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As I close, the boys are outside feeding hogs and the steer for the 2004 fair. The chores are never-ending but it keeps them out of trouble. Shelbie is helping, or supervising, something little girls are good at. We look forward to the upcoming holidays and another new year hopefully as blessed as the last.

Love to All,
Duane, Kathleen,
Bret, Jake & Shelbie


From Joan,

Season's Greeting Everyone,
Hope everyone has had a great year.
Not much has changed for me. Still have the same address, same phone number, same job. No new additions to the family this year. Still have 14 wonderful grandchildren, all growing up too fast.

Bonnie and I went up to visit Lisa and her family in October. They have a beautiful home and their hospitality is really something. I don't believe I even washed a dish or cooked a meal while I was there. (Guess that says something about me as a house guest.) We took a drive up to the mountains, saw some beautiful color and many covered bridges. The mountains were for me and the covered bridges were for Bonnie. We had a good time as we always do when we are together.

It was good to spend some time with Bonnie. Don't see her enough even though she is just a few miles away. Don' t see any of them as much as I would like. Everyone works and, well, you know how that is. All were here Thanksgiving except Lisa and Mike. All will be here Christmas except Mike, but he will come up with the girls after Christmas. Very difficult to get them all together at the same time.

Last Christmas almost the whole family was together, except for Lisa and her family. God has really blessed me with a wonderful family. And that includes the extended family. God bless you all.
Joan


From Lisa,

We sure hope you are all doing well. Alan is still with American Airlines, but he is now flying as copilot on the 767 out of St. Louis. Things have been tough for the previous TWA employees, all the flight attendants from TWA have lost their jobs. Some mechanics have managed to hang on to theirs. The pilots probably made out the best of all the labor groups, although those with less than 15 years have lost their jobs. We are thankful that Alan has been able to keep his and it looks like things are finally starting to look up for the airline industry. Last July Alan was diagnosed with a condition called “ankylosing spondylitis”, basically it is a form of arthritis that causes the spine to fuse. Four of his cervical vertebrae have already fused. He is now taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications which have given him some relief. The only course other than the Lord healing him is medications for the inflammation and exercise to help prohibit more fusion. We are praying for healing. Your prayers are appreciated.

Not much ever changes with me, just trying to draw closer to the Lord and still driving kids all over creation. I continue to work part time at the YMCA teaching little kiddies to swim. I did manage to go to my 25 year reunion last year. Teresa went with me and we had a really good time. Recently I started a 6 month on-line correspondence course. The training has been developed by a pastor named Francis Frangipane. The course is structured to equip students, intercessors, ministry leaders, pastors and churches for effectual Christlike living. I would fall into the student category, as I have no aspirations of becoming a pastor. The course is broken down into four 6 week courses which are teachings on Christlikeness, Humility, Prayer and Unity. Basically it is some very foundational teaching about becoming a disciple of Christ. I have really been enjoying the course so far.

Becca is now a sophomore in high school. As always she is doing very well. She still loves the band, and she added music theory to her courses this year which she likes alot. She also joined the newspaper staff at her school and has recently become one of the editors of “The Blueprint”. Her band has been invited to go to Washington DC next year during the Memorial Day weekend. They will be participating in the World War II Memorial dedication. We think it is a great opportunity for her and the band. Of course the band is very busy fundraising for this exciting event. Becca is also anxious to start driving, she is eligible to start Christmas Day. Mom and Dad are not quite as excited about this prospect as she is. Is that normal???

Katie is also doing fine. She is now in first grade and is dancing, swimming and is participating in gymnastics. I mentioned last year that we would appreciate anyone’s prayers regarding Katie’s feet. She had to start wearing corrective shoes last fall. Initially one surgery was recommended and then we were advised that she actually needed two different surgeries. Both surgeries were preventative in nature. Alan and I were praying and had decided to go ahead with the surgeries. When we brought the need before our church group and we prayed about it, one man said that he felt the Lord was telling him that He would heal her feet before she had the surgery. Alan and I decided to wait 6 months whilBecca is now a sophomore in high school. As always she is doing very well. She still loves the band, and she added music theory to her courses this year which she likes alot. She also joined the newspaper staff at her school and has recently become one of the editors of “The Blueprint”. Her band has been invited to go to Washington DC next year during the Memorial Day weekend. They will be participating in the World War II Memorial dedication. We think it is a great opportunity for her and the band. Of course the band is very busy fundraising for this exciting event. Becca is also anxious to start driving, she is eligible to start Christmas Day. Mom and Dad are not quite as excited about this e we continued to seek the Lord about what to do. In August when we went to the doctor he was surprised at the improvement he saw. He completely eliminated the first surgery that he had recommended and counseled that he wanted to wait some more to see about the second surgery. Of course this was very exciting to us. We thank you all for your prayers and we bless God for what He has already done. Of course we would also appreciate any and all of your continued prayers. May God Bless You All and draw you close to Himself. We love you more than words could ever tell and wish you a wonderful holiday.
We pray your Holidays are blessed and bright and filled with the love of God and family and friends.
Love,
Alan, Lisa, Becca and Katie


From Teresa,

Happy Holidays Everyone,

I hope everyone had a good year and is doing well. Ours was busy, as usual, and seems to have flown by. I’ve had two more scalp surgeries since the last newsletter and have more to come. I’m taking a longer interval since the last surgery (6 months), as the closer we get to the goal, the more time the scalp needs to recover. I’m still at the restaurant with Jessica and Caleb, and work part-time as bookkeeper for a realty company.

Besides working at the restaurant, Jessica and Caleb are at HCC. Jessica is in her second year and Caleb is dual enrolled during his senior year. They both are making very good grades. Paintball is their favorite extracurricular activity, and they go “whole hog” at it. Caleb has taken up guitar, and Jessica is into “swing” dancing on Sunday nights. She has piqued Caleb’s interest and he is now ready to join her in the fun. Could we have another “Jim and Joan” brother-sister act in the family?

As always, God has been good to us. Our prayer is to live a life that says “thank you” for all He is and has done; and we pray for all of you. May He richly bless you, and keep you until we see you again.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Teresa, Jessica and Caleb


From Mike & Sandra

"We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year"
Love, Mike, Sandra, Jennifer & Lily


From Melinda,

Hello Everyone
Warren is now 10 years old and is in the 5th grade, which is the last year of Elementary school. He made the Principal’s List last fall (straight As). We were proud of him. His school principal will take students who made the List bowling in Dec. Last Spring he played Minor/Major League Baseball. His team is called the Diamondbacks. This division had several teams who were chasing the championship title very closely. The Diamondbacks squeezed into first place after we beat the 2nd place team. The next tournament they went to was a City Championship with 9 teams. They took 2nd place. Warren was selected as the batboy for the All-Star team. The next tournament was the district all-Stars with 7 teams. It was very competitive because all the players were really skillful. They were very delighted to take 2nd place. The final All-Stars State Championship was held at Key West last July. We went there to watch his team and were hoping to win the state title. They reached 3rd place. Several boys from our team got individual medals in best bunting, best throwing and homerun hits. Those boys had a blast while they were there. When we were visiting Bonnie’s house last 4th of July, we were all having a contest to see who could keep their hand in some ice water the longest. Most of the older people only lasted a few seconds. The children lasted quite a bit longer. Warren beat everyone by far lasting for 3 minutes. Unfortunately he developed a very mild case of frostbite. I should note that mom (the nurse) and Jimmy had no idea about the not so wise game we were playing. When we asked Warren later if he was sorry that he did it, he said he was just glad that he broke the record. Warren definitely gets the “Tough Guy” award and all of us adults, well we get the “Big Dummies” award. We are just thankful it was not more serious. Last August, he joined an AAU Baseball team to play against different cities. That’s where he started to learn to bunt and steal. Pitcher’s balks and a bigger field were also introduced. His team was called the St Petersburg Stingers. They won and lost games because the teams were quite good. The Stingers went to the Slug-Toberest Invitational Tournament with all levels of play at Bradenton. They didn’t make it through the 2nd round. However Warren was really hot, his batting average was .750. The other players weren’t so hot. He has been playing and practicing since last January. Last September he joined the Winter Major League which has a few teams. His batting and fielding have improved a lot with his coach’s counsel. They easily won 1st place. Both our team and the 2nd place team will enter the Invitational Tournament at Tampa next month. He is looking forward next year to the Spring League which has the most competition and he hopes to make the All-Stars. He plays 3rd base and outfield most of the time.

Jimmy is still working at the Dental Lab. He has been there for 23 years. He is beginning to get weary once in awhile. He continues as Board Member of Florida School for the Deaf Alumni Association. He is trying to start a Website for his Association. He was elected as equipment manager for Fossil Park Youth Baseball where Warren plays baseball. He brings a sign language interpreter to the meetings with all the hearing people. It is very interesting to learn their ways, but really there is no difference in the way we all follow the rules. He is looking forward to the Spring League, which will be over 400 kids from T-Ball to senior level. There will be lots of bags, which have helmets, bats, chest protectors, shin guards, and used balls for all managers. WHEW!

I was surprised to have my 40th birthday party at a restaurant last Memorial weekend. It was planned by Jimmy and a few close friends. I knew nothing about it and Jimmy had been planning it since January. There were about 30 people there. I was very surprised to see my best friend Krista and her son from Atlanta. Also my mom, Bonnie, Sam, Kyle, Mike, Sandra, Jennifer and Lily were there. A few weeks before the party I had planned to go see Mom the day before the party and was going to be staying through the day of the party. Jimmy had to tell me I could not go see Mom. I was a little disappointed with him that he would not let me go to my Moms. Sandra told me through our pagers that she and her family were going to the Keys for that weekend. I was surprised to see Mom at the party. Mom said that I gave her a hard time because she doesn’t know how to say NO. At first I was puzzled when I saw Sandra and then I realized that Sandra made up the story about the Keys. I had a swinging good time at the party with my family and friends. Now I understood why Jimmy would not let me go to Mom’s house. I gave a good bear hug to Jimmy for such careful planning of the party, and apologized for being disappointed in him when he wouldn’t let me go to Mom’s house.
Jimmy, Warren and I wish you all Happy Holidays!
Melinda


From Bonnie,

Old McBonnie's farm is still growing and changing. We still have all the critter's, 8 cows, 2 1/2 horses (one is pregnant), 15 chickens (no eggs yet but good alarm clocks), and we are looking for a Border Collie pup. We planted a spring garden…did super on the corn and squash. Our fall garden did just that, it fell to the ground due to cold nights, except the Black eye peas are doing good. LISA will be happy if any are left when she gets here. Rachael and Samson’s Great Great Grandmother died this year at the age of 96. Michael transferred into the maintenance department for the U.S. Postal Service. Bonnie and Joan visited Lisa in Cold weather New Hampshire. While they were there; they saw a bunch of Covered bridges and brought back all these bags of leaves. We got a pool deck started this fall and finished the animal Barn with walls. Mike made a round pen and broke two more horses. He also finished the cattle pens, and got the kids an old golf cart to wreck before they start on the real cars and have to have insurance. Mike and Samson have been hunting, and Mike took the kids fishing. Rachael took the show with over 18 fish in 45 minutes while Samson only caught 5. Rachael went to a cheerleading camp this summer. Her class fieldtrip went to Tampa to be on Nickelodeon: she will be on TV the day before Thanksgiving. Both little ones are playing soccer this year, and doing very well in school. July 4th was great with horse riding, pool swimming, volleyball, bonfire, horse shoes, hay ride, and a fire works extravaganza thanks to Caleb and Jessica. God continues to bless us and we praise Him for it.

We love you all and May God Bless you All-WAYS!

Michael, Bonnie, Rachael, Samson
Hebrews 13:5 He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.


From Sam,

Hello everyone,

Who knew two kids from the same parents could be so different. Well, probably all of you. I am blown away by how different Kyle and Andy are (OPPOSITE). Kyle is a tremendous help with Andy, he is an excellent big brother and son. Andy is definitely the center of our attention, what a happy (mostly) and loud boy. Carlene started school in January and is getting her masters degree in educational leadership. She is very busy. In October she had a spot of skin cancer removed and then in November she had one of her ovaries removed due to an ovarian cyst. She is home and doing well and is still keeping up with her school work. She has taken about a month off from work for the medical procedures. I started filling in at work as a receiver in October and I really enjoy it. In the spring the Lord showed me that I was mad at him for taking my dad, so long ago. I honestly did not know that I was mad at Him. Apparently the enemy (the father of lies) told me a lie that was very close to the truth which I believed for many years. It was "the Lord took my dad" seems pretty innocent. However, buried in my heart it became "God you took my dad away from me when I was just a little boy. You have no right to do that." But our Lord is faithful and he exposed the lie that was buried in my heart. Then He lovingly told me the truth, "I received your dad". It may not seem like a big difference, but from my perspective it is a world of difference. Our enemy is crafty but he is no match for our Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit. Praise and Glory be to our God and King forever and ever. May He draw all of us closer to Himself Daily. God bless you all.
Love Andy, Kyle, Carlene, and Sam.


From Fred,

Hello out there. Hope you all had a great year. Ours was busy as usual. The kids are still loving the baseball thing. All three of them made all stars this year, which was GREAT, until I got the bill for the all star uniforms. They did great. N E WAY, Kenny is playing the cello now in 5th grade. I’m not sure if he likes it yet, (I'm not sure if I like it either). Maybe we'll both like it better when he can play the thing. I am messing around with the guitar and..... well ....refer back to the previous sentence. Jenna is just a doll, she is Miss Priss, and she gives the boys a fit. Kevin is growing like a weed. He loves ball, any kind, just add ball. Janet is still working at the net (Bloodnet) as a receptionist. I am still with the City of Lakeland, working on water meters. Well that's about it, not a whole lot but it keeps me busy. Lots of love to you all and I look forward to the next reunion.
Fred


From Mike

Christmas 2003

2003 will be one of those years that folks around here will talk about for a very long time. Hurricane Isabel came through the area in September and reminded everyone of life before electricity, gasoline and all those other modern conveniences. We lost power here for a week, and we were lucky. Some folks lost their homes, and there are still people cleaning up. Damage estimates in the area have exceeded $100 Million.

2003 will also be remembered for many family activities. At the top of the list, we had the first Petters’ family reunion over the Fourth of July weekend at Lake Gaston. While the time together was short, it was good to gather up all the cousins for some North Carolina Barbecue and some tubing on the lake. And we are looking forward to the next Barthle family reunion.

News from the class of 2007 (sounds closer and closer all the time!) - Caroline is now officially a high schooler. This fall, she has begun her studies in the International Baccalaureate Program at Warwick High School. She has found the pace to be a bit faster and tougher than she had previously seen, but she is working hard and managing to keep up in her classes.

Caroline has also continued her work on the field hockey pitch, completing her second season this fall with the Warwick Junior Varsity. She also plays indoors, and her team won the city title in the spring league, and is currently undefeated in the winter league, even though the team has moved to an older division.

Sarah has begun her second year at Tulane, and everything is going well. She is double majoring in French and International Development. We have been able to visit on a couple of occasions, and have enjoyed being with her and visiting the city of New Orleans. While we haven’t made it for Mardi Gras (yet!), we find it to be a very interesting city, with lots to do. And, of course, the food is wonderful. If you get a chance, you should look her up in the Crescent City.

Sarah was able to spend the summer with us, and she helped teach Caroline and their cousin Haley to slalom while we were at the lake. Suddenly we have a lot of extra skis in the ski locker.

Nancy and I have continued our work with the preschool and the shipyard respectively. This past June, we celebrated our twentieth anniversary (time flies when you’re having fun, and we are, and it is!). To commemorate the occasion, we have decided to take a family vacation to Australia over the upcoming holidays. We are hoping to catch the New Year’s celebration in Sydney.
All of us here in the Old Dominion wish each of you the very merriest and holiest of seasons.
Sarah and Caroline, Nancy and Mike


From Bernie and Jennifer:

What a terrific year this has been!

We went to Destin, Florida for Spring Break the first week of April. While there, we began celebrating Nathaniel’s birthday. Since it fell during Spring Break, we waited until school started back for a party with his friends. He had his first sleepover birthday party. With seven little boys, it was quite an event!

In May, Bernie started a new phase in his flying career. He began working as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) pilot for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Along with flying a new aircraft, the Bell 407, he began working a 12 hours on/12 hours off, 7 days on/ 7 days off schedule. However, that quickly changed due to a pilot shortage to 8 days on/ 4 days off but through it all, he still had plenty of time to spend with the family.

During the summer we were able to enjoy numerous trips to Lake Lanier Islands Waterpark and also spend a fun-filled day at Six Flags! Over the 4th of July weekend, we had the opportunity to attend the first “Clem and Joan Petters Family Reunion” at Mike’s beautiful lake house in North Carolina. We had such a great time visiting with everyone and enjoying all the water activities. Thanks again Mike and Nancy for a wonderful time!

Not long after our family reunion, it was time to get ready for a new school year. This year is a milestone of sorts as it is the last year the boys will be in the same school together until Matthew’s senior year in high school! As they walked to school on the first day, it was very bittersweet but there wasn’t much time for sentimentality. We jumped right back into all of their school activities with a vengeance. Both boys continue to be excellent students and Matthew recently represented his class in the school spelling bee. He did very well making it through five rounds of competition with seven being the final round. Matthew began his last year in Cub Scouts and will join a new Boy Scout Troup in January. Nathaniel is also involved in a very active Wolf Den and having a blast with his group. In October, we attended the Scout family camping weekend and even though the temperatures dipped into the ‘30’s at night, we had a super time!

The boys played on our church softball team and had great time enjoying the fellowship of their friends on the ball field. Their team even won the League Tournament!!

We were fortunate to have season’s tickets to the University of Georgia football games this year. It was the boys’ first experience watching live college football and with the excitement of the crowd, the band playing nearby and the beautiful pageantry, they enjoyed themselves almost as much as we did!

Once the boys had settled back into their school routine, Jennifer decided to join the workforce after a five-year hiatus. She polished her resume, interviewed with some placement agencies in the Gwinnett County area and with ease landed a great job 20 minutes from home. She is employed with Newland Communities, the largest master-planned community developer in the U.S. Two months after joining the Newland team, she made a trip to San Diego for business and though she was gone for a few days she had left everything very organized. She juggles a lot now but her family always comes first.

The theme for this year has been change, so it is only fitting we end on one last “change”. Bernie changed companies right before Thanksgiving. He is now flying for Rescue Air One, formerly known as Georgia Baptist Life Flight. He is still an EMS pilot but with an older, more established flying operation. His shift rotation is slightly different than his previous ones, 6 days on/ 6 days off, and once again he will be able to enjoy a lot of quality time with the family. That is if he doesn’t spend too much of it freelancing on his days off flying for his previous employers! Right now, there is a high demand for pilots with his skills and he is staying very busy. Having been on the other end of the spectrum, it is a pleasant change. The saying is “change can be a good thing”, well it certainly has been for us this year.

We wish all of you a very happy holiday season and a most joyous New Year!
Love,
Jennifer, Bernie, Matthew and Nathaniel


From Debbie & Tim

Compared to years past, this has been a quiet, but great year for us. In March we spent the weekend in Ft. Lauderdale visiting with Debbie’s family (even the gang from New Jersey came down) for her cousin’s wedding. And then in July, we spent the week in North Carolina for Petters family reunion hosted by Mike and Nancy. It was nice to visit with everyone, and we hope these types of trips continue. Thanks Mike and Nancy for having us. Susie, Jennifer and Michael stayed with us for a week in July and then again for Thanksgiving. Nicholas loves spending time with his cousins, but sure misses them when they are gone.

Tim’s job with SAIC is going well. He went to Virginia in October for training on a new application and is looking forward to using this training in the coming year. Debbie continues to be a “stay a home” mom with Nicholas, although they are never home. Debbie and Nicholas joined MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this past year. Nicholas is really enjoying the playgroup time and Debbie is really enjoying the adult time. During the summer, Nicholas and Debbie attended a Summer Zoo School program at Lowry Park Zoo, and they try real hard to make the weekly story time sessions at our local library. In October, Debbie and Nicholas also joined a Mommy & Me class. This is by far Nicholas’ favorite activity.

In July, we became the proud owners of a 10-year-old quarter horse mare, named Dixie. She has a very sweet disposition, unfortunately, she was spooked in October and we are currently working on desensitizing her again. We are hopeful that once again we will be able to ride her. In an attempt to provide her with some herd security, we bought Boomer as a companion. Boomer is an 8-month-old miniature paint. He is all baby and all boy, and is giving Debbie quick lessons in horsemanship. Nicholas enjoys watching the horses run and has become quite the helper by helping to feed the horses every morning.

All in all, we had a great year. We are thankful to our troops for defending our Country and we continue to pray for their safe return.
Love to all,
Debbie, Tim & Nicholas


From Susie

The Davidson's have once again had a very blessed and rewarding year. It started with an ice storm in January here in Texas, the kids were using our sleds to slide down the driveway and hills in the back yard. The even were able to gather enough snow to make a snowman, which they placed in the freezer and I have to get rid of here shortly... Then it was spring break, we went to Sea World in San Antonio and had a blast! School occupied the rest of the spring, along with soccer and piano classes. I was able to coach soccer again this year, although Michael chose to not be on my team, he didn't want to play on the same team as his sister, they were in the same league again this year. The season was lots of fun and I really value the time I share with the kids, Michael's team was just as good as ours, and in the final playoff game, we went toe-to-toe with them, through two shoot-outs, and then the league voted to have a sudden death shootout... we flipped a coin and Michael's team won the toss, missed their first shot, then we missed our first shot... they made the next one and were awarded the first place ribbons. Huge disappointment for my team, but Michael hasn't let us forget it yet... In June we made a trip to Newport News for a course I had to attend, returning the day before my Change of Command. Unfortunately, Jennifer lost her purple teddy bear in the Atlanta airport, she was heartbroken, she had had this one since she was 2. Aunt Cinda and Uncle Ben were great about looking for it, but to no avail. On the trip home though she was clutching to a new blue one (although it wasn't the same and now she has 12 new purple ones her friends have bought her to help.) Then came my change of command... I am so thrilled that Aunt Connie, Aunt Cinda, Uncle Ben and the Carroll's were able to make the ceremony. And the support I received from the rest of the family was overwhelming, thanks so very much for all your love! It was certainly a great day! July brought us to our scheduled vacation... 16 states in 13 days! What a great time. The time in Florida was so comforting to find it is still is and always will be, home for the kids and I. Then we went up to Mike's lake house for a Petters family reunion. I cannot thank our hosts enough, it was EXCELLENT!! Can't remember a time when we all got together and had such fun. The kids and I then went to Fontana Village, and once again will recommend this place to everyone. We were able to get some white-water rafting in, and I think the kids are hooked. Suspect we'll do that again in the future. Then off to St. Louis so the kids could go to the vacation bible school they had attended when we were stationed there. Scott and Sarah Gericke were fabulous hosts. The kids got a week away from mom and I didn't know what to do in my house all alone, but I managed. I flew back up to pick them up on Saturday, returning early Sunday to Texas, just to fly out again to Newport News for another conference. The kids stayed here, having missed so much of the summer with their friends. Work consumed the rest of my summer and in early September we found out that we would probably have to go to Iraq in January. I made a trip over to Baghdad the last week of September and was convinced we have a long way to go to win this one... and finally two weeks ago, we received our orders to report to Iraq in early January. The kids are going to go to their father's in Virginia, and are being very supportive of all I do. We made a trip to Florida for Thanksgiving, and again, were blessed to have such wonderful hosts. Thanks Tim and Debbie, you guys once again went out of your way for us. Aunt Cinda and Uncle Ben were able to see us at the airport in both directions, thank goodness they have those IDs, we love seeing them when we fly. And this time we didn't have to ride the trolley, so Jennifer was happy. We are now in the process of sorting through all the things that must be completed before I leave. The military will pack my house into storage, as they think we could be gone as long as 15 months. I think it is good that I move regularly, as it keeps the 'stuff' to a minimum, although settling in somewhere is starting to get an all new appeal. We have decorated the yard, and are fully into the holiday activities. Jennifer plays the trumpet and had her holiday concert this week, they really do grow up too fast. Michael is in the choir and starts his multiple performances next week. Both are great blessings in my life. As are all of my wonderful family. In this Blessed time of year, I am reminded of how very much we love all of you and wish you every blessing! Please remember our troops this holiday season and know that we count on your continued support. America is only free because of the folks have volunteered to keep it that way! I am very proud to serve, knowing we have the best military ever! We wish we could spend Christmas with each one of you, and we will in our hearts. Have a great holiday and a fabulous 2004! We hope to see you all soon!
Love always, Susie, Jennifer and Michael


From Dean

Dear Family,

Greetings from the north coast! As is becoming the norm, this year flew by! It’s hard to believe Christmas is upon us once again. Our year started with snow, snow and more snow. Cleveland had the second highest snowfall in history last winter and we felt as if it would never end.

We made the trip to North Carolina over the Fourth of July weekend to visit with our family. Mike and Nancy made us feel at home and we had a wonderful time. Dean got a free shot at Mike’s head with a boat paddle. Tony will not soon forget the trips on the tube behind Mike’s boat.

This year will also be known as the ‘year of remodeling’. In July we gutted the kitchen, replacing the cabinets and all the appliances. In November, we tore out the bathroom, replacing the vanity and tub. Hopefully we’ve finished with remodeling for a while. Despite all the inconveniences, the new rooms are very nice!

Tony is getting older by the minute (officially, he’s 6 now). He graduated preschool in May and started all-day kindergarten in August. Anne’s mother is a teacher at Tony’s school and I do believe Tony has the run of the place! Everyone there knows him and Dean constantly has kids come up to him and ask, “Aren’t you Tony’s dad?” Tony’s excelling in all areas of school; reading, writing and math.

Carrie is growing equally as fast! She turned two at the beginning of November and now fully believes she runs the house… ok, so maybe she’s does! She is constantly trying to play with all of Tony’s toys (not to mention everything else…)

Anne’s had a good year. She’s been very busy keeping the house together and doing all her crafts. She’s also room mom for Tony’s kindergarten class and helps keep it running smoothly. On top of that, she made sure things ran smoothly while we remodeled!

Work at NASA this year has been an experience. With the loss of the shuttle in February, NASA had been very focused on improving from within. And now rumors are circulating about some major changes in the very near future. Even with the turmoil, Dean is very hopeful NASA will finally address some of the problems that have been facing the agency since the mid-70s.

That’s all from Ohio. As always, we wish everyone a happy and blessed holiday season. We hope to be able to make the reunion this coming summer to see everyone!
Love,
Dean, Anne, Tony and Carrie


From Brian

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

This year has been an eventful one in the Dayton outpost of the Petters family. Brian moved into a new job as the chief of the Command Post here at Wright-Patterson AFB. He and his office keep the commanders informed of the important things going on around the base. It's a very eye opening job that keeps him up to date on everything. He also returned to semi-serious tuba playing. Gary, the church choir director, was interested in having him play to balance the trumpet, violin and bassoon we normally have. Brian has been playing on a borrowed horn since July. He has played several Masses and was in the orchestra for the Miami Valley Catholic Choir Musicians choral concert in November. Vicki sang in the MVCCM choir.

Vicki had an uneventful year save surgery in August to remove her thyroid, which had a lemon-sized lump on it. The lump turned out to be benign, which was a relief to all of us. She also had no ill effect of the surgery and was able to sing again in the choir in less than a month. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and concerns, and to Vicki's mom for coming visit then to help. Vicki was able to get to her high school reunion in Baton Rouge this year as well. She saw a lot of her old friends and really enjoyed it.

John has been busy with Boy Scouts, where he has earned First Class rank. He goes camping every chance he gets, sometimes in the bitter cold. That doesn' t bother him, as we have to constantly remind him to wear a coat. John also made the WPAFB Little League Baseball All Star team. Although he didn't make it to Williamsport, he did learn a lot and had a lot of fun.

Ben continues his love of falcons. He also is advancing in Cub Scouts, where he earned his Webelos badge. He made the Little League Minors All Star team, so as you can guess we were quite the traveling parents in July. His guitar lessons are also going well.

Leo has really become the hard charger. His t-ball coach was constantly commending him on how well he was playing. He also has entered Cub Scouts as a Tiger and eagerly anticipates each meeting and "Go See It". Leo also started guitar lessons as one of the youngest students his teacher has ever had. Brian made the mistake of saying "Since you are left handed, Leo, you would make a good French Horn player". Well, ever since then, he has been dreaming of playing the French Horn.

Henry remains a high energy three year old who is definitely his own man. He has mastered the alphabet and can recognize some words. He does have a stubborn streak that will challenge our well worn patience.

As a family we enjoyed several trips. One was to North Carolina for the Petters Family get together at the Fourth of July. What a great time that was. Love the boat, Mike. We also went to Rockford Ill, for a Catholic Conference. There we heard Scott Hahn, Alex Jones, and Tim Staples, among others. We highly recommend them. On the way we spent a day in Chicago, where we attended a Halloween concert by the Chicago Civic Orchestra, visited the Aquarium, Weber Grill Restaurant, and the Sears Tower. On the way back, we went through South Bend, In, where we visited the College Football Hall of Fame and the South Bend Chocolate Factory (while Brian was trying out tubas at a local music store). A lot of fun was had by all.
We hope you all have a blessed new year!


From Connie & Thom,
Season’s Greeting’s to everyone,

Not to much happened in our household during the early part of the year. In March, Jerry had surgery on his back/neck. Then in April, Joe ended up in the hospital for a week for a leg infection.

On Easter morning, as usual I fixed breakfast for 20 people. And the grandchildren had a fun Easter egg hunt in my yard. I have been doing breakfast on Christmas and Easter for several years.

The family lost two of our beloved Aunts all within a couple of months. Aunt Clara, then Aunt Philomena. Last year, in October when I had my Birthday Tea, We all went over to see Aunt Philomena as it was her Birthday, Too.

In early June, I made the trip, to Killeen Texas, for Suzie’s Change Of Command Ceremony, I had a good trip. Cinda and Ben were there too, the weather was great for the festivities. We all had a good visit.

July came along, like it always does. And I got a call from Monica, she invited me over for a BBQ they were fixing for the 4th. Then on the 11th , ( always a tuff day for me) Thom took me to a movie, “ Pirates Of The Caribbean” , not a favorite of mine. But it was a movie and something to do for the day then we went out to eat at the Outback Steakhouse.

Also in July, I was going to the Doctors for my yearly medical exams. In mid August I went to the OBGYN Clinic for a procedure.

Then the last weekend of August there was the AQS Quilt Exposition in Nashville, Tenn. I rode up with Monica and Herman, met up with Cinda in Atlanta, and then we proceeded on to Nashville and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and the AQS Quilt Exposition. What a collection of beautiful quilts, we also went to an afternoon tea. We had some quality sister time, Walking through the Botanical Gardens. This was a very good trip, wished the rest of the sisters could have made the trip.

It was only after the return from Nashville, that the Doctor at the OBGYN Clinic called me and said we had a problem, and that I would need a complete hysterectomy. They referred me to an OBGYN Oncology Doctor, for this procedure. So I had the surgery on Sept. 25th and returned home on the 28th. Everything is doing fine so far. I don’t have to have any Chemo or Radiation treatment as the problem was confined to the Uterus.

In November, Verizon notified me that DSL was available in the Land O’ Lakes area. So I got it activated, so my computer is high speed.

Thom spent the year working at McDonald’s and going to Classes at PHCC. He is doing good so far.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Lots of Love from the Carr’s,
Connie & Thom


From Marie

Hello to all, And Happy Holidays,

Well here it is that time of year again and we are telling all. We are still living out here in Dade City. I still work for Publix, Joe's still with Aloca.

Chris and Tiffany still doing good in school. Chris is one of eight on the High Honor Roll, for this year so far. And he is also in duel enrollment at PHCC. Every Tuesday night. Lets see Chris is graduating this year on May 21, 2004. And he has also received a Academic Scholarship

from Saint Leo University. We are very proud of him.

Tiffany and Luke are in the same class again. And Luke still picking on her. Other than that everything is the same. Just no broken bones or anything out of the ordinary.

And hopefully this new year will be blessed with good for all and lots of love for all. Love you all Marie, Joe, Chris, Tiffany


FROM THE JOE CARR FAMILY
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
Well, our year started off pretty uneventful until April. Then Joe ended up in the hospital for a week. He developed Cellulitus in his left leg. He was at UTA doing his annual fitness walk & leg started hurting by the time he came home he was in severe pain. They said he tore the secondary muscle under his Achilles tendon and develop the infection. So they put him on intense IV therapy a week at the hospital and two weeks at home. His leg & foot is still not completely healed. See what exercise can do to you! In July he finally reached 20 years with the Air Force. So in November he went inactive reserve. He will probably retire next year sometime.

As for the girls…

Baylee had her first dance recital in June. She also started kindergarten. She’s in her second year of dance.

Nichole began fifth grade. She also started taking voice lesson at the same studio Baylee dances at. During the summer she participated in her second year of Volleyball Camp at Wesley Chapel High School.

Amy started high school this year. She also is part of the Wesley Chapel Wildcat Marching Band. They received a Superior Rating at the Florida Band Association Competition for the first time in the schools existence. She also started working at McDonald’s.

We also gained two new members to our family. We got two Rat Terrier Puppies. So Joe finally has boys in his family. We named them Mickey (he has a spot on his side that looks like Mickey Mouse) and Dewey (that was his name when got him). They are the most lovable puppies.

As for myself, my company finally moved into a freestanding office. Other than that I’ve just been busy with the girls, Joe and the boys.
Hope everyone had a great year! Happy Holidays!


From Jerry
Greetings Everyone
Another year has past and what a year it has been. The year stated off rather slow but by April it all picked up. I underwent a Diskectomy the first week in April and feeling much better, I had forgotten what it felt like to be pain free. Kelly got laid off from Cigna April 14th and we decided she would stay home for the summer with the kids; they really enjoyed it and so did she. During Kelly and my absence from work we decided to get some things done around the house. We got new kitchen cabinets with garnet counters, replaced the sliders with French doors, put up a shed, got a new roof, and did other misalliances projects that need to be finished. It was a very busy time.

Well, as for the kids, Jessica is 10 now and leads a very busy life. I can't seem to keep up with the music she listens to or the fashion statement of the week. She is doing well in school and loves it a lot. She cheered for the Gators again this year and her squad received 1st place in their competition, allowing them to participate in the state competition on Jan. 9th located in Jacksonville. Noah is 7 and all boy, he really loves school and playing football, this year he got to play tackle football for the Gators playing several positions both offense and defense and loved it. He went on his first hunting trip with me this year and did OK.

Well, this just about does it for our year and I must say all in all it been a pretty good year. We wish everyone and warm and wonderful Christmas and New Year. May God bless and watch over all of you and your families
Love,
Jerry, Kelly, Jessica and Noah Carr


From Kathy
Hello all;

I hope everyone has had a good year. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Justin is in the 9th grade this year at Freedom High in Tampa Palms. He is on the wrestling team and doing very well. He is making very good grades. We are very proud of him. Hunter is in 3rd grade this year and is doing very well. He is in all advanced classes. Hunter played football for PAL this year. His team was 8W and 3L. Hunter played right tackle. He really enjoyed himself. Sierra is growing very quickly. She will be 5yrs old in January. She is still in ballet and tap and really enjoys dancing. She cheered for the Flag PAL team. She started pre-school this year and has enjoyed meeting new friends and learning lots of new things. I graduated from school in late October. I am now working at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the main O.R as a Surgical Tech. I love every moment of it. Kelly’s job is still going very well. He built a pole barn at our property. The cows love it! It's hard to believe another year has passed. Well, I hope you are all doing well and please know that you are all in our hearts.
Love,
Kelly, Kathy, Justin, Hunter and Sierra Himes


From Barbara

Looking back over the year 2003 we have a lot to be thankful for! We have good health, a new grandbaby, a wonderful family and good friends.

Early in the year Laurie came home to be a bridesmaid in her best friends wedding. It was nice having her home again and we were able to spend time with just Laurie for a while. She was pregnant at the time, but didn’t tell anyone! I don’t know how she kept it to herself that long! She and J.R. wanted to make sure everything was going well before they told anyone. We now have a beautiful little Granddaughter, named Rhapsody Joy born on November 3rd! Dan and I now have 4 grandchildren, 2 boys and 2 girls and loving every minute of being grandparents! Nick has been a big help to his Mom too. There is 13 years between Nick and Little Miss R.J.

Danny is doing well, his job went away here at the Naval Weapons Station, but he is now working in the Asian Pacific on Kwajalein Island, part of the Marshall Islands. He loves it, especially the tropical weather! It’s kind of hard at times not to have your children or grandchildren in the immediate area but we make the best of it when we can see them. Evan is close so we are able to visit him more.

Speaking of Grandchildren, Nicholas is now a teenager and in the 7th grade, he is as tall as his Mom and still growing. I think we have a budding basketball player there! Evan is now 10 and in the 4th grade. He has been on the honor roll, gets awards for perfect attendance and citizenship. He plays little league baseball and loves it! Briana is now 16 and will be 17 in March. She is looking forward to going snowboarding, her favorite sport. Miss R.J. is now 1 month old and is looking forward to the usual infant things, food, sleep and being cuddled and loved.

Dan and I are doing great and stay busy at whatever! I am one year closer to retirement (Yahoo), which means, I only have one more year to go! I’m getting excited about that! Dan stays busy with to do lists here at home and travels in the motorhome. Right now he is working on the newsletter and I’m working on him to hang up Christmas lights!!! When Dan is traveling, I join him when I can. We spent some time in Santa Barbara, June Lake/Mammoth Mtn area and Thanksgiving holiday in Wilderness Lakes, near Evan in Lake Elsinore. We are looking forward to the Family Reunion in July 2004. I know Evan is real excited about coming with us. Hopefully Laurie’s family will make it too. I know Danny is going to try to get back for that too! We hope to have our entire family there!

I lost my Mother this past July 6th, she was 84 years old, so Dan and I spend sometime in N.Y. Danny’s wife Allison lost her Mother on December 2nd. Danny flew in from the Island and will stay until after Christmas, so its good to have him home for a while, even under sad circumstances.

All in All, we are Blessed! Dan and I would like to wish all of you a very “Merry Christmas” and a “Blessed New Year”. We will see you in July!


From Laurie
Happy Holidays All!

What a busy time we have had this year!! It seems every couple of years our major events happen in multiples. We just can’t seem to do one thing at a time. We started out our year with house hunting. Sometime in January, after looking in Pennsylvania (which we decided was too far a commute for the both of us), we finally saw a home that really caught our eye. It is in a little village called Washingtonville. We are a short block from the oldest continuously operating winery called “The Brotherhood Winery.” We are also a short block from the grocery store. The house is great. It is a three bedroom, two story contemporary colonial with a basement. We closed on the house the middle of March. We were so excited we were homeowners again. Well, we also had another reason to be excited, we found out I was pregnant about 2 weeks before closing on the house. We were not ready to share our news until after the first trimester; we wanted to make sure everything was going well. We now have a new addition to our family; Rhapsody Joy Walden was born on November 3rd, 8:42am, 20 inches, 7 lbs 10 oz. She has a full head of dark hair. You can see her on Dad’s web site. We were able to spend time with Rebecca and Travis on a couple of occasions. They came up for our house warming party in the spring. I was able to score some Army football tickets (through my work.) Army was playing S. Florida. It was wonderful to spend time with them.

Can you believe Nick is in the 7th grade and is now a teenager? It seems like he started kindergarten last year. His grades are much improved from last year. He tried out for the basketball team this year. He is really good; however they only picked four 7th graders to be on the teams. Nick should have better luck next year being an 8th grader. We put up the basketball hoop, so he has been practicing in our driveway. Making new friends has been difficult for Nick, but he is has had 2 boys come visit him from his school on the weekends and during the week days. He gets along with the younger neighborhood kids, not so much the older kids. Nick says “the older kids are mean.” Now that it is getting colder out, Nick enjoys playing his computer games and Playstation games. Nick spent the entire summer in Florida with his Oma and Opa. There his dad visited him for a couple of weeks. They go to the beach, fishing, boating and swimming. He seems to have a lot of fun while there.

JR has had quite the year. Mediacom is keeping him pretty busy this year. He has been to Maine, Florida, Colorado, New Jersey and Canada this year (just to name a few trips, I am sure there has been more places he has been; I can not keep track anymore.) JR came home one day in June and handed me one of his business cards. He said “this is a collector’s item,” with a smile on his face. He had been working so hard, I was not sure what he meant right away. He was promoted for the second year in a row, this time he made Vice President; VP of Mediacom Online. He is the youngest VP Mediacom has had. This promotion was perfect timing for us, with the new house and new baby, and it will make it easier for me to stay home. JR’s parents will be visiting us for Christmas this year. JR’s dad keeps asking us if there will be snow for Christmas. We tell him we can not guarantee it but we will most likely have snow on the ground. Well, we got our first snow fall and we have 18 to 20 inches on the ground. We just got a digital video camera, so JR is busy filming, and compiling pictures and short movies of Rhapsody. He is quite the proud daddy.

Time Warner Cable made lots of changes this year. My job for instance was displaced in July. They moved my job to the city; no commuting for me. I was able to fill a new position; “Sales Assistant.” It had been open for about 6 months, but not filled. It was slated as a part time position, but the Director of Advertising Sales was able to make it a full time position for me. I was glad that my boss was able to work the job out for me. I really enjoy working with the people there. My office mate Kim moved to the city so she could continue to work for Time Warner Cable. After the consolidation of our traffic and billing department to the city, we were invited to a client appreciation party at “The Tavern on The Green” in the city. Wow, what a great place. I was able to see Kim again, along with all the other TWC employees that I speak with on the phone. This year came with sad news as well. Most of you were aware, my grandmother passed away in July. Thank you for all your prayers and cards. Your support helped me and my mother tremendously. When we moved here I was excited to be able to meet her for the first time since I was very young. I did not realize what a wonderful family she had. I am grateful for my grandmother, for I was able to meet and spend time with her family, one I never knew. I will continue making trips to Albany after the winter to see my Great Aunt Mary. She has welcomed me and my family into her home as one of her own grandchildren. She was so excited to hear about Rhapsody. In April I made a trip out to California by myself. My best friend asked me to be in her wedding. It was great to spend time with her and her family. I was able to see friends I had not seen in a while during this trip. I really enjoyed seeing family; it was difficult to not share my news of the upcoming addition to our family.

It is so great to hear what everyone has been up to during the year, keep the news coming. We are thankful for the many blessings we have had throughout the year. We wish everyone the very best Holiday Season. May God bless you now and in the New Year.


From Cinda
Holiday Greetings to all!

We hope this season finds everyone blessed and in good health.

We are so thankful for Vicki's and Connie's outcomes health-wise this year. (And any others I may not be aware of.)

It was so nice to finally have gotten some relief from the drought of the past five years. We had a pretty amazing hail storm in May, that required everyone in the neighborhood to have roofs replaced, but the more regular presence of RAIN has been wonderful.

Our family is all doing very well.

We have a new addition with the birth of Ryan Christopher to Alexa and Chris Lupfer. Ben's daughter, Alexa (Lexi to us), had just completed her year of residency (optometry) in June. Ryan was born in October (five weeks ahead of 'schedule'). He is fit and healthy in spite of his early arrival. Chris was out of town on business when Ryan decided to come, so Lexi drove herself to the hospital in the middle of the night! Chris drove (calmly??) from Buffalo to Baltimore, arriving in time for Ryan's arrival at noon. (If this child has an independent spirit, we won't be too surprised.) 'Nana and Papa' are very proud, needless to say.

Rebecca is becoming quite the newspaper woman. She charged with getting the newpaper out (a 30-page weekly in Jackson, GA) when the boss is out of town. She and Jacade have just purchased a cute 1920's brick bungalow in the historic district of Griffin, GA, which is about an hour south of Atlanta.

Another of the highlights of our year was a fun trip with Connie and Monica and Herman to Nashville's Opryland Hotel for a quilting expo at the end of August. So many quilts...so little time!

Connie and Ben and I had a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with the privilege of attending Lt. Col. Susan Davidson's (Susie to us) Change of Command ceremony in June, when she took command of the 49th Movement Control Battalion at Ft. Hood, Texas. We are so proud of her and all of the military during this difficult time. Our prayers go out for her safety and that of all the troops, as she leaves next month for her year+ tour of duty in Iraq. Our prayers also for Jennifer and Michael as they will be missing their mom so very much.

Special congratulations to both Aunt Polly and Aunt Hilda on their 90th birthdays this year. You are both an inspiration.

We are so thankful for all our many blessings and especially for our wonderful family. God bless you, every one! Merry Christmas, and have a very safe 2004!
Love, Cinda and Ben


From Melda
Hello!

As I reflect on this past year, I realize how much I missed seeing many of you, but thankfully we have Dan to catch us up!

We continue to settle into our new home. When I used to write these letters, I could write about Rebecca and Rob. Now that they are writing letters for themselves, my life seems really boring! Jack and I traveled some this year. We went to the wedding of a cousin of Jack's in Virginia in late March. The weather was cold and snowing. Rebecca and Travis met us in Washington, DC, and we spent a day as tourists in that city. In July, Jack and I made a quick trip to Atlanta to see Cinda and Ben. Their home is beautiful and their quilting projects are special. In August, we went to New York to visit with Rebecca and Travis. We saw the musical 42nd Street and had a great weekend. The following week, the lights went out in New York, so we were very fortunate that all was well when we were there. At the last minute we decided to go to New York again after Thanksgiving for a couple days. We enjoyed the True's hospitality once again and missed the blizzard which hit the northeast only a few days later.

We are still enjoying sports especially USF football and basketball. The Superbowl Champion Bucs caused a lot of excitement in Tampa earlier this year, but they are back to their old ways again . . . (what a shock!).

We were saddened by the loss of Aunt Clara and Aunt Phil last spring. We welcome the newcomers to our family, Rhapsody Joy and Ryan Christopher. We're looking forward to the 2004 reunion. The specific date should be confirmed in January or February. In the meantime, please start planning time around the 4th of July.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you!
Love,
Melda and Jack


From Rebecca

Each year we write about how fast the year has passed and this year is no exception. New York continues to be new and exciting and we're exploring everything there is to see and do. We have been really busy with work, and didn't take much time out for play this year, but did make several quick trips home to Florida and to North Carolina.

Laurie and J.R. treated us to the U.S.F. vs. West Point football game in September. We had a great time seeing them, visiting the campus, and watching the Bulls play.

Among the more noteworthy things that happened this year to me occurred during a girl's getaway weekend to Las Vegas. I was in the audience during the now infamous Siegfried and Roy show when the tiger mauled Roy. Needless to say, I'm not planning any more trips to magic shows or zoos anytime soon! While visiting Las Vegas, I went on a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon to see the sights. It was truly awe inspirin and there are no words that can accurately describe it.

My parents visited several times this year, and it was especially nice when they surprised us the day after Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun to show them the city all decked out for the holidays, while trying to stay out of the cold.

We are looking forward to spending time with our families in Florida over the Christmas holidays. We wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2004! Love, Rebecca and Travis


From Rob

Casey and I are doing well. We are looking forward to an exciting 2004, with our first child due in early June. Casey is teaching 3rd and 4th Grade Computers and 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Communications. After achieving a record of 21 wins and 1 loss as the junior varsity girls basketball coach, she was promoted to varsity girls basketball coach. This year's team is currently undefeated in district play while also tallying an overall record of 4 wins and 1 loss.

I had the opportunity to be the Tournament Manager for the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this past March. In June, I was part of a six person team, which included the mayor, that made a presentation in New Mexico on behalf of the City of Tampa to host the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four. The presentation proved to be a success as the City of Tampa was awarded the 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.
We wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season! Best of Luck in '04!
Rob and Casey Higgins


From Monica
Happy Holidays! Hope this finds each of you well and peace-filled!

Bill’s senior year at Wesley Chapel was a whirlwind! Wrestling season was very exciting. At one meet I was preparing to video his match and a Mom beside asked which was my son (there were 4 matches going at once). I told her Bill from Wesley Chapel, 125 pounds. She asked me if I meant Bill Zeranski, and I said, "Yes." She was very disappointed and said her son had wrestled Bill for several years and was very happy that he wasn’t going to have to wrestle him this year because he thought for sure Bill would wrestle at 119. He was getting ready for his next match, too, and it was Bill! She then asked if he was a senior, and I told her that he was! I’m sure there were several wrestlers that were happy to see him graduate!

Bill had a very good season, and worked very hard. He prepared mentally and physically for States. His coach brought in a wrestler from USF to wrestle with him to help him even more. He came in second place in State competition, which qualified him to go to Nationals in Cleveland. He was the first student from Wesley Chapel to go to Nationals in any event. It seems right after Nationals was graduation. His was the first class to graduate after having attended all four years at Wesley Chapel High. He worked for Herman over the summer and started classes at PHCC in August. He hopes to take a couple of classes at PHCC and at USF next term.

Joe has spent the last year and a half working in emergency rooms as an EMT Tech, and was ready to go "on the road again", so he started with Manatee County in September. He was quickly promoted to critical care transport, which he really seems to enjoy. He still lives in Sarasota (and loves it). His girlfriend, Anne, is a sophomore at New College. Last summer they went to Raleigh, North Carolina to see her father and his family. While they were in the neighborhood, they traveled over to Lawsonville to see Mandi, Billy, Lane and Chase. They had a really good time. Anne and Joe have made several trips to Jacksonville to see her Mom. Anne has introduced Joe to a wonderful bookstore in Jacksonville, that he just loves.

In anticipation of Herman turning 65, we started the paperwork for Social Security. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but it really went very smoothly. I was expecting it to be a lot worse.

His hunting group sold the Colorado property, and although some of them went hunting this year, Herman passed. He still hunts locally, but isn’t sure he’ll go out West anymore. He has hunted in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and Alaska.

In August, Herman, Connie and I drove to Cinda and Ben’s, where we were treated with a wonderful lunch! Then we girls headed on to Nashville to the Opryland Hotel for the AQS Quilt show! Herman and Ben stayed behind to catch a Braves game before joining us the next day. My goodness! what a wonderful trip! The Hotel was magnificent, and the quilts were out of this world! We attended two lectures - one by Margaret Miller (which was great fun) and one by Jinny Byer (which was very good, too). In addition to Margaret Miller and Jinny Byer, we saw other personalities (Marianne Fons, Marti Michell, Bonnie Browning, Mimi Dietrich), and even had an opportunity to speak to some of them. It was all over too quickly, and it was time to head back to Atlanta where we stayed overnight. The next morning we went to Church together, then Connie, Herman and I headed back home. It was a wonderful trip that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Connie and I had a chance to do a lot of catching up, which was wonderful!

I spent a week with Mandi’s family in September, and had a wonderful time "baby sitting" the boys! They are such good little ones. Mandi had an opportunity to work in Aon’s Tampa office in November, so she brought the boys down for the week, worked Monday through Wednesday and took a couple of vacation days…it was wonderful, just over too fast!

Shelley and Natalie both spent time in the hospital this year, and I’m happy to report that Herman and I have remained healthy! Shelley and Nat are very good about getting together whenever we can, and their boys love to play together.

In November Herman and I went to see a USF Bulls game with Melda and Jack…it was a wonderful experience! The weather was perfect, and the game was definitely one of the most exciting I’ve ever watched!

Our best wishes to each of you. May God continue to bless you and may you have a safe and healthy New Year!
Love,
Herman, Monica, Joe and Bill


From Shelley

Merry Christmas Everyone…

Another year already!!! Well I’m late as usual, December 16th to be precise. It’s a miracle Uncle Dan hasn’t thrown me out of the family tree yet.

I’M SORRY UNCLE DAN!!!

Here’s how my year went…

HOLD ON IT’S BEEN A REGULAR ROLLER COASTER AS USUAL!

Since our last letter, Hunter turned 2, I got my first buck a small four point but I was proud of him anyway. I have learned how to clean and skin my own deer so that I can truly “do it myself”. Hunter had surgery to remove his adenoids in February. After 8 months of antibiotics and constant sinus infections due to the blockage they decided to fix it. He did GREAT! In March, Darrell was recommended by a good friend for a position at Air Centers of Florida in Brandon. HE LOVES IT! For the first time in eight years he loves what he’s doing AND where he works. They have already bought him a brand new service truck. They sent him to Atlanta for advanced rotary air compressor school in October he made an “A” in the class and got a raise. Like I said they love him and he loves them. AMEN PRAYER ANSWERED!!! In April, I had emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder. That was fun! My surgery made me really sit back a re-evaluate my life and I realized that I love to take care of people but HATE the modern day healthcare system. I quit working for Dr. Hashmi. Took the summer off. Luke started his final year in Elementary School. I got a job in medical sales that I liked but was an hours commute from home on the Expressway (I think they were kidding). When out of the blue I got a call from an old friend Ben Huss that his Office Manager was leaving to move to the Corporate Office and he would like to offer me a job. Same money, better hours, 2 miles from home, COUNT ME IN!!! So, I am now working at Diversified Drilling in Dade City and I love being back in my old world. And Ben’s worst fits are minimal compare to a rampaging surgeon any day. Luke played little league in San Antonio again this year and was voted MVP about mid-season for a game winning hit to the outfield. In November Mandi and the boys flew in so that she could work for a few days in the Tampa office and we could all see them. GOLLY I MISS MY SISTER!!! It was wonderful if way to short. Then on November 25th I very quietly turned 30. It wasn’t so bad. The Lord in my heart and my family around me, not a bad way to start my next decade. Luke loves school all except the studying part. He is all about his “buds” and girls. OH BROTHER it’s starting. Hunter loves everything about school; riding bikes, snacks, his friends. What’s not to love! Ask him about Abby, Holly, Jalen, Morgan or Cole and you better have 15 minutes to hear the whole story. Now we are just in the throws of Christmas and enjoying the sights, smells and textures. Thinking of Christmas’ past and family times. Missing those who are no longer with us and greeting the new additions to the family. I look forward to reading everyone’s updates. All our love and prayers!!!
The Oliver’s,,,,,,,,,,,,, Darrell, Shelley, Luke and Hunter


From Natilie
Hello Everyone!!

Oh what a year! Let's see where to start... Well in January a friend of mine needed help in his store, because his mother-in-law (former owner) was told she had cancer that had spread to her brain. He said he needed someone he could trust to run the store so they could take care of her. I told him that I could work part time. However at the end of January she lost her fight. In the middle of February, he asked me if there was anyway he could talk me in to working full time. So after weeks of him asking I finally said yes. I started full time the first week of March. I love working there and met a lot of great people. The week before Valentines Day (he couldn't wait) Jon asked the big question....I of course said yes. Starting in January I had to go to the Dr. every month for check-ups after my surgery. The first two went fine, and then in March got some bad news. The Dr. told me that he would no longer be able to give me a year to get pregnant. He said that my body was already showing signs of menopause. So he said if I wasn't pregnant by May he couldn't help me. Well after lots of praying and crying and praying and crying and more praying I got pregnant....IN MAY!! We have been told it's a girl, but due to the fact I was told that 8 years ago with Ty, we're not running out buying all pink....yet. I was put in the hospital in July for 3 days due to dehydration. Then I was taken out of work at the beginning of Nov. because stress was causing me to have contractions and the Dr. got worried. Then on December 4 I went into labor at 31 weeks. They got it stopped and sent me home after 2 days and put me on bed rest and terbutaline every 6 hours. He is going to keep me on it until the last week of December. At that time I will be 36 weeks and will let me go if I do go into labor again early. So for now I am at home waiting it out. I also took the postal exam in July. I have been offered several jobs. After talking to them we agreed it would be better if I waited until the baby was born. So we will see what happens in February.

Ty is 8 and in the 2nd grade this year. He had a tough time with his teacher last year. She didn't challenge him and that made him bored. So this year they put him in advanced classes and he is doing wonderful. He is in the A.R. (advanced readers) program and loves it. He has homework every night which he had to get used to, but now knows that if he just does it and gets it over with he won't have to think about it anymore. He has math and spelling every night and has to read for 15 minutes....however getting him to put the book down to eat or sleep has proved to be quite challenging for me. He is getting so big and is still teaching Dylan how to be a big brother. He is very excited about the baby. Every day I drop him off at school he asks " Are you picking me up or is Nana picking me up?" She is the designated pick up if I go into labor. I just tell him to watch for us both because we never know.

Dylan is still a red head. He turned 4 this year and started a new school in April. He now goes to School Unique. He had a tuff time at first, but now has lots of friends and has his teacher wrapped around his finger.He has learned so much since he started his new school. He knows all his colors and is working on counting. He does fine up to about 15 then he misses some. But he'll get it. He is learning to ride a big bike like Ty's. He loves to be outside whenever he can. Jon built them a sandbox under their jungle-gym and that is where you will find Dylan 99% of the time. Dylan is also excited about the baby. They already have a special "hand shake." He walks up and puts his hand on my belly and gives a little push and she kicks him right back. He laughs so hard he just has to do it again and again. I was shocked the first time he did it that she would kick right where he pushed. I can't wait to see how they get along.

Jon is still working with his dad. However, at the beginning of the year we found out that his dad has Parkinson's. His mom also has health problems and went out on long term disability after back surgery. So we are buying there house from them (it's way to big for the two of them) and they are going to build a small handicap ready house on the back of the property. That way they are close if they need us. So Jon has taken on a lot more work to help his dad. Which is good so he can learn as much as he can now while his dad can still teach him. He didn't get to hunt in Georgia that much this year due to me being pregnant. He did get to go up opening weekend in September and he got a 4 point. Which, funny enough, won the "big buck" contest. It was nice that he got to go and actually get something and winning some extra money was nice too. It paid for the rest of the kids Christmas presents and put some meat in the freezer. He did get to go with Herman hunting one Saturday, which he really enjoyed, and made me and mom feel better in case something happened.
Well that's pretty much it from my place. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!
Merry Christmas!
Natalie, Jon, Ty and Dylan


From Manda
Greetings from North Carolina!

We have had a wonderful year, I hope it has been the same for you. We are all happy and healthy. Billy is back at the airport doing what he loves to do--fixing airplanes. When he not at work he is busy building a new barn or "calming" our new horse, Pepper. I am still at Aon slowing making my way up the food chain. I was elected to sit on the Employee Task Force this year. Through the task force I was nominated to be Team Captain for several community fund-raising events such as; the Walk for a Cure for Juvenile Diabetes, the American Heart Walk and Tour to Tanglewood (which raises money to research MS). The boys helped at the events and really had a good time. Lane just turned four and for his birthday was given his first real bike. He has turned into a dare devil and I can already feel the gray hairs sprouting. Chase is not helping me any in that department either. He is walking and loves to climb on or shake things. We have two gates to guard our stairs and sometimes I think that is not enough. Lane and Chase are the best of friends which does my heart a lot of good. We got to go camping for the first time this summer and everyone had a wonderful time, there just never seems to be enough time to do everything we want to do.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Love,
Mandi, Billy, Lane and Chase Milam


From Paula
Holiday greetings to all!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Tim, Debbie, & Nicholas Petters invited us to watch Super Bowl XXXVII with them this year at their still new and beautiful home. A Super Bowl most of thought we would never see, the Buccaneer’s were in this one! The excitement we felt watching the game was tempered by all those years of ….well “not watching” the Buccaneer’s play in the Super Bowl. What a fun event. There was a lot of celebrating in the Tampa Bay area!

On the topic of “more sports”, USF and the City of Tampa hosted the NCAA Basketball Tournament Regionals (first and second rounds) in March. Thanks to Rob Higgins and his staff for their hard work, it was a shining weekend for the University and the City. It sounds like the NCAA is planning for our area to host more of these kinds of events in the future. There were several hotly contested games. We had great fun!

We took a week of vacation in October to Murphy, North Carolina. The “road trip” included a night’s stay in Atlanta with Ben and Cinda. Their hospitality was the highlight of the trip. Murphy is in the far western part of NC, not too far from Tennessee and Georgia. A lot of leaves had already fallen but there were still a lot of brightly colored trees when we were there. It was a very relaxing and therapeutic trip.

Improvements here at the homestead are continuing to slowly progress, one project at a time.

Paula’s parents, George and Margie are doing well. George planted a spring and fall garden this year and we really enjoy the produce. Can’t buy vegetables any better than his!

The in-house cats, Christine, KC and Molly are all doing well. You know, eat, sleep, and get scratches. What a life!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. May God Bless each and every one of you.
Love, Ralph and Paula