Fowler Family Newsletter
Fall/Winter 2005
Happy Holidays Everyone!!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It's hard to
believe how fast this last year has gone!
Summer break went by too fast as usual. Of course with
school starting on August 2nd, it leaves only a few weeks for the summer
break. I did get out to Iowa to spend some time with Mom and Cyndi's
family. Bob and I also had a chance to get down to Shreveport, LA to
visit with his uncle for several days. I had never been down to that part
of the country - it's beautiful, but HOT!
We also traveled up to Michigan for Kyle and Kristin’s
wedding. It was beautiful. They had some of the best music we've
heard at a wedding. It was fun to have the whole family together for the
event. Later, Kyle and Kristin stopped by for several days on their way
home from their honeymoon in the Smokies.
School has gotten into its usual hectic pace. I have 76
kids on my caseload this year, so I'm keeping pretty busy. Part of this
caseload is comprised of 6 autistic kids ranging from preschool to 4th
grade. (All but one moved into the district from other states.)
These kids are a lot of work, but fascinating. We just need to find out
why Garrard County has suddenly become so popular!
Bob has been working hard on our yard. We didn't get
a front yard in until May - and we're still waiting to be able to put in a back
yard - that's a long complicated story. But, the front of the house looks
great.
We just got back from Indianapolis. We met friends from
Wisconsin there and spent the Thanksgiving weekend together there. This
has gotten to be a yearly tradition and is a fun way to stay in touch with good
friends.
We're looking forward to going to Chicago for Christmas for our
Shipp family get-together in a couple of weeks. It's always fun to get
everyone together even for a couple of days.
Thanks again to Autumn and Kyle for
putting all the time into this newsletter. We're looking forward to
hearing everyone's news. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!!
Love, Deb and Bob
Hi Everyone,
We have already had our first snow storm up here,
a week before Thanksgiving. The kids are
thrilled with it, Van had the snowmobile out already, but I could have waited a
few more weeks for snow.
The Carpenters went into a little farming this
summer. The boys raised 27 chicks from
two days old. They have had a lot of fun
watching them grow and caring for them.
Not one of them died, which speaks highly of their work. They butchered 14 of chickens a few weeks ago
and kept the hens and one rooster. Now
they are looking forward to brown eggs.
Next spring they may try their hand at incubating their own eggs and
raising some more chicks. We have had
kittens around throughout the summer and into the fall, but I believe we are
down to just two cats right now and of course, the dog.
I have done some traveling since we last wrote,
but it wasn't for pleasure. I saw a
doctor out in Washington D.C. in August and returned in September for back
surgery. He removed the cysts that were
on my spine, because the cysts that were on the nerves to my legs last year had
come back. They believe that the ones on
my spine were feeding those, so it is hoped that this will take care of
everything. Van was with me for the
surgery and the first couple of days, but had to fly back to teach and run the
library, I had surgery the second week into the semester. I was in the hospital for eight days and then
stayed in the area another four days before flying home. Thankfully, Mom was here with boys for six
days and they survived quite well on their own the rest of time. I was impressed to come home to a house that
was neat and clean. The boys and Van
have done a great job taking over my duties the last few months, I am
just now starting to pick up my
normal activities. The only thing I have
accomplished this fall is working with them on their school work,
you can do a lot of that from the couch or bed.
The boys are on schedule with school and have earned the week of Thanksgiving
off. Benjamin is in eight grade this year and his favorite subject this year is
Pre-Algebra! Nate
is fifth grade, but is not enjoying his math, it is
long division right now. Joshua is
flying through his work and almost teaching himself. He wants more worksheets so he can be big
like his brothers. I know this will not
last.
This summer we enjoyed some time away so Van could
finish up his degree. He had to be near
a University library which meant a hotel stay for the rest of us. We ended this summer in Minneapolis, watching
him graduate with a Masters in Library and Information Science. He is glad to be done with the degree, and
almost wonders what to do with some of his extra late night hours! The guys went on a back packing camping trip nearby
us, and thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors.
Ben took up golf this summer, so of course, Van had to get his clubs
back out. Ben spent most of his summer
hitting golf balls across our front yard and got quite good at golf. They went out to the course a few times and
he was able to hold his own with men who have been playing for years. Benjamin also worked a couple different fund
raising golf tournaments sponsored by the school in August and enjoyed just
being out on the golf course. Nate rode his bike all over this summer, any time he could
go somewhere on it, he did, unless he was swimming. Joshua kept himself busy with his animals, he
even taught one of the cats to kiss him!
We are looking forward to spending the holidays at
home, I am not supposed to travel long distances yet. Van will be going to China next summer for a
month with a group of college students.
They will be teaching English in the schools over there. I hope to travel with him for at least part
of the time also; we will see how my health is at that point. We will send Kyle our new family pictures so
he can post them on the web page.
Merry Christmas to all!
Loretta
Hi Everybody!
As you all know Lucas a one year old keeps his
parents on the move. If he is not
crawling laps around the house he is right under our feet. He is very close to walking, I predict by the
end of the year he will be running. If
he is not on the move it means he is tearing something apart or getting himself
stuck under or in between stuff. We are
having a party with Wesley's side of the family on the 20th of November.
We are staying home for the holidays and just
enjoying some family time.
Happy New Year to
everyone.
Wesley, Leona, and Lucas
Greetings one and all!
Our warm fall weather has left us now and we are experiencing more
normal fall temperatures, along with some wind and rain, of course. Snow
has been and is predicted; but so far, we've escaped any accumulation of the
white stuff.
Since our last newsletter, we have experienced some changes.
First of all, we all (but Phil) got together again at a resort over in Illinois
(central for most of us) for a weekend. Timothy was due to ship out to
Iraq in a few weeks, so we wanted to get together once more. While there
we celebrated the four June birthdays in our family. We all agreed
that we should do it again next year; so we'll see if that works out.
Over the summer, Paul kept himself busy filling in pulpits around
the area here. There were only about three Sundays out of the whole summer
that he wasn't traveling somewhere. Once school started again, he curbed
all that traveling.
Then in early September, Sharon was needed up in Wisconsin for
a few days to stay with Van and Loretta's boys while she and Van traveled out
to DC for her surgery. That was enjoyable for Grandma and we got to
celebrate Joshua's birthday while there. At the end of the month, she
once again traveled up to Michigan to be with Hannah on the occasion of her
sister's birth and to be of help to her mother. After that she settled
down and stayed home as this year's vacation was all used up. This makes
us six grandchildren now!
We continue to stay active besides our jobs with services in area
care centers and at church. Sharon has had to brush up on her organ playing
of late as our regular organist fell and broke her ankle; so has been out of
commission for several weeks.
We are looking forward to Phil, Lynda and girls being with us for
Thanksgiving. Hope you all are doing well. Thanks, Autumn, for your willingness to get this together again.
Love, Paul and Sharon
Greetings from Iraq,
I think on the last newsletter I was in MS waiting to be shipped
overseas. First I went to Kuwait for three weeks to get accustomed to the
climate. While others got the opportunity to drive or ride in
vehicles some of us were chosen to fly into the country. Our unit is
pulling security on an air base, running offices, and doing patrols.
While marines are doing missions, other army units is going on convoys with
civilian trucks and acting like a mayor cell for the base. I get to see a
lot of different uniforms with all the different branches of service,
contractors and other countries military forces. I get to travel by
helicopter to other bases to help provide catholic coverage with the priest and
get to see the countryside more than other people do. Believe or not they
do have some good landscaping in spots with trees, grass, and bodies of water.
We just had one of our local news broadcast send a crew to interview us and get
holiday greetings. I did not get in front of the camera but they did tape
our outside mass. A couple months back we also had local newspaper reporters
visit our area and bring back reports to the communities.
Timothy P Johnson
Hi Fowler Family!
We neglected to send in an update for the last letter so I thought I
should get one in for this letter. I know that all of you have been
beside yourselves with anticipation for the Lister update. :-)
I won't begin to go into everything that has been going on for the
last 8 months or so - but suffice it to say we're seeing an end to the madness
and life should be returning to somewhat of a normal rhythm. It seems
many of this family have had a tough year, but God's good isn't He!
Andy, Jarrod and Katie are all doing great in school. They're
in 9th, 6th and 4th respectively. This year they're all in different
schools in the Ankeny area so it keeps the Lister Shuttle Service
hopping. Andy has his driving permit so we live in fear daily for our
lives as he drives!! Nooooooo. Actually
he does very, very well. Even Grandma lets him drive with her.
Doug is still at both jobs - UPS and Iowa Lutheran. He's going
to be taking a class starting in January that will work toward his RN degree
plus give him the credits to keep his LPN license updated. Between the
class and two jobs we'll see Dad even less than usual, but it has to be done
and we're thankful that his hospital job is flexible with scheduling to allow
him to take this class.
We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is so
very much to be thankful for! We wish you all a merry Christmas
also. We're looking forward to hearing about all of you.
Love, The Listers
Happy Holidays From Pennsylvania
It's hard to believe that time has gone by so fast. Just
last year we were preparing for the arrival of Anastasia, no we are getting
ready to celebrate her 1st birthday. Time really does go by so
fast. We have all been very busy with our jobs and taking care of Anastasia.
We are thankful that we have a healthy child/grandchild and that we can spend
the holidays together. We are also thankful that we have a wonderful
family that takes the time to share with one another their news (good and bad)
in this newsletter. Even though we cannot all be together we are in each
others hearts and minds. We hope everyone has a great holiday season and
a blessed one.
With Love,
Judy, Melissa, Rob and Anastasia
The last few months have been a whirlwind! We were married on September 10th,
which turned out to be a beautiful occasion.
The ceremony was held at Resurrection Reformed Church, the church in
which my father pastored as I grew up. We had an outdoor reception, right on the
lawn of the church. Not only did we
profess our love for each other before God, but, we were also able to share it
with many friends and family members.
We’re now living in Flint, at Kyle’s grandparents house. They are snowbirds and graciously allow us to
live in their home while they are in Florida.
Kyle’s school schedule keeps us moving between Flint and Boston every 6
months. He’s back to studying industrial
engineering at Kettering (in Flint) and working for Bose (in Boston) now that
he’s home from the Middle East.
I’ve been keeping busy with a new job. I was hired for seasonal help at Best
Buy. It’s a really fun job with some
great perks (like a new TV that we were able to purchase as our Christmas gift
to each other!). It doesn’t have the
long lasting emotional rewards of being a nanny, but it does pay much
better! Speaking of which, Anna, the
little girl that I used to nanny for, came for a visit a few weeks ago. She was our first overnight guest. She is 18 months old now and quite a flurry
of activity. We were really enjoying
having a little tyke around until she woke up at 5:30am the next morning. That brought us to the abrupt decision that
we will be waiting several years before having any kids! Next we thought we’d try a dog. We both really love dogs, but we’ll be living
in an apartment during our stays in Boston so we’re not sure that it’s a good
time to get one. But we borrowed a
golden retriever from some friends for a week while they were gone just to
see. I secretly think Kyle was hoping it
would convince me that we shouldn’t get one now. However, it backfired on him because it was a
wonderful week! So if you know anyone
getting rid of an older, well behaved dog, let me know…
On a more serious note, my grandfather died recently. It was a tremendous blessing because he’s
been very sick for a long time and it’s been a burden on my grandmother and my
parents. But it’s still hard to say
goodbye. He pretended to be a tough guy,
but he had a very gentle heart. I’ll
never forget how he used to “supervise” us.
Since he’s been sick (10+ years) he’s been unable to do yard work, but
he still wanted it to be perfect. So he
would wheel out to the driveway and bark instructions at the rest of us. No matter how hard I worked he would still
insist that it was “his way or the high way.”
However, when a project was finished he would brag for months about what
a nice job we did. I’ll really miss
taking orders from such a great man.
Well, I hope this finds you healthy and happy. May the Lord bless you and keep you over the
holiday season.
Sincerely,
Kristen and Kyle Shipp
Hi Everyone,
I am writing this on Tues., Nov. 15 as our
first snow of the season is falling. Two
to four inches or one to three - depending on which weather report you listen
to - are predicted, but we'll see. We
have had a warmer than usual Fall until this week,
when we felt winter approaching. Last week we had some very strong winds and a
couple of times I needed to go out into the yard to pick up my deck
furniture. I've jokingly named my home
"windhaven" as my place usually catches the
brunt of the wind. Also, on this day,
(Nov. 15) I bought my first Christmas gift.
Probably some of you are way ahead of me, but for me this is early.
Health wise I am doing much better than I have
for the past few months.
I've had major problems with dizziness and
have had to make some minor changes in my activities, as well as my diet. This
problem will always be with me, but hopefully with medication and watching what
I eat, etc., I can forestall another major series of dizziness. One thing I gave up was teaching the ladies
class at church. I was asked to start
this class back in '87, so giving it up was difficult, but needed.
September 10 was a very special day in our
family, as we witnessed the wedding of Kyle and Kristen. It was a very beautiful and very meaningful
wedding. As a grandmother, I was very
proud not only of Kyle, but of his parents.
They've done a great job of raising their children in the Lord. It was a
very special weekend.
One annual event that Cyndi and I try to go to
is the huge craft show held in downtown Des Moines. This was in October and we went expecting to
stay longer than we did, but actually walked all the way through it and never
bought a thing - unbelievable.
I continually enjoy living close to Cyndi and
family. I love being able to be a part
of the kids activities and/or
having them over from time to time. Andy likes to get my car after church (which
I enjoy) and then drive me home or wherever.
He's a good driver - very cautious.
He can't wait until he can get his license at 16.
Steve and Becky will be coming out here for
Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to that.
Cyndi, Doug and the kids will also be here. I'll miss Deb and Bob not
being able to come, but Lord willing, we'll all be together for Christmas in
the Chicago area. It will be fun to have
our family extended this year with Kristen joining us.
This is all for now. Many, many thanks to Autumn
and to Kyle for their work on this Fowler Newsletter. I, for one, appreciate it very much. It is so good to stay in touch with one
another and what better way than through this Newsletter.
Love to you all, Norma
Hi all! So, so much has changed since the
last time this was published. I did move out and into my apartment.
That might actually be changing soon, but that is a long story and this is
neither the time nor the place (and I don't have enough popcorn to go around
for a show of that length). But yes, I've been living in my apartment,
its closer to work (a little) so that's good. I can look out at the pond
so that's nice. The fountain gets a little annoying at night
though. I am not sure what it is about this apartment, but I think we're
going for a world record of how much we can be without electricity.
Guinness should be arriving any day now...But all in all it’s been a growing
experience if nothing else.
On to the bigger news...On August 16, I got
engaged to a marvelous creature named Richard. Richard Burton Brill to be
exact. He is also 23 and is active duty in the US Navy. He is
stationed (lives) in Jacksonville, FL for the time being, but he is currently
serving on his second tour of duty in the Persian (they call it the Arabian)
Gulf. He is currently about two months into his approximate seven-month
tour. He will hopefully be home the end of March. So, you
ask, lives in Florida, likes to spend his leisure time in a large floating
vessel in the middle of the ocean on the other side of the world, how did I
meet him? Well good, I'm glad you asked, I'm sure my mom would love that
I shared this story with you.
His parents, Ken and Sandi Brill live in Swartz
Creek (15 min. away) and have forever. Through some circumstances, they
started attending our church about 5 years ago. My mom's boss was looking
for an additional secretary and my mom mentioned it to her Aunt Pat...who, just
so happens, to be Sandi's best friend and Pat recommended that Mom's boss talk
to Sandi. I don't know all the nitty gritty
(its not really that important and I'm sure you could care less anyways), but
here we are, years later and she's working for him. So, Richard comes to
the office different times when he's on leave and sees my mom and pictures of
me on her desk and asks Sandi about me. Sandi tells him (obviously before
she knew me well) what a magnificent person I was and he bugged her and bugged
her to let him talk to me. My mom told me this and we laughed about
it. She kept saying it and we kept laughing. Then one day I said,
well she can give him my email or whatever to make him shut up, I'll kick his
butt into gear. So ... on a Thursday in April, Sandi emailed Richard
about 1:50 or so with my email. He was online and immediately emailed
me. I was online and immediately got it and was completely confused who
was named Rich and would get my email from his mom. (It was very short,
not explaining much.) I called my mom about 1:55 and ask if Sandi's son is
named Rich, only to hear her and Sandi laughing. That Friday night we
talked on the phone. Four weeks later he took leave and came home to see
me. We knew even before then, but that confirmed it. He got
deployed in July, unexpectedly. I flew down the last weekend of June,
VERY unexpectedly, and was in Florida for exactly 22 hours before flying back
and going straight to work. He was gone for 6 weeks. He came home
(to Florida), then flew home (here) and that brings us back to August 16 when
he proposed. We got engagement pictures taken that week and had an
engagement party (its amazing what can be pulled off in a short amount of time)
and he left the end of August for the great blue yonder.
He is going to be a Navy lifer,
he just started his second __ (whatever those are called___ (meaning
he's in his 5th year). For a job, he works on the computers that go on
the airplanes. Yeah, Yeah, I have a lot of vocab
to learn before I get my Navy Wife Badge. We are getting married October
14, 2006 at the Riverfront Character Inn in Flint, Mi. We are taking a
honeymoon to an undisclosed location (no I won't tell, we don't even know yet)
and then will be living in Florida ... for a short time. He is up
for reassignment next Christmas/New Year's and we don't know where we will be
living after that ... ah, the joys are already attacking :-). It’s
looking very probable that it will be California. I'm hoping however, for
Hawaii :-)
Other than that, I'm pretty much doing the same,
working at the same job, doing the same thing. Except now I'm planning a
wedding also. :-) But I don't mind; and
writing lots and lots of emails to my fiance who is
oh so far away.
That's all folks ... enjoy your Autumn
season, its almost snowman weather.
Stacey
PS-Richard does not like to
be called Richard. He prefers either Rich or Rick, so don't be fooled by
my consistently calling him Richard, please use Rich or Rick.
Hello to all,
I started this newsletter process the same way I always do,
thinking there is not much to write about. Then Becky and I started going over
the summer, and realize now why we are so tired.
We were able to take the Boston/New York trip that we planned
and had a great time. We drove first to Kyle's apartment in Framingham, Mass
and stayed with him in his apartment for a couple of nights. He had rented just
a studio apartment for his time there, so with the addition of Stacey, Becky
and I, it was an interesting time. But all we did was sleep and eat a few meals
there, so it worked out very well. We did a lot of sightseeing in Boston. There
is so much history there!
We then went to New York City for five days. We stayed in a
hotel in New Jersey and took a bus into the city everyday, and then back again
at night. We walked and walked and walked everyday, and got pretty good
figuring out the subway system. Everyone we asked directions from was very
helpful, but we still ended up going the wrong way a few times. We had a
schedule all planned out and stayed with it, so we were able to see just about
everything we wanted to see. Never thought there could be that many people
everywhere you go. Now whenever we see something on TV about New York City, we
can usually say that we have been there.
We are planning to head to Iowa for Thanksgiving. It will be
nice to spend the holiday with Mom, Cyndi / Doug and family. Then we are also
planning on spending Christmas in Chicago as we usually do.
We were looking forward to spending a few days with Deb and Bob
in Kentucky this past October, but had to cancel those plans. I hurt my back in
mid September and spent two weeks flat on the floor, before progressing to
being able to sit for a few minutes at a time. I still have numbness in my leg,
which makes for some weakness and causes my knee to give out at
various times. Just have to remember to hold on going down the stairs.
We now have a daughter-in-law, but she seems more like a daughter.
Kyle and Kristen got married September 10th, and I am sure they will update you
in their newsletter. It was a gorgeous day for an outside reception
and the ceremony was very special and meaningful.
Stacey is busy planning her wedding for next October and I am
sure she will update you on her plans, in her section of this letter. We are
excited for her and for gaining yet another member into our family.
In the midst of all the traveling and the wedding, we were able
to do some updating of the house. Some is still in progress. I tend to get the
demolition part of the jobs done quickly, and the building part takes somewhat
longer
(ok ... a lot longer). We broke up the
garage floor and some of the driveway and hauled it all away to a concrete
grinding place, and replaced it with new concrete. I am sure that was the start
of the back problems, but it did not show up then. We added some landscaping
and a small fountain in the front of the house and it looks pretty good.
Our church finished remodeling the old auditorium into a 'state
of the art' children’s ministry center. It is a beautiful place and paid for as
we went along. Some women of the church went through each room and spent many,
many hours painting scenes on the walls; everything from Noah's ark, to
rainbows, clouds, nature, and underwater images. It has really enhanced our
ability to reach the community. Now we are re-doing the rooms vacated by the
children, into adult classroom space and enjoying the chance to expand there
also.
Thanks everyone for participating.
Steve and Becky
Happy Holidays,
We are now a family of four. Danielle Elysabeth
was born on October 1, 2005 at 6:52 am.
Mom and Dad came up to be with Hannah while we were at the
hospital. After seeing Danielle, Dad
left Mom here for a week and went back home.
Dad then had to come back up to get Mom the following weekend, and see
his granddaughters. Phil's parents came
and spent four days with us. It was
great to have all the extra help with Danielle and Hannah. When everyone had left we were a little
slower at getting things done, but who was watching. Danielle has settled into
being part of our lives and all the love that she is willing to take from
Hannah. Hannah, like all first born, has
adjusted to being a big sister. She loves to help with changing Danielle's
diaper, maybe because she is now out of them.
Hannah is almost 2 1/2 years old and loves to
entertain us. She knows when she needs
to put the smile on and when she needs to do a little bit of whining. Coloring is her favorite past time right now,
although I am getting her interested in painting and play-do. If we would allow her to she would do exactly
what we do. She is always busy doing something if it is playing with
her toys or reading books.
On October 13th we closed on a little over an acre
of land. We plan to move our home on to
it in the spring. We were hoping for
this fall, but with all that needs to be done and with the later closing date
we decided for spring. All that I can
say is that was a very stressful month as we waited for Danielle and the
closing of our land. God was teaching us
endurance through all of it.
Phil has been switched from nights to days and
back to nights. He is right now on days and hopefully to stay. They have been changing personal around and
cutting dead weight so he just keeps on moving around. Phil works better on days and we feel that we
can actually see him when he is working days.
With my job, I have been off since the 21 of
September by forced vacation time. I
will be returning in the next month, it has been so nice to have this time with
my girls. I am hoping that I do not see
much change in my job as we all wait for the outcome of Northwest’s bankruptcy.
We are just trusting the Lord for the outcome.
As Phil is practicing for the Cantata that our
church is going to have in the next month, we are preparing for Christmas. I hope that everyone has a good holiday with
family and friends.
With love,
Lynda
To our extended family,
The last few months have been a little unusual for both of
us. First of all, we didn't make our usual trip to Iowa for the
summer. The only trip we made was up to see Anastasia (and of course her
parents and grandmother) the end of June. She had changed and matured so
much and we treasured our time there. Now she'll soon be a year old which
is hard to believe.
The other excitement ??? in our lives has been to join with several others in our
family taking care of some physical problems. Bill had cataract surgery
on both eyes. I had knee replacement surgery in my right knee in July and
Bill had hernia surgery in September. We took time in-between surgeries
so one or the other could drive the patient to the hospital. We are both
doing well for which we thank the Lord.
We trust that the other members of the family who have had
physical problems are all doing much better. We've had a lot to pray for,
haven't we?
We are back in full swing here - keeping busy with all of the
activities and getting ready for the holiday season. Thanks again to Autumn and Kyle for doing this for all of us to enjoy.
Love to all, Bill & Romayne
Howdo from Charleston WV!!!
Since the last "entry" several things have happened. I
made the move to Charleston and I will add my new address at the end of this.
October began my 22nd year in radio and I am still in love with my
career. I am still enjoying my new "home" here in WV as well. I have
no intentions of relocating. Kyle, thank you for posting the pic I sent of the trip to Daytona...going to the track and
the whole experience was...awesome. My boss (John Anthony), 2 winners and
myself flew out of here and it was surreal. We arrived in Orlando and the
next morning we were off to the track. Poor John...all I could keep saying as
we got closer and closer to the track was "I can't believe this ... oh my gosh .. I'm REALLY here". We broadcasted while we were
there and it was so cool. The guys were practicing or what they call having
"Happy Hour" on the track and the sounds of the cars going on the
track was a sound effect that no one can imagine or re-produce. Everyone at the
station back here was so amazed at the clarity of our broadcast as we were.
Our winners were just as equally excited and one of them actually
got to climb into the crows nest at the start/finish line and wave the flags
for the Cup guys when they qualified for the Pepsi 400. She had so much fun as
did we!! Believe it or not we actually caught up with 2 more folks who had won
tickets from the Wolf and were from Charleston.
John lived in Daytona before he and his family moved to WV and
he was an excellent tour guide. I saw things that I never would have seen
had I'd been on my own. He and his family continue to be such a blessing.
The day arrived for the race and seeing that his mother lives
close by where we were, he went to see her and dropped me off at the track
at 8:30am. It was a wonderful experience. The only folks there were the workers
at the track and at the Fan Zone (where we broadcasted from). It was a healing time
for me as I'm sure all of you know I am and will always be the eternal Dale Earnhardt Senior fan. It has and at times is still
difficult to watch a race there because of the incident in Feb. of 2001.
Being there and alone ... well, physically speaking was as I said
healing. I was able to look at the fateful turn on the track and feel
such a peace. Of course spiritually I was not alone and the tears came as well
as the peace. It is very hard to even try and explain ... but, I'm okay
now with Daytona. I know God was there and only He could provide the healing
and content I now have instead of hating Daytona...I love it and want to go
back. As a matter of fact we are going back for the 500 in Feb of 2006. I
have put together a proposal and we will be returning there.
We at the Wolf have been busy with other events too. Giving away
trips to races through out the season, truck giveaways, gas giveaways, concerts
and an event that one has to see on the website to believe. We called it
"The Bras Across The Kanawha" (the Kanawha is a river here in
Charleston). It was in association with the Breast Cancer Foundation and the pics are so cool. You'll have to scope them out on the
website. We had so many "items" and decorated a bridge in downtown
Charleston. We continue to make news coverage and as I write are in
another ratings period. Our last "book" was unreal. We placed
2nd in the market. Which is not bad considering that 3 years ago we were
number 8. In the building (out of 7 stations) we came in first. My show...MY
show came in 3rd in the MARKET!! Needless to say our competition is a wee
bit worried (and they should be).
I am still the "webmaster" and Kyle, if you ever need
a helping hand feel free to contact me. We average between 200,000 to 300,000
hits a week and anywhere between 900 to 1,000 new visitors or unique
visitors a week on it. John always kids me about how much he
loves logging on and seeing what changes I have made, and that I'm having
way too much fun with it ... and I am!! The web address is (in case you've
forgotten) http://www.961thewolf.com
Another big thing for the station as well as for me personally was
this past Wed one of my favorite NASCAR drivers came to town for a meet and greet … none other than Dale Earnhardt
Junior. I was and still am in seventh heaven. We had about 125-135 in
attendance and the evening was wonderful. He is so down to earth and it felt
like you were talking to one of the family. It was and will be an event I will
always treasure ... and yes, there are pics on the
site for that as well. I had my picture taken with him and as soon as I can I
will try and get one on the website as it was taken by the professional
photographer we had for the evening.
I got his autograph on a couple of items. One of which is in the
studio and the other will be auctioned off when we host the "Country Cares
For Kids" with St. Jude’s in Feb of 2006. Our competitor dropped the ball
and now we at the Wolf will be doing it. I am so excited about this as I did it
when I was in Battle Creek with WNWN. It is a heart-warming event and one that
will be very rewarding for us and for the listeners. We have such caring and
loving listeners who want to help. We witnessed that love when all 7 stations were
out in the parking lot after Hurricane Katrina and in 12 hours managed
to help the Red Cross with a $135,000.00 donation for the
relief efforts.
There is talk about 2 of us going to St. Jude’s
in January of 2006 and I am hoping and praying that I will be
one of the 2. This would be a wonderful opportunity for me and I ask you keep
me in your prayers regarding this. I want to help in anyway I can. As a matter
of fact I am a monthly contributor to the Victory Junction Camp in NC. It is a camp where kids can come who have life threatening
illnesses and be kids with no cost to their family. It was set up by Kyle and
Patty Petty in memory of their son Adam who was only 20 and was taken
"home" in a practice run at a track a few years back. Their
website is http://www.victoryjunction.org and is NASCAR based.
I love my job, my co-workers and mostly and firstly (is that a
word??) God for placing me here. Being on my own and a single gal (which by
the way...relax Mom and Dad...I ain’t never gettin’ married) has shown me so many things and I continue
to be blessed beyond my wildest imagination. God calls us to do things and to
be "gifted" in certain ways and I know I am one of the folks He has
called to be single...hey Mom, remember when you told me I didn't need a man to
make me happy?? Whew nelly, you were right. Scary
huh? Seriously, I am content and happy here with my job, my church, my car and
my gorgeous apt that is only 3 blocks from work. I can do so many things and
continue to grow in every way … well, except physically as I have lost more
weight and will continue to do so. I am not that fat lil
girl anymore. I am who I am and know it and I amaze myself sometimes.
Ok ... I've bored you enough. Please check out the website and
please make the trip here!! You'll see why I adore WV!! Thanks again to Autumn and to Kyle ... the offer still stands if you need
help with the website ok??
May all of you feel the peace that only God can provide and have a
blessed Holiday season ... hey Doug and Cindy ... I may have my tree up by
Thanksgiving!! HA!!
Love to all,
Syl
Sylvia Stahl
1331 Virginia Street East
Apt. 14
Charleston, WV 25301
A Very Merry Christmas to Each of YOU !!!!
Was hoping to hear from Randy and Sandy before sending this off
to Kyle but gave him another chance and still haven’t heard so going to get
this off to Kyle and I’ll send on his reply if it comes in later. But everyone else is present and accounted for
so we’re pretty dog gone close to 100%.
Now for our update …
Fred no longer is working for
US Airways but works for MAXjet Airways, a
new airline that travels internationally only. He’s been there since January, practically
its birth and is loving it. Right now they’re flying to Stanstead,
England and business is really picking up. He just finished a whole round of radiation
(36 treatments) due to his cancer coming back and now is going through the
healing from the treatments. He had
quite a time with the radiation and had to take a 3 week break near the end
because of complications, but is just so glad they are over! We’ll know in December
if the radiation worked.
Justin is 21 and at East
Carolina University where he was able to find a Graphic Design program that was
tailored to what he wants to do with his life, which is multimedia design. Now to see if he can complete it in the time
period he desires. He’s a senior in
credits but because he changed his major, there will be a couple more years of
college for him. If it doesn’t look like
he will be able to graduate in a couple years, he may get an undergraduate
degree in something other than Graphic Design and do that in his master’s
study. He’s also 4th chair
clarinet in the Symphonic Band there and still enjoying his music … just on a
pure “love” basis and not as a requirement to be in the top 10 best, where your
career depends on your success.
Samantha is 16, is a junior in
high school and is DRIVING … yes … you heard me … DRIVING on her own when she
has a car available. We’re kinda tough on the kids when it comes to getting that first
car. We don’t believe in buying them
brand new cars when they start driving … so when she starts working, we’ll
assist her in purchasing her first USED car but that’s what it will be … USED.
She’s very involved in her youth group at church and is a 1st
soprano in the Concert Choir at school and they’ll be going to Carnegie Hall in
New York on their spring break to sing.
YES … you can bet if we’re able, Fred and I will be making a trip there
to hear them cuz it’s not every day that you get to
hear your child sing at Carnegie Hall.
Me … ???
… well, you all know my Dad passed away in June of
this year and I have to say that it’s been one of the hardest things to deal
with in my life. It was hard losing Mom
10 years ago, but Dad was still here with me and I clung to that, but now
without Dad it’s just strange and hard to put into words. Plus my life was wrapped so around Dad and
his care that I feel like I’m forgetting to do something all the time. Being
without parents is a very different place to be when you are the only child and
don’t have any siblings to hang onto.
But I’ve found such a peace in just hanging onto God and that’s what I
should be doing anyhow. I’m pressing on and each day it gets easier and my life
is certainly full and happy with my own family and church family as well. I’m as involved as I can be at church and
sometimes more than I should be but then what’s new about that for me … =) … and God is SO GOOD !!!
We love you all and look forward to hearing from you,
Fred, Autumn, Justin and Samantha =)