Dear Friends and Family,

The years just seem to fly by so quickly now (is this a sure sign of ageing? heaven forbid!) And because is seems so accelerated, so much more seem to happen!

Surely this has been a year of unrest and upheaval. The Los Angeles riots have been by far the most traumatic to endure. We were quite a ways away from the real trouble, but the force of what we were viewing on t.v. affected us. Because we were within the county lines we were under the strict curfew that were imposed. It was an eery feeling as shops that usually are open 24 hours a day and through all holidays, were closed down by 6 PM every evening. Tensions were high!

That took place in April. In May, Kena nd I flew to New York to catch what is becoming our annual cruise! It was wonderful to be back in my home town, wher we stayed in luxurious accomodations in the middle of Manhattan just up from Carnegie Hall. The next day we were off to Bermuda with its turquoise waters, pink sand beaches, quaint villages (very British however) and friendly natives! Ken took a scuba course while there, while I stuck to snorkeling. It was fabulous!

In July we had back-to-back earthquakes. Over 7.0 no less! We woke with the first one to see a phosphorescent green glow as transformers arched and exploded all over! It shook for quite awhile. Only one of our kids woke up (Amy) while the others slept through till the second one struck! We take them all in stride, though they are unnerving, especially since we are always anticpating "THE BIG ONE"!

July also had a happy event to celebrate, Annie and Rob welcomed their new little boy, Jason. I got to drive up with Amy for the delivery, where Annie did a spectacular job of bringing another "cutie" into the world!

August we spent up in the mountains of Mammoth, CA. It turned into a fiasco! The resorts there were in the middle of raging forest fire! The smoke hung over our condo which we shared with firefighters from our own county, oddly enough. So that put a damper on any serious fishing that Ken had planned. I did get some shopping done though because of course that was all indoors, away from the smoke!

And now we're back in the school routine...Amy (6th grade) doing well as usual. Her piano skills have now surpassed her dad's and she love reminding him of that! She has reached the "age of sassiness" which our friends say is just the beginning!

Brian (3rd grade) into comic books, and video games still. His skills in baseball have improved. He actually enjoyed playing on his team this year. He still draws up a storm, so I guess we'll break down and give him so lessons soon (but that's all he'll need to make excuses NOT to play piano) He does really well with his music, it's just getting him to practice more is the problem (nag, nag, nag...)

Karen (1st grade) is still such a busy girl. So many friends, so little time! She has lots of fun being a Daisy scout, and can hardly wait till she can add piano and sports to mom's already hectic schedule. She still is part tomboy, part sweetheart. She loves to "primp" and dress up, while still out there with the neighborhood boys going head-to-head on who is the best super hero, etc. She is pretty well accepted and holds her own.

Laura (almost 3) bringing up the flank, she is our most colorful addition! She is certainly our most precocious, and most uninhibited! She managed to break her foot this past Sept. while jumping off the back of the couch. Pretty amazing since the doctor says there are hardly any bones to break at this age since it's mostly cartilage at this point! She managed to break two bones! It didn't stop her or slow her down to have a bright pink cast...she still ran like the wind!

Ken signed up another year of early morning teaching (no ones howling for the job) and don't ask me how he does this day in and day out! His practice is going great and they just hired an assistant to help out. He's taken up scuba seriously and can hardly wait to get out again.

Linda is still in the classrooms helping out one day a week, and devoting another day to genealogy extraction work. Since being released from the stake calling she has the Bear Cub Scouts to round out a full week! It is the BEST calling I've ever had. Brian jsut advanced into the den and it has been rewarding working with him, and having a great time!

Well this has been a long letter...but with time so limited it is my only chance to keep in touch with many of you for another year--even with the best of intentions!

We have had some trying times, as have all of you I'm sure. A sign of the times? Maybe so. We pray that your gifts this season wil be love of family and friends, a renewal of faith and hope, and a happiness that lasts throughout the new year. PEACE BE UNTO YOU...

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