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Here it is December again and time to send Dan our Newsletter for 2006. A lot has happened since our last update. In the last year & a half we’ve had a new vinyl fence installed in front of the house, had a new roof installed, vinyl siding on all the wooden areas of the outside of the house and ceramic tile on the kitchen floor area. These improvements should help keep the maintenance at a minimum.
Duane, Jim & I have joined the camping world. In May we purchased a membership in Homosassa Springs at Camp ‘N’ Water Campground. The membership we purchased included a 31’ Jayco Eagle fifth-wheel camper fully furnished. This camper has a slide out which gives us more space. We then purchased a new boat that would be more seaworthy. We have spent several weekends, went fishing, or just site seeing up and down the river. Duane has taken his children up several times, too. Boat slips are available. We leave the camper there and could leave our boats there. However, we’ve not left them there yet.
In July we enjoyed seeing everyone at the Reunion. Monica and Herman were very gracious hosts as always. Had plenty to eat as usual. I appreciate the effort everyone makes to make this a successful event every other year. Those of you that were not able to attend, I want to say each and every one of you were missed.
Jim is still keeping up the home place. Most Monday’s he and some of his friends meet for breakfast and go to the flea market at Bevels Corner. He has met some new friends that are there each week. He has purchased a couple antique sewing machines, one for Mary Beth and one for her friend. He also keeps us in batteries, size D, C, AA, AAA. He can get these for a $1 a pack.
I’m still working at HeavyQuip and enjoying it everyday. Our branch here in Florida has had several months of record sales this past year. Jessica is still working with me and going to school two nights a week. She should be getting her degree in April of next year if everything goes as planned.
Jim and I are in good health. We are so blessed. We get to see our children and grandchildren often. We wish each of you a Blessed and Happy Holiday Season.
Love to All,
Margie & Jim
Hello to all
Each year goes faster than the year before. But we are doing well. Steve still working for Spring Hill Fire Rescue going on 22 years. Getting very busy, not like it used to be.
They have a 105' ladder truck now and have hired so many new people Steve can't keep track of them all. He is looking forward to retirement which is still a few years away.
Can't wait to start traveling. He has been spending some quality time with his dad fishing, (he's not catching much but having a good time). He is still involved with the boy scouts.
Mae is enjoying retirement, recently spent a few weeks at her mom and dads taking care of them after her mom had a hip replacement which she did very well with. However she has recently lost her brother who died after a massive heart attack in November. He was 56 and lived in South Carolina. She is doing ok and this reinforces that we must enjoy every single day and don't worry about the little things. Chris is doing very well. He is a senior now and doing very good in school, we are in the process of looking at colleges. He was awarded his Eagle Scout patch in August. This was a huge accomplishment and a lot of hard work and we are very proud of him. He is still very involved in theatre work, he is stage manager and just loves it! He sets the lights for the shows which is all computerized. He is in charge of all that goes on behind the curtain and on stage and teaches others how to run things. This is the career he is going towards, stage manager and technical lighting. He recently had his tonsils out due to sleep apnea. It worked!! (the dr said they were the biggest tonsils he ever saw) He recovered very well. It has made a huge difference in how rested he is now. Lori is doing fairly well. She was recently diagnosed with RSD which is a form of a neuropathy disease. She has good days and some bad. She is not working but her fiance' recently completed his truck driving school and obtained his c license and wants to eventually start his own company (this is a big change from being a chef at a country club, but he does well at whatever he does). Spencer is doing very good in high school and is still very involved in the jazz band, they recently played at the Hudson Seafood Festival and they were sensational! Well thats about it for now, hope everyone has had and will have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
God Bless!
Love, Steve, Mae, Chris, Lori and Spencer
We hope this finds everyone well. Jessica still is working at her same job and enjoys it. She is still attending PHCC & is doing well. She is currently in a steady relationship, with an 11 year postal employee named Allen Gaskin. They have been together for just over a year and seem to get along great.
Clark & I have been doing about the same as always, very busy. We are working everyday and enjoying each other's company. We finally have the house to ourselves, as everyone has moved out. I received a promotion at work in February which was along time coming. I'm still doing the same job as before but now with a little incentive. We did our regular trip to Lake Weir and had a really good time as usual. In October, Clark went to Baltimore for a Tree Care Industry Convention and really soaked up a lot of useful information.
Our tree business has done well this year. We just returned from Las Vegas, yes I did get to go this year. We stayed at Paris, and had a marvelous time. Now the rush is on to get ready for the Christmas holidays.
Lots of Love to All,
Clark & Renee
Where does the time go?
Elise is doing great at Most Holy Redeemer in the third grade. She's also still doing her gymnastics 3 times a week. She really loves it, as she always seems to be upside down or in some kind of hand stand. I feel like I do a lot of talking to her feet.
Eli is 2 1/2 already. He's so much fun! He goes to an in home childcare 2 days a week in Tampa. He fell in love with the cutest little girl there. We asked her name and he said it was Laney. I didn't think anything of it until Mom questioned her last name. Would you believe it was Laney Higgins? What a small world! Of all the childcare facilities in Tampa, and the two of them are together and the best of friends!
I'm planning to go back to work after the first of the year. I think I may do a little schooling first. It will be a big change for the family. We're used to me staying home as Gene is away most of the time. Hopefully the transition will work out for the best though.
I hope everyone is doing well. Please call or stop by anytime you're in Tampa.
May God bless you all. Love, Mary Beth
Not much has changed with me this year. Still working part time. The biggest change was Mike and his family moved in with Sam and me in May. Sam's boys were here two months this summer, and Fred's kids were here many days during the summer. We had a full house but it was fun. I've heard of empty nest syndrome but my nest has never been empty long enough for me to experience it.
Had a lot of fun watching the kids play baseball. That is one of my favorite pastimes. It's almost as much fun as playing. It's been a long time since I played, but the girl in me still wants to. Am learning to play poker, Texas Holdem in particular. Good thing we don't play for money or I would be in trouble. Sure is a lot of fun, though.
Wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year.
Love, Joan
Hope everyone is well. No snow yet but I have a feeling the snow plow will be coming out soon. Alan is still with American Airlines and is doing well. He has been doing a lot of projects around the house this year, painting the basement, refinishing the wood floor in our bedroom and painting our bedroom. He keeps trying to finish his never ending list of projects. It is not going well. : )
We certainly missed seeing everyone this year at the reunion. I am doing some classes on-line, volunteering at Kate’s school and the YMCA where she does gymnastics. I hear Cooperstown might be calling me back again and I am looking forward to that. Warren’s team is planning on going next summer. I do all the same stuff I usually do, mom stuff, seems like most of it is running kids around, actually, it’s usually one kid now, because Becca has her own car and runs herself around.
Speaking of Becca, she started college this year and attends the University of New Hampshire. She commutes from home and is majoring in Music Education. She claims she absolutely loves school. Apparently she has some really good teachers and she doesn’t mind the commute. (I love saving the room and board.) I’m finally figuring it out, when you’re young you start off making car payments, and then as your faith grows, you get to make mortgage payments, then your faith grows some more and you get to make college tuition payments– Yeah!!! Kidding aside, she is doing very well. She has always played the clarinet, but had to start piano and violin this semester. The violin is pretty good at making her groan. I think she has to take a percussion class next semester, so we will see if that brings a few laughs. She graduated from high school with honors and managed to get a couple of different scholarships to college, we are very proud of her work.
Katie had a very exciting winter last year in basketball. Her team started out 0-3, this was her first year in basketball. I thought, ‘well they are getting a lot of exercise running from one end of the court to the other’. It was comical at times, I mean think about it, 8 and 9 year old girls have been taught to share all their lives right. So naturally if two girls grab the ball at the same time, you just say “oh, you can have it”, and hand the ball to the other girl right? Well they got a late start but then went gangbusters. I think they won the next 5 out of 6 games and went into the playoffs with a 5-4 record. They were seeded 5th and had to play the 2nd seed, somehow they tied the game in the last seconds of the game and went into overtime and pulled the game out. They ended up playing the top seeded team and lost the game by 1 point. The top team had only lost one game all year. It was a lot of fun and completely unexpected considering their slow start. Katie has also joined a gymnastics team and is having major fun, although just today a girl broke her elbow and Katie saw the broken arm and was having a rough time with it, not fun. She has her first meet under her belt and is looking forward to the next one.
One last thing, Warren and Melinda visited last February which was great. We got to take them skiing. I can now understand why I don’t see many deaf people at the ski slopes. It is very tedious pulling off your mittens and scarf every time you want to communicate. We took them skiing for their first time, it was as fun as taking Sam for his first time. Warren’s skill was just about like Uncle Sam’s, get on the skis, go straight down the hill fast and only fall a couple of times all day long. He was a natural. His mom on the other hand, had a little trouble. She got quite a workout! Two employees of the mountain fell in love with Melinda right off the bat and one lady worked with Melinda for hours for free, which was amazing. Melinda kept falling, and the female attendant was trying over and over to explain that she should not turn her ankle to the outside, because that was why she was falling. Every time she showed Melinda, Melinda would say okay and try really hard but somehow the ankle would manage to turn again and again and of course every time it did she would go down. After about the 9th or 10th time, the woman explained again and this time Melinda started acting like she was yelling at her leg, I mean she was really chewing her leg out because it was out of control, rebellious and refusing to cooperate. We all almost rolled down the hill laughing it was so hysterical. Warren of course could not resist tormenting his Mom by asking “What’s the problem Mom, it’s soooooo easy!” We all had a blast and will remember the outing forever. Thank you Lord!!!
God Bless You All and We Send Much Love To All of You,
Alan, Lisa, Becca & Katie
Hope everyone is healthy and happy. Once again, another year has flown by. I'm still working at the restaurant, bookkeeping for my friend's realty company, and operating my organizing business. My life is always quite busy. However, I did manage to get in a short weekend trip to Fort Lauderdale at the end of July for the kid's and Glenn's birthdays, and again at the end of October for a trip to the beach. We had a great, though short, visit with Dan and Barbara in October. One thing is sure; you never weary of someone you only get in small doses. It always leaves you wanting more.
Jessica left the restaurant in May to become a support technician for AOL. She'll be starting up classes again in January to get all her credits by the scholarship deadline. Because of our schedules, we rarely spend more than one day a week with each other. I cherish the time greatly. She's still as sweet as ever.
Caleb and Glenn are still in Fort Lauderdale. The stump grinding business never really picked up, so about eight months ago, they both began working for the park where they live, (Everglades Holiday Park), on their off days. Captain Glenn pilots an airboat, and takes the tourists on a tour of the Everglades. When he brings them back to the park, Caleb gives them an alligator show. He wrestles the gators out of the water and gives an instructional demonstration with them. About two months ago Caleb added yet another job. His boss subcontracts for the state to drill under the roads at intersections for fiberoptic lines to be used for cameras at the traffic lights. This means he and his crew of three move from town to town. Caleb is now in Tampa, and will be until the beginning of the year. He is only about ten minutes down the road from me, so I see him often. Joy! A funny thing happened when Caleb went to Mom's house the other day. My five year old niece, Lily, hugged Caleb when he arrived. She then looked him over and asked, "Why did you change colors?" Caleb took inventory and responded, "Did I change colors?" At which Lily replied, "Yeah, you used to be white!" Apparently the dark tan acquired from all his outside jobs took her by surprise. Everyone had a big laugh. Kids - gotta love 'em.
It was great to see everyone at the reunion in July, but I think MaryBeth has the right idea -- we need to get together more often. If anyone figures out how, please let us know.
Have a wonderful Christmas season. Enjoy each other and enjoy HIM. God bless you all.
Love
Teresa, Jessica and Caleb
SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Finally, we moved to Lakeland last May and we live with my mother and my brother Sam. My wife Sandra got a transfer to Lakeland. She works part time even though she has worked for the United States Post Office for 18 years. So she has to start all over again with her seniority and she works 4 – 6 hrs per day, sometimes 8 hrs or overtime. She has finally learned how to deal with her new coworkers in the new places.
Lily is going to Pre-K for 5 year olds and she likes it very much. She only wants to stay 3 hours in school. She doesn’t want to sleep or eat at school yet. Jennifer is doing fine. She said 3rd grade has more homework than 2nd grade and she likes Lime Elementary School better than her old school. She has joined the cheerleaders and also the Brownie Scouts too. We believe she is very happy to live here and to see her cousins more often. But she does miss her other Grandma’s Spanish cooked food.
For me I am doing fine and I am still Mr. Mom. Mr. Mom is not an easy job but I enjoy it very much. I am so happy to live in Lakeland and happy to see my Mom and my brothers and sisters more often. I am also happy to visit my old friends too. I hope we will visit my other family also. We are trying to buy a house somewhere in Lakeland. We still have our house in Miami and someone lives there who is paying rent. Oh yea, I went to The Florida School for the Deaf for my 25th anniversary and there were a lot of changes. There is a lot of security now. Poor kids, they can’t sneak out anymore like I used to in my old times. Ha Ha!
Oh, it was so good to see Uncle Dan and Barbara again, and thank you for stopping by my Mother’s house. It was good talking to you about the family history and talking about the past when we were little kids.
Last year I told you a cute Jennifer story, this year I want to tell a cute Lily story. One night, Jennifer, Lily and I came home from a recital. Sam and Mom were at home. Lily was at the table crying and grandma came over and asked, “Lily why are you crying?”. Lily said “Dad gave me 3 cookies”. Grandma was confused, “You’re crying because Dad gave you 3 cookies?”. Lily replied, “I wanted 5 cookies”.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!! HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Love, Mike, Sandra, Jennifer & Lily
Jimmy has been working for the US Postal Service for over a year and half at the main plant. He has been doing different tasks. He uses the machines and works manually. He says it is still hard work to help get all the flats and letters distributed on time in the St. Petersburg area. The National Post Office decided to decentralize the whole system in the nation. The plant decided to put them and some of the regulars along several stations. They all act as Distribution Clerks at the station. They asked them to pick either of two stations to work at. He decided to pick the North side station because of a deaf custodian and his partner who has deaf parents and is able to use ASL (American Sign Language). This station is one of the biggest because of the large firms and the large area NE of St Petersburg. He has had to learn all over again with two new zones. (33702 and 33716) His main job is to distribute all flats and letters to over 40 different carriers from the main plants. After that, clerks help sort all misread and missent flats and letters into boxes for the carriers. He also gives out the priority boxes and letters to the carriers, and finally prepares tomorrows’ flats and boxes by passing them around on the carriers' desk. So far, he is happy to be there. Hopefully he will be able to continue there for quite a long time.
Warren still plays baseball and he plays on two different teams this year. He was selected as an ALL-STAR with the 13 year olds. His ALL-STAR team made 3rd place in the State Championship. Of course he loves to play baseball. Of course we are so proud of him! Last February Warren and I went to visit Lisa and her family for 8 days. Finally we got to see snow. We have never seen snow before. It was so beautiful! We were so excited to see the snow and then we played with the snow. It was also thrilling for us, that Lisa and Alan took us to go with them to snow ski. It was so fun when Lisa was teaching me how to ski. I was not good but Warren was good. We had good time and we were worn out. We would like to go again next year.
I still work at Bay Pines Veteran Administration. Last October it has been 15 years. Finally last October, I went to visit my best friend Krista, who is student (senior) in college at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. We had a good time and were involved with a group of people who protested by marching from Gallaudet to the Capital. There were about 2,000 people in the protest. Gallaudet University was protesting the new president. They wanted the new president out of Gallaudet University. I will never forget it. I had a good time with Krista, and I thanked her for letting me stay with her.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
Love, Melinda, Warren and Jimmy
I went to Texas for Andy's birthday in March. The boys came here in June for the summer. Lisa made a point to visit while the boys were here, we had a lot of fun (swimming, fishing, camping, boating, and skating). Brother Mike moved to Lakeland with his family in May. His youngest girl Lily is Andy's age, they are like twins "very cute twins". Kyle and I went deep sea fishing with a bunch of aunts, uncles and cousins, we didn't catch much. Well Fred and Mike caught a lot ... "not fish", you can ask them about what they caught a lot of. They had a great time. The captain even let Mike take the helm. When the boys were about to go back to Texas Andy asked me if I would cry when he went back, I said “yeah, I probably will”, then he said, “Well if you cry just call me and I will come to your house”. He is so cute. Currently he is taking swim classes. I just came back from Texas. I went out there for Kyle's birthday. Things are going good at work, Publix is really doing well.
Love Sam
Another fun filled year. Janet finally got on with the City of Lakeland the week before Christmas of '05. She works in customer service for the solid waste department. She was promoted within six months. I guess she knows her garbage! (heck, she's been married to me for 15 years, she ought to know her garbage.)
I'm still with the city water department. Been with them for 5 years, time flies.
Kenny had an exciting year with baseball. He was once again picked on the all star team. (12 year olds) They won state and we all went to Goodlettesville, Tennessee for the Dixie Youth World Series. Didn't do too good up there, but it was a thrill just to go. Only twelve teams go to that in the U.S. He's in the 8th grade and still has perfect attendance in school. Except for the week in Tennessee, but the school board won't count that against him. Thank the Lord!!!
Jenna played baseball in the spring and had a blast. She tried softball this fall and I think she found a new love. No brat boys in softball. Not on the field anyway. (Still has two brat brothers at home.) She is doing great in school. All the teachers love her to death. Great job J-Boo!!
Jenna played baseball in the spring and had a blast. She tried softball this fall and I think she found a new love. No brat boys in softball. Not on the field anyway. (Still has two brat brothers at home.) She is doing great in school. All the teachers love her to death. Great job J-Boo!!
Kevin had a neat year too. He was picked for the 8 year old all stars and took second in our district. I had the opportunity to be a coach on the team. It was great. We placed second in our district and earned a spot in the state tournament in Calloway FL. We spent a week up there and came in 3rd out of 16 teams. He won second place in the home run derby. He was also presented with a homerun ball, for hitting a 3 run in the park homer to win a game. What a blast. When that was over we started a 9 and under AAU team. For a first year team, I can honestly say...........well.........no I can't.......there's always next year. Actually I am starting my own 10 and under AAU team early in '07. I am in the middle of negotiations with the Lakeland Tigers as a main sponsor. So far, so good. Hope all is well with everyone, and hope you all have a wonderful 2007.
Until next time, lots of love and God Bless You, God Bless The United States Of America, and GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!!
Fred, Janet, Kenny, Jenna & Kevin
Each year seems to be busier than the last, and 2006 has been no exception. In January, Sarah returned to New Orleans to be part of the first class to graduate from Tulane after Katrina. Her graduation in May was a special event, and we were glad that Paula and Ralph were able to join us in New Orleans to celebrate. With her undergraduate degree in French and International Development, Sarah has moved on to graduate school at the Harvard Public Health School. She is in a two year program there, and is really enjoying Boston. She lives about 3 blocks from Fenway, for all you baseball fans.
Caroline, our senior, has completed her final varsity field hockey season, and is now in the midst of the college decision process. While we do not know where she will end up, we know that it will be the right place for her. She has continued to excel in the IB program at Warwick, and is very active in many of the school activities. It is hard to believe that she will be ‘at school’ this time next year.
Nancy is still enjoying working with the 3-year-old group at the preschool, and is now working a French and Spanish program into the curriculum. In June, she had the honor of christening a full-scale replica of the USS Monitor that the shipyard apprentices built for the Mariner’s Museum here in Newport News. The Monitor Center at the Mariners’ Museum will officially open in March, and the museum is a great place to visit.
I am still privileged to be working at the shipyard, and 2006 was an historic year for an organization that is now 120 years old. In the spring we delivered our first Virginia Class Submarine to the Navy, and I was able to go on the first sea trial. It was my first submarine ride in 20 years, and it was a great trip. In the fall we christened the Navy’s next aircraft carrier, the George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). Both the former president and the current president were able to be with us, and it made the event a special one.
With all of this going on, we did manage to get away to Lake Gaston for a couple of weeks in Late July to hone our waterskiing skills. It was the first time that we’ve all been able to take off two weeks in a row, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. With the girls’ schedules getting busier and busier, we don’t know when that might happen again.
Please let us know if any of you find yourselves in our part of the country. We’d love to show you around the Old Dominion.
Merry Christmas! Love,
Caroline and Sarah, Nancy and Mike.
We rang in the New Year with a trip to see Jennifer’s beloved Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, held this year at the Georgia Dome here in Atlanta. Nathaniel is becoming quite the football expert, and is, of course, following his mom’s lead in his allegiance.
We moved forward with our efforts to find a new house. We wanted to stay in the same community, but needed more room. Throughout February and March we prepared to sell our old house as we looked at several new ones. In April, we found our new house. It is everything we were looking for and more.
Bernie went to San Francisco on a work assignment for the last two weeks of April, leaving Jennifer to handle all of the closing hassles herself. Naturally, she pulled it all off without a hitch. We closed on the 28th of April and began the move-in on May 1st.
At the end of April, with the closing complete and Bernie back in town, Jennifer, Matthew and Nathaniel competed in the Southeast Regional Tae Kwon Do tournament. Everyone took home gold in their sparring competitions. By the fall, they had achieved the rank of Senior Brown belt, only a few steps away from Black Belt.
In May, Bernie took a permanent position with Rescue Air One, a helicopter EMS operation in the Atlanta area. He is based in Blairsville, in the North Georgia Mountains. He works a seven-day, 12 hour/day shift with seven days off between shifts.
In June, Nathaniel once again competed on our community swim team. He has continued to improve, scored the high-point total for his age group, and was selected to compete in the Gwinnett County swim meet.
Even with all of that going on, we took time out for Spring Break in Destin. The weather was perfect. We fished, swam, sunned and even took a guided jet-ski tour that concluded in the midst of a pod of dolphins!!! Truly a life-time memory for all.
Other diversions throughout the year included concerts by Panic! At the Disco and, Matthew’s favorite, the Red-Hot Chili Peppers. Matthew’s love for music continues to grow as does his skill at guitar playing. He truly has found his passion as exhibited by his dedication and discipline to practice.
We incorporated an ‘extreme adventure’ this summer with a white-water rafting trip on the Chatooga River (where Deliverance was filmed). We were also able to squeeze in a quick trip to Montgomery to visit Brian and Vicki over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Giving back was an important part of our year. Jennifer and Bernie participated in a Habitat for Humanity workday in March, hanging siding on a house under construction in South Atlanta. Jennifer’s company, Newland Communities, partnered with Life is Good to hold their first annual Pumpkin Festival benefiting Camp Sunshine, a retreat camp for seriously ill children and their families. Jennifer lined up over two-hundred volunteers (including Bernie, Matthew and Nathaniel) for the Pumpkin Festival, which raised over $500,000 nationally. Locally, Jennifer has been involved with the Warrick Dunn foundation and helped Warrick present one of the four houses that he gave away this fall through his annual “Homes for the Holidays” program.
Jennifer’s hard work came to fruition in December when she was promoted to Marketing Manager of Sterling on the Lake. She has more responsibility and broader authority, but has assembled a talented team to help her meet the demands of the position. She will continue to appear on the television show, Atlanta’s Best New Homes, in addition to her other duties.
We’re looking forward to many more exciting adventures and experiences in the 2007
Nicholas is growing up. He is five years old now, and started kindergarden in the fall. I am amazed at the things they are having kindergardeners do. Nicholas is good with numbers and is beginning to read. He is also mad about all kinds of cars. He can look at the name on the car and tell us "Daddy, that's a Nissan" or whichever car it is.
The most exciting thing to happen this year has been one of our miniature horses, Portrait, gave birth to her first foal in September. We call him Liberty, and he is a spunky colt full of energy. Mother and son are doing very well, and Boomer is quite the proud papa.
Due to my busy schedule at work, our family vacation this year was a short one: just a few days in Hershey, PA. What a great place to take a kid and the kid-at-heart! We also managed an overnight trip to Idlewild Park and Storybook Forest, an amusement park just east of Pittsburgh. Other than that, we enjoyed our summer at the beach club where Tony, Carrie and Anne spent the hot summer days relaxing at the pool.
Tony turned 9 the Monday after Thanksgiving. It’s amazing just how quick they grow up! He’s now in third grade and is excelling in all his subjects (must be taking after his mom in that respect). He played organized baseball for the first time this year and did very well. He even had an unassisted double-play! He celebrated his first communion and confirmation back in April.
Carrie turned 5 in November and is about halfway through her last year of pre-school. She’s turning into such the little girl. She loves Barbie, Dora the Explorer, putting on makeup and anything pink. Just don’t ask her to brush her hair!
Anne finished her two-year term as PTO President. She successfully transitioned it to the next regime and now is much more relaxed. She’s kept herself busy by taking care of the house and as a member of the executive board at Carrie’s preschool. In her spare time she enjoys stamping and scrap-booking.
My year has been very busy. In April, I was chosen to be a member of the diocesan pastoral council of Cleveland. I am representing the 19 parishes in the inner-ring suburbs on the east side of Cleveland and meet with the Bishop every other month. In June, I was elected to be the chair of the Holy Cross Pastoral Council. If that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, late last year at NASA I started working on what was then called the Crew Exploration Vehicle. I was part of a team that wrote the development plan for the vehicle. Once we completed that task, I was asked to be the Test and Verification lead for the Service Module propulsion system. It’s extremely interesting work and for the first time in my career I’m working on a project that will actually be built!
Well, that’s about it from Northeast Ohio. We all wish the Barthle extended family a safe and happy Christmas season and the New Year!
Dean, Anne, Tony and Carrie
We took the opportunity of our trip to the family reunion to go with Susie to Busch Gardens and to go with Vicki's brother-in-law Ricky to Wet and Wild in Orlando. Everyone had a lot of fun, especially Leo, who insisted on going on the tallest, fastest slide.
The major change for us this year was having to live by someone else's schedule, since John is now going to a school. He started his freshman year at Montgomery Catholic High, where he is very active in the band. This was the first year of the marching band, and everyone was excited to have them at the games. The band director is very good and has them performing at a very high level, considering no seniors who marched. The band marched in the Homecoming parade for Troy University, which John really enjoyed.
This has also been an active year in Scouts for both John & Ben. John is now a Life Scout and was elected to be the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. He will take over the Senior Patrol Leader duties early next year. Ben is a Star Scout, was elected Assistant Patrol Leader for the Dragonslayer patrol, and will be the Patrol Leader soon as well. Both attended the Order of the Arrow Ordeal in August and Junior Leadership Training.
And of course, the most important event of the year was John's Confirmation.
Ben continued to participate in the home school band, where his trumpet skills are improving. Both he and John will try out for All-State Honor Band early next year. He and John both got a Superior in Solo & Ensemble.
Leo went in a different direction, where he played pee-wee football for the first time. He was an offensive and defensive lineman for the Centaur Building Services Bulldogs. He had the skills of a beginner, but his attitude was great and his coach told him he wanted him on his team again next year. His football interest forces him to sit and watch football with dad. He really enjoyed going to the Troy game where he could see so much more than you can on T.V. He is a first-year Webelo scout. His piano lessons are going well and he got a top rating at his board recital. He did have some sorrow as his first gerbil, Midnight, died. We got 2 more, but one of them died as well.
Henry started his first grade studies and taken to them well. He really enjoys math right now. He has started Tiger Cubs. He also started piano lessons, and he practices very often. It's amazing all the things he is learning in such a short amount of time.
Vicki's musical year took a creative turn, where she wrote original pieces for a musical Stations of the Cross suite performed at our church. She also wrote Hymn of St. Bede for our organ dedication concert. Her ability to combine words and music continues to impress me. She also continues teaching 3 of the kids at home, and is getting great results.
I moved into a new job in my unit. I am no longer a flight commander, teaching small seminars; I now write the curriculum for parts of both the Squadron Officer School and the Aerospace Basic Course. I lead a 5 person team writing the history lessons and designing a new language and culture curriculum. A lot of the curriculum will move to a distance learning process soon which is very challenging. I am enjoying it a lot. While I got passed over for Lt. Col again this year, I was offered continuation to 20 years. My retirement date will be 1 June 2010. The Air Force has also decided to extend all assignments to 4 years, meaning I will stay here in Montgomery until 2008. Hopefully, we can get another assignment here to close out my career.
We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Just where did this year go???? . I got the yearly e-mail reminding me it’s that time of year again. Thanks Dan for your great job with these newsletters.
Life in our household is about the same. I’m still working with Lanny, running errands, and keeping track of his appointments, typing his quotes for customers.
Thom and the majority of the family (Marie and Joe) are all working for Publix Supermarkets. Marie is at the Lutz Lake Fern store in Lutz, Joe and Thom are at the store at Bruce B Downs and SR 56. Marie has been with Publix for 5 years. Joe’s been on board for almost a year, Thom only since about mid-October. Marie is a Deli – Assistant Manager at her store. Joe has passed the test for assistant manager and awaiting an assignment, (which could come any time now). Thom is still learning the routine- how to slice the meats and cheeses, and how to make the sandwiches for the customers.
I am still enjoying my Dodge Van, I purchased last year. It sure comes in handy when I need to do the “Grandma “thing.
I am also doing a bible study group with some friends once a week, for a couple hours.
I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Love,
Connie and Thom
Here we are another year has pasted and we are doing this again my how time pass so fast.
Well lets see Chris is still in college and next year will be his last year. Still making the deans list.
Tiffany has been doing alot better in school. She has even made Honor Roll now she is on the right path to try to do well like her big brother.
We had some fun for Christmas with her the week of school before Christmas Tiffany broke her wrist at school in P.E. and had to get a cast so for Christmas she had cast and wore it for 6 wks. When it was time to get off she couldn't wait.
Well Joe is still working at Acola and they are waiting to see if someone is going to buy there company. They had some layoffs at work but think goodness he is still working.
Well me I did get promoted to Assistant Manger in the Deli at Publix.
It is good and alot more hours and paper work. And learning a lot more about the retail part of Publix and watching us grow and opening new stores all over.
Now I have two brothers also working for Publix ( Joe & Thom) and Joe is going for assistant manger like me and hopefully he will make it.
Other then that things are going well and we hope everyone is doing great and hope all have a great new year.
And thanks to Uncle Dan for doing this for all of us to know what is going on with everyone, and Who is where.
We wish every one Happy Holiday's and hope your New Years goes with great times ahead for all.
Love you all
Mary, Joe, Chris and Tiffany
I think I will start with the girls…
Baylee is in her 5th year of dance. She is taking tumbling this year. Her teacher is on the USF Bulls cheerleading squad. He is teaching her all kinds of new tricks. She is really enjoying it. She also joined Brownies this year. Her troop recently spent the weekend at Nickelodeon Hotel in Orlando. First time really away from mom and dad (she did not shed a tear). She is in the 3rd grade this year and is doing quite well.
Nichole is in the 8th grade at Weightman Middle School. We chose to do school choice for her this year. We are actually zoned for the new middle school John Long Middle. She made the 8th grade Volleyball team. They finished their season 7-3. She’s considering trying out for the girls’ basketball team this year. We’ll have to update you on that one. Nichole also made the AB Honor Roll for the first quarter of the school year and well on her way to making it for 2nd quarter.
Amy is a senior at Wesley Chapel High School. She got her drivers license at the end of 2005. Her Grandpa Lee bought her a 1998 Ford Escort. So she is living the high life driving herself and her sisters around. She left her job at McDonald’s after 4 years and now is employed at Publix. Enjoying her new job! Her marching band went to district competition this November received straight Superiors! Way to go Wildcats! I believe last year I told everyone that she had joined the Winter Guard (color guard). They had their competition in April of this year. They place 2nd for Class B out of 17 groups for the State of Florida.
As for Joe and I…
I’m still at Frost Management. It will be 19 years in February. How time flies when we are having fun. Joe is working at Publix fulltime now. He had started part time in October 2005. Went fulltime at the end of November. He left Kearney Construction in November 2005 for greener pastures. He took his management test in June of this year. So now he is just waiting for an assistant deli manager position to open up. We have decided to sell our house and move closer to the girls’ schools. That way we won’t have to do school choice. They can finish school with all the friends they have made. So hopefully by the time everyone reads this we will have sold the house and moved.
All of our pups are doing well. Just getting bigger and think they own the house. Well that’s it for the Joe Carr household. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2007.
Love, hugs and kisses to all
Joe, Amy, Amy, Nichole, Baylee, Dewey, Mickey, Snoopy, Buster, Tyson, RJ and Bella
Hello everyone. I hope 2006 has been a wonderful and joyful year for everyone, 2007 is bound to be an even better year. We are doing wonderful, In April Kelly and I went to the Dominican on vacation and had a wonderful time, although I don't think we will go back there since its not really save to leave the compound of the hotel. I am still working with Standard Pacific homes as a construction manager (and loving it) Kelly is still at WellCare, she doesn't listen I have been telling her to quit and move onto something she enjoys. Jessica is in the 7th grade and loving it, hopefully she will be able to join the track and swim team this year (she has to pass the physicals first). Noah is in 5th grade and just does what he has to, he would much rather be joking around or playing sports, he is currently on the soccer team and really enjoys that. We still have Oprah (the lab) and Brutis (the mutt) who spend all day sleeping and all night playing, we have added a new member to our family and that would Pepe' an African Gray parrot who just loves it at our house and gets along with everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful and Blessed Christmas and a happy New Year.
God Bless
Jerry, Kelly, Jessica and Noah
We left California in the middle of May and headed east making stops here and there and enjoying life on the road. We arrived in Florida in June in time for the High School Reunion of the Decades with all the Barthle Siblings and had a great time. We stayed in Florida through the Barthle Family Reunion and enjoyed seeing everyone and spending time catching up and visiting everyone we could. Our Grandson Nick flew in from New York and Grandson Evan flew in from California to spend time with us and it was great having them there for the reunion. Both Boys also visited with Nick's Oma and Opa in Sattelite Beach. Thanks to Ralph and Paula we had our usual reserved RV space. We always love being there and sharing good times and lots of love. We hope to spend more time with them in the future. We really enjoyed visiting with Paula's Mom and Dad too! They are great and make us feel very welcome while there. We love George's Ribs, Potato Salad and Cole Slaw!!! Yum! It was fun having the boys with us in our travels and they enjoyed all the sights and places we went to for the most part.
After the reunion we headed North with our Grandsons and visited places like St Augustine for a few days where the boys enjoyed going to the beach and Ripleys Believe or Not Museum! We went on the road again to South Carolina, Williamsburg, Washington DC, and New Jersey. While in New Jersey we visited Atlantic City and took the boys to the Boardwalk. That was an experience! We parked at Trump's Taj Mahal Hotel/Casino and while walking through Nick spotted a room for "Texas Holdem"! Nick wanted to go and play "Texas Holdem" as he really likes playing that since we taught him when we were in NY on one of our visits. Of course we play with chips and no money! He thought they should allow him to play with the rest of the card sharks! We then took the Gambler and his sidekick home to New York. Driving the RV in New Jersey and on some of the small roads in NY can be a nighmare so we put the RV in storage in New Jersey and drove by car. There really isn't anywhere to park the RV near Lauries either so that was the best choice.
We spend a few days at Laurie's before Evan had to catch a plane back to California and we had to meet up with friends in Upstate New York. While in Upstate we went on a boat tour of the "Thousand Islands" and what a magnificent trip that was. Each island has a single or multiple homes that people own on there own private island and they are truly beautiful. All of Upstate NY is gorgeous!
We headed back to Laurie's in time for Laurie and JR to go on a trip to Colorado while we stayed with the 3 Grandchildren. We loved every minute with the kids and forgot what it is like to chase around little ones!!!! We had alot of fun watching all the different things children do at their age. Nick was such a big help and he is such a neat guy and really a great big brother to the girls. We miss them all very much living so far away and hoping that one day we can live closer. (Another future decision to make). It was hard to leave New York and at the end of August we headed out again picked up the "Ole" RV and stopped in Pennsylvania to to visit with our friends again at their home near Pittsburgh and had alot of fun with some pretty "Hot" Canasta Games!! We also went to a Pittburgh Pirates game and they beat the Chicago Cubs. We had box seats thanks to Marv's boss and we wore our rain parkas proud in the the pouring rain!!!!!
Heading South again we did alot of sight seeing in, Kentucky, Tennesee, Mississippi, parts of Alabama and Georgia. We had a really nice visit with Cinda and Ben. They are always fun and loving to be around and make us feel as special as ever!
Back in Florida we enjoyed visiting with family and it was wonderful sharing breakfast with all of the siblings together at The Cracker Barrell. We all decided that we need to do that more often and maybe even have a little Family Reunion somewhere this Spring/Summer time frame. We didn't get a chance to spend as much time as we wanted with everyone in our family but I'm sure we will catch you later on another trip back East!
It was time to leave and head to Pensacola where Dan had a "Blue Angel Alumni Reunion"! Can you believe the "Blue Angels" celebrated their 60th Anniversary!!! Wow, they were only 17 years old when Dan first joined the Navy's Elite Flying Team!! Boy does that make us feel old! We had a great time, getting VIP treatment for the Air Show and visiting with "Ole" Navy friends etc. While in Pennsacola we also were able to catch up with friends from CA. Sometimes it really is a small world.
We headed back to CA in time for Thanksgiving to spend the Holiday with our extended family and our Grandson Evan.
It was good seeing family and visiting with many friends here in Ridgecrest.
Dan and I are Thankful that we have such a Great Family throughout the United States and many friends. Dan is also thankful that he doesn't have to hang the Christmas Lights this year, he left that to our wonderful Tenant!!!!
We wish each and everyone a "Very Merry Christmas" and a "Blessed New Year"!
Much Love to All!
Nick, what can I say, he is doing quite a bit better in school this year. He is a sophomore. He likes the 4 block scheduling much better than taking 7 classes. He only has 4 classes each day. The classes are 90 min long. He will complete a full year of Math, Science, English, Science Lab, and PE (Lab and PE rotate days) in only half a year. The second half of the year, he will take 4 new classes. He enjoys playing games on the computer and console games. This year he has gone to a dance and a basketball game at the high school. I like that he is getting out more with his friends.
Rhapsody is growing up so fast. Sometimes when she talks to me I feel like she is 6 years old. During the first part of the year, I signed her up for a toddler’s class. It was like a big play group that met once a week for 1 ½ hours. It included crafts, reading, snacks, music and free play. It was great! She had lots of fun. Then I signed her up for reading time at the library. She loves to read books so it was a lot of fun for her too. Of course Samantha came along and enjoyed herself as well to both outings.
Samantha talking up a storm…we don’t know what she is saying yet! I taught her as well as Rhapsody some sign language so we do communicate some with grunts but a little with signing as well. Just a few words like “finished”, “more”, “thank you”, “sit”. She has gotten down the whole shaking of the head thing; when she says yes she not only moves her head but her whole upper torso. It is so cute. She also has to do everything her sister does.
JR is working very hard. He has taken several trips to various parts of the country. He is in charge of the Mediacom Lab (which tests all the various new technology for internet and broadband). This year he moved his office to the lab in Chester, which is about the same distance as it is to Middletown (where the corporate office is).
This summer my mom and dad drove their motor home from California to Florida. They picked up a few passengers, Nick and Evan. Then they drove up the coast to New Jersey where they parked the motor home and drove the car up to our house. We had a great visit. They were able to stay long enough so I could take a trip with JR. He goes to Key Stone, Colorado in August for a Cable Labs Conference. It was only for a few days but it was a great trip. I got altitude sickness (major headache), but that was not going to stop me from going out and seeing the sites. JR attended the conference during the day so, I was able to fill my days with fun activities; Blue Grass and Beer Festival, wine tasting, golf, chair lift ride to the top of the Rockies (that did not help my headache any), and fly fishing. JR & I were able to have a few dinners together and a movie.
Last Christmas Danny was able to come for a visit for a few days. It was great to see him. I had not seen him in over 5 years. I miss seeing him.
That is all I have for this year! I hope all is well with everyone during this joyous season and throughout the year. Love to all!
MERRY CHRISMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Nick, what can I say, he is doing quite a bit better in school this year. He is a sophomore. He likes the 4 block scheduling much better than taking 7 classes. He only has 4 classes each day. The classes are 90 min long. He will complete a full year of Math, Science, English, Science Lab, and PE (Lab and PE rotate days) in only half a year. The second half of the year, he will take 4 new classes. He enjoys playing games on the computer and console games. This year he has gone to a dance and a basketball game at the high school. I like that he is getting out more with his friends.
Halli is just growing and growing. It's amazing all the new and different things that she does every week. It's very exciting to be a mom and rewarding as well. She is starting to talk sooo much and it's great, I can understand her, yeah! I have learned that you end up understanding them regardless. She had her second birthday in August and it was alot of fun. At her party we had three red headed little girls in one spot, it was great!!! (Halli has copper red hair) We gave her a puppy as an early Christmas present and she loves him so much. His name is Willis. He is a border collie and austrailian sheppard mix. Jason calls him a mutt but I beg to differ (ha ha). He is just so cute!
I have had a pretty good year too. There is always the ups and downs and all arounds but I think that I am doing pretty well as a young mother and wife. One of these years I will be able to go to one of the family reunions and meet some of you that haven't met me and my family. It would be nice to see everyone that I know too. If any of you would like to write me, my email address is: briana_banana182@hotmail.com.
We have had a pretty great year and Jason and I are looking forward to year number three as a married couple!!!
I hope that you all have a great year. Happy holidays!!!
2006 was a very good year. Ben did consulting (database) for the first half, but managed to do better at "retirement" the second half. He still does a lot of work for others, but not normally for pay, and mostly at a more leisurely pace. For instance, he is on the board of directors for our local homeowners association. Since he is handy with "a hammer", he is the designated "Fence Guy". All forty townhouse units where we live have enclosed patios with cedar privacy fences. The Fence Guy is staying busier and busier as the fences age. Literally, as I’m writing this, he is out replacing a fence gatepost up the street.
Ben has also taken on what he calls his new part-time job: walking. He walks 5-6 miles every morning (except Sunday). All during his career, he promised himself that he would do regular exercising when he no longer had to sit at a desk all day. So far, he has been able to stick to his word. The city of Smyrna has a nice indoor track. He also takes advantage of their gym equipment several times a week. Our tax dollars at work in a personal way!
In April, we had a fun time participating in the Barthle Quilt Guild one-day quilt-build (try saying that fast several times!). Melda coordinated with everyone to donate green and blue fabrics for a quilt door-prize for the upcoming July family reunion. Thanks Melda and Jack for hosting us!
May, June, and July were the travel highlights of our year. We spent a few days in Charlotte, NC with our favorite little guy, Ryan, while his parents were out of the country in May. Just on the heels of that trip, was my 40th high school reunion. So we repacked our bags after one night at home and headed to Florida. It was great reconnecting with my old school buddies. And the Reunion of the Decades the following night was every bit as much fun….esp since all my siblings were also attending!
Then a friend of mine (from way back) invited us to her daughter’s wedding celebration in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. So we decided to drive around the eastern U.S., visiting friends and relatives along the way. Our itinerary took us through Charlotte to Washington DC where Susie hosted us and gave us a wonderful quick tour of the city. Also got to see the National Cathedral, World War II, Korean, and Vietnam memorials all in one evening! Thanks so much Susie, Jen and Michael for a great time!
From there, we drove to central Pennsylvania to visit with Ben’s cousins and aunt. From there, we headed to the wedding celebration festivities in Michigan. Following that, we continued to Grand Rapids to visit with Ben’s college roommate and family. All our visits were too short, but what a fun week.
Then, again, after one day at home, we headed back to Florida for our Barthle family reunion. It was great to see everyone again. Thanks so much, Herman and Monica, for hosting. You’re the best! And thanks to Jack and Melda for letting us crash at your place. Congratulations to Chris Denney for winning that quilt!
Thanks to Dan and Barbara for stopping in for at least one short day on their trek from New York to Florida in September. And many thanks to Paula for tacking some time onto her business travel for stopovers in Atlanta. Many fun memories, and thanks for all your helpful quilting consults!
We received wonderful news from Ben’s daughter, Rebecca, as she and her husband, Jacade, are expecting their first child next May. Rebecca and I were able to take advantage of a couple of StampinUp! Workshops this year, which were lots of fun.
Ben and I had such a great time at Ryan’s third birthday party in October. The Finding Nemo theme was too darling! For instance, Alexa and Chris had the cutest hand-constructed balloon fishes suspended from the basement ceiling with an undersea motif on the walls while the Finding Nemo movie was being projected against another wall nearby. And each child got to take home a live goldfish! And I couldn’t imagine topping the Bob the Builder party the previous year!
One of the things Ben and I promised ourselves when we retired was to spend some time learning the software and hardware for our PC Quilter – HQ16 setup (a robot-guided sewing machine used to sandwich quilt tops, batting, and backing with patterns customized for the quilt at hand.) It has taken us nearly two years to make good on this promise, but we are finally underway. And, oddly enough, we are finally starting to "get the drift". Hobbies can be so rewarding!
Thank you, Barbara and Dan, for all the time and work you put into this fun newsletter/calendar that helps us to keep up with our loved ones. It is a truly great and generous gift!
We are bountifully blessed to be part of such a wonderful family. We wish you all a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2007! Please think about a get-away to Georgia next year!
God bless you all. Love, Cinda and Ben
It’s hard to believe it’s already time for another calendar!
It has been a whirlwind year here in Charlotte. The biggest news is that Ryan started preschool this year. He goes to school three mornings a week at our church and LOVES it. We are fortunate that he has really great teachers who have made his first experience with school an extremely positive one. They do a lot of neat stuff, but my favorite so far was when they taped paper underneath the table and lay down underneath to color on the "ceiling" like Michaelangelo.
We took several trips this year, but the highlight was a family reunion in Sicily with Chris’ mother’s family. We had 33 people who came from all over the USA to get together. Ryan had a great time visiting with all of his grandparents while we were gone. He even made a plane trip to Florida with Nana. Ryan also got to experience his first blizzard last year during a trip to NYC. We showed him how to sled and he looked at us like we were crazy!
We are looking forward to the Christmas season and experiencing it through the eyes of a three year old.
We wish everyone a wonderous holiday season and a blessed year!
Love, Chris, Alexa & Ryan Lupfer
It’s been an exciting and crazy year! At the beginning of the year, actually one day before my birthday, I had to have emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. It was really scary but I came through just fine. I had to spend my 29th birthday in the hospital. But thankfully, I was celebrating another birthday! Dad and Cinda came and stayed with me in the hospital while I recovered, which is always so comforting to have your parents with you during a time like that.
In May, we took a little mini-trip to Cloudland Canyons and went camping. The weather was pleasant – it only rained a few nights – which is a little frightening when you are sleeping in a tent.
Our oldest dog, Wheeler, passed away in July. It was a sad day, but Wheeler gave us so many good years. He was 14 years old. The vet said that Akitas usually don’t live past 10 years, so we were blessed with four extra years. But we still have Bella, who has become such a great dog.
Then one day in August I learned I was pregnant! What an exciting day! I couldn't wait to share the news!! The due date for the "little booger" is May 14, 2007. Seems so far away, but will be here before we know it.
Jacade and I now have 7 rental houses and 1 under construction. He is busy, busy, busy trying to improve Griffin.
I am still working at the newspaper office, but on the side, I have started making custom-made greeting cards. Cinda and I have been to a couple of Stampin’ Up workshops and I have gotten a lot of great ideas. I have sold a few cards so far. I am still doing my child photography a tad too, just haven’t pushed it that much. And I am almost finished with my table-runner quilt project. Hopefully I can have it finished before Christmas and I’ll be able to send y’all a picture of the final project.
Jacade and I want to wish everyone a fun Christmas holiday and hope the New Year brings much happiness!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Love, Rebecca and Travis
We have really enjoyed watching Laney and Landon grow and learn something new each and every day over this past year. We feel blessed
for both of them to have such supporting grandparents and family. We truly look forward to a great 2007.
Best wishes in the New Year!
Rob, Casey, Laney, and Landon Higgins
This year started out with surgery for Herman. Just before he had surgery, his nephew, Jerry Schrader, passed away. Jerry was not only Herman’s nephew, but also a wonderful friend and Herman’s attorney. He will always be missed, and fondly remembered. After a difficult time, Herman is doing very well now. He is still working full-time, and often works harder than he should, but occasionally he can take it a little easier and sometimes can even come home for a little rest during the day. I’m grateful when his day is a little easier. It would be nice if he could retire, but he doesn’t just “DO” citrus farming, he “IS” a citrus farmer…He really doesn’t know how to stop, and doesn’t know what he would do if he chose to stop. So I think about what Mom used to say, “It’s ok to wear out, but it would be a sin to rust out!” Herman will never rust out!
My work is full of opportunities to grow! I’m growing in patience, and learning more every day. Of course, I have to, because I don’t know enough about anything!! I’ve started laughing more though, and lightening up about it and asking God for help with programming problems, writing queries, and everything else, and He never fails.
We thoroughly enjoyed our family reunion again this year! It is so good to see everyone that has the opportunity to come! The time just passes so quickly!
I spent some time with Shelley and her family this year . I’ve been working with Luke for a while, and his reading has improved so much! When Shelley went in the hospital, I had the opportunity to spend more time with Hunter, and got to know him a little better, too. He’s a very bright and funny child. He’s also very interested in art work at the moment. Then there’s precious little Sarah! She is such a blessing!
Natalie has been burning the candle at both ends, and I’ve had more opportunities to spend with her, too. Sometimes I take my lunch by her house and eat and talk and run. It’s nice just to get away for a little while, and Natalie is always upbeat and has lots of great ideas!
I go visit Mandi and her family every year for a week in September, and this year I went just after they moved into their new place in Virginia. Chase and I spent a lot of time together playing with dinosaurs (he kept explaining to me that they couldn’t go to the “Mysterious Beyond”, and I kept calling it the “Great Beyond”), and I also followed him around the yard while he caught grasshoppers. I got so tickled at him when he would say, “I got it! I got it! I definitely don’t got it!” Made me think of work!! Lane has grown so much and is doing really good work in school, and has mastered some video games (Nascar and a Mustang car racing game). I’m amazed at his skill! I always enjoy our time together and it always passes too quickly!
Joe popped in for a few visits this year. I always love seeing him, and getting a hug, and hearing about his latest projects. Anne is doing well and studying hard.
Bill is in his final year at USF and doing well. He and Andrea usually make it home for a visit at least once or twice a month, and we thoroughly enjoy seeing them!
Our sweet little dog, Pepper, passed away in October. He was such a blessing to us, and we really miss him. When I come home I still expect to see him coming to greet me, and when I’m outside, I listen for the jingle of his collar.
We are very thankful for the many blessings we’ve shared this year. . .visits with friends and family, good weather, good news, .and the love of a wonderful family . We love you all, and thank you for all your prayers!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God bless you and keep you!
Love,
Herman and Monica
Well let’s start with Hunter. At the beginning of 2006 Hunter got to play T-Ball for the first time this year. He plays a mean first base. He is so athletic!!! He excels at every sport he tries. He loves to play golf with Darrell, Darrell’s friend Scott, and Scott’s 5 year old son, Logan. They play at golf, no pro’s here but you are guaranteed a millions laughs just looking at the pictures and listening to the stories. I REFUSE TO PLAY!!! No offense intended to all of you golfers out there, it’s just the only way I know of to get 4 hours of peace and quite for myself. See I don’t even play and I LOVE GOLF!!! He rides a bike like Kevin Harvick on crack (GO # 29) and only has two speeds wide open and fast sleep (Ask my mom!!! LOL!!!) He graduated from Sacred Heart and started Kindergarten at San Antonio Elementary in August with a few bumps in the road. He had a substitute teacher for the first five weeks of school as his permanent teacher Ms Leidy was out on Maternity Leave. However, since she started it’s been smooth sailing, did I tell you that she’s my nominee for Angel of the Week almost every week. Hunter LOVES Ms Leidy and I’m fairly sure she has a crush on him too. LOL!!! Hunter is sure to bring a smile to your face any time you see him and we are very proud of him and all his hard work in Kindergarten. Just don’t ask him about all his girlfriends, it’ll take an hour to figure out which one you want to know about he has so many. Hannah, Abby, Cassie… LOL!!!
Luke finished the 7th grade with his usual smile and “Oh thank goodness that’s over” as every year. He has spent every spare minute during the year working any where he could; Diversified, Pete’s Garage with Gene Ullrich, mowing a number of neighborhood lawns, H&H Spreader Service, B&B Hog Farm, His Papa Herman, Etc., at one point he was trying to juggle four pretty regular jobs and I had to tell him I couldn’t handle his schedule anymore so something had to give. He did however earn a nice chunk of change that mostly went in savings. We did allow him to pull out enough to by himself an Apple I pod, a new Rifle and a new Shotgun. He is now in the 8th grade at Pasco Middle and working mostly just for B&B Farms after school and on weekends. Because of his connection with the hog farm he finally has a place to keep a hog. So he is really excited to finally be able to show a hog at the Pasco County Fair this year. He has also been elected as an FFA Officer in the position of Sentinel. His friends said they didn’t even know why they had to vote he won by a landslide. He also is now a certified Chicken Flipper for the Rattlesnake Festival with his Papa Herman and Mr. Gene Ullrich. He shot a huge doe Thanksgiving Day out at Papa’s property. Luke also plays golf occasionally but generally passes it up to work and bank the money. He is dreaming of a 4x4 with big mud tires and he’s not even 15 yet. Oh well, at least he knows how to work for what he wants. If only he didn’t have to show me a different truck every day!!! He is really growing up to be such a Great Young Man we are so proud of him. He is always such a huge help and has an amazing attitude of generosity.
Darrell and I have had a busy and crazy year. I spent most of the year working my tail off at Diversified Drilling as Office Administrator. Darrell spent the year working his tail off at Ring Power in the position of Commercial/Industrial Air Compressor Technician. Around late April early May we realized that with Hunter going to Kindergarten that we would have no childcare expenses for the first time in 14 years. WHOOO HOOOOOO!!! We were so excited. We love Sacred Heart but with that extra money we could do a lot. About a week after we made our exciting realization, Hunter announced to his teacher Ms Kathy (Barthle) and his entire Pre-K class that we were pregnant. When Ms Kathy told us what he said we just laughed it off. For about a week we laughed then the morning sickness kicked in. UGH O!!!!!! Then he tells Ms Kathy we are having twins. I went to see my regular doctor for a blood test. They tell me that if the results are less than 60 the test is negative I’m not pregnant. My test came back at 23,000!!! Okay then, so we have now confirmed that yes we are definitely pregnant and about now I am scared to death that my five year old has a connection to higher powers and that I am pregnant with two more just like him. So I call my OB/GYN to schedule an appointment. To which I am told that as of January 2006 they no longer deliver babies and I will have to find a new doctor. With my high risk history this wound up being quite a challenge. Once we found an MD to take my case they scheduled an appointment and decided to schedule a sonogram for my first visit. I was both sad and relieved when the doctor said that the sonogram revealed that it was in fact twins but one of the fetuses had not made it and was being reabsorbed by my body. After that we went through a relatively uneventful period until we hit the half way point. My blood pressure issues started at 20 weeks, biweekly fetal stress testing in Tampa started at 32 weeks, premature labor and high blood pressure at 35 weeks got me slammed with Magnesium Sulfate and landed my behind in the hospital for over two weeks until I was finally delivered by an induction of Pitocin and Magnesium Sulfate (EVIL EVIL DRUG COMBO I TELL YOU!!!) at 37 weeks. Sarah Audrey Oliver was born on Nov 6th at 11:58am at St Joseph’s Women’s Hospital in Tampa. She weighed 6lbs 3ozs, 19 ¾ inches long. She was perfect!!! We thought finally we can get home and things can calm down some. Life is so funny… Since then I have developed Bell’s Palsy which is a temporary paralysis of the left side of my face, continued blood pressure issues and because of all the medications I was on I had to give up breast feeding which still makes me sad. The Bell’s is resolving which is AWESOME!!! However, now we all have colds and I have developed Laryngitis, which you would think Darrell and the Kids would like but is really just a pain in the rear end. And to top it all off before I have even returned from Maternity Leave, I was informed that Ben Huss bought back the old Huss Drilling portion of Diversified Drilling effective December 1st and I am now unemployed. Sarah is such a good baby and a wonderful addition to our family. Believe it or not I feel like all the craziness has been worth it. We continue to love our beagle boys Rascal and Scout as well as Buddy the turtle and I think God willing our family is now complete. We are glad that we have Sarah, Hunter and Luke and they are healthy and perfect. But, in someway I am looking forward to a fresh and less dramatic start to 2007.
I want to take a minute to say a few Thank You’s!!! I have to say that my Mother has absolutely been sent from God’s right hand to help my family, which we knew, but her love and dedication in the past months has been more than anyone would expect. She has been awesome; from picking up and dropping off the boys; to covering for me while I was in the hospital and Luke developed Mono at the same time that Hunter had a Severe Sinus infection; to showing up at 5:30AM to wash bottles while I cried because I couldn’t breastfeed my baby anymore. MOM WE LOVE YOU!!! You and Darrell have earned yet again my love and respect for everything you two did to work as a team while I was in the hospital incubating for two weeks and throughout all the adventures since then. Thanks to Natalie for the baby sprinkle and flying in Mandi and Jen in for it. Also, for walking Hunter to and from the Bus Stop everyday and helping him feel at least halfway safe and normal while we flipped his world upside down. I Love You!!! Hunter thinks Sarah should grow up to be just like his Jaydeepoo. Luke, thank you son for all the sacrifices you made while I was out of commission I appreciate everything that you did to help both Nana and your Dad. Darrell, 11 years ago I met a guy that everyone thought I was crazy to fall for. I thank God for you every single day. You make me mad, you make me smile, you make me beautiful babies (although I really think with all this drama this Mama is done!), you give me headaches and heartaches and hope and happiness every single day. Thanks for hanging in there with me and encouraging me even when I wanted to checkout of my runaway body. You are my best friend and I would marry you again in a minute. Thanks for taking me hunting for that is where this all started J
Okay everybody, I know I was very talkative this year but you should have expected it after I only had one paragraph last year… LOL!!! I am so glad to be a part of this family. May God Bless each and every one of you, touching your lives in a positive way. 2007 Here We Come!!!
All Our Love from San Antonio, The Oliver’s; Darrell, Shelley, Luke, Hunter, Sarah, Rascal, Scout and Buddy the Turtle.
Well as usual this year was packed with non stop excitement. January kicked off my second semester back in school. I have been taking at least nine credit hours a semester. This means I am gone four nights a week usually from 4:30 or 5 until at least 8:00pm. Jon and I had decided last year to buy his Dad’s business when he was ready to leave. He had told us it would probably be at the end of this year. Then in February he told us he was leaving in two weeks. After the shock wore off, I asked myself how I would run the business, stay in school full time and take care of the kids. Well wouldn’t you know God laughed and said “did you forget what house you grew up in?” Being the second of five was training in multitasking! I have made it through this year and hope to be finished with my degree in January ’08. Unless I go for my masters (which I can’t say too loud, Jon already thinks it’s crazy around here.) With me being gone so much I bought a second car for me to take back and forth to school. I bought a 2007 Pontiac G5, which Dylan refers to as “Mom’s race car.”
Jon has been working like crazy now that his Dad isn’t here. He’s only gotten to go hunting a few times this year. No luck on any of the trips but at least he got to get out there. He took Ty for the first time this year. They both enjoyed that! On our trip to Virginia, Jon and Ty both saw the biggest buck that they had EVER seen. Ty shot at him but the deer is still at large!
Ty is in the 5th grade this year. It’s his last year in Elementary School. He is playing the drums and is in instrumental in school again this year. He is still a straight A student. He thinks he might want to be a surgeon…Mom is proud! He is growing so fast and such a wonderful young man. He is such a big help around the house.
Dylan is in the 1st grade and having a great time. He is interested in playing the guitar and hasn’t stopped talking about wanting one ALL YEAR! Hopefully Santa will bring one. He has really done wonderful with his reading this year. He made his Accelerated Readers goal and read 63 books in the first semester of school.
Jayden is growing like a weed and still believes she is Cinderella. (Don’t tell her she’s not) We went horse back riding up at Mandi’s and now Jayden is all about horses. She still stays with me during the day while I work, which has proved to be interesting. She is always ready to go get the boys. She loves her brothers and misses them when they are not here.
Well I have some thank you’s to send out: To Mandi’s family for putting up with us for 10 days and giving us some place to get away. IT FINALLY SNOWED! We love you guys! Jessie Converse for providing much needed chocolate in between classes. Much appreciated! To my wonderful Husband for putting up with me during finals and homework hell. I really couldn’t do this without you!!
Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas and New Year!!
Love you guys!
Natalie, Jon, Ty, Dylan, and Jayden
First off I would like to thank all of you who lent your support at the beginning of the year when Herman needed it (when we all needed it). Herman is such an extraordinary person and a special Dad to me, it really meant a lot to see us pull together as a family to support him. In early Spring, my father-in-law started having health issues. We started driving to Virginia (2.5 hours away) as often as possible to help him, plus Billy was making a couple trips during the week to help out when he was off work. In June we decided to sell our home and move to VA to be closer to his family. We did some research and went the For Sale By Owner route. We sold our home within two weeks. Next was the job situation. When I told my boss our situation and turned in my notice, she cried and then ripped it up. In a frantic voice she asked "You can work from home, right?" So I am enjoying the advantages of telecommuting to work. It is nice to know your work is appreciated. Billy is still doing an amazing job at John-Deere in Kernersville and drives back and forth a few times a week. He is looking for a job closer to home, any extra prayers will be appreciated.
Lane continues to amaze us. He is so smart and listens to every word you say. Lane was at the dentist for his 6 month cleaning (which all kids love right?) and the hygienist asked him "What flavor fluoride do we want to try?" To which Lane responded "Strawberry and you go first." Barbara (the hygienist) was laughing so hard she had to stop what she was doing and come out and tell me what he had said. He had the whole office laughing. Special thanks to Aunt Cinda/Uncle Ben and my mom/Herman for helping Flat Stanley make Lane's geography lesson so much fun.
Chase isn't my baby anymore, but a full fledged dinosaur loving little boy. Chase is a never-ending burst of joy and his enthusiasm for life is contagious Chase got to spend an entire week with Nana playing dinosaurs. Thanks mom for all your help getting us settled into our new home.
May all your dreams come true this CHRISTmas season and may you continue to be blessed in 2007.
All our love and prayers, Mandi, Billy, Lane and Chase Milam
Another fast year. All in all, a good one
Paula is still working for the accounting software/training company. She averages traveling twice a month for 2 4 days at a time. Overall she likes the work, and spending a day or two with Ben and Cinda when she’s near Atlanta. I hear their new place is very nice, and we all know they are gracious hosts! I’ve been with the Lottery for over 19 years now, and am still covering the north Plant City/Lakeland area. We haven’t been moved in several years, so we could get re-assigned some time soon.
In May we traveled to New Orleans to attend Sarah Petters’ graduation from Tulane University (you know, big school on a small road.) We had a blast, thanks to the Petters family for inviting us. I’m guessing you’ve already read about some of the highlights.
New Orleans still has a big job ahead!!
The big project here this year was painting the outside of our house. In case you haven’t seen it yet, it’s _not_ white! The barn and pump house are next, though there is no “schedule”.
It was another great family reunion in July. Thanks to Herman and Monica for hosting it again. Good to see everyone.
In late July we spent a few days at Mike and Nancy’s lake house with their family. Always a lot of fun
We also really enjoy Barbara and Dan’s visits to Florida. Having Nick and Evan here this year was a lot of fun; it helps us try to stay current with what’s happening with the young crowd.
Paula’s parents, George and Margie Tubbs, are doing well. George had a big garden this spring (there is nothing better to eat than fresh corn, peas, tomatoes, etc.) and a smaller one for the fall (fresh greens.)
Our cats are monkeys, or at least they act like monkeys. They are lots of fun and quite entertaining as well as good companions
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