Christmas 2001

Dear Friends and Family,

We sat at the dinner table discussing who would write this year’s Christmas letter. Jeff was sure he wrote last year’s, so it must be Gale’s turn. Gale protested that she wrote last year’s letter. After much discussion, Jeff proposed the great Compromise of 2001—family members would write their own paragraph…

	Daniel:   I’m nine years old and I had a great year.   We saw fireworks on Independence Day on the National Mall.   We went to Niagra Falls and rode on the Maid of the Mist.   We went to the Butterfly Conservatory.   A small butterfly crawled onto my finger.   We went to Disney World, and my favorite ride was Space Mountain.   I like to play the recorder, and I also play soccer.   I really like school this year.
	Bethany:  Hi everyone. :-)  I turned eleven this year, and I’ve seen a lot of things since last Christmas. One of the most exciting things was Disney World, particularly riding Thunder Mountain in the rain. Our family went to an Air Force vs. Navy football game (AF won, of course!) My favorite field trip was visiting the Albert Einstein Planetarium in D.C. Probably the most important thing I saw this year in D.C. was the hole in the Pentagon from the 9/11 attack. That was really sad.
	Nicole: I’m now 13, and this year was very exciting and eventful for me. For starters my family and I went to see President Bush’s Inauguration. Even though it was bitterly cold, wet, and long, it is something I will never forget. I am continuing with my piano studies, am now a C/A1C in Civil Air Patrol, and have started Tae Kwon Do this year. This summer I went to Centrifuge, a Christian camp, with my Youth Group in which I’m very involved.
	Gale: The highlight of my year had to be spending two days in NYC with four friends for a girl get-a-way, and seeing two shows, one which starred Tom Selleck. Yes, that IS him in the picture! My friends and I visited the World Trade Center just four days before the attack. That visit and then waiting on the 11th to hear from Jeff at the Pentagon brought this tragedy very close to home for me. I stay busy with schooling the kids, directing the base home school support group, and playing bells and the piano at church.
	Jeff:  Hmmm…very thankful I was working off of Corridor 2 at the Pentagon instead of Corridor 4 on the morning of 11 Sep.  Really glad to be a member of the USAF these days.  Get teary-eyed more often at the sound of the National Anthem.  Enjoy the hugs of my children more than ever.  Proud when I hear my President speak.  At peace knowing God is in control.  On the less sentimental side, looking forward to my year of school in Montgomery, AL, at the Air Command and Staff College—nice to know this far ahead of time what the near future holds for me.  By the way, that big 40 was no big deal!

All: May you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year.

                                Love to you all, Jeff, Gale, Nicole, Bethany, and Daniel