so it has worked out.

With Travis gone I started to depend on DJ more and more. He has been great about watching Luke so that I can go to after hours meetings, class (oh yeah I'm back in school), and so that I can have a little (o.k. very little) private time. He also provides a male role model which is something both Luke and D.J. have benefitted from. DJ is an avid outdoors man. He loves to take Luke and I fishing when ever we get a chance. He is working in Tampa for a Billiard Supply house running their shipping department.

I have to tell you all how proud I am of my family:

Bill is becoming a teenager with all of the wit, personality and mood swings to prove it. However, he is handling it all pretty well, and I don't tell him enough that I Love Him.

Joe is our new rock king, he has really impressed me with his dedication to his guitar. He is sounding better all the time, make sure you stop by Mom's for a mini- concert.

Mandi is so much braver than I am. I am so proud of her for having the insight to know that education is the only way to succeed in life. The Army will be both good and bad for her, for this is life's rule. However, I know Mandi and I know she will prosper for her hard work.

Natalie is Great at balancing her career selling Avon (I hear she's making more money than me), and being an excellent Mom to Tyler.

Mom and Herman have finally done it --- they are married and I could not be any happier for them. I wish them all of the joys that marriage has to offer, and the patience to work out the yucky stuff.
We Love You All!!! Shelley, Luke & DJ

From Natalie:
Greetings to all!!

Well, if there's one thing I've learned this year, it is that time does fly!

Tyler has gotten so big so fast I can't stand it. He walks, uh runs, all over the place, usually faster than I can. He has a mouth full of teeth. I think 12 was the last count. He weighs about 32 pounds and you can feel every pound of it. He's started to talk. He says, "No", "Eat", "Nat" and "Dada", but best of all he tries to call Uncle Bill, but it comes out "Bow" (like bow-wow). He's a big help around the house. He loves to sweep. I really couldn't ask for a better kid.

I started selling Avon in March, and, I think, I'm doing really well. In ten months I've moved up to the 55th ranked Independent Representative in the district. There's about 375 people in ours. I also got promoted to a team captain. This means that there are about 40 people under me and I am there to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do, and help them when they need it. Between Tyler, Avon, and keeping the house together, I stay pretty busy.

Chris finally got out of the lawn care business. He started working for AM&E (Automatic Machinery & Electronics). This company makes and fixes all the machines for all the orange juice companies in the U.S., including Tropicana, Lykes and Premium Gold. He likes this job a lot better, except he has to drive to Winter Haven (about 50 miles from the house one way) every day until the beginning of the year. At least now he gets full benefits and paid vacations.

We hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!
Love you all! Natalie, Chris & Tyler

From Monica
Mandi worked at Wendy's after school, and saved her money for a special trip. . .some of the Spanish club members were going to Spain and France for 9 days in July! We were all very excited when the big day finally arrived. The first leg of the trip was from Tampa to Miami (we teased her about going to another country before she crossed the Atlantic). Next she was flying from Miami to Madrid. When she arrived in Miami, she called to let us know she had arrived safely. Later that night as we watched television, we learned that a plane had crashed outside of New York. Some of the passengers were students from Pennsylvania going on a trip to France and Spain. Originally Mandi's group was supposed to make that flight, but the travel company split the group into two, sending one to Madrid first, the other to Paris first. The travel group had counsellors to meet with our group when they landed, and spent several days with the group to make sure everybody was doing okay. She had a fabulous time (she loved Madrid -- hated Paris), flew into Switzerland, flew over England), and we were all very happy when she got back into Tampa.

In August, she was looking into colleges and into the armed services. She talked with Wade Greif and signed up to join the Army next summer. Her departure date is July 22. She will have boot camp at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and schooling at Fort Wauchuka, Arizona.

Mandi played on the volley ball team at school. The team hadn't won a game in six years. During the season, they kept their perfect record, but when it came time for the playoffs, the team won their district! The principal and some of the staff cooked steak dinners for the team!

Now Mandi is playing soccer. They have already had several games, and she is having a good time. We went to the first home game last Friday night (November 22) and it was very interesting. I'm not too sure what the rules are, but it was fun watching them play.

Mandi is also President of the Drama Club. Do we see a pattern here? It appears she has grabbed life by the tail and is going for all the gusto she can get! Her grades are excellent, and we are all very proud of her!

Joe is in the eighth grade this year, and is no longer playing drums in the school band -- now he has his own band! He plays guitar, and a couple of his friends play and sing. They tried out for the talent show and were a hit. Joe is really enjoying this musical adventure.

Bill is in the sixth grade this year, and is doing very well in school. He made the honor roll the first nine weeks, and is pretty consistent in doing extra credit work. He and Joe still take Tae Kwon Doh, and recently moved up to "Blue" Belt.

Another thing we did this year, was Joe, Bill and I (Mom) went to Space Camp at the Kennedy Space Center! This had been a dream of ours for a long time, and this year (through 4-H) we were able to go. It was GREAT! We got to try out different pieces of space equipment, and I got to try out the "hamster wheel", where you sit in a chair and run around in circles. I laughed so hard and had such a great time...That wouldn't seem like any fun, but for some reason, it was.

We visited Busch Gardens for Joe and Bill's birthdays, and it has changed a great deal over the years. It reminded me of Disney World more than the Busch Gardens I remembered from years ago.

One of the greatest highlights of the year was the Barthle Family Atlanta Reunion! We will always remember that time with the family! Thanks again, Ben and Cinda for a wonderful time!

I finally finished school (now I have an AA (general education) and an AS Degree in Computer Progamming. I am glad to be finished after only four short years(!) of working full time and going to school half time! It is true that with God all things are possible!

I am late writing this (again). It is Thanksgiving Day, and by the time you get this, Herman and I will be married! We hope to see as many as possible, and those who will be unable to come, we will be holding in our hearts! After honeymooning in St. Augustine, we plan to come back and move into Herman's house. Herman and I have been painting, cleaning, polishing, planting, and doing all the things people have to do to get it ready for a family! I think it will take a while before we get everything sorted out, but it really does feel a lot like home already!

We hope your holidays are blessed, healthy and happy! May God be merciful and gentle to us all!
Love, Herman, Monica and family

From Paula & Ralph
This year started off with a busy and fun filled January. Paula turned 39 (first time for her!) and went to see Miss Saigon at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The get together at Jack & Melda's for the January birthdays was a real treat. Thanks to the hosts!

In February we went to Atlanta to attend a Shaklee sales meeting and spent the night at the 'Ole Rawlings Inn! As I remember, Ben had an important birthday while we were there.....?!

A long awaited event (6 1/2 years) finally took an important first step in March. Tampa Bay Devil Rays Baseball season ticket seat selection started. We will share two season tickets with Melda & Jack (and two other couples) at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg starting in April 1998. Maybe this will actually happen!

We made a trip to Newport News, VA in May and spent several days with Mike, Nancy, Sarah, and Caroline. Paula (with Ralph's assistance) conducted an In-home Shaklee Party for Nancy and several of her friends (I love these "business trips".) We took a few days to take in the historic area around their city, as well as, taking a guided (by Mike) tour of Newport News Shipbuilding's amazing facility. Wow! We also got to see their new home just as renovations were starting. We can hardly wait to see it now!!! What a great time we had in June traveling to Atlanta for the June birthday Brave's and barbecue celebration. Still can't believe how many of us were there! Thanks to Cinda & Ben for making it happen, we will remember this forever.

Rob's (Higgins) graduation from Jesuit was a big event in June as well. Of course he seemed well established at USF before he became a student there, the fun continues.... see you in the papers and on TV Rob! July will always be an emotional month for all of us. On the bright side there are lots of birthdays to celebrate and appreciate....

In September we decided to try to do something we've wanted to do for many years.... to go to a World Series game. With Ben & Cinda's help (and cooperation from the Atlanta Braves), a childhood dream was realized. What a time we had!!!!! We were all "geeked out" in our Braves jerseys (borrowed from Kathy & Joe), and tomahawks (borrowed from Connie and formerly used with great success by David), at the October 23rd game. Thanks to Cinda & Ben for giving us a great place to stay and going with us to the game. It would not have happened without them (or been as much fun!)

At this writing, Monica & Herman have about a week until their wedding. I know it'll be a wonderful event and the start of a fun and fulfilling life together.

It was a great year spending time with our family, let's do it again next year!

We hope everyone has a safe and prosperous Christmas Season and New Year.
Love, Paula & Ralph

From Cousin Sara:
Time again to review the year and send greetings & wishes for a better year to come! We had a trip to Mexico in March and enjoyed the Las Hadas Resort in Manzanillo. But the vacation was marred by the Mexican airlines - canceling connecting flights both going and coming! We saw parts of Mexico we hope never to see again! In early May we were thrilled by a brief visit from Aunt Hilda and DeLetta. And later that month, we celebrated Ken's birthday at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. This is the first time in countless years that we did not return to South Dakota to hunt pheasants. We did go to Gregory in early October, however, to attend the funeral for Aunt Phyllis Johnson (May 3, 1911-Sept 30, 1996). Overall, 1996 has been a good year. A drought in Oklahoma through the spring season, but a blessing in disguise! That meant no devastating winds, no hail and no "gully-washers! The yard, flowers and vegetable gardens flourished - thanks to the sprinkler system! July, of all months, brought frequent, gentle rains that have continued through this late fall. Only 3 days of triple-digit temperatures - quite something for Oklahoma! Now, bustling about, preparing for the holidays and Ken is enjoying the hunting season. I've finished with the last of the chores in the yard, enjoying many glorious, sunny days and splendid fall colors. Years ago I found an article about autumn and it moved my soul because it so typifies my feelings this time of year:

"We who love the earth do get ready with that sense of urgency that winter's approach brings and with a sense of relief akin to putting the children to bed after a wearisome day. We anticipate peace and quiet and time to devote to our own indoor interests."
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