01/07/99
January 7, 1999
Checking in with treasured family and friends. We love the newsy
letters we've received from many of you and hope you will enjoy this update
from us.
Jillian still puts quantity and quality time with friends and family at
the top of her priority list. Relationships are life to this little 10-year
old. She's willowy and wiry at 5 feet tall, and appears eager to reach her
mom's height very soon. Jillie played softball and volleyball earlier this
year, and now she's having a great time on her Hillbrook basketball team. She
performed in PYT's production of Cinderella this summer and then found some
time for horseback riding lessons before our August vacations. She was having
a fairly relaxing time in fifth grade until she got involved with KIDZ on
Tour, a singing and dancing group that performs at various festivals and
locations in our area. She had lots of fun performing with a great bunch of
kids. The KIDZ finished their holiday season with two fantastic performances
at Disney World.
Fiona had a wonderful final year at Hillbrook and found she had grown
quite close to her classmates and teachers. I wish you all could have seen
her play Dolly in Hillbrook's production of Hello, Dolly! She gave the role a
wonderful depth and tenderness, and of course she danced, sang and carried on
in great style. One of her favorite moments came when she was greeting the
audience after the show, dressed in her fabulous glittering gold costume. A
little boy came to her, nearly speechless with adoration, and could only say,
"She's beautiful!" After graduation and tearful farewells, Fiona played the
Queen in PYT's Cinderella. Now she's at St. Francis High School, studying
hard and keeping up her straight A's, despite some challenging classes and
tough teachers. She was one of only three Freshmen who got parts in the
school's fall play, Our Town. Her church youth group is still one of the
highlights of her life.
Hank is active and busy as always. Much of the time he has his head in
front of a computer screen, setting up some web site or other, or collecting
and organizing statistics. He coaches track and cross country at Lynbrook
and also helps with their web site. He had a delightful time playing bass in
the Cinderella orchestra, and then playing Jigger in Carousel with West Valley
Light Opera this fall. People who doubted that likable Hank could play a bad
guy were astonished at how sleazy and evil he could be. He also got to play
Billy in the dress rehearsals and did a fantastic job. Hank had a great time
co-directing Hello, Dolly! at Hillbrook, and he did such a bang-up job, that
he's been asked to direct this year's play, Wind in the Willows. He's
brimming over with creative ideas and can't wait to get started. Running
hasn't been going so well, but he is beginning to come back after another year
of waiting for injuries to heal.
I also co-directed Hello, Dolly! I loved working with a neat group of
talented kids and teachers and look forward to being involved again this year.
I put on the entertainment at the Hillbrook Auction (the eighth graders sang
Calypso music), directed music at Vacation Bible School and the church Women's
retreat, and co-directed the church Christmas pageant. I rented a little folk
harp during the summer and had lots of fun playing it until the Mom duties
ramped up to full speed again. I'm teaching a fun group of 4th and 5th
graders in Sunday School, and I chaired the church project for giving
Christmas gifts to children and youth in foster care and group homes. The
whole family finished up the year singing in the choir for the Christmas
program, a wonderful experience.
We all had another relaxing and enjoyable summer. We spent the
beginning of August visiting with family in Idaho, where we played in a
crystal clear river with an absolutely private and awesome beach, complete
with fool's gold studded sand. Then we spent another totally relaxing week
at our family camp in King's Canyon. I don't know about the rest of the
family, but I was in hog heaven, playing my little harp and painting to my
heart's content. Other highlights of the year were Fiona's confirmation and
baptism and my younger brother Matt's marriage to Kristy. They are an
excellent couple!
We send all our love and best wishes to you and yours and hope you will
have the best year ever in 1999. While poring through family histories for
Jillian's school project, I was awed by the courage and steadfastness of the
great-great grandparents and their offspring who left their homelands and
brought our families to the new world, where they pioneered a new way of life
for us. We are so very fortunate to live where we do! I'm inspired by my
mother's ancestors to pray an old Irish blessing for you.....
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warmly on your face
And the rains fall soft upon your field.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.