We went west over spring break to Sedona, Arizona. What a spectacular display of the beauty of nature! We took a day trip to the the Grand Canyon and were further amazed by the awesome splendor of nature. It was difficult to grasp the magnitude of the reality...larger than eyes can see, so deep, so quiet, and so many colors and indistinguishable changes in the terrain...surreal! We took a few days and traveled further west taking in the Hoover Dam/Lake Mead area on our way to Las Vegas. From one extreme to another, Las Vegas is a spectacle of mankind's ability to entertain itself. We stayed at the Mirage and from there covered the strip both day and night to the limits of our endurance and interest. We gambled a little at every stop and Lori seemed to have the luck. It was amazing to get up in the morning, shuffle down to the lobby for coffee and a paper, only to be brazenly awakened to the 24 hour party that never ends! The family suffered through a few of my NASCAR points of interest along the way, and we even ran into drag racer, John Force in Las Vegas. The driving was entertaining in itself. The scenery and changes in elevation were like nothing we’d ever experienced. From the winding mountain roads north out of Sedona to the snow-capped Humphreys Peak near Flagstaff and then the ever-changing desert both to and from Phoenix and even more extreme west to and from Las Vegas.
The summer was collectively, very action-packed. Immediately upon the end of school, Brandon joined a group of kids from all over the state of Georgia (ARML) to travel to Penn State and compete in a national math competition, finishing 12th of 76 teams. I intercepted his group half-way home in Charlotte to shuttle him to Raleigh-Durham and join our church youth group on their week-long mission trip to Washington to work in shelters and soup kitchens. I did a bit of NASCAR sightseeing on the way home. Chris spent a week at band camp in Millegeville. We all headed up to Buffalo for the 4th of July week. It was a relaxing week with Mom Luders, taking in the 4th of July festivities with Kim’s family, checked out the Erie Canal in Lockport, took in a Buffalo Bisons baseball game, and even though we flew, the delays and missed connections coming and going were more consuming than driving! Brandon was back on the road to Montreat for a week of youth conferences and about the time he returned, Chris took off with the youth group for their mission trip to Wilmington, NC to work on flood relief projects. Then it was time for Brandon’s drumline camp, followed by band camp. Mixed in with all of this activity was a concerted effort to get Brandon his driver’s license. Between driver’s ed classes and the hours of practice over the 15 months he held his permit, we all were ready, so he took his test on August 8th and passed!
Early in the year, Chris went to District Honor Band in Toccoa. His trumpet leaves the house with him most days. He and Lori went to the University of Georgia in early December for Midfest, a middle school band festival. Chris earned first chair in the band he played with. Chris entered the 8th grade Reflections fine arts competition in literature at his school with his politically-correct "My World" and won! I’ve put it up on my website (http://www.geocities.com/bluders) if you’re interested. He’s getting used to wearing glasses...slowly. We had a DSL internet connection installed this summer, so he and Brandon keep the wires humming playing Everquest and on Instant Messenger, and we even have a dialtone! It’s great! ([email protected])Brandon is busy. With marching band season just over, the pace has slowed just a bit. He has Math Team, Beta Club, Academic Team, National Honor Society, math tutoring...busy. He went to Furman University for a math tournament early in the year, placed 3rd in a AAAA JV State Math Tournament, and 4th overall in the same tournament. I sense a common theme and his SAT score in math confirmed it. The marching band went to Disney World in the spring and performed Fantasia 2000 this season. He received a Spirit of Cooperation award for the 1999-2000 band year. The college mail is rolling in. He’s thinking engineering...aerospace...Georgia Tech, but keeping an open mind to all possibilities, including MIT.
Kitty and Nicky are maintaining the status quo. They had a blowout the day after Thanksgiving over sleeping rights in our cedar closet, the coziest spot in the house. At 20 and all of about six pounds, Kitty got the worst of it and is recovering from a pierced sinus. I have always admired Kitty’s spunk.Even with Brandon driving, Lori is still playing the critical logistical role in keeping this household of teenagers operating. She is also Hull Middle School PTSA Co-President, Gwinnett PTA Council Vice President and is teaching second grade Sunday School. The days start very early and run very late.
I’m fourteen years running at Lindsay, Pope, Brayfield and the company is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this year. With Brandon starting the driving process and Chris just a couple of years out, coupled with a rash of teen driving deaths in Atlanta this year, I have taken on the challenge of promoting changes in Georgia’s driving laws. (http://www.SCAREDgeorgia.org) We’ll hope for changes early next year.We hope you are enjoying the holiday season. Take it easy and enjoy the moments. God bless...