A. B. BARTHLE NEWSLETTER (1999)

Welcome to the 1999 Newsletter for
the A. B. Barthle family!

Front cover

GREETINGS from the Denney's!
Where does the time go? Jimmy says, "Time goes fast when you are having fun." This has been a fun, but busy year for us. Jimmy & I are in great health. Our schedules are basicly the same this year as before. Jimmy is still working at the store. He also keeps a garden. We had peas and mustard greens for Thanksgiving. He has also built some picnic tables in his spare time. This year Jimmy sold his orange crop to Bret & Jake. They are harvesting and selling with the help of their Dad. I am still at the same office and desk, however, in June Crawler Rail & Roller Company sold their assets to HeavyQuip from Pearl (Jackson), Mississippi. There is much less stress when the Company you work for is financial able to pay the bills on or before the due date. This is one of 14 branches in the U.S. In July I went to MS. to learn the paper flow and to meet the personel. It is good to be able to picture a face when you talk to them. There are plans that I will be moving into a new office soon.

Steve, Mae and Chris are still camping a lot. They bought a Jet Ski this year. This is something they have wanted for awhile. Steve and Mae are both still with the Spring Hill Fire Department and very busy. A local Hardee's closed and the fire department was allowed to use the building for training before it was to be torn down. They had some extensive drills. This is training they cannot get everyday.

Chris is growing up fast. He played Pal Football and his team went to the play-offs. They came in second. He is still active in the Scouts. He entered in the Cub Mobile Race and came in third. In the Pine Wood Derby, he placed second and went to district playoffs. He went to a camp and learned Archery, B-B Gun Safety, Canoeing and Fishing. He and some of his friends went caroling at a retirement center. He is in the Yearbook Photo Club and was a member of the Chorus. Also, he is on the Honor Roll.

Lori has a new job at Tampa College and has a new friend Brian. Her son, Spencer is really growing tall and is doing very well in school. He and Chris are into the Pogemon's craze.

Renee is still working at Pasco Data Center and Clark is still working long hours at Ogden Martin. They are also trying to keep up with Jessie. She turned 16 this year. She wants a new car but is sharing with Renee until other arrangements can be made. Renee told her after Christmas they would look for one. Jessica is President of the Progessive 4-H Club again this year. She is Secretary of the 4-H County Council. She had a hog in the Fair and it sold at a very good price. She is also on the Lady Pirate Golf Team and Secretary of the Sophomore Class. On Mondays, as a member of the Interact Club, she goes to the Elementary School and helps students.

Mary Beth, Gene and Elise are still busy. Gene is on the road a lot with his job. Mary Beth is still at home with Elise. Elise is now a year and a half. She has learned a lot this past year. She has had swimming lessons. She has learned to float on her back and to swim from out in the pool to the edge. Mary Beth and two other mothers have formed a 'Share-A-Nannie' program for their children. They have hired a Nannie for three days a week. The Nannie rotates from home to home and plans a program for these children, with scheduled rest, play and meals. The host mother is to help serve the lunch. Otherwise, they are free to shop, run errands, etc. This seems to be working out well.

This is a slack time of the year for Gene so they went to Orlando for a few days. They took Elise to Disney World. She really enjoyed the Seven Dwarfs. She now is talking about Hi Ho, Hi Ho. Her vocabulary is growing very fast.

Duane and Kathleen have had a very busy year. In January at my birthday dinner, Kathleen announced that she was pregnant. How thrilled we were. In May they sold their double wide and in June they moved into their beautiful new home. On September 16, Shelbie Katherine was born. Kathleen has been at home with her until last week, when she went back to the Store, 2 days a week. They have a friend who is a Registered Nurse that takes care of Shelbie in her home while Kathleen works. Shelbie is a beautiful good baby and is beginning to laugh. Bret and Jake enjoy playing with her.

These two boys have been busy. Bret raised a hog in 4-H for the fair. He received 'Overall Junior Exhibitor'. This is selected from Grade Point Average, Showmanship, How the Hog Placed and Record Book. (A note from Dad: Dickey Brown, of the Hog Committee called a week after the fair and told Duane that Bret had more points than any other exhibitor, Junior, Elementary or Senior.) Good Job, Bret!

Jake played T-Ball this year while Bret played Minor League. Bret's team won the Minor League Division. His position was Right Field. Jake enjoys living. He is always a happy go lucky boy. You can hear him coming and he always has a hug for me. Duane bought a John Deere Gator for the boys to use to harvest the oranges that Bret and Jake bought. Both boys drive it everywhere here on the farm. I think Duane needs to put a governor on it, as it must have only high speed when Dad and Mom are not around.

his is enough of Grandma bragging. I want every one to know that I have enjoyed this year. We've had the pleasure of seeing and spending time with Dan much more than usual. And I have enjoyed being with my sisters. We have been getting together almost every week to Quilt and eat. This really came about because of Melda's (Surprise) Birthday party here in June. We realized that we all liked quilts and each had some in the closet. We began meeting at Melda's once a week until school started in August. At that time we shifted the meeting place here. (We're also pretty good at horse racing.)
We send our love to all and wish each of you A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED HOLIDAY SEASON.
Love, Margie

From Joan:
Greetings to all. In many ways it has been a year of difficulties, but God is good and there is still much to be thankful for. Here's hoping next year will be better. Hope everyone is healthy, happy and prosperous in the new year. Love, Joan

From Lisa
Hello to everyone! First of all Alan upgraded from a 767 first officer to a MD-80 captain this year. His ground school started in mid September and went for a month and a half in St Louis mostly. Although he also went to Seattle for some simulator training. Then his line training (trips with passengers and an instructor) started in early November and ended on Dec. 15, at which time he was deemed a qualified captain and granted permission to command TWAs MD-80's. My favorite saying lately is: "Aye Aye Captain".

As for me, my highlight this year was that I went to a christian conference in Jacksonville with mom at the end of October. Aunt Bonnie kept Katie and Becca and they had a great time too! There were several thousand people at the conference crossing every denominational barrier. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and of seeking the Lord corporately. On the second day of the three day conference, I received a word from the Lord that He wanted to heal me. It was an emotional wound, that I had begun to believe I would have to carry always. He did not heal me at the conference. After I returned home and met with the group of believers that we have met with for many years, they felt led to anoint me with oil and pray for my healing. The Lord healed me completely in a moment, of a wound that was over 25 years old and He set me free. I shall bless His holy name forever! I am in awe that He would turn His attention to me at all, if even for a moment. I have believed for a long time now that Jesus is alive and well and still heals, I have tasted it now for myself and not only believe it, but I now know. I am convinced that His love is far higher, wider and deeper than we could ever comprehend. He purchased so much for us at the cross and I pray that He would help us to get ahold of it all. I know this may all sound silly but I am truly in awe of our God. He truly can meet our every need, and not only that, but He really wants too!

Becca is in the 6th grade this year, and has begun playing the clarinet. She is really enjoying it. It is hard for me to comprehend the time she puts in practicing, it seems like every spare moment. She continues to get rave reports from her teachers about her school work. She has also opted for French as the language that she will study for the next 2 1/2 years. Last year she took Spanish for a half year and French for the other half. It was her choice which language she would study for the rest of her time in the middle school. I suppose French was the best choice for up here, there are alot of French Canadian people in the area.

Katie just turned three on December 9 and I can hardly believe it. She loves her puppy Shadow and also her BEANIE BABIES. The other day Katie wanted to tell me that she loved me a whole lot, this is how it came out. "Mom I love you....mom I love you again and again and again and again." You better believe my heart was dancing. Oh and here is another one, I am always telling Katie, you're my pretty "little" girl.....and Becca is my pretty "big" girl. Well one night while watching T.V. Katie put one hand on one side of my face and the other hand on the other side and turned my face toward her, at which time she said, "Mom, you're MY pretty girl". I think that one made me feel a few years younger.
Our love to you all and God Bless You Always, Lisa, Alan, Becca and Katie

From Lisa for Teresa:
The changes in Teresa's situation goes a long way in explaining mom's year of difficulties. As you mothers and fathers out there know, when your children are going through it, you are going through it with them. Before I get into the details, Teresa and the kids did move once again. Although, they are not very fond of moving, they really like where they ended up. It is out of town in a doublewide mobil home with a little pond. They moved in May and are still in Plant City.

Glenn finally pushed for a divorce last November and remarried in December. In March the court ordered him to begin paying child support. Around the same time Glenn and the children began talking about living with him. When they were on the summer visitation with dad, they did not return to Tampa on the date they were suppose to. Teresa let the authorities know and he was made to return the children to Florida. Of course there was tremendous amounts of tension on all relationships after that. So much so, Teresa decided to bring the kids to NH and visit with us in August for a few days to regroup. The trip was cut in half by Glenn showing up with the police to remove the children from Teresa's custody. Glenn brought the children back to his parents in Florida and placed them in a private school (Teresa had been home schooling them). He then returned to Georgia. They went to court and the judge decided that all of Glenn's accusations against Teresa were false and also ridiculous except for the charge of her hindering the children's contact with their father. He then turned and gave custody of the children to Glenn. Both sides were shocked that a judge would talk about what an outstanding job this mother had been doing, and how all the father's accusations were ridiculous and then hand the children over to the father. Of course Teresa is really struggling with this turn of events, although her life seems to be turning upside down, she is really trying to find the Lords will in all of this. Her problem is that she is so close to the problem and the Lord is being kind of quiet about it all.

She has decided to appeal the judges decision because he had no legal basis for removing the children from her custody, absolutely nothing had changed in any way since they were divorced to warrant a change in custody. The appeal may take nine months and the children will be moving to Georgia at the end of December.

The children are doing exceptional in the private school although they both hate it. Jessica has done so well that she is exempt from final exams. We think that says alot about the kind of job Teresa has done homeschooling the kids.

Please pray for everyone involved here, Teresa is asking for the Lord's guidance and that His will would be done. They send their love and wish you Happy Holidays!

From Mike:

My daughter Jennifer, my wife Sandra and I are doing fine. We are still working at the same places and nothing much has changed. Jennifer is learning to talk Spanish, English and sign language (three languages). Sandra's parents and her brothers went to Cuba to see her Dad's family last summer. Dad didn't see his sister for 38 years. It was a good experience for them.

We had a wonderful time at Rebecca's wedding and it was good to see you all again. We were very impressed that Rebecca provided us an interpreter for her wedding. We were surprised and very much appreciate her for that.

Guess What? We went to Busch Gardens last October for Deaf Awareness. Guess who we met? It was MaryBeth and her daughter Elise. OOPS! I forgot to tell you that we went to New York City to see my wife's Uncle Carlos who is deaf and celebrated his 50th birthday. Uncle Carlos took me everywhere to see what it is like to hang out. WOW!

We are going to Puerto Rico on December 23rd to January 9th to spend time with Sandra's real father and her relatives.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

From Melinda:
We want to say Happy Holidays to you all! Hope you enjoy to read our news!

Our son, Warren is 6 years old and he is in 1st grade in a public school. Jimmy mentioned to him about boy scout stories. We wanted him to be a Boy Scout so he joined as Tiger Club for a 1st grade group and Warren wanted his daddy as his partner. Warren loves to watch Pokemon movie, have some games, trading cards and toys. He sometimes makes us crazy. He will join t-ball next spring. He likes baseball more than any other sport.

Jimmy has worked at the Dental Lab for 19 years. He was twice nominated as Employee of the Month this year. He was chairperson for Homecoming Events in our Florida School for the Deaf last September. At that time Hurricane Floyd hit the North Carolina area. East NC School for the Deaf was supposed to come down against FL School for the Deaf football. But they couldn t come down. So he and his officers still proceeded to have Alumni Social Night and it was very successful, there were more than 300 alumnus. He will continue his position in 2000.

I am still working at VAMC. It has been more than eight years now. My Dept. moved to another office, it was easier for us to see our Chief s office, also we will get more employees soon. I enjoy learning about Pokemon, I learn some from Warren. We play game and trading cards. He makes me crazy. My best friend Krista and her son Kirby from Atlanta came to visit with us for a week. We went to Disney World last summer in July. It was Warren's first time to go there. He loved it and wanted to go again the next day. Jimmy couldn t go with us to Disney World because he had to work. We had a good time there! We went to Sea World last November. Warren liked the dolphins show best because the dolphins make a big splash in the water and get people wet. We didn t get wet.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We love you all! Let you all know our e-mail address change: MJWYOUNG2@AOL.COM

From Bonnie:
Hello All; We had another good year this year. The pecan trees aren't as tall as we had hoped so Michael talked to a pecan expert in Georgia. He gave us some good advice. We planted 300 more trees; (100) Sycamore, (100) Red Oaks, and (100) Dogwoods. We have ordered 600 more which should be here next month; (200) Pecan, (100) Crape Myrtles, (100) Red Maples, (100) Red Oaks, and (100) Red Cedars. We added another baby animal to our pasture. His name is Tabasco and he's a registered Hereford Bull.

Our bees were really good to us this year, but the ants weren't. They killed all our bees. We have three hives (thank you Ralph!), and Michael has since ordered more. We did get about five gallons of honey. We ate some and sold some and ate some and gave some away and ate some more, and we are still eating it!!

Michael still works at the same Post Office as me. He's not doing the greenhouse work anymore. He planted some sugar cane, corn, and beans to try his luck at gardening. So far so good.

Rachael just turned seven and is in the first grade. She went to a cheerleading camp at Auburndale High School and then she cheered at one of the games. She played T-ball this yearand mentioned possibly wanting to play soccer. She is a missionette at church and really enjoys it.

Samson is five and is in Kindergarten. He played T-ball for the first time this year. He was on Rachael's team. He is a Royal Ranger at church and loves it. He has earned his first medal. They are both good at memorizing Bible verses.

I am still home educating the kids and it is going fine so far. I don't know if I will be able to continue doing it next year because of my work schedule.
God Bless You All-ways! Bonnie B. & Family

Greetings everyone from Carlene, Kyle and Sam
This has been a great year for our family. It actually started at the end of last year in October when Carlene started attending church with my sister Teresa. Actually it started long before that with the prayers of many people, some or most I am probably not even aware were praying. Carlene rededicated her life to the Lord. She and Kyle continued to attend church. In January of this year I also began to attend church with Carlene and Kyle. On February 14th the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to me in a way I have never experienced before. He set me free from something I have long struggled with, Bless His Holy And Wonderful Name. As a result we as a family are trying draw near to Him. We thank all of you for praying for us. Concerning less eternal matters, Carlene graduated from U.S.F. in December. She is presently researching the possibility of working at home. Kyle has recently started piano lessons. I am currently working a lot of hours at Publix (an answer to some financial prayers).
God Bless, Love Carlene, Kyle and Sam

From Janet:
Hello to everyone. We hope that you all had a terrific 1999 and are looking forward to an even greater 2000. As for us, not much change. Fred is still working at Publix GM Warehouse and now is on day shift (which I really like). I am still staying home with our three wonderful children. Kenny is 6 now and in first grade which he likes and is doing very well. He was saved back at the end of September and was baptized the following Sunday. He is very active in our church children's program called Word Of Life and likes to keep in touch with his Aunt Lisa about the Lord and what he is doing in his life. We are very proud of him.

Jenna will be 4 on Christmas day and is talking up a storm. Her favorite saying is I love everybody in our family all the way up to Jesus. She can not wait to go to school like her brother, but she doesn't want to get five she says 'cause she don't want no shots.

Kevin will be 2 on December 5 and is such a joy to watch, he really makes me laugh sometimes. If I could figure out where the volume button was on him everything would be terrific. (I am sure Granma or Pa Pa as he calls her would like for me to find that button too). We miss you all and can not wait till our next reunion so we can visit with everyone.
Fred, Janet, Kenny, Jenna, and Kevin

From Clem:
Not much new this year. I purchased a new boat, haven't had much chance to use it.

Mike is still at the shipyard. He was recently on Discovery Channel. I spent 4th of July with his family, went to cottage and spent time on his boat. He did not run aground at Oregon Inlet this year. Good time was had by all.

Bernie is flying full time for a charter service in Atlanta. He does a lot of news coverage flights, and seems to enjoy his job. Jennifer has become a full-time mother and homemaker. Looking forward to the Purdue-Georgia match-up in the Outback Bowl here in Tampa.

Tim has separate input. Everyone is looking forward to his upcoming wedding to the lovely Debbie.

Susie, after completing Air Force Command and General Staff School, was assigned to Transportation Command at Scott AFB, Belleville IL, near St Louis, MO. I traveled with her from Montgomery to Scott to help her get settled in.

Dean changed jobs. Instead of being employed by the Air Force in Research and Development, he has taken a job with NASA in Cleveland. He is now living about four blocks from Anne's parents. Don't know if he was involved in recent problems with the Mars lander.

Brian was recently assigned to Arnold AFB, TN. He is looking forward to an addition to his family which will be number eleven of the grandchildren.

From Bernie:
This year brought many changes to our family. Bernie finally returned to full-time flying. He flies for Helicopters, Inc. at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, flying contract and commercial customers around Atlanta and Georgia. He flies the news helicopter for WSB-TV, traffic reporters for several radio stations, power line patrols, real estate developers, wedding getaways, photographers and even Santa, as the need arises.

In March, we bought a new house. It is in Suwanee (Home of the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons), 25 miles northeast of Atlanta. It is a beautiful 2-story, 4 bedroom, 2 & 1/2 bath home in a large swim/tennis community. The yard is bermuda sod, front and back. We have a very nice wooden swing-set (with a clubhouse) and a trampoline, both of which the boys love. My mom contributed 2 rocking chairs for our front porch. Matthew's school is five minutes away on foot. Matthew, Nathaniel and I make the short trek every morning and Nathaniel and I greet him at the school in the afternoon.

Matthew played his third year of little league. He is becoming quite the hitter and has pretty good speed. Bernie says he didn't get that from him! Matthew is doing exceptionally well in school. His reading and writing are impressive and he scored very high on a standardized test issued to first graders. Matthew had his seventh birthday in October and the house was filled with 14 little boys and 2 girls. At this age those odds are just fine to Matthew but that will change.

Nathaniel has gone from being a little two year old almost three to being right up there with Matthew on anything from riding bikes to understanding all this Pokemon mania. He has been my constant companion during the day, which includes getting to go with me to Matthew's school for an occasional lunch day or volunteering in Matthew's classroom for special events. He especially loves that because he idolizes his older brother and Matthew is very sweet to include him in everything he does. They get along great as brothers, of course, they have their moments (I would worry if they did not!). Nathaniel also has his own school to go to. We enrolled him in a preschool program close to home three days a week for three hours a day. He loves it.

For me, because Bernie's schedule is rather unusual and subject to change in any given five minutes, I man the fort. I have enjoyed the opportunity to be more involved with the kids and their school events, parties and such. Also, for the first time in years, we actually know our neighbors. I know the other moms in the neighborhood who stay at home and we swap out babysitting and sometimes "do lunch", basically my house this time your house the next. There are a lot of young families with children the same age and that has been a great change from the other neighborhood we lived in.

We enjoyed having Clem and Susie and her family in June visiting. We also had the opportunity to visit with Brian, Vickie and their clan in October. During that same visit we had the privilege of meeting Tim's fiancee Debbie, she is definitely going to be a great addition to the family. I have never seen Tim so happy.

I could not finish without saying how much we have enjoyed the opportunity to have Cinda and Ben over whenever possible. Not as much this year as we had hoped but maybe next year things will be a little less hectic and we can get together more often.
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the very best in the year 2000.

From Tim:
1999 has been another exciting year. Early in the year I had the opportunity once again to travel the world with Notre Dame Alumni. This year our trip was to the Holy Land in March. The first day we started in Jaffa and traveled up the coast seeing the ruins at Ceserea, and Mount Carmel. We then spent three days near Nazareth, visiting the Church of the Annunciation, Cana, the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, and the Mount of the Transfiguration. We traveled to Jericho and Masada, then we spent three days in and around Jerusalem. There we saw Bethlehem, Gethsemene, Bethany, and the Upper Room. The highlight of the trip was our trip into the Old City in Jerusalem, seeing the Temple Mount and walking along the Via Dolorosa (the original Stations of the Cross) to the Holy Sepulchre, the empty tomb of Jesus. (Pictures of this trip are still posted on my web page at http://home1.gte.net/tpetters.

So what's next? Another trip, but of a very different kind. I am pleased to announce my engagement to Debbie D'Ambrosio of Oviedo, Florida (near Orlando). We are planning a spring wedding in Altimonte Springs at her parish Church on 29 April 2000.

I have been spending this year getting to know Debbie, falling in love with her, and introducing her to you all. Many of you got the chance to meet her at Rebecca and Travis' wedding last April. Everyone who has met her has told me that she is someone very special, and I wholeheartedly agree. Debbie has been equally charmed by all of you. In October we made the rounds announcing our engagement to my brothers and Susie in person. The remainder of the year has been spent making wedding plans. It's an exciting process, and I will keep you all advised of our plans.

Merry Christmas to all, and a happy Y2K. I'll be manning the battle lines at the GTE Data Center in Temple Terrace on New Year's Eve, insuring a smooth transition into the next millennium. Tim

From Susie:
This year has been very busy for us Davidson's... The first six months we were in Alabama while I attended school and coached Michael's soccer team. Coaching was great until we played Jennifer's team, and even that was okay until Michael was on the front line and Jennifer was goalie... something about kissing the goalie when your forward just missed the winning goal was a little confusing to all spectators. Fortunately the parents were good natured...During the first five months we were able to make it to Florida pretty regular to see Dad.

In June my school hosted a week of aviator greats and I was blessed to have Uncle Dan join me to enjoy their presentations and escort me to the formal dinner. It was AWESOME!! These guys gave great lectures and were pretty personable at the BBQ too. We were able to talk one-on-one with several of those being honored, one of which was Pete Conrad, (who died one month later.) it was a great event.

That was two days before we started our PCS move to Scott AFB in Illinois, 30 miles east of St Louis. Dad helped me tremendously during the move, as we stayed in three different hotels before finally getting on base housing in Mid July.

We love our new location and my job is keeping me busy. I go on temporary duty about one week a month and the kids get that much needed mommy break.

The sad news this year is Mike and I finally got divorced... it has been a bad scene for many years and now it is over. No regrets though, he is the one that will miss out on all the great things that kids bring to our lives.

And I really do know how truely blessed I am to have these wonderful kids!! Jennifer is in second grade and thinks school here is much harder than it was in Alabama, although she is doing great. Michael is in Kindergarden and is also doing well. They both are in a program run by the Baptist church here called Sparks, sort of like scouts but scripture based. They really enjoy it, the neighbor takes them on Wednesday nights and that gives mom a break during the middle of the week.

They are anxious to start into sports again, it is always hard having to settle in before I can get them into those activities. Am sure the new year will bring all that together.

Will take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for being such a wonderful family. We wish you all lots of love, peace, joy and happiness in this next year and throughout your lives!!! May ALL your dreams come true!

Have a Great holiday season, be safe, be jolly and most of all remember to count your blessings, we have so very much to be thankful for!! Come visit us if you can, we love hosting guests!!

We LOVE YOU ALL!!! Susie, Jennifer and Michael

From Dean:
Hi Everyone, 1999 will go down in the Petters' household as a year of changes. In January, Anne decided to become a stay-at-home mom. The decision was a tough one, but her boss' insistence on work over family definitely made it a much easier decision. Although she gave up a 12 year career at Reynolds & Reynolds, Anne is much happier now that the only one she has to answer to is Tony. While the loss in income has made things a bit tighter, Anne's happiness in staying at home more than makes up for it. We had always planned on being able to live on one income, so the transitions wasn't that difficult.

In June, I had to go to NASA Langley for a business trip and had the opportunity to drive down to Nags Head to visit with Mike and Nancy (while they were resting on the beach). It so happened that dad was also there and we were all treated to grilled tuna fresh from the Atlantic (thanks to Mike's catch of the day).

Fall is a time of change and that was definitely the case this year. Over the summer, I learned of a job opening at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. After lots of consideration, I applied for the job and in August, I was offered the position. On September 27th, I officially started my career with NASA. Since then, we have been totally consumed with selling our old home, finding a new home and moving our possessions from Dayton to Cleveland. It was extremely difficult to leave Dayton and all our friends there. I had been there for over 10 years and Anne for 16 years (including her college days). Luckily, we are very close to Anne's family and that has made the transition much easier.

Tony spent his second year on the planet trying to figure out how many different things he can get into. He has long mastered stair climbing and has moved to opening car doors (I think he wants to drive, but that will have to wait a few years). His current "most favorite" thing to do is to throw rocks into Lake Erie (we think he's trying to build a bridge to Canada one rock at a time). He is also looking forward to his first "Lake Effect" snow. We can't wait to see him trying to go through a 3 foot tall snow drift.
As always, we send our love and best wishes. Anne, Tony and Dean

From Brian:
As we enter this joyous season, let us again offer our best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks, Uncle Dan, for putting this together again.

The theme of change continued with this Petters family. Brian started the year by finishing his tour of duty at Barksdale AFB. In June we left behind many treasured friends and coworkers and, after a brief flirt with going to Norway, headed out for Tennessee. He is stationed at Arnold Air Force Base, near Tullahoma, which is half-way between Nashville and Chattanooga. Nestled near the Cumberland Plateau, living on base is like living in a state park. Our base house is on a lake owned by the Air Force and surrounded by woods with two private beaches. Brian sees many white-tail deer on his morning runs. It�s almost as nice as living in St. Joe. Brian is the top person in his career field here, which is quite a feather in his cap.

Vicki is also enjoying life here. She added another student to her home school when Ben joined her classes in first grade. She sings in the choir, of course, but doesn�t play the organ for church since they have an organist. She will have to cut back on some of the things she is doing to deliver our fourth child some time in late June.

John and Ben started Cub Scouts this year and are quickly progressing. John is a �Bear� cub and won two of his three races at the space derby. He continues to draw a lot and may be ready for private art lessons soon. Ben is a �Tiger� cub and is thrilled that his dad is the den leader. Of course, he learned to read before he started first grade. Leo is enthralled by his older brothers, and wants to boss them around. Sometimes they listen and peace is preserved. All of them are growing very fast.

One of the great things about being here is the ability to visit our family. Only three hours away from Atlanta, we have visited Bernie�s three times, seeing Aunt Cinda on one visit. We are also only 1 day away from Dean and from Susie, and will take advantage of the closeness. We look forward to seeing many of you at Tim�s wedding, which will probably be our last opportunity to travel before the baby is born.
Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Brian, Vicki, John, Ben, Leo and ?

From Connie:
This year sure has gone by in a hurry. I have been busy, with work, school and a little quilting. I have my fist project to finish yet, this year. So far school has had my priority. After next week, I am going to take a break from school to get a little caught up on housework, yard work and projects that have been put off. This year started off with the arrival of Sierra Himes ( Hunter's little sister). She is getting so big, Hunter is a regular "Big Brother" and mama's big helper.

I was able to have the house painted this year, and we also put an automated sprinkler system for the yard. Two things that needed to be done. Thanks to Joe, Thom and Tim Metcalf for working on the sprinkler system. It sure makes watering the yard so much simpler. I had a neighbor, who is a retired painter, to paint the house. Next year maybe I'll find another big project to get done on the house.

On Easter, I got a call from David's brother, James letting me know his Dad was in the hospital in Miami, so I went down to be with them for a day or two. Ed went to be with the Lord on May 1st. He will surely be missed, by the Carr's. He was always around for the holidays.

Thom, had a few jobs this year, when he left the Trucking company, he got his Security Guard License and worked that Job. (Working the midnight shift and sleeping all day got old real quick) At Thanksgiving time this year, he decided to go back out on the road. Presently he is running a dedicated run to California.

I still have to get ready for Christmas, school has been my priority and I only have a few classes this week and the term will be over, and then I can get ready for the Holidays. I realize there isn't much time left, till they will be here.

We had a nice visit with Dan over Thanksgiving. It was so good to have him so close by. I want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas, and a Safe New Year.

We all send our love. Love, Connie

From Mari:
I am at a new job since July and really like it I do data entry at Time Customer service and it is here in Tampa and it keeps me busy 10 hour days 5 days a week and lots of weekend work and day after holidays. (no fun) But it is a good job. The kids (Chris and Tiffany) are doing great in school and Chris made honor roll again. Don't he always? Tiffany is hanging in there and trying her best so that is great.

Other then that not much else is going on I am still seeing and dating the same guy after almost 2 years and we maybe buying a house after the new year. ( and Mom is glad she gets the whole house to herself again). It is in Dade City, not far from Aunt Monica & Herman. Oh yeah if you haven't meet him yet his name is Joseph Stanley and was in the Navy (seems we have this thing with the family that everyone seems to be in the services somehow) well the kids get along great with him. Well, that is about all for this end and hope everyone has a great new year and don't let the y2k bug bite :-). Take care and we love you all,
Mary Carr, Chris + Tiffany Metcalf

From Amy
Happy Holidays Everyone! Well, 1999 was pretty uneventful for our household. I'll start with the girl's progress. Amy started the fifth grade. She's an art helper this year. Nichole began the first grade. She was a "Superstar" of the Building Blocks Pod for November. Both girls are getting great grades. As for Ms. Baylee she's growing like a weed. She's walking and talking. She loves being outside playing. She's now sleeping in a "big girl " bed.

Joe began a new job in March. He is now employed by Kearney Development (they do land excavation) as a dispatcher. He's still in the Air Force Reserves. In November he was promoted to Tech Sergeant. As for me, I'm still employed by Frost Management going on twelve years now. I'm in the process of building a couple of family trees on the Barthle, Carr and Johnson. I've created a website for all the families. They are currently under construction but please feel free to visit. But before you do please get in touch with me so I can set you up with a username and password. The address is www. Myfamily.com. I am also interested in receiving pictures, information, recipes and stories in regards to any family member. So please pass them along to me either by e-mail at chickey@flash.net or by "snail" mail.
Hugs, kisses and lots of love, Joe, Amy, Amy, Nichole and Baylee

From Jerry & Kelly:
Things are doing fine here, Kelly is still working for Cigna Health Services, I am working for Carl Hankins, Inc. (He bought out the electrical division of Sheppard Electric.) I am a residential Supervisor, going on three years. I really like my job. We bought a '99 - Rodeo - and really like it.

Noah survived three years before he had to get stitches/ staples. (Sometimes I think he's an accident waiting to happen) He's so much like I was - so they tell me.

Jessica is now in 1st grade and doing fine, she has speech therapy class and doing well in school.

We went camping at Disney - Halloween weekend. We have done this for a couple years now and this year it was mosquito free compared to last year.

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.

Love, Jerry and family

From Kathy:
Happy Holidays To All: It�s hard to believe that another year has passed. As you all know, we were blessed with a beautiful healthy baby girl. Sierra Mackenzie Himes was born on January 11, 1999 weighing in at 9lbs 2ozs. She has been a joy to us all year filling our days with lots of fun and excitement.

Hunter started Pre-K this year and has won the hearts of the teachers. He really enjoys being with kids his age. Is 4 a difficult year for little ones?? He has been testing mom and dad to see how much he can get away with lately. Sometimes I wonder if he or I will make it to his 5th birthday.

Justin is in the 5th grade this year and doing very well. He has received straight A�s so far. He played baseball in both spring and winter league. He pitches and plays 3rd base. Of course, we think he�s one of the best players out there.

We recently got a new puppy. He is a black Lab. We named him �Buck�. (Imagine that.) We are still getting used to each other. He seems to be a good dog though.

Kelly went fishing in Alaska in July and had a wonderful time. He says the scenery was unbelievable. He also went hunting in Montana in November and got a 9-point whitetail. Our freezer is full of Fish and Deer meat.

Kelly�s electrical company is doing very well. They are busier than ever. They got the street light contract for Lake Jovita, which is right by St. Leo College.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and hope to see you in the next millennium.

Love, Kelly, Kathy, Justin, Hunter & Sierra

From Laurie:
Gosh, is it that time again, where did I leave off last year?
Dad has been doing a lot of traveling this year. Retirement is keeping him on the move, although he did work in Lake Charles, Louisiana starting the first week of June about five weeks to finish up a project that he had work on in 1997/98. All together he has made it to Florida about four times.

One weekend, when in Lake Charles, he was invited by Susie for her final three days of school she was attending at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Al. The school had invited some aviation notable, as Chuck Yeager, Pete Conrad �The third man to walk on the moon� and twenty other just as impressive people who made aviation history. Those last days, one or two of the invited aviation notable for an hour to an hour and a half would tell there story, then the class would have a chance to ask them question.

Early this year Dad bought a motor home and leased out his house for three years. So, he said, is a man without a back yard to mown, when the grass gets too high he just fines another spot to park his motor home. After getting back from working this summer, he painted and had a new roof put on his house. So even when he is not living there, he has done a lot of work on his house.

Now he is on his way back from his last trip to Florida. He went to Pensacola first to see the final air show of the Blue Angles on Nov 12th &13th. Then went down to Dade City, Tampa and the Orlando areas to visit friends and family. He will be back here for the Christmas Holidays.

Mom is still working on the base as a contract specialist. This has been an extremely busy year. She has also spent a lot of time on the road traveling. She has been to San Diego, California for her job. This means she has had to work a lot of overtime to finish up on projects. She says that the bosses would just love it if all of the contract specialist would pitch tents and cots so they can continue to work between napping. She did manage to take a week off this summer to take a cruise. Her and her best friend Carole went on a Mexican Riviera Cruise, they had a blast: gambling, room service, sushi, ice sculpting, food 24/7, towel art, you name they had it. The ports were Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. Mazatlan was Mom�s favorite. She was a little disappointed this year that she did not get to go skiing much; she was able to go only once. November and December were the hardest on her she had to work a lot of overtime. She even had to work on Thanksgiving. She was able to get some time off for Christmas, which was well deserved.

You all meet JR at the Family Reunion in 1998, (wow, how time flies) well, right after Thanksgiving last year he moved here to Sun City. After of course accepting a position with Mediacom (the company I work for) as Director of Internet Services for the Western Region. He has shown that he can direct the Internet for the Western Region so well, they have recently promoted him to Director of Internet Services for Mediacom. His new position has required him to travel all over the country. So far in the past month he has seen Middletown, New York; Dagsboro, Delaware; Ocean City, Maryland; Gulf Breeze, Florida; Benton, Kentucky; Clearlake Oaks, California; Nogales, Arizona. And here I am in Sun City but that is fine with me, I don�t travel as well as I used to.

I am still working for Mediacom. I am the dispatcher now. I get to direct the technicians in the field. I was elected to the board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce. I am also on the board for The Menifee Community Cupboard, a local group that gives out food to the needy in the community. JR & I bought a Pontiac Grand AM 2000 just a couple of weeks ago. I like it much better than my truck; it doesn�t eat up the gas as fast. We are looking at buying a house here in Sun City, more details to follow next year.

Nicholas is in the third grade. He is still in Cub Scouts. I decided that I was going to help lead the group and became part of the council, I am the treasurer for the Pack. We had our first major fundraiser this year and sold popcorn. The Pack is going on its 2nd year. We hope to do more this year with the boys. Nick played basketball this year with the YMCA in Temecula. He is now in flag football with the YMCA. He seems to be enjoying these sports.
Laurie

From Cinda:
Happy Holidays, Everyone! Hope 1999 was good to you all!
Well, as suspected, our year was very much filled with work deadlines in preparing for 2000! As a result, the only travels where Ben and I both had off at the same time were limited to two weekend Florida trips: Rebecca and Travis' beautiful wedding in April and Mandi's baby shower in September. I was able to make a couple of weekend trips down by myself, however, during the year when Ben's work just wouldn't let up, even on the weekends.

Since Melda and Jack each hit the big FIVE-OH this year, the attendant razzing was great fun. And they were both great sports, of course. We really "got Melda good" at a surprise gathering at Margies' at the beginning of June.

As I'm sure everyone has heard by now, Melda infected many of us with the quilting bug. It has been so much fun, having a family hobby! Even though, I have yet to finish my first quilt, I'm getting closer. I was so hoping to be able sign and date it (a grandmother's fan design) before 1999 is gone. (Chances are looking pretty slim at the moment, however.) More and more men are getting into the act. We know two other men on our side of town, besides Ben, now who have now taken up the "sport". Ben has now completed three quilts and is working on his fourth, a flannel. (For anyone not involved, I will explain that our quilts are not the full sized bed-cover types. A quilt can also be a small wall hanging or a table topper or a lap or crib quilt.)

Ben's daughter, Alexa, has now completed her first two years (out of four) of Optometry school in Chicago. She and her husband bought a loft (a condo in a newly renovated warehouse) there several months ago.

His daughter, Becky, has purchased a fixer-upper turn-of-the-century victorian house in Jackson, GA, which is about 40 minutes south of Morrow, where we live. She invited to their downtown evening Christmas parade on the first Friday evening in December. It contained about a hundred entries. There were probably four dozen floats, but the bass boats and funny cars were the biggest hoot of all. They even put their school bus in the parade! The whole town turned out, the weather was nice, and it was a great old-time evening!

We send our love to everyone, and wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and a safe and joyous new year! Come see us when you can.

Love, Cinda and Ben

From Melda:
Happy Holidays to all of you! Once again, as we get ready for the holidays, it is time to recap the year's events. We had a very busy and exciting year. Dan's visit in January was fun, as always. In February, Jack hit a milestone birthday. March brought March Madness and the Final Four to St. Petersburg. Rob was very busy helping (and working) during the entire event and Jack and I went to the championship game between U-Conn and Duke as guests of the USF Athletic Director and had a great time.

Of course, Rebecca and Travis were married in April in Orlando and had a beautiful wedding. We kid Travis that he is now a "True" Higgins! The honeymooners enjoyed two weeks in Hawaii. Travis played golf on a couple of the beautiful golf courses there and Rebecca enjoyed, among other things, the wonderful spas. Their new home was completed in early summer and they are all settled in now.

In May, Monica and I started the TNQs (Thursday Night Quilters), it was just the two of us. Since then, we've grown. If you haven't heard about us, just ask one of my sisters or their spouses. (But, don''t ask Ben, because he has shown all of us up with his quilting!!)

June came, I was so excited about quilting and by that time I had Monica hooked, too. One Saturday, there was big sale at the quilt shop. Monica and I went shopping and, of course, she just had to stop by Margie's on the way home. When I saw the balloons, I knew something was up, that Monica knew something that I didn't. What a birthday party! Yes, I took some abuse, but turning 50 hasn't been all that bad! I was totally surprised and overwhelmed to think everyone made such an effort for me.

The major events have slowed since summer. Rebecca still commutes to Fort Lauderdale from Orlando for work as a business analyst for a software company. Travis continues his career as an engineer and information technology person for McIntosh Engineering in Orlando. Rob is busy with USF basketball. He is looking forward to going to Hawaii for a tournament between now and Christmas.

As always, thanks, Dan, for all you do. You have quite a job putting this together for us to keep up with one another. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at our next family reunion in July 2000. In the meantime, we wish everyone the best!

Merry Chistmas, Melda and Jack

From Monica:
Greetings to all! My, this year has flown! I hope this finds each of you healthy and happy. Mandi started out the year with a tour in the California desert. From there she went back to Fort Bragg, and on March 19, 1999, she married Billy Milam. Billy is from Pocohantas, Virginia, and is the middle of three children. He has an older sister (who is due to have a baby girl in February) and a younger sister (who is due to have a baby girl in February). Billy's parents became grandparents for the first time when Billy and Mandi's Joshua Lane Milam entered the world on November 18, 1999 weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. Both of Josh's grandmothers had a chance to hold him a little before they both had to return to their respective homes. Mandi is now out of the Army, and Billy will be out before Christmas. They are moving to Florida (they will be living in my house on Michigan Avenue). Billy did body work on planes in the Army, so he may be looking for a job at the Tampa Airport. However, he has many talents and shouldn't have any trouble getting a job.

Joseph has really grown up this year. When he got involved with the Fire Department, he became interested in the medical end of things, and decided to start taking a few college courses. He started with Heart Arrhythmias last spring. He did very well in the class, making a perfect score on both of the finals. Next, during the summer, he took Medical Terminology, which is a prerequisite to Emergency Medical Technology. Again, he did extremely well, finishing at the top of the class. In the fall, he enrolled in EMT, which is a very demanding eight hour college course. Although he missed passing the written portion of the class by .08 of a point, he learned a lot and has already registered for it again for the spring term. He plans to continue in the emergency medical field / fire fighting. He continues to volunteer at the San Antonio Volunteer Fire Department.

Bill continues to be very active in school! He was President of his FFA in Middle School last year. He won first place in the State in Horticulture Judging last spring. He played football this year (all defensive positions, full back and wide receiver) and is currently wrestling. He is also in the Band (still playing trumpet), and is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is a freshman at the new Wesley Chapel High School, and we have been very happy with most of the school. The one thing the school doesn't have that Bill misses is an FFA Leader/Agriculture Teacher. He is very disappointed not to be giving speeches, growing plants, judging plants, and going to competitions all the time. He is also volunteering (a little) at the Fire Department. I try telling him he can't do everything, but he is constantly trying to anyway!

Herman had some tummy troubles earlier this year, but adjusting his diet has helped a great deal. He also hasn't been able to walk as much as he has in years past, and he misses it. He still walks at least 3 days a week, and he tries to walk days a week. He made his usual hunting trip to Colorado in October, and as usual, he had a wonderful time. He really vacations right - he comes back refreshed and renewed!

Just after Herman got back, I started getting ready to go on a trip to North Carolina. I went to be with Mandi and Billy when Josh was born. I was only back a week and a half when Natalie had Dylan! I have to admit that things were a little tense around here for a while! Now the babies are doing well, Tyler is delighted to be a big brother, and Luke just can't wait to spend more time with his cousins over Christmas break!

This year I have had a wonderful blessing - quilting with Melda, Paula, Margie, Connie, Cinda, Ben, Renee! Melda started it all at Rebecca's wedding shower, and then patiently taught me how to mark and cut out blocks, and got me started watching Alex Anderson on Simply Quilts. From there, I think the fire caught on and soon everybody seems to be quilting. Mandi came for a visit in early September and she got started. Then in October, Natalie showed me a quilt she had been working on for three days that was almost finished! It has been a lot of fun and certainly more than slightly challenging! I have a great deal to learn, but I am certainly enjoying it tremendously! Thanks to everyone for everything they have shared - fabric, needles, thread, books, ideas and encouragement. What a wonderful blessing! Thanks again!

We wish each one a happy and holy Christmas and wonderful New Year! We hope to see as many as possible at the reunion in July!!

Love,Herman, Monica, Joe and Bill, Billy, Mandi and Josh

From Shelley:
What do you mean its time to do another Christmas letter? Has another year-gone bye already? What do you mean I'm a week late again!!! Oops... Sorry Everybody! It was my fault!!! Oh yeah...

Hi - it's just Shelley the friendly mind mushed nursing student with my yearly update.
Luke is still at St. Anthony's in the first grade. He has a new teacher this year, Mrs. Alaimo and he is doing Great!!! Luke really misses Jake but I think he needed the extra time to get caught up in reading. He is making straight A's in Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion. His teacher went to St. Anthony's with me when we were in the 3rd and 4th grade. She is young, energetic, interested in what Luke has to say, and is willing to help him with his Reading. Did I tell you yet... I LOVE MRS. ALAIMO!!! Luke has been really busy this year besides school. He really enjoyed playing t-ball earlier this year and I enjoyed helping to coach his team. Luke tries to play outside with his trucks every chance he gets. That's in between trips to Ridge Manor to play with Tyler, trips to his Grandma and Grandpa Oliver's, trips to see his Nana & Papa Herman, and trips to see Pampa Z (No wonder my car has 250,000 miles on it). Oh, and don't forget hunting and fishing with his Dad and I. And, homework goes in there somewhere (I think?) Luke just loves all the new babies and keeps asking when he is getting one. I keep telling him school is worse than being pregnant. It takes two years - not nine months, you get the weight gain and the mood swings, and you still have to pass the NCLEX. Anyway, Luke thinks that Dylan is Great and he can hardly wait to meet Josh this weekend. In other words, he is like every other child in our family - way too busy for his parents to get much rest.

Darrell is doing great. He got a job at Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative as a Junior Lineman in August. He had to take a pay cut. But, he has benefits that are better than before, he works days not nights, Only Monday - Thursday, and no hour drive twice a day. It has really been nice to have him home in the evening and on the weekends. Unless it is hunting season (like now) and then he is in the woods just about all the time. However, we have found a happy medium...Luke and I go with him when we can. We all just look too cute all Camo'ed up. Darrell is anxiously awaiting his first buck. If his wife weren't such a dingbat he would have shot a nice 8 point about two weeks ago. But, that's a really long (and embarrassing) story. The long and short of it is Darrell is doing Great.

Me? I'm fine except I am totally brain fried and have my hardest course yet starting in January. I have completed all of the required courses and clinicals in the Nursing Program. I just have my final for this semester (Maternal Child) on Thursday (that explains the brain fuzz) and the 10 credit hour course Adult Nursing II beginning in January and then I can graduate in May. I have gone back to working part time for Kelly & Ben @ Huss Drilling after school and on my days off. I enjoy the comic relief. The guy's are a hoot and I really needed an outlet besides school. This year Darrell and I got baptized and became members at the Exciting First Baptist Church in Dade City. We have been enjoying worshipping together as a family. We have also been trying to spend more time with family and friends, specifically with my best friend Trish Patton. She has had an incredably rough year with the totally unexpected suicide of her younger brother. The holidays have been really hard on their whole family and I ask that everyone keep them in their prayers. I just wanted to remind everyone that I love them and I'm here if they need anything. Well, I hate to go but Finals are calling.

I love you all and wish you and yours all the blessings that were granted to us by the birth of the
Christ Child. :) :) :) Happy Birthday Jesus :) :) :) Love, Luke, Shelley & Darrell Oliver, Jr.

From Natalie:
Greetings!!!! Well another year has come and gone. On December 3, 1999 we brought our second "little" miracle into the world. Andrew Dylan arrived at 5:10 pm after ten short hours of labor. (Tyler took 39) He weighed 9 lbs. 10 oz. 20 3/4 inches. He has blonde hair (mom says red) and blue eyes just like daddy. All of this happened after being told 3 weeks prior that my doctor would not let me go past my 38th week which would have been Nov. 22. We knew the baby would be big and feared I would end up having an emergency C-section. However, the doctor changed his mind and told me there shouldn't be any problems and wanted to wait. Well everything went fine for me, after the epidural, but Dylan had his collar bone fractured because he was too big. They said something had to give and that's usually it. So now he must wear a brace around both shoulders for 2 or 3 weeks. It makes me mad to think that it could have been prevented if the doctor would have done what he said he was going to do. All in all the baby's happy and healthy and that's all that matters.

Tyler couldn't be happier with his little brother. He always wants to hold him or watch him for me. I don't think we realized how big Tyler had gotten until we brought Dylan home. He is a great big brother. This year he has been working on riding his bike. He can't wait until he is big enough to ride with no training wheels like Luke. He still goes down to his peepaws (Chris' dad) to fix lawn mowers. It's funny when he can take a part off, tell you what it is, and tell you how to fix it. He really loves to spend time with his peepaw.

I've still been working on decorating the house and Chris is still working on finishing it. We only have to put the tile down and then paint the kitchen and dinning room. I got slowed down when I got pregnant and now I'm trying to catch up for the last nine months. I didn't realize how fast things can get forgotten about. Chris is still working at CF Industries and he loves it. They really take care of their employees. He's always coming home with some new toy, goody, or gift certificate to some place. He got a new truck this year. We bought him a Toyota 4x4 extended cab. It sure is nice knowing that he will make it to work with out breaking down. Now we're in search of a new car for me. Chris told me a couple of months agp that we wouldn't need a bigger car ( I have a Chrysler Cirrus), but after leaving the hospital with both of the boys, diaper bag, toys for Tyler and all my stuff, he agreed it's time. Well I guess that about does it for us this year.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Natalie, Chris, Tyler and Dylan

From Ralph:
Greetings to All, 1999 started with the usual flurry of activity, and it has not slowed up yet. Paula's parents (George and Margie Tubbs) sold their house in Land O'Lakes and moved into their new home here in St. Joe in January. Located just behind our house, they've established quite a nice site, complete with a small barn.

We are continuing to make improvements on this house and yard. The differences are less and less noticeable, although several "moderately large" projects are still on "the list." But we aren't under pressure on any of them and it continues to move slowly forward.

Rebecca and Travis' wedding in April was quite the affair. What a great time we had. Meeting Debbie (now Tim's fiancée) was a real treat too. Tim, ya done good! Guess we'll have another April wedding in 2000.

Early in the summer, Melda "shared" her quilting fun with the family. Paula has really enjoyed it. Both the making of several projects and the weekly get together's. These "gals" have made some very pretty quilts. Oh yeah, you too Ben. The rest of us guys are way behind you.

We took a week of vacation in June to spend in the mountains of North Carolina. As usual, it was a nice quiet getaway.

The Devil Rays had a better season this year (barely) and we had a lot of fun. Our seats were much better for the 1999 campaign. We even got a foul ball off Fred McGriff's bat (David Wells was pitching) the last week of the season. A few days later, Paula got Fred to autograph it, so it has assumed it's honorable place on the dry sink in our kitchen.

Are you sitting down? In September we installed air conditioning in the house. What a difference. We were living here about eleven months without it. (They say it builds character….Ha!) Anyway, we went to Home Depot and bought two of the largest window/wall units they carried, and they also have heat. Both functions work really well! Kelly Himes set up the wiring and Paula's dad helped make the holes in the block wall, frame it out, and install them. Voila! (I know, we are easily amused!)

Life in Dade City doesn't change much. Paula gets a real kick out of parking once to go to the bank and post office. Yeah, it's the small things that make a difference.
We hope you all enjoy many blessings this Christmas Season, Love, Ralph and Paula

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