12/28/96
December 28, 1996
Dear Friends,
Another new year begins. Can it be that in just three short years we will experience the
turn of the millenium?! Time hurtled by for us again in 1996 as it seems to do every year.
Our precious little babies are rapidly transforming into lovely young ladies before our very
eyes. And there never seems to be quite enough time to enjoy all the joy and excitement
that life has to offer.
We ended 1995 with another visit to Disneyland at Christmastime, accompanying Fiona
and the KIDZ on Tour for their participation in the "Magical Music Days." The KIDZ
sang and danced beautifully, and we had good times with good friends.
Now we've waved goodbye to 1996 from The Mountain View Center for the Performing
Arts, where both Fiona and Jillian gathered applause in PYT's "Children's Christmas
Carol." Jillian threw herself into her various parts with big smiles, lots of enthusiasm, and
a strong, sweet voice (but still NO lipstick). She was an adorable reindeer and a perky
goblin. When her turn came to be an orphan, she covered her face with "dirt" makeup,
messed up her hair with gusto, and dance across the stage. Fiona positively glowed in
both of her parts, as Belle (Scrooge's sweetheart from his lost youth) and as the homeless
mother figure to all the street children. She played the roles very tenderly, with a lovely
voice and human understanding and acting ability far beyond her years. Whether she was
in rags or in her Victorian gown, she had the soft, warm look of a masterful painting.
The year in between is a blur! The highlights for Hank and Marcia were a couples' retreat
in Arizona in March and then a romantic weekend with Marriage Encounter in August.
We learned some excellent techniques for strengthening our marriage and family, and now
we enjoy weekly gatherings with other "encountered" couples. We gain much wisdom
from our time with other couples who share our spiritual values, and who emphasize love,
marriage and family in their lives. After the August weekend, we went off to Monterey
for more couple time while the girls had their first experience away at camp. Earlier in the
summer we had a great week at Montecito Sequoia family camp, singing around the
campfire, playing on the lake, running or hiking in the woods, painting, horseback riding,
and generally enjoying friends and nature.
Jillian moved to Hillbrook school for her third grade year. She still keeps up with her
good buddies from McAuliffe and she's making friends at her new school. She started
piano lessons and also got a 3/4 size guitar for Christmas. Dad is teaching her to play it.
She's still with her old Brownie troop, and they all came to see her show. She had her first
softball experience last spring and can't wait for it to start up again. She loves reading and
playing with dolls. Her favorite books this year were the Betsy and Tacy series. The
highlight of Jillian's year was probably when 8-year-old Carly moved into the house across
the street. The two are nearly inseparable.
Fiona is well settled into her second year at Hillbrook. Seventh grade is challenging and
exciting. She pours creativity and dedication into her schoolwork, and her reward is not
only an outstanding report card, but also a very well-rounded, solid education. She
especially enjoys the structured logic of Latin and the creative pleasure of the girls' choir.
Fiona's other activities include piano lessons, the church youth group, and helping teach
the little children at church on Sunday mornings. With the beginning of the new year, she
will be working on more community service for her school project, playing on the school
basketball team, and participating in the school play. She can barely contain her curiousity
about what the play will be, and what role she will get! And of course, she continues to
read voraciously. Her favorite books this year were "The Golden Compass," "The Hero
and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," all magical fantasies with girl herioines.
Marcia stays busy keeping up with the rest of the family and with her dear, wonderful
friends. She teaches singing to the children at church and loves hearing their sweet little
voices. At Hillbrook, she volunteers wherever possible, in the library, at lunch, and in
special projects. She's looking forward to helping to put on an all-school talent show.
Her spirit has been filled up this year, with the two retreats with Hank, the week of family
camp, two weekend women's retreats, and some wonderful women's Bible Studies. She
enjoys going for strenuous walks in her hilly neighborhood with her good pals, keeping
herself healthy both physically and emotionally. Her favorite books this year were C.S.
Lewis' space fantasy trilogy, "Out of the Silent Planet," "Perelandra," and "That Hideous
Strength." She also enjoys the Brother Cadfael mysteries.
Hank has recovered from his knee injury and is back in excellent running shape. He has a
great time running competitively with the Aggies running team. He's coaching both track
and cross country at Lynbrook Highschool, and he loves coming up with crazy activities
to keep the kids interested, like rally runs (with ingeneous clues for the runners to try to
follow) and ice cream runs. He also volunteers wherever possible at school; he especially
enjoys entertaining the students with jokes and general chatter while he serves hot lunch.
He got his annual stint on the stage this year, opening and closing on the same day as a
stand in for "Papa" in "High Button Shoes." It was a perfect role for him.
As for the work on the house..... the indoors is essentially complete, and the back patio is
well underway. We enjoyed the pool this past summer, despite the problems with the rest
of the outdoor project. The driveway is finally back in but not quite complete; we're
looking for some good used brick for the driveway bands and walkways. We have a
beautiful new fence and arbor gate, an almost complete trellis, and a wonderful waterfall
spanned by a perfect bridge. We're working on plans for the gazebo and front walkway
and lighting. Lawns and additional planting will come soon. By summer, we should have
the ultimate party house! Look forward to sharing it with us. Maybe once the house is
finished, time won't rush by so fast. Maybe?
We send our warmest greetings from our home to yours. May you have a happy and
healthy new year filled with love and peace.
Fondly,