Christmas Letters

Well, let me make it clear that ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis te feugifacilisi! What does it all mean? I don’t know because I don’t speak made up Latin mumbo jumbo. I DO know that I’m quite surprised by all of the Christmas cards suddenly arriving in the mail. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was lounging at poolside, quaffing down a malt beverage? Probably not … I don’t quaff! However, it is that time again for me to make up stories about our little community residing here at 54 Pemberton Avenue. So hear goes.

I’ve been living in my own version of Survivor with my job at Lucent … yes I still work there! Once the summer rolled around they were "selecting" people to participate in their "force management program" every two weeks. What did it mean if you were selected? Buh-bye! See ya! Adios! There were many days I felt stripped to the loin cloth running around trying to win immunity.

Debbi’s life has been exciting too. She’s really gotten into a nice niche as a substitute teacher. She is the sub of choice for the Kindergarten class. Last year one teacher was out for about 10 weeks and Debbi took over her class. She did a great job and worked very hard at it, spending tons of extra hours to prepare … she probably could have made twice the amount of money flipping burgers for all of the time she put in but … I once knew a woman, she asked her son to shine her shoes. She put a quarter in each one of them 'cause she thought that was his due. But he returned the money and when she asked him why that was he said, "Mom I'm old enough to know by now you just do some things for love." (by Bill Mallonee).

Debbi’s other major adventure (besides the thrill of living out her day to day existence with her devoted and loving husband) was her great disappearing act. That’s right she left me … a bunch of times to visit Mom, daughter, Mickey & Minnie in Orlando. But that’s not what I mean … Deb joined a program at church called First Place and she has lost about 35 pounds in about 6 months. I’m really proud of her. She’s feeling great and looking great to. Diet & exercise are huge components but there’s a spiritual element that Deb will tell you has changed her the most from the inside.

We were especially spoiled this year with our many travels … we had an excellent time up in Lake Placid for my niece Rebecca’s graduation. I just always have a great time getting together with my mom, sisters and their families. We also ventured to Syracuse for a 4^th of July bash with my Oswego college friends that is always a blast. Next we were off to the beaches of south Jersey for an extended number of beautiful days of sun, surf and seafood. This time around the surf was consistently excellent for belly boarding day after day and I never got tired of it! And finally, to close out the summer we headed to Orlando to see … who else? Lyndsay & my in-laws were there too! We splurged by staying at the Animal Kingdom resort for some of the nights. It’s an incredible place … all kinds of exotic animals grazing right outside your room. Very peaceful.

I’ve had some other highlights as well. Lucent has been good to me but working 40 hours a week there is quite enough. My real passion continues to be helping families that have become homeless get a rest, find their bearings and get back on their feet. I’ve been part of Interfaith Hospitality Network for 4 years now but it never gets tiring helping these families … I can get wiped out sometimes but it’s been extremely rewarding. It’s one of those things that for every problem you can get behind you there are many more in front. But you see people getting helped. And if you sit back for a second and reflect you can see God’s hand in it all the way. Check out our web site … www.ihn-of-mc.org!!!

I’m thrilled to see the end of page 2 (and I bet so are you!). I’ll leave you with the words of my favorite songwriter (Bill Mallonee) because I like what he says:

Sorry, I cannot deny myself from using the reference. So here we are, pictured at Wally World (a.k.a. Walt Disney World), wishing you another Merry Christmas. Thanks to the magic of scanners, I was able to include Lyndsay’s mug with the three of ours. At the very moment the picture was taken, Lyndsay was elsewhere experiencing the cold realities of college life … I’m convinced it was in the form of a Coors Light.

Folks, a “letter” just doesn’t seem to be in me this time. However, now that I have received the two annual letters from my college friends I’ll give it the ol’ Oswego try! Line em’ up beertender! So, here we go …

This year the umbilical cord between Momma & Lyndsay was finally severed! Of course, this was quickly replaced by wireless communications betwixt NJ and Orlando as well as innumerable flights on Continental Airlines. I think we may have single handedly averted financial ruin for the airline industry since September 11. Lyndsay and Deb weren’t the only ones flying. Corinne has taken two trips par avion to the boonies of Virginia on account of her takin’ a likin’ to this young man from Floyd, Virginia. Apparently, an occasional phone call and long letters no longer do the trick these days for long distance romances. And speaking of Lyndsay … there is a point in a young girl’s life when she discovers that she has a free will. Free to explore and grab for life because “there is no day but today!” Every day is an opportunity to push the parental envelope of wisdom and protection to its very limits. A subtle power shift occurred when Mom and Dad realized that the child, the baby, our “wittow windsey” was now 18 and would be making all kinds of decisions from 1000 miles away. There’s not much Ma & Pa can say about the wisdom of participating in the milk carton races that are taking place in the wee hours of the morning on the outskirts of Orlando! Lyndsay seemed to adjust quite well at the University of Central Florida. The winds of change blew quickly though … just two days into the semester our theatre major discerned that Theatre was a bogus program and not worth her effort! Psychology was the way to go … so, yes, definitely it’s psycholo-, um, English! No doubt about it! Wait, did I say English? No no no no. It’s early childhood education! And there it has stuck for almost 2 months. I think we have a winner!!! But you know what? I think that makes sense for her. So, in spite of a strong bout of homesickness Lyndsay is now “solid” at UCF. She claims to be a creature of the night. Parties are plentiful as well as a large assortment of male coeds. I have no idea how she would be aware of such things since I’m sure she devotes all of her time to the rigors of academics. So with Lyndsay gone we have had to make do with a family of three. I think this has allowed Corinne to gain more of a voice. Perhaps it’s because Lyndsay isn’t drawing so much attention from us (Corinne might call it sucking life’s blood). Corinne, now a sophomore, is ready to share her opinions and observations with anyone, anytime. I was quite amused with her when she poured her heart out to a family friend of ours about the intricate goings on at her high school, including detailed reviews of each of her teachers. The fun part was telling her later that she had just spilled her guts to a member of the board of education! School, Wes the Virginian, working at the day care, babysitting, and TV/vegging sums up Corinne’s life. This is supplemented with the occasional rants to anyone who will listen regarding her oppressive parents. She’s taken the past year off from horseback riding. In her final lesson, I witnessed the most graceful dismount ever! When the horse refused the obstacle, she slid down the horse’s neck, plopping into the mud. All was caught on videotape. I’m proud to say she got back on and showed that horse that she was the boss. But enough about the kids. I’ll start with the critical highlights:

§ We moved a YEAR ago to 54 Pemberton. If you continue to send us mail at 50 Pemberton you are at the mercy of the buyers of our old house, a place where “%&@! money pit” is often heard.

§ I survived the carnage at Lucent so far and I never told you to buy Lucent stock!

§ Debbi continues to substitute teach and has fast become the kindergarten sub of choice!

§ The addition on the house was completed. Jan & Fred (the in-laws) love their refuge in NJ.

Now on with the important stuff. Last year I mentioned that I was president of an organization (Interfaith Hospitality Network of Monmouth County) that assisted homeless families. Well, this year we finally opened our doors! For those who are not familiar with this program, IHN is made up of a network of congregations who have agreed to use their facilities to provide food and overnight shelter to homeless families. Each congregation takes turns to host the families (up to 14 people) for one week every 10 weeks. During the day the families go off to work, school or our IHN office (Day Center) where they work with our Director (an absolute gift from God) who helps them get back on track (i.e., case management). We opened in July and I have witnessed some extraordinary life transformations as well as having my eyes opened wide to the issues and heartaches of the hidden homeless. It’s been a lot of hard work for both Debbi and I, however, we have been more that compensated by the blessings we have received. If you live in the area and you think this sounds like cool stuff, get in touch. I’m always looking for help. For those of you who are equally impressed and excited about IHN but live too far away you might ask, “Chuck, what can I do to help? How can I make your organization even more effective?” I’d reply that donations are most graciously accepted (checks can be made payable to IHN-MC). Still others might ask, “Chuck, why does Debbi continue to put up with you?” My answer is the same (donations are most graciously accepted), however, in this case the checks should be made out to Debbi. Actually, this past year Debbi has joined me in my various projects to help the unfortunate. This was huge for us. Working together instead of going in our different directions and just meeting up in bed at the end of the day (not that there is anything wrong with that!) has been just the right thing for our marriage.

Well, I’m done! If you want to know more give us a call, send email (cpay57@aol.com) or pay us a visit. But one last thing … this year we lost Debbi’s grandfather Bob (aka Bob-bob). He was 94. We were so fortunate to have him with us for so long. How many people have 18 years of memories to cherish with their great-grandfather?!? A good friend of mine who lost his mother-in-law this year expressed so eloquently how God must have needed her to beef up the welcoming committee at St. Peter’s gate for all those suddenly whisked up to heaven on September 11. We have faith that because Bob believed, he has joined them also. Perhaps he is our family’s own personal messenger.

Can it be? Yes! The Payette Christmas Newsletter is making a come back! Before you shout me down, pleading that I should leave well enough alone, there are some out there who actually look forward to this yearly record of the Payette tribe; the US Postal Service for one! So, go get your favorite hot or cold beverage, sit back and flick on the TV. You can use this letter as a coaster.

As I park myself here I need to consider whether you should be caught up on the previous two years that I have been silent. To save some ink I will just supply the headlines … “Fair Well Hairball Harriet”, “Lyndsay’s Smile Wows Audience”, “Corinne Rides Again”, “Marathon Madness I & II”, “Chuck Gets Active”, “Debbi Gets Degree, Students Cheer”, “Same Old, Same Old”, “In-Laws Inhabit Florida”, “Brewing Better Beer” and of course “Aged Couple Increase Brood”.

The move

With the in-laws (Jan & Fred) spending more time in their villa just south of Disney, I found myself with the enviable task of maintaining two homesteads here in the wilds of NJ. I was also forsaken by Bob-Bob (Deb’s grandpappy and gardener extraordinaire) who joined them for most of the year. I was forced to a minimalist strategy when it came to lawn care; cut it only if it cuts you. In one of Debbi’s many visits down to Florida (was it to see Mickey or Mommy???), whilst bathed in pixie dust, she and her Mom decided that we should sell our house and move into Mom’s. Hey, it’s only two doors down. How hard could it be? Sell one house, combine 40 years of accumulations of three households into one and slap on an extension with a bed/bath by Christmas! And what fun it was! In the spring we concerned ourselves with selling the house and cleaning out the junk. Once sold, no small task, we set upon “the move”. We could have trekked around the world for the number of times we carted stuff between houses. It was the Grapes of Wrath and the Beverly Hillbillies all rolled into one. We managed to move everything we were not keeping into the old house for a huge antique road show type sale while we stuffed everything we were keeping into our “new” house. So now we are in, and not quite bursting at the seams. True, the contents of the garage rivals China’s monthly exports to the USA but we are gradually chipping away. As for the extension, we had the ground breaking ceremony on Dec 5. Will it be completed by Christmas? Yes, Christmas 2001.

The girls

Lyndsay is a senior in high school and turned 17 this year so Debbi and I turned to God! HAHA! Lyndsay is very open with us and tells us just about everything, whether we want to know it or not! Really, she is one of the sweetest things on earth … most of the time. One minute it is Armageddon between her and Debbi and the next it is the heartwarming ending to It’s a Wonderful Life. Things have gone well for her this year. In April she received statewide recognition when Governor Whitman mentioned Lyndsay in her weekly radio address. Albeit, it was a warning to the general public that Lyndsay had gotten her driver’s license but fame is fame. Earlier in March Lyndsay hit the stage as part of the ensemble cast in her high school play Grease. She loves being on stage and her smile says it all. She keeps real busy between her job, school and her dance and voice lessons. She has been working part-time at a day care center taking care of infants and pretty much loving it. However, the focus now is COLLEGE! It should be no surprise that she wants to major in theatre. Her #1 choice in schools is the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She hopes to be able to parlay this into jobs performing at Disney. Get ready Florida! That little recount of yours was only the beginning.

Corinne, now a freshman, has fit right into the high school routine. As much as Lyndsay craves the spotlight, Corinne avoids it. While Lyndsay tells all, Corinne feels that name, rank and serial number is sufficient information for us parents. She watches Lyndsay closely, learning what to say, or not say, to avoid any probing interrogations from Mom & Dad . Corinne first and foremost loves the horses. She has been riding for a number of years now and every time I watch her I am amazed on how well she handles the horse. True grace and poetry. To be around horses as much as possible, Corinne loves to volunteer at a barn helping disabled kids learn to ride. It’s something called therapeutic riding. She can tell you a whole lot better than I about how much this benefits the kids. Corinne already knows that she will always want this to be part of her life. Right now Corinne is looking into a short term mission trip to “someplace poor”, as she puts it. She really has a heart for anyone struggling, including us! Corinne serves the house as the Bank of England with all of the cash she brings in by babysitting … “Deb, I thought you were going to the MAC machine! … Corinne! Oh sweet Corinnieeeee”.

The Debster

Debbi managed to fill her time to the full extent allowable by law. Now that Debbi has her second associate’s degree (see headlines) she is qualified to substitute teach. Through June she stayed on as the teacher’s aide for a kindergarten class, but what she really enjoyed was getting to take over when the kindergarten teacher was out. Of course with the good there is the bad. She gets to substitute for any teacher, not just kindergarten. There is quite a difference between a sweet and lovable 5 year old vs. a hormone infested eighth grader in gym class. Regardless, this year she decided to just substitute teach. This gives her much more time to be at home, taking care of the needs of her loving family, or, perhaps more accurately, running ragged at the beck and call of the wretched and helpless slugs in her family. And ladies and gentleman, that’s not all. Debbi has been know to disappear when there is a stage production going on at Lyndsay’s high school. In last year’s show Debbi was the box office (in charge of tickets) but for some reason this meant that she had to be there for every facet of the production. Suddenly she was calling everyone “dah - ling” and wearing nothing but black. Now this was fine with me, especially late in the evening, but it was beginning to scare her kids in Sunday School class, especially when she showed up with that cigarette holder dangling out of her mouth! But Debbi’s biggest challenge was trying to figure out what happened to Chuck.

The Chuckster

Chuck is still working for Lucent but he that doesn’t matter so much now. (Apologies to all of you who ran out and bought a gazillion shares of Lucent stock!) Since finding our church 3 years ago, Chuck’s inner passions have gradually taken hold. Yes, Chuck is now moonlighting as one of those “cologne squirters” at an upscale department store! Well, we had to pay for Debbi’s collection of 2 trillion beanie babies somehow! Ok. That’s a lie. Truthfully, through our church pastor (Vincent), God finally got Chuck’s attention and he is thriving. Chuck is the “Action” team leader at the church, working with and championing local ministries that serve the poor and dispossessed. On top of that he is the president of one of the local ministries, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which is a network of churches in the area that work together to provide food, shelter, and services to assist homeless families get back on their feet. (Tax deductible contributions to IHN-MC are always welcome!) So, the tide has turned; now Chuck is the one who must struggle to balance family, passions and work while Debbi must bide her time, counting the seconds for her true love to return home from his noble adventures in and around the county. (Gee, I wonder who is writing this).

The Rest

So, what did I leave out? What elderly couple increased their brood? Deb’s Mom and Fred? If you have spent any time observing Jan & Fred getting “moonie moonie, kootchie kootchie” you might think so. No, the truth is that I meant us, but not how you think (although we tried many times). We had a guest bunking in our TV room on an Aero bed for a few months. Rob, a 21 yr old, tall, strapping lad, took no time in making himself at home and becoming part of the household. Leftovers were a thing of the past with Rob scarfing down helping after helping at dinner; trying to fill up his size 25DDD feet I suppose. The girls and him got along as brother and sister. So for a time we had three kids taking turns ignoring the mess in the kitchen. He left us to start basic training with the NJ National Guard. To his credit, he managed to leave just BEFORE we began the move.

Well, I see that I am closing fast on the bottom of page 2 so, as Al Gore put it, “It is time to go”.

May you and your family be filled with God’s peace and love this Christmas and in the coming year.

The whole Payette Family would like to thank everyone for theirs prayers and thoughts during the passing of Chuck’s Father and Grandmother.

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S ! ! !

Another year has gone by and I hear a cry in the wildernessasking for the Christmas letter. And a fine year it was! Debbi's hair got longer (and then shorter), my hair,well, I still have some, and the kid's hair got washed. But that's not all! Read on for a summary of events that are certainly bound for a TV mini-series!

Domestic Affairs

We all got through the year without any major calamities...No injuries, natural disasters, job changes or major plumbing jobs.

My company managed to avoid filing for bancruptcy so I am still employed there. To achieve this the company "restructured" itself enough to consolidate into one building locally. This is actually good since my department is moving to a building in Oceanport which will be only a mile from home. I guess there are some benefits in staying there (although I am still open to suggestions).

Debbi continues to sling hash for the fine youngsters at Lyndsay and Corinne's school. Bob-bob (Debbi's grandfather) continued to stayon as caretaker of our grounds. He does a great job and the price is right!

Corinne started kindergarten this year. She loves it. She is also just starting out in a gymnastics class. Lyndsay is in the third grade now and is doing great. She is taking ballet lessons as she has a keen interest in dancing (and singing). Lyndsay seems to have tendency to get straight A's while at this point in time Corinne doesn't have the slightest interest in A's or any other letter of the alphabet for that matter.

As I said, there were no major plumbing jobs ... I did learn that it is possible to unclog a sink by attaching one of those wire snakes to an electric drill and letting it rip ... right through the pipe under the sink. The water drains quite rapidly on to the floor; no more clog!

We had our backroom transformed into something that looks like a room, as opposed to the great outdoors. A couple of guys came in for a day and sheet rocked anything that moved. We were left with the task of spackling the "joint", painting, running new electric stuff etc. This took a looooooooong time. Debbi says we aren't finished! Every now and then she wanders into the room mumbling something about no molding. (Anybody out there have any idea what molding is?)

Foreign Affairs

We played host to another Japanese college student in the late winter. This time we didn't have any major international incidents because Yukiko's understanding of English was quite good. She and Debbi took many trips to the
bookstore (and a Yogurt shop next door) and did a lot of shopping. We had a great excuse to make
a lot of day trips with her to see New York City and Atlantic City. During this time Yukiko's biggest impressions were in how much Americans eat (especially dessert), the number of brightly colored and/or junky cars (my classic 1979 VW rabbit included) and how BIG everything seemed to be.

Yukiko is making a return visit to the USA and you can meet her at our annual Christmas dessert extravaganza ... details to follow.

Travel Log

We like to travel whenever we can and this year wasn't much different.

After getting out from under our remodelling job we decided to go camping. We were looking forward to communing with nature, getting away from the crowds, etc. Everything was going fine until a large group of nude campers took
the site right next to ours. They trampled through our campsite on the way to the bathroom all hours of the day and night. There were so many people at this campground that I felt I had pitched the tent in front of Grand Central Station! We can't wait to do it again next year! Oops, I meant rude, not nude.

Soon after the camping trip we were off again for the Mother of all Reunions; the annual get together with old college friends. This year we rented a "chalet" in the mountains of Vermont. At one point during the week there were 19 residents (11 adults and 8 kids). It was great. There are many tales to tell from this one but they are mostly "had to be there" types of events (Like the beefcake across the road splitting logs. I can still hear the women, "Oooo, he's gonna take off his shirt!!!") However, one of the stand out adventures had to be ... The Battle of Bennington!!!

One day during the week the woman awarded the MEN (grunt when you say it) custody of all of the young
cherubs. This was so designed so that the women could invade the hamlet of Bennington and "shop till they drop". The MEN were to take the kids to see manly things like the Bennington monument (a structure similar to the Washington monument) and museums chock full of artifacts of war. The MEN easily maintained order with the kids by threatening them with a tourof all of the craft and fabric shops of southern Vermont (i.e., we'd hand them over to there mothers). With monuments and museums out of the way the MEN and the kids "took 5" at a pizza shop in the center of town. It was there that the woman spotted them and ducked into the "Welcome Country Crafts Ducks, Hearts and Smelly Stuff" boutique. Little did they know that they too were spotted. The battle lines were drawn! With their God given superior intellect, the MEN planned an ambush. The four gallant MEN and eight ragged children bolted out of
the pizza shop and rushed to a strategic position across the street from the "...Smelly Stuff" boutique. The battle began when the unsuspecting women, arms full of "bargains", came out of the store. The sidewalks were full of people and traffic was at a dead stop going in both directions. With kids on shoulders and hanging off of their belts the MEN gave the signal. The kids screamed, "Mommy, Mommy we're hungry", while the MEN screamed "Where's the alimony check? How are we supposed to feed the kids?" Mortified, the women tried to evade them by ducking back into the store, but to no avail. The troops crossed the street and cornered the women there. Sensing defeat, the women pulled out the doomsday weapon. Simultaneously they flashed their credit cards and announced that every wreath, duck and
heart was theirs! Defeated and sneezing (from the pot pourrie) the MEN and kids withdrew. The battle was over... We are looking forward to another reunion this year.

Debbi and I got away for a week (without children) to celebrate our tenth anniversary in the Florida Keys in a quest to sail, snorkel and ... Early on in the week the weather forced us indoors with tropical storm warnings; Fabian was hovering just south of the keys and we were booked into a rustic cabin on the water at Bahia Honda State park. We managed to cancel that reservation (we were given a reprieve since they were going to evacuate everyone to higher ground anyway). We returned to our original place, a beautiful condo complete with a hot tub, and rode out the storm there. (Its amazing what you can do and see when equipped with mask, fins and snorkel in a hot tub). The rest of the week was beautiful ... it's a magnificent place.

In Closing

Again God has blessed us with good friends and jobs. We ask that you all pray for Debbi's parents, Jay and Jan, as her father is undergoing an alternative cancer treatment based on a very strict diet plan. Both are doing well and all tests are showing a positive outcome. We are grateful for all of the support everyone has provided.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

---------------------
Whoever is in the area ... please come to our Open House for dessert on Sunday, December 22, 6:30 - 8:30. Bring the kids!
.
Please RSVP by Saturday, December 21.

This year we thought we would do something a little different and enclose this note to bring everyone up to date on the going ons of the Payette'sfrom New Jersey. I know that these "enclosures" to Christmas cards are,for some people,... um ... unappreciated. If that is how you feel the please stop reading now!

OK! As you read this note be aware that "I" is Chuck since I, Chuck, is the one drafting this fine slice of history in the year of our Lord,1990.

The year started out innocently enough. I was working hard at my job andspending any other time I had trying to finish my project to get my Master's degree. Debbi wasputting up with me (or without me) the best she could. She had grown tired of the Tupperware circuit and was looking for another source for her "mad" money. (In New Jersey madmoney is what one uses to pay for non-essential things likecar payments and food.) In her quest she found employment as a substitute teacher's aid, cafeteria worker or what have you atthe local elementary school. More on this later...

Our first big event came during February and March when we played host to a Japanese exchange student named Tatsuya Ono. He was part of a groupof about 20 "students" from Japan who were staying at various houses in the area. They would attend English classes in the morning and then spend time with their host families the rest of the time. I suppose the point was that they wanted to expose themselves to the way Americans actually live. Tatsuya was a great guest. He spoke very littleEnglish but gave everything he had. The girls just loved him ... I think they communicated with him the best. When he first arrived the simplest questions took sometimes hours to get across. We drewa lot of pictures, spoke pidgin English and used a lot of handsignals ... Debbi still can't speak a complete sentence without wildly moving her hands and arms. There are many stories to tell from our experience but our favorite starts out with a call from school at 7:00 A.M.; they needed Debbi. This was to be her first day at her new job. We need you by 9:00, they say. OK, no problem. All we had to was find refuge for Corinne, get me to work get Lyndsay to school by 8:20 and Tatsuya to school by 9:00. Lyndsay was her usual self by announcing that none of her cloths could be worn that day (she looks wierd in her outfits, don't you know). Corinne had once again attached herself to Momma such that any extended period of separation was unthinkable. Well, Lyndsay and I got out alive thinking all was undercontrol. This is when our noble hound was let outside to do what dogs do first thing in the morning. Apparantly he spied something which was quite threatening to our household's well being. Our version of man's bestfriend was off like a shot into the swamp behind the house. He didn't manage to catch anything, however, he did manage to coat himself with the bottom of the swamp.Up goes Debbi with the dog in her arms (Corinne on her ankle) to the shower. OK, the dog is now clean but Tatsuya want shower now ..."No No, the tub is black, let me clean it!", says Debbi. "Want shower now ... OK Debbi?". It was starting to get ugly. There was no time to play charades with the young Japanese student. Debbi chose to ignore his request and cleaned up praying that he preferred to shower alone.After surviving this Debbi managed to get herself dressed and downstairs; only ten minutes to showtime. Down comes Tatsuya ready for a heartyAmerican breakfast. "Hom and eggs, prlease!". Debbi's brain raced ..."How do I convince him to eat cereal? how do I explain that I have togo to work? I'll give him some hom and eggs, right up ... I HATE TOYOTAS!" Well, somehow it all worked out. Enough so that we are planning to playhost to another student this year.

The year progressed quietly after Tatsuya left. Lyndsay turned 7and Corinne turned 4 in April. I continued to work hard at completing my project for school. My day consisted of going to work, coming home,eating dinner, working on project, going to bed, get up, go to work ...Debbi never thought that I would finish (and neither did I) but I did on May 24,1990. Fortunately the kids still recoginized me (barely) and Debbi was still talking to me. It is great to be free!

We managed to get away for vacation twice this year. In the summer we headed out to Hershey Park, Pa., Cleveland and then to Syracuse. We had a great time at the park, visiting relatives and seeing friends. Debbi and I got away alone in October to the Florida keys. We did a lot of snorkling and stuff married people do. We discovered the meanest waitress this side of the Mississippi at the Cracked Conch restaraunt in Key Largo; eater beware! Fortunately everyone else in the keys were great. We hope to get back there some day.

Work for Debbi has much improved since her first day. She has been substituting full time since the end of September because a regular is out on disability. She works from 9:00 - 1:30 "slingin hash" in the cafeteria at Lyndsay's school. I've been working hard as usual. The place I work has been having a bunch of trouble ... deep in debt after going through a merger. I've surived 3 layoffs this year. The other local computer type companies aren't doing so well either so there isn't anywhere to go; at least in New "Joisey". I'm all ears for any opportunities. Just let me know.

Lyndsay has had a pretty good year. She is in the second grade and doing great. Lyndsay's big event this year happened on Labor Day when she broke her arm falling off of a slide. She was a good sport through the whole ordeal. Her arm seems to have healed perfectly.

Everyday is big for Corinne. She is thoroughly enjoying her great-grandparents who are living in the apartment attached to our house. She has an unlimited supply of coffee ice cream and a place of refuge when things don't go her way with Mom and Dad.

We've had our usual "domestic" problems in the past year. The roof in the back part of the house (the sun room) had to be replaced. Until then we had Tupperware spread out all over the room catching the water everytime it rained. Our second car went dead two weeks after putting $300 dollars into it ... anyone want to buy a VW Rabbit?

Well, that really covers the year for us. We thank God for giving us another good year.