The Milams - Year 2006 in Review

Inspiration – Melanie

Perspiration – John

December 22, 2006

Dear Friends & Family,

Wow … 2006 is done! Where in the world did it go? Our year sped by leaving multiple adventures in the wake. Shortly after our last newsletter, we left for a cross country road trip that rivals Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Vacation. After studying the atlas and doing some serious Google’ing, I took the 17 days John allotted and “crammed” them into a 24 day itinerary. How did he expect to see 12 Northwestern states and Canada, a trip of over 6800 miles, in 17 days? My mission was to put 7 people in one suburban, drive thousands of miles, see 10 state capitals and numerous historic sites, and not only survive but transform it into lots of fun and priceless memories. I think I did pretty good, you be the judge …

We left on Monday, May 8th and spent our first night with our dear friends, Buddy and Lisa Dickson in Amarillo, Texas. I love catching up with old acquaintances and the free food and lodging was a nice bonus. An early start put us in Denver in time to tour the capital and visit Bronco stadium. Jacob, our Denver fan, made his first souvenir purchase, a Bronco jersey. Talk about exciting! We had to take his picture in the jersey before we left the parking lot. From there we headed to Cheyenne, WY, to spend our second night. Why in the world did they put the state capital in such a small town? Oh, Cheyenne is the largest city in Wyoming. (And this would not be the last capital we would see in a small town.) We awoke the next morning to a snow covered landscape. It was a bit of a shock as two days earlier we were in the 80 to 90° temps of West Texas.

Our next stop was Salt Lake City, Utah. We took a Grayline bus tour and got educated on the Mormon heritage. The tour included visits to several Mormon Church facilities. We ate lunch at the Lion House Pantry which is adjacent to the beautiful Mormon gardens. We also visited the conference center where we listened to a performance on the very impressive organ that accompanies the Mormon Tabernacle choir. As we toured the area, we were reminded of their distorted view of “the Truth” and their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We capped off the day with a visit to the 2002 Olympic Stadium and spent the evening engaged in Jarrett’s favorite activity – shopping. As we left Salt Lake City the following morning, we stopped by the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine. Wow! This immense man-made hole is almost 3 miles across and a mile deep. The enormous earth movers working in the mine looked like Hot Wheel toys. Imagine viewing one of the few man-made things that can be seen from space. Impressive to say the least! However, with so many more states to see, we must be on our way.
Idaho, the spud capital, would be our next conquest. We toured the state capital in Boise, hiked around the now abandoned Old State Penitentiary, took the Boise Tour Train and visited the Idaho Historical Museum all in a days vacationing. We learned there really was a lot more to Idaho than potatoes. Yes, we had Idaho spuds for supper accompanied by one of the best burgers of the trip at “The Ram”. They just happened to be having a buy one burger get the 2nd for $3.00. Imagine me sniffing out a bargain even in unfamiliar surroundings. Our trip to Boise would not have been complete without a visit to the blue turf on Boise State University’s football field. The boy’s had to get out there and run around on it. Since no one said they couldn’t, they did. They figured asking forgiveness was easier than getting permission.

We headed on to the next state like the pioneers on their westward journey. Well, not exactly. We had the convenience of a suburban and a highway system. I imagined their covered wagons traversing those rugged hills with no paved roads, gas stations (i.e. restrooms), food stops or hotels. It was not a pretty thought. For me, roughing it is an air mattress in a tent strategically located near a clean rest room with running water and toilets. As we toured the Oregon Trail Regional Museum and thought about months of traveling by wagon with NO modern conveniences, we realized how very difficult their life must have been. They persevered through hardships and sorrow that, thankfully, most of us will never encounter. As we continued on, we experienced the beauty and majesty of Multnomah Falls just outside Portland, Oregon. We arrived at dusk but the impressive natural phenomenon was no less breathtaking. I imagine the early pioneers were also amazed at this wonder.

Our tour of Oregon’s state capital building in Salem was quite memorable … but not for any reason one might suspect. I’m not sure where they secured the tour guide, possibly a former drill sergeant, but a self-guided tour would have left a more favorable impression of the state. Needless to say, we didn’t linger there. This suited Jarrett just fine. He had spotted Woodburn Outlet Mall and discovered Oregon is a tax-free state – both excellent reasons to look for some new duds. Imagine how much damage you can do with no tax! After saving lots of money there, we decided to “save” some more at Lloyd’s Center Mall. After all, it was just a block from our hotel in Portland, the Doubletree. This was one of my Priceline.com homeruns.

From Portland we drove to the capital in Olympia, Washington. After our horrific tour guide in Oregon, we had a prize winner in Washington. She worked at the capital for over 30 years before becoming a guide and was an absolute wealth of knowledge. She loved sharing this history with the tourists who were fortunate enough to be on her tour. While in Olympia, we also toured the Temple of Justice and the old state capital building. From the highway, we saw Mt. Rainier in the distance but getting a picture was another story. I have not perfected shooting between trees, signs and buildings at 70 mph much to the aggravation of my multi-talented hubby. If he had another hand and an eye on the side of his head, he could have done a better job. Did I mention I also messed up the picture of Mt. Hood? Enough of that, let’s focus on a strong point like averaging $32 a day eating out. “Boy’s, you better eat well at the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. I’m not sure when your mom is planning to feed you again.” John budgeted $50/day. Give me a budget and I can improve on it. I thought this was remarkable. John and Jarrett found it ridiculous. Hey, if you save $18 a day, before long that is real money. I ask you, “What’s so special about Rachel Ray getting by on $40/day for one person?”

Had I realized what going into Canada was going to cost me, I NEVER would have ventured out of the good ole USofA. The first hint of trouble occurred at the border crossing. After waiting in line for what seemed like hours at the border, we were “randomly selected for a complete vehicle inspection” by some personality challenged border agents. I’m sure they would explain their demeanor as “professional”. Mind you, our vehicle was efficiently packed by my husband, the engineer, to get 24 days of provision for 7 people plus purchases along the way to fit in one suburban with carrier riding on the trailer hitch. We were required to turn over the keys and vacate the vehicle. After the agents searched every bag, crook and cranny, and rummaged through the black box on the carrier, our efficiently packed vehicle was anything but organized. There was stuff hanging out everywhere. It should have been obvious that with all these kids and all their stuff, we definitely had no room left for contraband. We should have re-organized the vehicle and high-tailed it out of the country. But no, my pioneering spirit had been stirred. I would persevere … on to Vancouver and the hotel. While Priceline.com worked well in America, my results in Canada were less than stellar. I don’t know if it was a language barrier or that whole exchange rate thing but let me tell you, “2-½ stars just don’t go as far in Canada”. This was by far the smallest, oldest and most expensive room we stayed in. Disappointment would be an understatement as we walked into the room. Seven people could barely get in the room and that was before we unloaded a single bag. We had three days to endure this place. Sounds like lots of touring and very little hotel time. This should have put us over the edge. God was sending the warnings – flee this foreign domain – but I wasn’t checking my messages. I was “persevering” again.

Our challenges continued the next day as we headed downtown to purchase our Vancouver Smartcard. This card allows you entrance to multiple attractions for one set price per day. We decided on a two day card. Since we “needed” to be at our first attraction by 9:00 a.m., we were at the Visitor Center when it opened at 8:00 a.m. It was great in theory however the cards were not sold at the Visitor Center. Imagine that. They directed us to a mall where we could purchase it. We arrived to discover the kiosk opened at 10:00 a.m. Then, the attendant was 30 minutes late and took an additional 15 minutes to set up. My patience ran out 40 minutes earlier and frustration oozed from every pore of my body. Time is money and both were clicking away as the epitome of incompetence stood embodied before me. Was this another glaring sign that I should leave the country while I still had time? Again I would “persevere”. We were determined to make the best of what was left of the morning. We headed to the Vancouver Capilano Suspension Bridge. This steel cable bridge sways 230 feet above the Capilano Canyon. You step out onto wooden planks that take you across a 450 foot span where water rushes far below, gravity defying trees cling to vertical rock, and streams cascade down the canyon wall. It was truly an awe inspiring adventure. Jacob wanted no part of this excursion. He warned us the bridge would fall and we would die. After much coaxing, we finally convinced him to take the first step and cross the expanse. (In fact, some might describe the coaxing as coercion. But, I rationalized this by telling myself that sometimes extreme measures are necessary in order to get a reluctant child to experience the fun you know is in his best interest.) We went from there to the Aquarium. It was a back-to-nature kind of day.

We planned to wrap up the day by going downtown for supper and the IMAX. The feature presentation was Alaska – Spirit of the Wild. We did not realize the title was a pre-curser of our evening in Vancouver – Home of the Wild. We left the IMAX to, you guessed it, shop. Jarrett wanted to listen to tunes as he shopped so, he decided to run by the vehicle and snag his I-pod. He would catch up. We walked on about a mile to find some choice tourist shops. Suddenly, Jarrett burst in to inform us our vehicle had been vandalized. A wave of nausea swept over me as I remembered my purse was “hidden” in the Suburban. Hopefully, they didn’t find it! Most of our cash, my credit cards, the extra vehicle key, the hotel key along with room number, all the kids hard earned spending money, most of the traveler’s checks, my reading glasses, my cell phone and numerous gift cards resided in my “well hidden” purse. That was only part of our concern. Due to the size (or lack thereof) of our hotel room, we left half our luggage, the boy’s Xbox (and 14 games), Joel’s MP3 player, Gameboys, and most of our recent purchases in our vehicle. Big Mistake! How could this happen? We considered parking on the street but it cost $16 an hour … and we were concerned about leaving our vehicle unattended on the street. Instead, we drove around looking for a parking garage and specifically chose one that touted “Security Protected”. The mile back to the car seemed to take hours and the anxiety was overwhelming. I was sick to my stomach. I thought I would throw up. We arrived at the vehicle to find my window broken out. Yes, most of the aforementioned stuff was gone – including my “well hidden” purse. What a nightmare! We phoned the police but they were apparently disinterested after hearing our loss didn’t exceed $5000. Mysteriously enough, the parking garage security was nowhere to be found. To wrap it up in a nutshell, there was not a single person in this foreign country who really cared to aid us in our time of crisis. After calling all the credit card companies, traveler checks, Sprint, and the bank, we cleared the glass out and drove back to the hotel. The emotions were varied and intense. We felt stupid, violated, aggravated and mad. We shed tears together over the loss. John and I felt terrible about the loss of innocence the kids experienced. We still had lots of vacation left and we were determined the thief would not rob us of the joy of the rest of the trip. However, my pioneering spirit had definitely been dampened. I was already tired of “persevering”.

Since the perpetrators had a car key, a room key and knew which hotel we were at, John removed the battery so they couldn’t come take the Suburban in the middle of the night. It was a sleepless night for most of the group. Sadly, the morning only brought new challenges like fixing the window, getting our money’s worth out of the second day of our Smartcard and being separated with only one cell phone. The kids and I proceeded on our previously scheduled Land&Sea Tour of Vancouver. We met John for a fabulous four star lunch downtown at the Aqua Riva Restaurant. The afternoon was consumed with the Storyeum and another IMAX movie: 3-D Deep Sea. I tried to soothe our pain with lots of chocolate – dessert at Death by Chocolate. The following morning we headed back to the U.S. I couldn’t get out of Canada fast enough but as fortune would have it, we again spent several hours in line at the border. Canada in the rearview mirror was a beautiful sight!

Being back on American soil was enough to lift our spirits as we attempted to put the events of the past three days behind us. However, we couldn’t really enjoy the sights of Seattle because we were searching for a battery charger for my digital camera. My charger was also a casualty of the burglary! After searching the entire city to no avail, we left the next morning in hopes Spokane might have a camera shop that stocked my charger. Here I was, headed to Yellowstone National Park, with no way to take decent pictures. The compulsive photographer in me needed to capture every priceless moment. No charger was a major crisis. If worse came to worse, I was going to buy a new digital camera. What’s another $500? We had already donated over $4000 to Vancouver’s homeless. I was starting to think we could have gone to Europe for what this trip was beginning to cost. The camera shop in Spokane had a charger with one of their display cameras. What did they mean, they “couldn’t sell it to me”? However they would gladly order me a charger. It would be delivered in just 4 days. Unfortunately, we would be two days past Yellowstone and 500 miles from Spokane when they received it. Ultimately, they let us charge our battery until they closed the store. That would buy us a couple days if we were careful with our camera usage. Our next stop was Helena, the capital city of Montana. We hit the city early to knock out tours of the capital, the Montana Historical Museum, and the Old Governor’s Mansion. Then it was on to West Yellowstone where we would be just minutes from the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. This was important since I only allotted one day to see it. Have you noticed that Milam vacations are not restful? We can rest when we get home. We need to cram as much history, learning, fun and adventure into each day. Heaven forbid we miss a tourist activity along the way.

As we approached Yellowstone, the weather became colder, wetter and downright nasty. Upon arrival, we found West Yellowstone had limited hotel accommodations. (Translation – old, cramped and crowded with questionable looking individuals) It seemed our room was miles from where we unloaded the vehicle but, after the “Vancouver experience”, leaving anything in the vehicle was out of the question. John and the boys lugged everything to the room. The next morning we quickly loaded and headed for the West entrance of the National Park. We entered the park with temperatures hovering just above freezing and we had no winter clothes. Did I mention the thief took the bag with our cold weather gear? We managed to scrounge up two windbreakers, a long sleeve tee and a beach towel for Laynie. Yellowstone was amazing. We saw elk and bison walking along with their young. They were close enough we could (but didn’t) reach out and touch them. It was incredible. As we sat waiting for Old Faithful to blow, we were almost popsicles. The pictures of the kids beside the snow in their summer attire looks par for a MILAM adventure. What awe inspiring views of God’s magnificence! We saw the Upper and Lower Falls, Mammoth Hot Springs, Fort Yellowstone, Mud Volcano, West Thumb and Grant Village – all fabulous scenery! I was very careful with my picture taking and managed to have enough battery for the day. I would let tomorrow’s worries be tomorrow’s and a charged battery was not today’s worry.

My meticulous plan saw us exiting the park at the Northeast gate, just over an hour from our hotel. Looking forward to an early evening, we left the park at 6:00 p.m. and headed to Billings. Unfortunately, I chose Beartooth Highway. Allow me to quote from the travel info – “takes travelers through national forests and the Beartooths, one of the highest and most rugged areas in the US … The Beartooth Highway is only opened 4.5 months of the year, from the end of May until mid-October.” FYI – It was not yet the end of May. Thirty minutes later we came upon the “dreaded” detour sign. How far out of the way can it take us? We grabbed the map, surveyed the situation and quickly realized we were in a remote part of the country where towns and roads are few and far between. We spent three hours traversing mountains on more switchbacks than should be legal. Part of this time was spent following Grandma and Grandpa at 10-15 mph in the no pass zones. I can’t imagine what they “detoured” us away from. Finally, we made it to our hotel. The most memorable thing about Billings, Montana, was Vann’s Electronics. They had a universal charger that worked with my camera battery. God took care of that worry in His perfect timing … and Montana is sales tax free to boot.

West Texas looks populous compared to some of the desolate stretches in Montana and North Dakota. The Badlands of North Dakota were breathtaking and imagining the early pioneers crossing that rough terrain again made me grateful for the time period God brought me into this world. The state capital in Bismarck is yet another capital with a non-traditional design. It looks more like a high rise office building. After the capital, we visited Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park and toured the home of General Custer. As we read about the soldiers and saw how they lived, we experienced history come to life. No time to linger, we moved on to Pierre, the capital of South Dakota. The capital cities just kept getting smaller. After our capital tour, we walked to the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center and ended with a visit to the Governor’s Mansion.

On our way to Mt. Rushmore, we spotted South Dakota’s Original 1880 Town. It was Little House on the Prairie in real life. I had to stop. “Please mom, not another history lesson.” The boys had seen enough history to last them a lifetime. They were ready for fun. But we may never pass this way again so, I can’t miss this opportunity. It was like stepping back in time. Everything was authentic and hands on. Thank goodness for my new battery charger. I’m sure I took at least a hundred pictures. Mt. Rushmore was more awe inspiring than I imagined. The faces are huge – a truly impressive sculpture. To satisfy the boys need for some fun, we stopped at The Maze – a life-size wooden maze that you walk through. The object is to find four stations where you stamp the image of one of the Presidents on your card and then find your way out. Jarrett had a record time. Joel’s frustration got the better of him so Jarrett went back in and helped him out.

We wrapped up our educational excursion with a visit to the Nebraska state capital in Lincoln, another capital building with non-traditional architecture. All good things must come to an end and so it was with this trip. I had shared a hotel room with five not so little people for twenty three nights in a row and sat in a car for over 6800 miles – I NEEDED some space. I was ready for my own bed and the refuge of my own bedroom if you get my drift. We made a bundle of memories, both good and bad, and strengthened family bonds as we shared some priceless time together. Just get me home, NOW!

As for my precious little ones, they are the highlight of each and every day. I’m so glad I can invest my life in them. Our little Lauren turned 18 this year. She only weighs 44 lbs and is 55 inches long. As we consider her early prognosis, a life expectancy of 8-12 years, we realize each day we have with her is a gift. We are thankful God has allowed us this much time with her. She is at Midland Lee High School in the Special Ed class. She stays with her attendant Holly during the week and with us on weekends. Shortly before her birthday, we realized that we needed to file for custody prior to her turning 18. That was quite the process. We had an attorney and Lauren had a separate attorney (that we were required to pay for). She was served with papers regarding the custody hearing (she couldn’t even hold them much less dispute them). With the usual fanfare, lawyers presented the case and John was put on the stand in court. Then we were required to post two bonds. They make it a difficult and expensive process for a parent to become ward of their own severely handicapped child and save the state the cost of supporting her. Interesting concept. Lauren continues to make slow progress especially for Miss Holly whom she adores. We still see Holly as the angel that allows us to maintain “a sense of normalcy” for the most part.

Jarrett is in the 11th grade and towers at 6’4”, having passed both John and me. He weighs in at 163 lbs. Despite all my good cooking, John has never attained this weight in the 22 years we’ve been married. Though Jarrett looks more like 19, he still acts the part of a typical teenager. It’s hard to roll him out of bed in the morning and harder to get him to go to bed in the evening. Within days of returning from “The Trip”, Jarrett started his first real job at Avis Lube and the money started rolling in. Of course, Jarrett did his best to maintain his financial equilibrium by spending most of it. He is all about his “look” which means cool duds are a must. He now had the resources to purchase his own clothes. He did not have to wait until they were 75% off and picked over. However, the realization of how many hours he had to work in order to purchase one cool pair of Nike shoes soon made him a more judicious shopper. In fairness to Jarrett, I must not overlook his generosity. He shares readily with his younger brothers and his classmates. Speaking of classmates, we started the new school year the second week in July and, two days into it, Jarrett started begging us to let him go to a real school. Mom requires too much and is too hard. Since public school was out of the question, his options quickly dwindled to one – Midland Classical. They typically don’t take students in 11th grade so I knew this was an uphill battle. Was Jarrett willing to fight for what he wanted and was he willing to put skin in the game? After filling out tons of paperwork, writing a composition, taking a comprehensive test, enduring a two hour interview and forking over $750 of his hard earned money, the boy was accepted. Ultimately, their standard was higher than Mom’s. They require an 85 to pass. We immediately laid down the law, “no pass, no pay”. That means Jarrett picks up the tab for any class he fails and, if he fails two, we don’t pay for next year. I can proudly report my procrastinating child has surprised me. All of his grades are above 90 except his most challenging class, Chemistry, and he has an 87 in it. I must admit this has been a good move for the entire family. My problem student is no longer a problem. He is excelling and loving school, especially the social aspect. Jarrett thinks school would be perfect if the tutors didn’t require so much work. Jarrett followed in the footsteps of his father and mother and joined the Cross Country team. He was an integral part of the varsity team that won a State Championship. Talk about exciting. In fact, both the boys and girls teams at Midland Classical won TAPPS Division 3A State titles. Quick, look closely at Jarrett’s hair. The color in the picture approximates his natural hair color but it may be different by now. He has gone from blond to brownish then back to blond and then to black. He is not afraid to try a new color and, fortunately, it’s just hair and will grow out. Our party-waiting-to-happen child keeps our life interesting and his expensive smile can win over almost any heart. He will spend his three week Christmas break dividing his working hours between Avis Lube and Baskin Robbins. Fortunately, the boy isn’t afraid of work because he can spend with the best of them.

Josh, now 14, weighs 127 lbs. and is 5’9” tall. Yet another has passed me in both height and weight. These boys grow faster than weeds and each eat enough for three people. He remains my best student. He is self-motivated and does his work without being told. I just love that trait. Josh started employment in August at Comet Cleaners. He works the front counter – waiting on customers, running the cash register and tagging incoming clothes. He is extremely meticulous (wonder where he got that) and, if given the opportunity, would be running the joint. Of course, it’s a bit difficult to be the manager since state law mandates he can only work 3 hours on schooldays. According to his boss, he starts the day by checking the work that was done prior to his arrival. If something is awry, it needs to be fixed immediately. The perfectionist wants the job done right and things need to be corrected before his shift begins. Josh will someday be our millionaire. He understands the concept of “saving” and has put back three times what Jarrett has while working about half the time. He works approximately 20 hours a week and was blessed with an unexpected Christmas bonus. Josh is still the electronic fanatic and is attempting to monopolize the electronics in our home. He owns a digital camera, a Dell laptop, the Game Cube, and the Xbox 360. If your interested in playing electronics at our house, you better be nice to Josh and determine what he wants or needs done. He loves being the “owner” of all the fun stuff. The boy still aspires to be the President. Whatever God’s ultimate plan for him, we see some awesome character developing that would certainly benefit our country. Josh started Teen CBS this school year and has truly enjoyed the Bible study. It doesn’t hurt that he has an awesome leader. He continues to understand staying on my good side is in his best interest and for the most part that is where he wants to be.

Joel, quickly approaching 13, is 5’4” and weighs 90 lbs dripping weight. He continues to be our peanut. (Jacob has surpassed him in both height and weight.) He is our social butterfly and never meets a stranger. The boy would carry on a conversation with a fence post if no one was available. His ADHD personality makes sitting still for any length of time nearly impossible. Focus is not a word we use to describe him very often. He flits from one activity to another and rarely completes a task without several reminders to get back on task. However, we have seen a little maturity kick in and, with a few reminders that “electronic privileges” may be curtailed unless he cooperates, he usually completes his schoolwork by the week’s end. He helps at church in the Diggers (a fancy word for walkers) and has several little ones that adore him. Joel continues to shower me with plenty of hugs and kisses. I cherish these greatly as I know this will not last forever. He often talks before he thinks which means he finds himself with “foot in mouth”. And, since words naturally flow out of him, it is not uncommon for him to be in trouble for “spewing” (our term for talking back). His best friend is his canine companion, J. Riley. Riley digs, tears up stuff, makes numerous messes and barks at all the wrong times. I would have adopted him out long ago except for one thing – I fell in love with him as cute little 4 lb pup. OF course, little was a while ago as he now weighs 70 lbs. But don’t let his size fool you – he’s a big weenie. He is afraid of everything so don’t depend on him to protect you in a crisis; you will find him cowering behind you. At our house, man’s best friend can be slightly destructive, extremely noisy and highly demanding but we still love him. In case you are wondering, I still don’t feed him or scoop poop!

Jacob, our moose, is 11years old, 5’5” tall and weighs in at a whopping 105 lbs. Needless to say, he towers over everyone his age. We oft must remind ourselves that his social maturity is not sync’d with his physical maturity. He is all boy. He loves Star Wars, Hot Wheels, Legos, and weapons of all kinds, especially Nerf guns. Mom prefers Nerf since those usually don’t damage furniture or people when they hit their target. He and Joel are best of buds and rarely separated. However, Jacob has two very special friends that he plays with weekly, Elliott and Jack. I’m thankful God provides great friends for my boys since they aren’t in school. Jacob’s diligence and need for routine are quickly becoming a part of family lore. The boy will bug you to death to help him finish his school for the week. He understands the concept that completing his school work means it is time to play. As for routine, Jacob doesn’t like change of any kind. Talk about set in his ways! Don’t try to mess with his schedule. He never wants to travel and our marathon vacation just about got the best of him. He was very excited to get back to his bed, his house and his routine. It will take a special girl to put up with his idiosyncrasies. Overall, he is a compliant child and our family wouldn’t be the same without him.

As for our china doll, Laynie is eight years old, 50” tall and weighs 46 pounds. She is in the third grade and language arts are definitely her strength. She reads and writes well above her grade level. Like her mom, reading is one of her favorite pastimes. She even asked Santa to bring books for Christmas and was delighted to get the first eight books of the Nancy Drew series. As for the stereotype that all Asians are math whizzes, let me say definitively – “That is a myth!” Enough said. She is a stark contrast to Jacob as she is very girlie. Her favorite color is pink and she loves dolls – Barbie, Polly Pocket, etc. Though her hair is jet black, her frequent “blond moments” are a source of amusement for the family. Like math, common sense is not one of her strengths. This is completely foreign to the rest of us. I expect God brought her to us so we could better relate to those around us that appear clueless. She continues to grow and blossom into a wonderful little girl with a caring heart.

John continues to enjoy being his own boss. We experienced some major changes in our business this year. We are now operating as Antioch Financial. Although our address and phone numbers remained the same, our name, logo and approach to business changed somewhat. We move forward working in affiliation with a Representative from Lubbock named Brock Barnes. We are eagerly anticipating 2007. The recently adopted pension reforms afford us the opportunity to positively impact the lives of many nearing retirement age. We will start the year using seminars to educate people about what these changes mean and how the changes will affect them and their pensions. Besides the business, John spends much of his time taxiing kids. With two teenagers working, one going to school and others having multiple social obligations, we need a fulltime scheduler just to figure out where kids need to be at any given moment of the day. He still enjoys reading, biking and walking with me and Riley. Can you believe we are “walk-the-dog” people? How times have changed! John’s favorite pastime is still hanging out with the family.

As for me, life is never dull. My days consist of running, planning and fixing lots of meals, taxiing kids all over creation, cleaning mounds of dirty laundry, teaching school, helping with homework, working in the business, paying bills, supervising chores, entertaining friends, and keeping a well run house in order. After cramming as much as possible into each day, I fall into bed at night thankful for the special family God blessed me with. There is no greater or tiring job than being a stay-at-home mom. Along with constant frustrations come oodles of joy, priceless moments that only come along because of the quantity of time invested in these precious lives. It takes great amounts of quantity to produce meaningful quality time. My goal each day is to show them Christ’s love and impart some Godly wisdom in their lives. I often fail but continue to trust “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” When I am old, I will never regret the amount of time I invested in the lives of my children. My primary focus at this stage of my life is to raise children that have a passion for Christ. John and I continue to mentor couples struggling with financial issues. It is so rewarding to help a young couple head down the path to financial freedom!

Hope you know how much we love and appreciate each of you. Though our contact may only be this correspondence, you are very special to us. We pray as 2007 gets underway that you will remember the Reason for the Season and start the new year resolved to live right in the middle of His will.