Sunday, July 5, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
X-MAS LETTER
We hope the Christmas season finds you well; our family is especially blessed this year.
The first annual Christmas letter finds Brandon graduated from Ole Miss and beginning the Army’s Infantry Officer’s Basic Course at Fort Benning, Ga. This past summer we and the in-laws drove 18 hours to Tupelo, Mississippi to see the auspicious occasion. Even Aunt Peggy visited from Tenerife to make the drive! God bless her. A tornado blew through that night and damaged the town and gave us a good scare – not many tornadoes in the Canary Islands.
Graduation day was beautiful and we enjoyed a tour of the campus. Brandon’s roommates threw him a graduation party in the finest Southeastern Conference tradition, complete with beer drinking-games. Brandon’s grandparents also competed in the games and kept pace with the young coeds.
Brandon is now a Second Lieutenant, still drives his Mustang, and still asks for advice from his mother. We are all tremendously proud of him. He is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in the spring of ’09 with the “Mississippi Rifles.” He says he is currently dating a Russian Supermodel. (I was unaware that Jackson, Mississippi was a center of fashion.)
Damien turned 18, graduated from High School, received his Eagle Scout award, and is doing well at Tidewater Community College. On the weekends he volunteers in various community programs. He helps feed the elderly – the little old ladies love him as he “chats them up” while opening fruit cups. He is the fish-section manager in a part-time job at the local pet store while he is in college. He rescues fish with malfunctioning swim bladders and brings them home to a tank in his room. This condition causes the fish to swim in dizzying circles around the tank in his room.
Ciaran recently camped in 34 degree weather with the Scout Troop at the local Church. The church’s men’s club sells Christmas trees, and the Scouts are assisting. The same day he ran a 5k race to raise money for some debilitating disease and headed to the school sock-hop later that night. He runs cross-country for his school and plays soccer. This past summer he, Bryan, and Uncle Andrew and Aaron went to scout camp in the Poconos and had a great time!
Elizabeth is our angel and is doing well in school. She picked up field hockey this year and had a good time. She received her First Holy Communion on a cold but bright day this spring. She loves spending the weekends with her cousins (Sara and Andrew’s kids) who live just down the block. She is also working hard to learn the piano.
Tracey volunteers as an administrative assistant at the kids’ school, chauffeurs them to activities, and continues to add to her shoe and purse collection. She has not increased her dog collection (thank goodness!).
Bryan continues to work to support the shoe and purse collection and was recently selected to the rank of colonel. Clearly he slipped through the cracks for promotion. No word on if and when they will move to DC next summer. He picked up surf-fishing this summer and has begun a modest rod and lure collection.
The dogs (Eilish, Molly, Gracie, and Emma) continue working to set new longevity records for their breeds. They also compete daily as to who can welcome visitors the loudest to our home. See picture of the Girls and visiting cousin, Smokey the poodle. We’ve certainly been blessed this year with good health and prosperity for our families – which is the greatest Christmas gift of all!
The first annual Christmas letter finds Brandon graduated from Ole Miss and beginning the Army’s Infantry Officer’s Basic Course at Fort Benning, Ga. This past summer we and the in-laws drove 18 hours to Tupelo, Mississippi to see the auspicious occasion. Even Aunt Peggy visited from Tenerife to make the drive! God bless her. A tornado blew through that night and damaged the town and gave us a good scare – not many tornadoes in the Canary Islands.
Graduation day was beautiful and we enjoyed a tour of the campus. Brandon’s roommates threw him a graduation party in the finest Southeastern Conference tradition, complete with beer drinking-games. Brandon’s grandparents also competed in the games and kept pace with the young coeds.
Brandon is now a Second Lieutenant, still drives his Mustang, and still asks for advice from his mother. We are all tremendously proud of him. He is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in the spring of ’09 with the “Mississippi Rifles.” He says he is currently dating a Russian Supermodel. (I was unaware that Jackson, Mississippi was a center of fashion.)
Damien turned 18, graduated from High School, received his Eagle Scout award, and is doing well at Tidewater Community College. On the weekends he volunteers in various community programs. He helps feed the elderly – the little old ladies love him as he “chats them up” while opening fruit cups. He is the fish-section manager in a part-time job at the local pet store while he is in college. He rescues fish with malfunctioning swim bladders and brings them home to a tank in his room. This condition causes the fish to swim in dizzying circles around the tank in his room.
Ciaran recently camped in 34 degree weather with the Scout Troop at the local Church. The church’s men’s club sells Christmas trees, and the Scouts are assisting. The same day he ran a 5k race to raise money for some debilitating disease and headed to the school sock-hop later that night. He runs cross-country for his school and plays soccer. This past summer he, Bryan, and Uncle Andrew and Aaron went to scout camp in the Poconos and had a great time!
Elizabeth is our angel and is doing well in school. She picked up field hockey this year and had a good time. She received her First Holy Communion on a cold but bright day this spring. She loves spending the weekends with her cousins (Sara and Andrew’s kids) who live just down the block. She is also working hard to learn the piano.
Tracey volunteers as an administrative assistant at the kids’ school, chauffeurs them to activities, and continues to add to her shoe and purse collection. She has not increased her dog collection (thank goodness!).
Bryan continues to work to support the shoe and purse collection and was recently selected to the rank of colonel. Clearly he slipped through the cracks for promotion. No word on if and when they will move to DC next summer. He picked up surf-fishing this summer and has begun a modest rod and lure collection.
The dogs (Eilish, Molly, Gracie, and Emma) continue working to set new longevity records for their breeds. They also compete daily as to who can welcome visitors the loudest to our home. See picture of the Girls and visiting cousin, Smokey the poodle. We’ve certainly been blessed this year with good health and prosperity for our families – which is the greatest Christmas gift of all!
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Bryan loves Tracey
