December 1999

The golden leaves on the ground signal us that the year is coming to an end. As it does we take the time to share with good friends and family the joys and changes this past year has brought. We were blessed with many wonderful opportunities and experiences that have made our lives richer. Many of you have been a part of that year.

Jenk has had another busy year at the high school with time spent teaching and many extra hours wiring the campus and repairing computers. Fortunately he loves what he does even if he is occasionally frustrated by the difficulty of the task. He was “rewarded” for his efforts when we were able to buy a new, up-to-date computer in the spring.

Except for a bout of pneumonia in the spring Patty has had a healthy year. She continues to enjoy teaching and is beginning to feel comfortable with her job as the department chair even though it seems strange to be the senior member of the team.

This year brought the most changes for Marc. In June he graduated from high school with high honors and in October he began classes at UCLA. With his credit from AP test and 2 other college classes he entered with sophomore standing as a biochemistry major. He has been living in the dorm and has enjoyed playing in the marching band (even with a losing football season…). The house seems empty without him.

Beth is enrolled in two advanced placement classes this year and has an endless amount of homework and studying to do. She also continues to play the saxophone in two bands and she ran cross country this fall – track will begin in a few weeks. In spite of all this she somehow finds the time to be with her friends and to talk on the phone. She never has any time to be bored!

This summer was very different for our family as were often apart. Right after school got out Patty accompanied Beth to France. Beth spent 5 weeks staying with family friends in different parts of the country. It was a great adventure for her and she greatly improved her French ( and bought some “cool” clothes!). During this time Patty had the opportunity to visit with friends she does not often see, spending 10 days in Germany and the remainder of the time in Paris, Brittany, Normandy, and the south of France. She is very thankful that she got to go since two of the friends she visited have sadly passed away since her return.

In the meantime Marc tutored math and Jenk taught networking to adults for two weeks before driving to Texas to visit with Jenk’s family. Marc was only able to stay for two weeks, then flew home to work while Jenk returned just in time to pick up the “girls” from the airport. Then we had a few weeks to spend together before returning to work.

As we approach the end of a century (or at least the 1900s) we think of our many blessings. We wish you all a most joyous Christmas and a new year full of promise.