Once more a warm Christmas greeting to all our friends, family, in-laws, out-laws, and the person that seems to stay on our address list forever, even though no one knows who they are (kind of like old luggage);
Wow, has it been another year already? Why, it seems that just 12 short months ago Diane was twisting my arm to write up our adventures here in the Ohio wilderness to share with everyone. It does seem that each year civilization comes creeping ever closer – why it only takes two weeks now for letters to get back and forth from here to Utah! I know, that is simply amazing and hard to believe what they can do in this day and age!
Yet again, or biggest family event was to load up the magic mini-van and head out on that fabled expedition sung of by the bards of old – the Road Trip!!! This year we outdid ourselves (and our gas budget) making a huge round trip to Missouri and Minnesota. We started out visiting the annual Carter family reunion/ It is amazing, based on the sign that mom had me help hang up (and I swear, I had nothing to do with making it) that we were still getting together in the year 20008! Then up to Minnesota to visit some wonderful friends and relatives (this time on the other side of the Brady-bunch wannabe’s that we have become!).
In June Diane and I completed the last parent seminar and are officially Key holders! We have learned a lot about ourselves and our family attending these, and the experience has been invaluable. In 2008 we hope to be able to send the boys to a summer camp that includes these seminars as well, as they are truly something everyone can use.
I am still working at Reynolds and Reynolds, and not all the changes that have been made here have been bad. It is always challenging adapting to change, and this past year at work they have been pretty big, but things do seem to be settling down here now, and while not the perfect job, they are definitely trying to keep me around. I am still the treasurer of the Band Boosters, and I figure they just like having me around to pay for things and carry heavy items (kind of like being married there), though learning about filing tax returns for a non profit organization this summer was simply more fun than should be legal. I continue to paint and play with toy soldiers in my basement, winning several more awards this summer and fall. To top off the year, I hit my goal of losing 82 lbs in October, and have officially become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers (though Diane says I’m too skinny now).
Diane is still enjoying her career as a realtor, hitting a record number of sales with almost 25 homes sold (and not all of them were to the same guy either!). Unfortunately, most of these were very low priced homes, usually under $10,000, but a sale is a sale. She has become the co-chair for the Equal Opportunity Committee of the Dayton Board of Realtors, and is also writing the newsletters for both the Women’s Council of Realtors and the Band Boosters (yet she still makes me write the Christmas letter – go figure!).
Becky’s last year at St. Kate’s is going very well, and she is not only active in her American Sign Language club, but she also had the opportunity to staff a conference in San Francisco this past spring. Unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts she is no longer a nanny, and is back working hard at the Hilton, trying to find cheap rooms for her parents. She has a new boyfriend Lou, a chef teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, and we look forward to meeting him soon.
Jon is enjoying this second year at Bowling Green University, and has switched his major from Education to Art, to hopefully pursue a career in 3-D graphics. He has discovered the joy of regular (if not full time) employment, even when it means giving up some of his regular family vacations because of job conflicts. This fall with our help he purchased his first car, and we hope that by the time you read this he will actually have a license to drive it.
Katlyn recently had big news at Cross Creek Manor in Utah, achieving level 4! This means much more responsibility, and also has earned her first off-grounds pass in the more than two years she has been there. She doesn’t know it, but Diane and I are flying out to see her the weekend before Christmas. She changed therapists at the beginning of the year, and with her 18th birthday rapidly approaching next summer, she has finally started to work this program, and she really wants to graduate from there and return home in June.
Erik is a still in the marching band as a sophomore in West Carrollton High School, and also enjoys the pep and jazz bands, so much so that he lamented the end of marching season, claiming that his life was now over. He is keeping his grades up, and is even occasionally finding something challenging in school. The most frightening thing is he will soon be getting his drivers permit!
Matthew is in 8th grade, and this fall helped out a lot with the marching band, and is looking forward to joining it in the summer. He has just switched Boy Scout troops to a much bigger one, looking for more challenges, and received his Star rank in September. He is also doing well in school.
Scout is thriving in his role as the ruler of the house, and has managed to sleep through pretty much every day. He continues to protect the back yard from all the varmints, joggers and other dogs walking buy, as has the neighbor trained quite well to give him treats on demand.
As we look forward to 2008, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time for all the events happening. Grandma and Grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary in April, Becky’s graduation in May, Katlyn’s graduation in June (hopefully) are just the beginning – as I look at the calendar nearly all my vacation is already used up and the year hasn’t even started yet.
As the holiday season is once more upon us, we wish everyone a wonderful Christmas, and a joyous and prosperous New Year. And this time I’ll actually get the old Irish blessings right.
May the road rise to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
May the sun shin warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And, until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Erik, Becky, Scout, Matt, and Jon at Thanksgiving
Mike, Diane, Becky, Jon, Katlyn, Erik, Matthew and Scout
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