A. B. BARTHLE NEWSLETTER (2000)

Welcome to the 2000 Newsletter for
the A. B. Barthle family!

Front cover

From The Denneys:

Season's Greetings!

Another year is almost over. The Y2K that everyone had concern with a year ago did not cause as much upheaval as the presidential race this year.

As for the Denney households, we all are doing well. I'll try to recall the events of our year. In January we lost Jimmy's Mother. She would have been 92 in February.

In February we had the county fair. Since Clark is General Manager of the Fair he has a lot to contend with. Jessica, and Bret each had a Hog as their 4-H project. They each received blue ribbons and Bret received second for Record Book in the Junior Division. Jake entered in the Youth Poultry Show and received first place. As you can see we are very proud Grandparents.

This year Jake received his First Communion and later in the year he began serving at Mass.

In April we went to Orlando to Tim and Debbie's Wedding. This was a fun time for us. We got to see some of you we seldom see.

In June we all went to Lake Weir. This is always a fun time for our family. A lot of fishing, a lot of water skiing, a lot of being near the water, a lot of rest and a lot of food.

In July it was the Quilt Show at the Barthle Reunion. What an inspiration to see all the handiwork in the Barthle family. What will be the theme for the next reunion? Any suggestions?

August saw a lot of us on our way to Thomasville, Georgia for the weekend. It was a way to give Monica a surprise Birthday party. We all had a good time and look forward to our next trip together. We're sorry we were unable to attend Laurie and J.R.'s wedding on December 16. However, thanks to Cinda, we were kept updated. Those of us left in Florida are expecting a complete report from Cinda, Ben, Melda, Jack, Ralph and Paula.

Also, in August Renee and I signed up to take a Microsoft Office 2000 course offered at Pasco-Hernando Community College. This kept us busy until last week. Renee received an A and I was just behind with a high B. We are both glad to be finished.

Just want to mention that both Jimmy and I are well. Jimmy is still working at Duane and Kathleen's store part time. I'm still at the same desk. Just putting in more hours than ever. However, I've asked to leave an hour earlier each day. Sometimes I can and then others I can't seem to get away. I guess this means business is good.

Steve, Mae and Chris are doing well. Steve and Mae are still with the Spring Hill Fire Department. Chris is in Middle School. He is making great grades and is taking Drama this year. Maybe we will have a famous star someday. He is still in Boy Scouts. He has received some outstanding awards.

Renee and Clark are at their same jobs. Renee is counting the years until she can retire from the County. Jessica received a car (A Volkswagen Passat) for Christmas last year. She was on the High School Golf team again this year and works part time at the Farm Basket.

Mary Beth, Gene and Elise are also very busy. Gene is still on the road selling most of the time. Mary Beth and Elise are busy playing and shopping. Elise is a little lady. She enjoys shopping as much as Mary Beth.

Duane, Kathleen, Bret, Jake and Shelbie are always on the run. Bret and Jake have the cows, pigs, chickens, and dogs to take care of. They both take piano lessons and enjoy playing the piano. Shelbie was a year old in September and is beginning to say a few words. She's almost grown up when her older brothers put her on the John Deere Gator and take her to see her Papa and Grandma.

My allotted space for bragging has just run out. Hope each of you have a very happy and blessed Holiday Season and a great 2001.
Love, Margie & Jimmy

From Steve, Mae, Chris, Spencer and Lori

Things have been pretty steady for us at work. We are getting very busy at work. Mae has been on some very major car accidents and Steve helped revive a 3 week old infant who had stopped breathing. Chris is in the 6th grade now and is doing good ,still making the A/B honor roll.

Chris has crossed over from cub scouts to boy scouts and is in the dragon patrol. Chris will be getting the National Heroism award from the boy scouts for getting Nathaniel Petters out of my mom & dads pool on Easter Sunday. Nathaniel had fallen in and Chris saw he was having problems and pulled him to safety. Nathaniel was fine and has since learned to swim.

Lori and her boyfriend Brian have moved from Florida to North Kentucky (where it gets VERY cold) Brian got a job at the Cincinnati Airport with Com Air (which is a division of Delta) as a jet mechanic. They live in a nice apartment which is very close to the airport.

Spencer who also is doing good in school and is now in the 4th grade will be taking his first plane ride (by himself) on December 20th. He is going to fly up and spend the holidays with his mom (Lori) and Brian. Well that's about it from us.

We hope everyone has a very special, safe, happy and healthy holiday season.

From Joan:

Nothing much new to report from me, so I'll just take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Holiday Season, and may God Bless you all.

Love, Joan

From Lisa:

Hello and Happy Holidays to everyone. I can't believe another year has gone by. Alan has been settling in with his captain's position and finally starting to get a little seniority. He is actually getting Christmas Day off this year. He also enjoys being able to fly out of Boston quite frequently and that is a real plus for him. (Usually he has to commute to JFK in NY).

Not too much new from me, I just keep trying to figure out how some of you mom's out there worked full time or even part time and ran a household too. My hat is tipped to you all. It seems I go all day long and then at the end of the day I am trying to figure out what I accomplished, which seems to elude me. I am beginning to think that I live at the YMCA these days.

Becca decided to rejoin the swim team at the YMCA after a two year absence. She practices 4 times a week. She continues to really enjoy playing clarinet and learning French. She also continues to do very well in school. Becca has often gotten straight A's in the last two terms or even the last 3 terms of a school year. But she has just for the first time gotten straight A's on the first grading period. So we were all dancing about that.

Katie started swimming lessons in mid September. She takes two classes a week at the YMCA. She is now swimming without any flotational assistance at all. I call her my little "waterbug". Of course since Becca has us at the Y an additional four times a week, Katie and I can take advantage of the fact that the 2nd pool is open swim for 3 of those practices. Some of those sessions has Katie swimming for an hour and a half, she is really working hard. I couldn't complete the letter without at least giving you at least one Katie story. One day Katie and I were in the car, waiting at a stop light to turn left. Katie was in the back seat, patiently waiting for the traffic to clear so we could be on our way. A police car pulled up beside us on the right side as he was going right, he was dressed in his police uniform. Apparently he likes kids as he was waving to Katie in the back seat. Katie seemed a little concerned, and as I turned I noticed the officer waving to Katie. I tried to assure her, that everything was okay and that police officers are good guys. I encouraged her to wave back to the policeman explaining that policemen help people, especially when they are in trouble. A couple of seconds later my traffic cleared and we were on the way. Within moments I hear from the back seat, "Mom, I need a policeman." I questioned, "You need a policeman? Why do you need a policeman?" To which she quickly responded, "Cuz, I'm in trouble all the time!". Well I started cracking up in the front seat and then I hear, "Mom, you need a policeman too." I questioned again, "I need a policeman, why do I need a policeman?" She says, "Cuz dad yells at you sometimes, ya know." Two more real quick. One day we were discussing George W. Bush and Dick Cheney running for office, within moments Katie questions, "Does George W. Bush run very fast?". And the last one, we had gotten up early one Saturday morning to take Becca to the YMCA, we had been up late the night before. I had yawned a few times in a short period of time. Katie looks at me and says "Mom when you do this, (and she opens her mouth wide like a yawn) Do the FUMES come out?" Maybe I don't accomplish much but I sure have a good time!

Our love to you all and may God richly bless each and every one of you! Hope your holidays are wonderful and have a blessed NEW YEAR.

From Teresa:

Greetings to All,

Hurray!!! We didn't move since the last newsletter. We are still in the same wonderful place and hope to be for some time to come. I have great news after the horrible chain of events that took place last year. I WON THE APPEAL!!! All the Appellate Court Justices agreed that Judge Mitcham abused his discretion and ruled contrary to the Florida law which governs custody change. Judge Mitcham had exonerated me from all of Glenn's allegations with one exception--he determined that I didn't foster a relationship between Glenn and the children. However, he did take that back twice, stating that he "didn't have any evidence" from my side of the issue, and he "wasn't so sure he found that to be the case".

My brother, Fred, was on hand for part of the "oral argument" during the appeal. He said that the Justices determined that they "didn't find that to be the case, because it was quite evident the children love their father". According to Fred, the Justices couldn't seem to understand what went on in that court and how Judge Mitcham decided to change custody. We all felt the same way. I'm so glad the waiting is over. Glenn can still appeal, but my attorney believes that if he does, I would have Jessica and Caleb back during that time. If all goes well I should get them back December 27th--exactly one year after they left.

I Thank all of you for your prayers and support. I wouldn't have made it through this difficult time without it. A special thanks to Bernie and Jennifer for their hospitality during this ordeal. They called to share their concern after reading the last newsletter and to offer any help they could. I remembered reading in that same newsletter that they had moved to north Georgia and asked how far away they lived from Glenn. As it turns out, they are sixteen miles from there. Isn't God good?! They made their home available for me during my monthly trips to see the J & C. I am so grateful for the provision and am not surprised that God used FAMILY to meet my need. This is a great family!

Please continue to pray for the transition we'll be making as they move back home and begin home educating again. They are looking forward to going back to home education after being in the private and public schools. I am very excited they are coming home, but I wish they could have both mother and father in their lives on a daily basis. I know they will miss their father and hope to make the trip to north Georgia from time to time in order for them to spend some weekends with Glenn. Some benefits from this are: 1) great, long conversations with Jessica and Caleb 2) fun times on Georgia trips akin to vacations 3)Caleb rededicating his life to the Lord 4) getting to know each other better via long conversations 5) Glenn's wife Pam getting saved (due to Caleb's rededication) 6) all three of us drawing closer to God during our struggles.

In April I began a new part-time job as a Chiropractic Assistant. I generally put in 48 to 52 hours a week. Of course I'll have to cut down when J & C come back. With an all-Christian staff and daily devotions, our patients receive more than just physical attention. I genuinely enjoy this work, but am usually pretty tired when I get home. Needless to say, I've not done any quilting this year.

May all of you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Love,
Teresa, Jessica & Caleb

From Lisa for Mike and Sandra:

Last year Sandra and Mike and Jennifer went to Puerto Rico and the vacation did not turn out to be as good as in previous years because it had been raining for three months. So between the lousy weather and the people's depression because of the lousy weather, I take it that it was a trip they could have done without. Jennifer is as cute as ever. And Sandra and Mike thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone at the reunion.

I just remembered a story that we forgot to tell in the last couple of newsletters so I will tell it now. About 3 years ago, Sandra and Mike visited mom. At the end of a few days Sandra could not find her wedding rings. She had a very nice size solitaire (about 2/3 of a carat) as well as two anniversary rings with diamonds all the way around, that she wore on each side of the solitaire. The whole family spent hours and hours looking for those rings, especially after they found out the rings were not insured, but to no avail. Even 6 months after losing them, mom was still asking, "What the heck happened to those rings?" Well a year to two years later mom's dryer gave up the ghost. I can't remember if she had a repairman out or if it was someone installing the new dryer. But anyway when the washer and dryer was pulled out from the wall, this guy found one of the anniversary rings. Mom was very excited but searching and searching produced no more rings. Within a few weeks of this period of time, Alan, I and the kids were down for vacation. At some point several family members were at mom's and the conversation came up that one of the rings had been found. It came up that the old worn out dryer was still around not having been hauled away yet. Somehow the idea came up to tear this dryer apart looking for hidden treasure. I have to admit that the male members of the family seemed to really appreciate this idea of demolishing the dryer. Praise God did we ever hit the jackpot! Inside the back of the dryer turned up the solitaire as well as alot of other amazing things. (I'm not sure I could take a dryer to the dump anymore without tearing if apart first!) We were all singing, and dancing and shouting Hallelujah! Mike was out helping in the demolition process but Sandra was inside the house. Mike took the ring inside to show Sandra, she started crying immediately. Mike was really confused he said something like, "What's the matter, I thought you would be happy?", to which Sandra responded "I am very happy, that is why I am crying!" We never did find the last anniversary ring, and who knows maybe God is saving that one for another day, but even if it is gone forever Mike and Sandra are really grateful for the gifts He has returned to them. Sandra and Mike and Jennifer all send there love to everyone and say "Have a Wonderful Happy Holiday".

From Melinda and Jimmy:
Hello Everyone!
Happy Holidays to you all! We hope you all enjoy reading our news!

Our son, Warren is 7 years old and he is in 2nd grade. He joined two baseball leagues, one for spring time and one for winter time. He loves to play baseball and is a good player. His favorite position is catcher. He started collecting baseball cards. He is doing good in sign language and sometimes he is willing to interpret for us what people say. Of course, we are very proud of our son Warren. Last September he had two surgeries to put tubes in both ears and remove an adenoid. The doctor said that the adenoid was large about the size of an egg yolk. He is able to hear much better and is able to breathe from his nose and mouth much better also.

Jimmy has worked at the Dental Lab for 20 years. He was chairperson for the Homecoming Reunion Events in our Florida School for the Deaf last October. It was packed with 581 Alumni and friends in the armory where it was held. There was a deaf Magician from Wisconsin who did a magic show. They said it was one of the best events in years. I am still working at VAMC. It has been more than nine years. My department changed offices again, twice in a year. I am treasurer and handle memberships for Deaf Women of Tampa Bay. Our goal is to have the Deaf Women's Convention here in Florida. It is good for me. I am also on the board of FSDAA.

Last February Jimmy's uncle Robert passed away in Cairo, GA near Tallahassee. We went to the funeral and met Jimmy's relatives there. We accidentally met our Governor, Jeb Bush, Saturday night around 9:30 and he let us go in the Governor's rooms. It was a thrill to meet him! He talked to Warren, and Warren interpreted for us and our friends, too. My mom's sister Bonnie, passed away the same week that Jimmy's uncle passed away.

Last May (Memorial Weekend) Mike, Sandra and Jennifer came to visit. We went to Duane's place and surprised Mike for his birthday. Aunt Margie, Jimmy, Renee, and Clark were there and we really enjoyed talking with them. Duane and Kathleen's house is so beautiful.

In July we really enjoyed the Barthle's reunion and had so much fun with the game. And the quilt blanket was so beautiful. We were happy to see it given to Dan. We all appreciate everything he does to keep us all connected through the newsletter. It is so nice to see all the families together.

Last November we went to our mother's family reunion in Plant City and we played softball, and do you know that our Mom (Joan) played softball, too. She is a good player! We wish Lisa and her family plus Mike and his family could have come to the reunion and see our mom play softball.

Jimmy's brother gave us two-way pagers as a Christmas gift. Wow, it really gives us peace of mind. Mike and Sandra also have one.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love Melinda, Jimmy & Warren

From Bonnie and Michael:

Hello to all. We are blessed , we are blessed, we are blessed. God has blessed us again and we give him all the Glory. We had a calf (Abigail) last Thanksgiving. We are expecting another in December. Last December the couple who lived on the 3 acres next to our 7.5 acres just up and left. Mike found out who owned it. In March we sold our house (without having to put in on the market) to our neighbor. We moved on April 1st. Someone in Sam and Cool-Aid's church gave us a goat ( Granny). There is a 6 acre preservation area behind our house and we have seen a coyote twice since we moved. Michael is still at Haines City Post Office. On June first he started doing farrier work. He now has 36 horses that he trims & shoes. I transferred from the Haines City Post Office to the Auburndale Post Office in July. I had to wait until July because I broke and severely sprained my foot at work in February and had to be released from the doctor. I have another job with the Post Office that I started about 2 weeks ago. We stay really busy. I am not home schooling the kids anymore. They are in a new school this year and they are doing really good and are really enjoying it. Rachael's teacher said that she is the model student. Samson had a goat (Rascal) this summer for about a month but it died. He loves to draw and is very good at it. They both played T-ball and learned to swim over the summer.

I love you all and may God Bless you all-ways!
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.
Bonnie B and family

From Sam and Carlene:
Hello everyone

We are truly grateful to the Lord for another year. We are really blessed to be a part of this family. Carlene and I really enjoyed the 4th of July reunion. The weather was great. Thank you Lord. We would like to say thank you to those who coordinated the family reunion.

The whole quilt theme was neat and Carlene was glad that Lisa talked her into taking her quilt. Carlene started working for Mid Florida Credit Union in September, at their corporate office. It is about 5 minutes from home. My wife is always looking to gather more knowledge. So this past September she went back to school.

Kyle is playing baseball and taking piano lessons, he likes playing baseball. He plays music by ear for example he plays the Rug Rat theme song without anyone teaching him. We hope one day he will practice without us telling him to. He is doing exceptional in school and we are very proud of him. He was selected to play Little Boy Blue in the Christmas play.

The Lord has truly blessed me with a wonderful family, both at home and at work. At work I meet with a group of men every morning at 4:30. We start work at 5:00 so that gives us a half hour to pray and fellowship and generally get our focus on the Lord. It is a great way to start the workday.
Thank you Lord.

May the Lord bless each and every one of you and may He reveal more of Himself to each one of us this year and in the years to come. Looking forward to seeing each and every one of you next year at the reunion.
Love,
Sam, Carlene, & Kyle.

From Fred and Janet:

Hello again to everyone. Hope you all had a terrific year. We really enjoyed the reunion this year, it was so nice to see everyone. Our year has been good, busy, but still good. Fred and I help the Teen Club in church and in June us and the couple we help took the kids on a quick trip to Georgia and, believe it or not, the Church where we stayed while there was just up the road from Ben and Cinda. We would like to thank them for their help and support while we were making plans to go and while we were there. It is great to see the Lord working in peoples lives and really good to see it in the teens. It was 3 very long days but a very short trip. We drove up from Lakeland to Marrow in 2 rented vans. We left on Thursday morning around 10 and then on Friday morning we went to Tenn. to go White Water Rafting (what a blast), went back to marrow, changed and went to under ground Atlanta. Then Saturday morning we took them on the Coke tour, then headed back to Lakeland. A lot to do! in 3 days. Everyone had a good time.

Our kids are growing up too quick. Kevin is 3 now and what a cutie, and so sweet. He is always coming up to Fred and I and giving us a hug and saying your my best friend. How sweet. Jenna will be 5 Christmas day, and is beautiful she has red long hair and fair skin. She is her daddies little princess. Kenny is 7 and in 2nd grade what a math whiz. He loves the lord and his Church. He and Fred have a pretty long speaking part in our Christmas Play at church and he memorized his lines after the first 2 weeks. Not only does he know his lines but also helps others with theirs when they get stuck in practice. Kevin is funny he has listened to the play on the tape in the truck so much he also knows just about all the lines. Fred is still working with Publix and I still Stay at home with the kids although I do some title work for a mobile home park. (but I do it at home) We wish you all another good year and hope to see you from time to time. We will keep you in our prayers and ask you do the same. You know the Lord is good when you look at your family. He has really blessed us all.
Love to you all
Fred, Janet, Kenny, Jenna and Kevin Barthle

Happy Holidays from Clem!!

This year has been a busy one! We finished fixing-up Mom and Pop's old house for Tim and Debbie just in time for the wedding. I'm really glad to have them so close, although now that Tim has moved on to better things, I am living alone again.

Still retired, still not fishing enough and definately not catching enough. Through the year the kids have popped in and out around here and I have made trips to see them too. I will let them tell you all about themselves and their families, although will admit I am very proud of each and every one of them!

Susie took me to Silver Springs with her kids just before Tim's wedding and it is still beautiful up there, although the catfish population isn't what I remember. It was lots of fun sharing old memories with the grandkids.

I traveled to see Brian and Mike and enjoyed all the visitors that came my way. I want ! to say "Thanks" to all that have just stopped by to say hi, and invite you all back anytime... although with these kids you may have to check my schedule to make sure I'm in town.

There was a bit of sad news this year... Aunt Marion, Ray's wife, passed away. Ray and his family are doing fine. I hate to end this on a sad note, so will end by saying I hope each of you have a blessed holiday season and "Y'all come see me, I really enjoy visiting."
Clem

From Mike:

Warmest holiday wishes to all of the Barthle Family!

It seems like we haven't finished everything we needed to do for the 1999 Christmas Season, and it's already time to take care of 2000. If the rest of the Millennium goes like this, it will be over before you can blink an eye.

The highlight of the year was making the journey south for the Big Wedding in April. Sarah was hosting an exchange student from Germany, Christina, and we managed to work in a few days at Disney World. A real taste of America for her! Believe it or not, it was Caroline's first trip ever to the Magic Kingdom. Sarah had gone once before, when she was two.

As for the wedding - what a party! A great chance to catch up with everyone, even if it was for a short while, and welcome Debbie to the fold. Unfortunately, the Petters family is out of weddings for the time being, so we'll have to come up with something else - maybe a Baptism?

As part of the exchange program, Sarah went to Germany to stay with Christina in July. Quite an experience for her, making lots of new friends and being part of a different culture. She maintains contact with her friends there by e-mail. In the summer of 2001, Sarah will be going to Italy as part of an Art program, and is arranging to spend some time in Germany as well. Meanwhile, we think that Christina will be coming back to see us in May or June as part of an internship here in the States.

Believe it or not, Sarah is now a junior! She is working hard in the International Baccalaureate program at her school, taking all sorts of advanced courses. She manages to find time to continue to play Field Hockey, helping her team make it into the district playoffs. She has taken up track this winter as a way to stay in shape for field hockey, running the mile and two mile events. The coach is even teaching her how to pole vault.

Mail from colleges comes in every day, and we've started looking around a bit, and will definitely be doing more of that in 2001.

Meanwhile, I can now say that I have faithfully discharged my duty as a parent, Florida style - Caroline is now a skier! The last two summers we've taken the boat over to Lake Gaston, on the North Carolina/Virginia border for a week of watersports. Last year, Sarah learned how to stay up on the wakeboard. This year, Caroline mastered two skis. Next year - Nancy?

In addition to skiing, Caroline continues her work in music. She recently played Pachelbel's Canon in D for both of our Sunday worship services, and is now working on some Christmas tunes. It is a delight to turn the radio off, and just listen to her practice. For now, she has taken up the clarinet in the 6th grade (6th grade!) band at school, but has aspirations to learn the oboe.

The newest member of the family is Libby, a black Labrador Retriever born in March. She's been with us since Memorial Day, and is a delight. She loves the beach and the kids in our neighborhood, although she's not crazy about them ringing the doorbell.

Nancy continues her work as a pre-school teacher, working with eight three-year-olds three days a week. She enjoys introducing them to the fun of learning, and they enjoy her class. She's now becoming well known throughout the neighborhood, and can't go anywhere without running into one of her current or former students. They all are crazy about her, as are we.

As for me, I'm still knocking along at the shipyard. I did manage to make it down to see Dad in September for a weekend, and he made it back up here in November, for some fishing. The weather was mostly cold and windy while he was here, but we made the best of it.

2001 will bring more college trips, more school and more work. Let's hope it also brings more skiing, fishing, and fun. We pray it brings to each of you health, peace and prosperity. Happy New Year!

Sarah and Caroline, Nancy and Mike

From Bernie:

Season's Greetings from the Suwanee (no longer the home of the no-longer NFC Champion Falcons) branch of the Barthle Clan.

The New Year started with a bang. After watching the penultimate year of the 20th century come to an end, I found a new job as a pilot/reporter for WXIA-TV (Ch 11) here in Atlanta (NBC affiliate). I am on-air 6 times each morning between 6 and 7am, and also cover breaking news throughout the day. It's challenging to report on breaking news while flying and dodging the other news helicopters.

While reading last year's newsletter, Jennifer was struck by Teresa's plight. She called to offer encouragement and prayer. As they talked, they discovered that we are only a few miles away from Caleb and Jessica's father's house. We were pleased to have Teresa use our house as a home-away-from-home during her visits to see them. We look forward to seeing her again soon.

April was, of course, the main event for the Petters faction: Tim & Debbie's wedding. Our thanks to Jimmy & Margie once again for their hospitality. The highlight of the week for me was fishing with Dad, our boys, Brian's boys and Susie's kids. The kids were all fascinated by the baby alligators, but most impressed with Jennifer's hook-baiting skills. I think everyone caught a fish, and all enjoyed eating them afterwards.

The boys really enjoyed staying at home with mommy this summer. Not really at home, what with the pool, the library and kids all over the neighborhood. But they still had fun, and by the end of the summer they could both swim across the pool without assistance.

Matthew started the second grade in August. He is well ahead of the state standards in reading and math. Matthew also started Cub Scouts this fall. He has already earned his Bobcat badge, and is well on his way to his Wolf badge. Jennifer is the room-mom for Matthew's class, in addition to helping his teacher for a few hours a week. She gets to have lunch with Matthew once a week.

Nathaniel started Pre-K. He has adjusted to being around so many other kids and competing for attention. He holds his own with the neighborhood kids, even though they are all closer to Matthew's age.

From Tim:

What a year! I want to thank every one of you who came to our wedding, remembered us in your prayers, or helped welcome Debbie to our family.

Our wedding was everything the two of us ever dreamed it would be. All of you were a big part of that. Our honeymoon in Rome and Venice was fabulous. The highlights of the trip were the Wednesday Papal Audience in the Vatican, and the gondola ride around the canals of Venice.

Once we got back, we got to the business of settling in to life in Saint Joe. We moved into the little house on the back of my dad's property, which he'd spent the spring getting ready for us. Debbie soon found a job at the Sacred Heart Early Childhood Center. She loves working there with the children and meeting the parents.

At Thanksgiving we had the pleasure of spending time with Bernie and Jennifer and the boys in Atlanta. Turkey Day really is meant to be spent with family. Brian and Vicki's clan made it for Thanksgiving too, so we got to see Henry for the first time. He's already getting very big, and will have no trouble keeping up with his brothers soon.

Hopefully next year will be a wonderful and eventful as this one. Whenever you're in Saint Joe, don't forget to stop by and say "hello".

From: Susie:

HI, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone!! This past year has been one full of travel for this Davidson crew. We started in January with a weekend trip to Brian and Vicki's in Tennessee, returning home in an ice storm� my truck is awesome in bad weather! Had a great time with all the kids together, made us all realize how tough it must have been for mom, (at the time we had four boys and Jennifer� sound familiar?) Then we made a quick trip to Florida for Dad's birthday in February, and to surprise Debbie at her bridal shower� another great trip. (the kids loved flying down there.) March took us to South Dakota for the wedding of Michael's God-father and while there we took advantage of some additional time off and visited Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, the Mamouth Site and even got to stop in Omaha at Mark Davidson's house (first cousin on dad's side) on the way back. I had to teach those Davidsons how to slide down a hill on cardboard, they had always waited for snow to take advantage of the hill in their back yard.

The spring was already warm and my kids wouldn't be daunted� besides my kids don't really know what snow is� mom shelters them as much as possible. Of course, April brought us back to Florida for Tim and Debbie's wedding, driving this time since we had two weeks off. Another great trip, even was able to sneak in a trip to Silver Springs and the glass bottom boats, Dad really enjoyed that. Thanks again to Tim and Debbie for allowing us to play such a special part in their wedding, all of us really enjoyed it, and must admit the reception was one of the best parties I have attended in a very long time! May started with Jennifer's First Communion and we started softball and t-ball season. I coached Jennifer's team and although we didn't win many, we had a great time! August took us to Cleveland to visit Dean and Anne, what a fabulous city to visit, although I will warn you all, if you visit there expect to see drive past Jacob's Field at least 20 times� I am convinced all roads take you past there, no matter where we were going, we went past it and Anne commented about it. Dean took the kids and I to the small lake they have up there called Erie, all had a great time! We also were able to take a day and go to Sea World�September took us back to Brian's for a small family get together, Bernie and Jennifer's family joined us, along with dad, this time though, we had seven boys (Henry is sooooo precious!) and Jennifer� she just doesn't understand why she is always the only girl� (okay, stop laughing, we all know she is half of Mom's revenge on me� Michael is the other half�) We even got to go swimming at the river there and everyone had a blast! In October we went up to Iowa with the kids' grandparents to visit where their grandpa was born and raised. Talk about country, the roads there are still dirt roads, numbered dirt roads at that� It was fun seeing his hometown, and meeting all his brothers. Expect we will make another trip up there before too long. Over Veteran's Day weekend we flew to Newport News to spend it with Mike and Nancy's family and Dad. Mike took us to watch the tower being lifted onto the Carrier Reagan, amazing feat, over 650 tons being lifted by a single crane. He also took us out on his boat, another great weekend. Although Michael showed everyone why raising a boy is significantly different than raising girls. Not sure Mike and Nancy have recovered yet. Are you tired yet? We leave today to go to Kansas City for Thanksgiving with friends� We really had a great year, and many thanks to all that hosted us on our travels! In addition to all this, the kids continued to do well in school, are active in Scouts, played soccer (which I again coached Jennifer's team) , attend Awana's (Baptist bible study program for kids), and I went TDY about once a month for a week or so. All told we visited 14 states this year alone, it really is a BEAUTIFUL country! And we have close family in much of it, our advice is to get out and see it all! You are all welcome at our house anytime!!

Have a Blessed Holiday Season, and remember family is God's gift to all of us, and as with all His gifts� it is FOREVER! Thanks for being such a SPECIAL Family!

We love you all!
Susie, Jennifer and Michael Davidson

From Dean:
Dear Family,

What a year this has been for us. We settled into our new house early last December and didn't come out until Tim and Debbie's wedding. We had a great time seeing everyone! We even managed to spend a few days in Cocoa Beach after all the wedding festivities. Tony and Dean enjoyed building sandcastles and chasing the waves. Anne enjoyed lying on the beach and watching the two guys play.

Anne and Tony spent most of the summer playing at our beach club. Tony loves jumping into both the baby pool and the adult pool. Susie, Michael and Jennifer came to visit in July. We did some neat things (like visiting Sea World and taking a tour of Cleveland by trolley). To celebrate the end of the summer, we hit the beach - and got to see Mike, Nancy, Sarah and Caroline along the way. Since then, we've been keeping busy with raking leaves and shoveling snow (two of Tony's favorite activities).

Dean is settling into his job at NASA. In the year that he's been here, he's gotten to go to Newport News twice on "business". Both times he was able to catch up with the Newport News gang. It's nice to have work pay for visits to the family.

We wish everyone a warm and merry Christmas!

Love, Anne, Dean and Tony Petters

From Brian:

Well, another year has flown by, and left a flood of memories in its wake. Brian went to school in Biloxi for five weeks in March, and the rest of the family spent the time in Baton Rouge seeing relatives and friends. While in Baton Rouge, we took a side trip to Shreveport for a few days to see friends. We were visited by Susie and her kids, and Vicki's sister Mary and her family. We traveled to Orlando for "The" wedding, staying with Vicki's sister Janet and husband Ricky in Orlando. We enjoyed seeing everyone there & wish everyone could have stayed longer. While there, we went to SeaWorld, which was a real treat. When Henry was born, Vicki's mom and niece Rebecca came to help. We had a Petters mini-family reunion here on Labor Day, and were glad that Brian's dad was able to join us. Vicki's parents came in mid-September, and again we spent Matthew's birthday and an enjoyable Thanksgiving in Atlanta.

Brian continues in his job as Director of Personnel here at Arnold AFB, and we will find out soon if he will be promoted to Major early next year. If he is promoted, another relocation may be in the plans, but we don't know yet. We are at the mercy of the Air Force.

Vicki made it (whew!) through the school year while being pregnant, and Henry was born June 23rd and baptized July 30th. He is an absolute joy, and has two teeth and is rolling everywhere. There is no more news on Vicki because she is too busy to do anything else!

John and Ben enjoyed Cub Scouts again this year, especially the Space Derby and the "Fellers Cake Bake". John is a 1st Year Webelo now. He gets plenty of leadership experience with his three brothers. Ben is a "Wolf" cub and is thrilled that his dad is the den leader. He made his First Holy Communion this past May. Both love to read Hardy Boys mysteries. Leo is trying so hard to keep up with them. He wants to "do school" and "take a thirty-minute break" (from school). He loves dinosaurs, Thomas the Tank Engine and elephants (we're working on Tigers). All are such good big brothers to Henry.

We are still enjoying the natural beauty of our Tennessee home, and our door is always open to visitors. Please come see us!

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Brian, Vicki, John, Ben, Leo and Henry Petters

Greetings - From Connie and Thom,

This year, the nursery where I worked closed. So I have only been working part time most of this year. Most of my time has been spent at home. During this time, I had the floors in the house redone. The bedrooms still have carpet and I had Pergo (hardwood) put in the rest of the house with the exception of the kitchen where I had ceramic tile put in a couple years ago.

Thom has spent most of the year on the road, with LCT (Lester Coggins Trucking). He gets home for a couple nights, about once a month. Most of his travels take him to the north east - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio. Once in a while he gets to Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, sometimes he gets to Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa.

I have had sort of a quiet year. Marie, Chris and Tiffany moved out around Easter. They have a real nice place in Dade City.

I am on the Class Reunion Committee helping to plan our 40th class reunion to be held June 9th, 2001 in Dade City. We are making progress for a very special gathering, for classmates and fellow Pasco High School graduates throughout the years.

Some of my time has been spent quilting, crocheting, sewing, reading and babysitting grandchildren when needed.

We had a great time at the "Barthle Family Reunion" in July. Thanks to Monica and Herman for a lovely place to hold a fun filled day with family. Thanks also to everyone who came and joined in the festivities. So many Quilts - each quilt has a story behind it and a lot of love, put into the making of it. Quilts are treasures that last for many years.

Thom and I want to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a prosperous NEW YEAR. Love to all.

From Marie:

Happy Holidays to all.

Well here we go another year has pasted and yet another one is fast to be here.

It has been a good year from this side of Dade City, Well lets see April 15th the kids and I moved into our new home with my boyfriend Joseph, And the kids love there new schools they are doing great. Tiffany had to take the picture of all of us to school to show her class friend Luke that they are cousins, in the same class she really likes it that she is in a smaller class with more learning and one on one with the Teacher. Well Chris has made honor roll again, which I expect from him. Because I know he can do it.

We are all doing great and working very hard. And just to let every one know yes Joseph and I are going to get married and it will be in 2001. And That should make every one happy and I shouldn't hear so when are you to going to get married. And we want to tell Aunt Monica and Herman, thank you for the great family gathering they hosted it was as all ways great to be there and see everyone who could come and as all ways they were the best host. We love you all and hope everyone has a great New Year and a very safe one at that.

God Bless one and all.

Love Marie, Joseph, Chris, Tiffany

From Amy:

Happy Holidays To All!!

Hope theY2K bug bit no one! So far the year 2000 has been uneventful in the Carr household.

I'll start the year run down with girls. Who I must say are going way to fast for Joe and I. Amy turned 11 in the spring. She also started junior high that has proved to be a big adjustment for her (she's hanging in there though). She's playing the flute in beginning band. Her first concert is December 19th. Nichole began the 2nd grade and progressing very well. She will be turning 8 here in a few weeks. So far this year she has been Student of the Week in her pod twice. She placed third in Quail Hollow Elementary Summer Olympics. She competed in the Hula Hoop Competition. I've yet to figure out how she keeps the hula-hoop going! Then there's Little Ms. Bay-Bay (as we call her). She turned 2 this past spring. Talking up a storm! Sometimes we wonder where she comes up with some of the things she says. She's a great storyteller too! In May we had to have tubes put in her ears. She was one of those chronic ear infection children. But thank goodness the tubes are doing their job. She's been sick about 4 times since May and none of the illnesses where ear infections. Out of the three girls 2 of them have been diagnosed with allergies. So we've been pretty busy getting those under control. I feel like I live in the doctor's office sometimes. My pharmacist knows me by name now.

As for Joe and I. We've haven't had a whole lot happen to us this year (keeping our fingers crossed). Joe is still working for Kearney (it will be 2 years this March). He's still in the reserves. He has 3 years left then he can retire at 20 years. He gets to go to Hawaii in January for about 3 weeks for a little war game training (I think he's going to soak up some sun). I'm still working for Frost Management (will be 13 years this coming February). We just recently tore down one of our older restaurants and rebuilt it. It opened on Election Day! So far it's going smoother than our Presidential election.

I'm still looking for information on anyone in the family (pictures, stories, family remedies and recipes). Anyone interested in getting on the family website please either email me at chickey@flash.net or write to me. You can also email or write me with any information on the family so I can add it to the website.

It was great seeing all of those who attended the family reunion. Weren't all the quilts beautiful? The inspired me to learn to quilt. I don't get much time to do it right now with the girls and working full time. But I do a little here and there. Well, I hope to see and here from everyone soon.

Hugs, kisses and lots of love, Joe, Amy, Amy, Nichole and Baylee

From Kelly:

Hi all, Well it has been a very busy year for us Jerry has been having problems with his back and receiving ESI injection for the 8 months. Jessica played softball and Noah played T-ball for the first time this year Noah really likes it, Jessica hates it, she has decided all she wants to do is cheer and do gymnastics. Jerry is still working at Sheppard Electric he is Part time Supervisor and Part time field electrician, he just can't stay out of the field. I am still working at CIGNA I have just received a promotion and am working in the appeals department now (no longer on the phones). Jessica is doing much better this year in school and Noah is learning a lot from her, he is so ready to start school. Skittles our lab just had 8 puppies and the Kids are begging to keep them. Well I will say so long and I hope everyone has a wonderful and prosperous year in 2001.

Love always
Jerry, Kelly, Jessica, Noah, and Skittles

From Kathy:

Hello all;

Hope everyone's doing well. We really enjoyed the reunion in July. The quilting theme was a nice idea. Thanks to the quilting group for including us all in on their hobby. Kelly's business is doing well. They are very busy putting lighting up for schools and little league fields around Hillsborough County. Kelly went fishing in Alaska this summer. He's said it is a beautiful place. The fish are BIG too. Justin started middle school this year and is making the principal's honor roll. We are very proud of him. Hunter started kindergarten this year and received "Citizen Of the Month" the first month of school. He really enjoys school. His favorite subjects are music and art. He also played tee ball this fall. Sierra is growing very quickly. It's hard to believe she is almost 2yrs old. She tries so hard to keep up with her brothers. Her vocabulary is growing very quickly. Her favorite words are "no" and "me." Imagine that!! It is such a joy to watch my children grow into such wonderful little people. Well, I hope to see all of you soon and please know that you are all in my heart.

We feel so honored to be a part of such an amazing family,

Kelly, Kathy, Justin, Hunter and Sierra Himes

From Dan:

I've had a busy year even though I'm retired. I've has been doing allot of work on my web page http://home.earthlink.net/~dbarthle1/, where you can find all kind of things about the Barthle Families. I'm always looking for genealogy information and history on our families.

In the spring my renters requested to get out of their lease so I let them. I had so much painting to do around the house so the new renters could move in. I was lucky, it was empty for only two weeks.

Early in May(May 6th)at Laurie's house warming, Danny called from Las Vegas to let us know that we had a daughter-in-law, and Laurie had a sister-in-law "Allison".

On the way to Florida I stopped in Pensacola for a friends 90th birthday in June before getting into Dade City for the Family reunion. I must say a good time was had by all. I was totally surprised and deeply moved by the family heritage quilt presented to me which was made by my siblings and their spouses. Thank you all again, I will treasure it always. Monica and Herman are really great hosts.

The fishing was great and I enjoyed some good fish dinners. Then I helped Jimmy put the roof on the new boat shed. I stopped in Lakeland to visit with Joan. While there Sam stopped by, and we had a great time.

On the way back to California in August I stopped in Thomasville, GA for the Family "quilt off", http://home.earthlink.net/~dbarthle1/ , under reunion, Thomasville Trip, then, photo. Then I went on to Lake Charles for a day or two before the long trip across the southwest.

I spent the rest of the time here in Southern California. There was Nick's home work, the moving and the wedding. I then moved the motorhome back to Ridgecrest for the Holidays.

From Barbara:

As I look back and reflect over this past year, it began just like any other year. At the start of 2000 typical resolutions were made & broken, and work along with stress seemed to dominate the new millennium. As the year went along, our lives started changing and life just kept getting better and better. Laurie, Nicholas and J.R. (Glenn) became engaged and moved into a new home. We enjoyed a visit from our oldest granddaughter Briana and Dan and I gained a loving daughter, Allison and 2 more grandchildren (Kyle and Lindsey). Danny and Allison surprised everyone and were married during a weekend bowling tournament in Las Vegas. Thankfully, work and stress started to take a backseat and the importance of love and family became the center. The fantastic ending of a wonderful year was the wedding of Laurie, Nicholas and J.R. starting their lives in New York as a family, so we gained another son with J.R. I'm hoping our family will continue to grow with more grandchildren.

As I looked around our large table filled with family and friends at the restaurant the night of the wedding rehearsal dinner, the sight brought tears to my eyes with the overwhelming feeling of how much love, warmth and happiness was in that room. I just kept gazing around watching everyone as I thought to myself "It doesn't get much better than this."

Dan and I talked later, about how much we have to be thankful for. It was the most wonderful time, having all our children and all of our grandchildren except Kyle together for the occasion. The love & happiness that Melda, Jack, Paula and Ralph brought by being there with us. We were sorry circumstances prevented Cinda and Ben from joining us too. We missed you! I can't even express on paper how happy that made me feel to see you again. I love you guys very much . It made me realize just how much I've missed you. After our so called chorus line rendition to the tune of New York, New York, I don't think any of us should leave our current jobs just yet! We sure had allot of fun! Dan and I have also become close friends with J.R.'s Mom and Dad and the rest of his family along with Allison's Mom and family. Yes, we are truly blessed! I wished the weekend would never end. Our grandson Evan always says "The last day is the saddest day because you have to go back home".

We want to wish each and every one of you a "Blessed and Merry Christmas" and a "Healthy and Happy New Year".

From Laurie:

Well, nothing much is happening in our neck of the woods... J.R. proposed marriage to me on our two-year dating anniversary. We at that time did not set a date. At the end of February J.R. & I bought a beautiful 1858 sq ft 4-bedroom home. We loved it. A few months later we had a house warming party. The day of our house warming we got news that my little brother Danny had gone off and got married. "Hey, he can't get married before me he's my younger brother". We tried to stay cool during the summer. In the early part of September J.R. was offered a promotion with our corporate office. The promotion would include moving to New York. Well, we promptly placed our brand new home on the market. We received our first acceptable offer in mid October.

At this point we had still not set a date for the wedding. It was going to take timing & planning to pull this one off. We wanted to wed in California and before we moved. So we finally set the date for the wedding. We closed on the sale of our home on the 11th of December. The movers packed us on the 9th of December. We were married one week later the 16th of December. We flew to Middletown, New York on the 20th of December. Movers delivered our household goods to our temporary 2-bedroom apartment the very next day. J.R. & I spent our first Christmas as a married couple in New York just the two of us. It was very nice.

Nicholas has been keeping busy as well. He was able to visit his Oma & Opa in Florida two times this year. He continued in basketball and seems to enjoy playing very much. He also progressed to the Webelos rank in Cub Scouts this year. We went on a camp-out under a huge Great California Oak tree in late September. It is over 500 years old and is over 50 feet wide. He spent his Christmas with his dad in Florida with his Oma & Opa. So as you can tell nothing much happened at the beginning of the year & a lot has happened in the last 3 months. What a great start to a new life in a new part of the country as a family of own. WOW! "Have a wonder NEW YEAR EVERYBODY"!

Daniel M. Barthle Family:

Say good-by to another year and a century. It is hard to believe the year 2001 is here, however reflecting back on the past thirty something years, let alone the last year, it is easy to see how time can pass so quickly. I would like to introduce my wife Allison to all of you this year. Allison and I were married this past year on May 06. Allison and I met at work and had been dating for a couple years. After buying a house the previous year and living together we decided to make it official. So after looking into churches, parks, reception halls, caterers, just to name a few, we were looking at a simpler solution. So while at a bowling tournament in Las Vegas we decided to just go for it. It was a very nice and simple ceremony with only a couple of fellow bowlers/friends in attendance. Elvis couldn't make it, however the minister bore a slight resemblance.

Allison is working for OAO as a contractor to the Navy Base where we met and with the NMCI contract coming down the pipe, more opportunities have been spotted on the horizon for her. I have taken a new job with a semi-startup company in September called Vigilant and should be keeping busy this next year.

Between Allison and I we have four children. Briana, my oldest is 13, Kyle Allison's oldest is 12 and Lindsey, Allison's youngest is 10. Evan my son is 7. Lindsey stays with Allison and I and we have her son every other weekend. Evan comes up to visit often, but not often enough and we were fortunate to have Briana out with us last weekend from Idaho for Laurie and J.R.'s wedding. It was great to have the kids together and for them and us to see Uncle Ralph, Aunt Paula, Aunt Melda and Uncle Jack.

Well, that is about it for this year. Hope to see all of you for the next family reunion in Florida. From all of us to all of you, have a great year.

Danny Barthle.

From Cinda:

Greetings of the season to everyone!

What a year it has been. I (Cinda) had the dubious pleasure of having a Y2K bug in one of my programs, so was off to a really good start! The bug was there during all my testing a year earlier, but it was hiding on an obscure part of page four of the output, and I didn't see it. A little embarassing to say the least.

Hardest part of doing this letter is REMEMBERING what happened during the whole year. (Does anyone else have trouble remembering what they did yesterday?)

I remember a very special wedding in April in Orlando. Tim and Debbie, we're so glad you two got together! We wish you all the best life has to offer.

We had a very nice visit with Janet and Fred Barthle when they stopped by Morrow enroute with their church youth to a very exciting white water rafting expedition in North Georgia! Thanks for taking the time to meet with us!

And then there was the really super July family reunion! There is no substitute for seeing the gang together at these special times. Thanks Monica and Herman for hosting again! You're the best!

And I remember a wonderful trip to Thomasville for a quilt-meet with the August Barthle offspring and spouses in August. It was such fun being tourists as a group!

We lost our beloved Caesar (Boston Terrier) earlier that month, and began the process of selling and buying a house the following month. (Everything has been more of a blur since then.) We bought a townhouse (about 30 minutes north and a little west) from the condo in Morrow. Now we have room for a quilting machine, but can't afford one!!)

In the middle of our move week, we stopped unpacking long enough to fly up to Chicago to do Thanksgiving dinner with Chris and Alexa (Ben's older daughter and her husband). They live in a loft in the West Loop area of downtown. The renovated building was an old clothing factory, and has very cool architectural features like high ceilings and huge vertical pillers and some brick interior walls. And they live near the Greek section of the city, which has some of the most wonderful food options imaginable.

Rebecca (prefers that over 'Becky', these days) is still working on the renovation of her 1900-vintage victorian home in Jackson, Georgia. It's gradually coming together very nicely.

Brian and Vicky stopped by our new digs on their way home from Thanksgiving with Bernie and Jennifer. It was wonderful to see them and the boys again. Hard to believe how fast they are all growing up!

We're looking forward to Connie visiting us this coming weekend and then to a quick trip to San Diego for Laurie's wedding the following weekend.

We wish everyone a very happy, safe and blessed Christmas and New Year!

We love you all!

Cinda and Ben

From Melda:

Hi all!

Well, Thanksgiving has passed and we're getting ready for the holidays. Reflecting on this past year, the year 2000 brought millenium print fabric to many of our relatives. The quilting hobby added some new artists and with a mid-summer barbecue at Monica & Herman's lake place, we participated in a show and tell session displaying many beautiful items. The grab bags/gift exchange (swipe) was only surpassed by Herman's famous chicken. Then, in mid-August a meet in the middle--Tallahassee/ Thomasville--weekend brought more show and tell, new quilt stores and a great get-together.

Rebecca and Travis have settled into their new home and are both doing well. We don't get to see nearly enough of them, but are thankful for the time we do get to share. Rebecca will bring you more up-to-date on what they've been doing.

Rob is a senior at USF and is now coordinating events for the USF Athletic Department including women's volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball and baseball. This past June, Rob organized the first ever Roundball Reunion for alumni basketball players which was a huge success. It was a great experience for him and he is still receiving accolades.

Jack and I are looking forward to our first trip to California later this month for Laurie and J.R.'s wedding. We're hoping to meet Aunt Polly, too.

Just for the record, we are in the midst of the closest of all presidential elections. I contend that the comedians are bombarded with way too much material. Seriously, as it unfolds, it is an amazing story and quite the civics lesson.

May God bless all of you and may you all have a very merry Christmas and the best New Year yet!

Love, Melda and Jack

From Rebecca:

Greetings to all! We have had an extremely busy, but great year. It seems that 2000 has gone by all too fast! I'm definitely realizing that the older you get the faster time goes.

In terms of our careers, we haven't had much change in the past year. Travis remains in his position as an IT Manager for an engineering firm in Orlando, and I continue to travel as a Project Manager for an e-business consulting firm based out of Fort Lauderdale. Our goal for 2001 is to try to live in the same city during more weeks than we did this year. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

During the past year, I've taken up golf as a weekend hobby. I'm really enjoying it, though I kind of miss my old hobby of decorating our house. I think that Travis figured out that furniture shopping every single weekend wasn't the best idea for our budget and has been very encouraging about my golf game. For those of you interested in the progress of the house project, I'm pretty much finished. Guess it is time to move. (Don't tell Travis.)

Even though we have been so busy, we've managed to squeeze in a few mini-vacations throughout the year. In April, we went to Ohio for a long wedding weekend for some of our friends. In June and September, we traveled to Linville, North Carolina for some mountain golf and much needed relaxation. Also, we had a chance to go to New York City for a weekend in October.

That's pretty much all from the True household this year. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Love, Rebecca and Travis

From Monica:

Greetings! Hope this year has brought each of you health, happiness and prosperity!

The year started with Joe going to school for his GED and EMT. In May he graduated from PHCC with his EMT, then in August he graduated from Adult Education with a GED. Joe continues to take classes at PHCC working toward his AA, and Paramedic. He is also assisting the EMT instructor at PHCC. For the last two years Joe has been very active at the San Antonio Volunteer Fire Department. He has run over 300 "calls" including such emergencies as motor vehicle accidents, structure fires, cardiac patients, shortness of breath, and a wide array of other conditions. In addition to running calls, he has also taken several special classes. This year he and Bill both attended the Extrication Class in Spring Hill and were excited to meet up with Steve Denney!

Once Joe became a licensed EMT, he needed to get some OJT, so he got a job. He started working at Care Ride in St. Petersburg in October. He transports wheelchair and medi-chair patients wherever they need to go. Lots of times he takes patients to get an MRI. He is living with his EMT co-assistant teacher in St. Pete. Directions to his apartment: take I75 to I275. Stay on it to I375. Stay on I375 until it ends, then pull into the St. Pete Coliseum and call Joe to come lead you in! Joe has met some very interesting people and enjoys the people he is working with.

Bill continues to be very active at Wesley Chapel High in sports. He participated in Wrestling (going to Districts last year), playing football, and lifting weights. He is also the student that leads the prayer at the games. He continues to make the A-B honor roll even with an Honors class or two. Bill hurt his knee in early November (football injury). He tore the vastus medialis -- the large muscle that attaches to the kneecap and holds it in place. He has to wear a knee immobilizer for 6 weeks (3 down, 3 to go). That seems a small thing, but is has been quite a change. He can't sit in the front seat of the van, so we took one of the middle seats out and he sits in the very back and rests his left leg on the middle seat. He can't reach is feet to put on socks and shoes, so I help him with that. He has increased his flexibility, though! I can sure see where physical activity helps attitude. He is generally very UP, but he has had to struggle a bit now that he can't be physically active. Bill has also been volunteering at the San Antonio Fire Department, but hasn't put in as much time as Joe, due to ALL his extra-curricular activities. He tries to get up there at least once during the week to help out.

Herman has been quite busy this year. They planted ten more acres of grove in St. Joe, irrigated, irrigated, and irrigated some more. He even has a quilt now reflecting some of the weather challenges he has had to face in the last few years! He did get a chance to get away for a week in October for a hunting trip to Colorado. He killed a nice elk. The group he hunts with has three consecutive hunts. Usually Herman doesn't like to go for the first hunt because his sinuses bother him until the first snow falls. However, this year he went on the first hunt and it snowed the first day he was there! That's quite unusual. When he went last year on the second hunt, the trees were in full color. He said he had never seen them so spectacular. This year the color was already gone by the time he got there. All in all, he had a great trip.

Tim and Debbie's Wedding was tremendous! We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. We are very happy for both of them and wish them many years of happiness together!

We enjoyed getting ready for the July 2nd Family Reunion. Although we anticipated a good time, we weren't prepared for the GREAT time we had! What good sports we have in our family! What a fun time we had! I cherish that family time and look forward to seeing all of you again soon.

I continue to love quilting, although my job really intrudes into my free time (I can't complain, though, because it pays for my fabric!). I still watch "Simply Quilts" and study quilting books for new techniques. My favorite is hand quilting. Herman and I enjoyed a trip to Thomasville, Georgia, for a weekend with Margie and Jimmy, Connie, Dan, Cinda and Ben, Melda and Jack, and Ralph and Paula. We enjoyed checking out each other's quilts, but my favorite, and biggest surprise, was "Sister's Surprise". What an incredible quilt! What an incredible family!

My love to all of you! There is an old Irish Blessing that goes something like this: "May the sun rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, the sun shine warm against your face, the rain fall softly in your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hands!"

Have a Happy, Healthy and Holy Christmas season!

Love,

From Shelley:
Hello All...

It's me Shelley with a friendly family update. I always start working on this letter by thinking, "let's keep this short and sweet", then I realize how much has happened in my life in twelve incredibly short months. WOW!!! Well here it goes...

I GRADUATED RN SCHOOL (in May with my brother Joe!); GOT PREGNANT (it's a boy - due January 16th); WE MOVED (into Mom's old house); DARRELL CHANGED JOBS (went back to heavy equipment mechanic - his true love and much better money); LUKE WAS FINALLY DIAGNOSED WITH A READING DISABILITY (after only 3 long years of testing); LUKE CHANGED SCHOOLS (to San Antonio Elementary - Tiffany Metcalf is in his class); I TOOK THE SUMMER OFF (I got spoiled fast); I BOUGHT A NEW CAR (after only 260,000 Mazda miles); WE GOT THREE PUPPIES (there making us all nuts); I TOOK AND PASSED MY RN STATE BOARDS (the first time); I GOT A JOB (Surgical Floor RN at East Pasco Medical Center); LUKE STARTED TO READ (After Kindergarten and two years of 1st Grade with little result); LUKE LOVES SCHOOL (A true Christmas Miracle); HUNTING SEASON ARRIVED (Darrell got a Doe in Archery Season - I saw it and he made the shot - we all helped track it = This was probably the most fun we've had as a family in years); DARRELL SHOT A FOUR POINT, AN ANTLERLESS BUCK, AND ANOTHER DOE; I TOOK OFF WORK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CONTRACTIONS (I'm fine as long as I stay off my feet - the 12.5 hour shifts were just too much); DARRELL BOUGHT A TRUCK (Extended Cab 4x4 - He says he feels like a Dad now!); WE STARTED ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS (Luke wants to be an Oliver and Darrell couldn't love him any more if he was his biological father) AND I FINISHED THE CHRISTMAS LETTER ON DECEMBER 1ST (as you all know this is a first for us).

So, all in all, everything is normal around here - Five hundred miles per hour and no pit stops in sight.

All of our Love, Best Wishes, and Prayers!

Darrell, Shelley, Luke and Baby Oliver

From Natalie:

Greetings From the Happy Hillside!

Well another year has past. Tyler turned 5 in September and shot up about 6 inches. He couldn't start school this year because he missed the cut off date by 12 DAYS!!! They said that if Chris made less money then they could help. I was not happy. So we got the Hooked On Phonics program from mom and started working on his reading. He is doing great. Tyler LOVES being a big brother. He teaches Dylan how to play with trucks and of course how to trip someone and call it an accident. Dylan is turning 1 on Sunday (12-3). He is about 25 lbs. and has been walking for almost 3 months. Once he learned that he could use those short stubby legs to chase Tyler he never sat down again. He has 6 teeth. He has only bitten me once and I think it surprised him to hear me scream that loud, so he hasn't done it again. Chris and I can't believe how much one little guy can change the house. We went on our first family vacation this year. Nothing major, but it was much needed. Chris's parents have a timeshare in Daytona. We went over there for three days and then on to St. Augustine for three days. It was nice to get away. We decided that we definitely need a vacation EVERY year. Next year we are hoping to go to the mountains and see snow.

Chris is still working for CF Industries. He just hit the two-year mark in September. He is going hunting with one of our friends next weekend on their property in North Florida. He asked me if I really minded him going. I told him "Go. Really, I need, I mean, you need this". As for me, well I bought a 2000 Voyager in January. I miss my Cirrus, but I love my van. It comes in handy when you are going out with friends or picking up people from the airport. All my friends tell me they can't believe I bought a van. But when we go out they tell me how happy they are that I have it (so they don't have to drive). I have been quilting, ah, I mean SQUAWKING for over a year now. I just finished quilt #5. I have two others that are started that will probably stay that way for a while. Well I guess that is all. I enjoyed seeing everyone at the reunion. Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday!

Happy Holidays! Natalie, Chris, Tyler and Dylan Helms

From Mandi:

Happy Hello's From the Milam's: (pronounced My-Lum)

This last year has been crazy. I am sure that some of you will agree! In the Middle of December last year, Billy, Lane and I packed up and moved to San Antonio, FL! With the Zoo Krewe there to help, it made the move easier. We stayed in FL until late April, when we decided to move back to NC. So, the end of April we moved to Kernersville, NC. It is a little town between Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Billy got a job with TIMCO - he fixes commercial airplanes. This is what he did in the Army. He really likes his job and is very good at it. He works in a composite shop-which works on the harder pieces of the plane to make/fix. Most people have to work at least a year at TIMCO before they are even considered for this job. That goes to show that Billy knows his stuff. I am extremely proud of him. I got a job working for Unifi Technology as an administrative assistant. We are a subsidiary of Unifi, Inc., who is a world leader in the production of yarn, textiles, etc. Anyway, Unifi Technology provides all the technical support for Unifi, Inc. as well as many other large corporations. I am still an admin assist, but now I am responsible for all of the purchasing for both Unifi, Inc and Unifi Technology. So, needless to say I am very busy.

Lane started daycare when I started work in May and he has adjusted very well. He had trouble with getting ear infection after ear infection, until he got tubes. He has not had 1 in over 2 months since he got tubes. It has been wonderful! He is getting bigger now that he isn't sick all the time. He is starting to really talk. His recent discovery is copying mommy and saying, "look, look, look". And this morning he took 4 steps across the hallway by himself. We celebrated his 1st b-day at his Grandma's house in VA. It was very nice and Lane made out like a bandit. Every toy he received, MAKES NOISE!!! I am not sure how I feel about that. We are in the process of buying our 1st house. We are supposed to close around the middle of December. We are buying a small two-story house out in the country on 6 acres. We also have a horse due in the spring, so that gives Billy plenty of time to buy and put up the fences. So everything is pretty much hectic here, I hope that everyone is doing well and has a WONDERFUL 2001. It was great seeing all of you who came to the family reunion, 4th of July weekend. It had been such a long time since I had seen many of you. I just wanted to let you all know that I really enjoyed seeing you. I hope it won't be so long before we see each other again.

Lots of Love, Mandi, Billy and Lane Milam

P.S. Thank you to my family, for all your help, with ALL the moves that we have done. We can't wait for you to come visit us in our new home. I promise you won't have to move a thing!!! Hehehe

From Ralph:

Greetings to All

Well, here we are again, another year about to wrap up. 2000 was one of those roller coaster years with really high and really low points.

Life in Saint Joe remains about the same. The projects here are slowly progressing. Paula has an ongoing project organizing the plants in the yard (lots of lilies, amaryllis, some irises and a lot of gloriosa lilies.) It has been so dry here (we've gotten about half the rain we normally get) only the heartiest of plants and trees survived. Water in our well, still the old shallow one, was so low we had to tap off of our neighbors' (Paula's parents) well for about three months in the late spring - early summer. The demand on the well drillers was so great that we were told the waiting period, after you got your name on a list, was about 60 - 90 days. Although I think it was really about twice that long. Anyway, the summer rain was enough to raise the well water up so we were able to use it again. We still need a lot more rain.

A friend of ours, Debbie Altman, has been undergoing treatments, at the Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa for more than a year. Paula has taken her there for the infusions, testing, etc, once or twice a month since December of 1999. It's been quite an experience (for both of them.) For the most part, things are going well, but like most of these kinds of things, the set backs are not so good. Debbie has a positive outlook, and it makes it a bit easier to deal with, please keep her in your prayers.

In April, the Devil Rays started their third season. Our team doesn't win a lot (a winning record when we're there) but we sure have fun.

Tim and Debbie's wedding in Orlando was great fun. It sure was good to see and spend time with those who were there. It has also been great getting to know Debbie as a friend, family member, and neighbor.

Of course the family reunion in July was a highlight as well. Thanks to all who attended. Those who were not there missed a lot of fun. The quilting talent in our family really produced some amazing and beautiful items. Special thanks to Herman and Monica for hosting it.....again!

Our new priest, Fr. Pat, arrived here in July. He is a real "shot in the arm" for us and a bit persuasive! He talked me into playing music (mostly keyboard, some guitar) with the group for Saturday night Mass. He also talked Paula and I (along with Tim & Debbie) into being on the RCIA team. RCIA is for those who want to learn more about the Catholic faith. Paula's parents are attending the classes this year.

We took a week of vacation, in late September/early October, in western North Carolina. Of course we spent a night at Cinda and Ben's on the way up to the mountains. We got to see their beautiful new home (under construction at the time) near Smyrna. Their hospitality is tremendous and we always feel so welcome. Thanks to you both!

We are planning to attend Laurie and JR's wedding in December. We're looking forward to the trip and the visits with the folks on the West Coast.

Paula still has her Shaklee business and does some accounting and computer consulting as well. I am still with the Florida Lottery (13 years) and continue to enjoy it. Watching people win money is fun too. Our two cats, Christine and KC, are doing well.

All in all, it's been a pretty good year.

We hope everyone has a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Love to all,

Paula and Ralph

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