Ok.  Here’s my best Joe Pesci impersonation.  Ready?  Ok.  Ok.  Ok.  Ok?  OK!  Ok?  Ok.  Got it?  Ok.  Ok – here I sit on Christmas Eve.  The presents are all wrapped (except for the one in the garage that’s too big for a bag – and, no, it’s not a car).  Chérie is happily puttering about the kitchen, preparing twice-baked potatoes and Emeril’s crabmeat-stuffed shrimps for Christmas Eve Dinner.  Travis and Juleah (of course it’s his girlfriend, girlfriend!) are playing backgammon at the yet-to-be-set dinner table (that will happen after we sing at the 6:00 Christmas Eve mass and return for dinner and Santa).  Kyle is in his room, slaying some sort of evil creature with a gang of on-line compatriots and gaining mucho experience points (I’m glad I installed DSL and a home network).  Christian and Colleen are visiting family in the Bay Area and will join us later (I’m glad we kept a car around for visiting children to use).  Lawrence, Nichol, and Kaleb are getting their own preparations completed, and will catch up with us later, at church.  So, now I have a few moments to myself to start this annual newsletter: the 2004 version.  I could be reading the stack of books that our Adult Learning instructor assigned for our January 8^th class – so you know that I must really be procrastinating from that task if I’m actually setting fingers to keys now.  Actually, I can’t claim that I’ve been too busy; quite the contrary.  But, more on that later.  Let’s get started with the family news for this year, now nearly past…  Ok?  Ok.

Fine Parisian dining (with me in a T-shirt - how American!)

 

Nikki (right) and Larry and Kaleb (left) help Mom belt out "Happy Birthday" to Kyle

Lawrence is finally nearing the completion of his undergraduate work at Sac State; a series of logistical and technical issues have stymied his recent “shots on goal,” but he’s well positioned to finish off with a game-winning header (for those not familiar with the terms from the soccer analogy, let’s just say he’s really going to finish up this spring).  That, combined with his promotion into the corporate training department at Verizon, has enabled Nichol to set her sights on enrolling in a more assertive plan to polish off her own degree, eventually leading to a career in Marriage and Family Therapy.  Kaleb, of course, continues to be the greatest and smartest grandchild in the entire universe (any letters to this editor, emails, or other dissenting opinions in any form will be summarily deleted, shredded, or vigorously destroyed – so don’t even think about it).  All hyperbole humor aside, this is a family of whom we are very proud – not only in their accomplishments and general progress, but in their love for each other and the sense of joy they create when they are around.

 

 

 

 

C & C outside Peace Corps HQ in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa

Speaking of pride, I beam again…  These two fine young citizens were able to visit us for about two weeks in the midst of their two-year Peace Corps adventure.  They will return to Tanzania next Wednesday, and complete their engagement probably sometime near Thanksgiving of 2005.  (Of course, since they’ve returned, we have had to make daily trips to Costco, Bel Air, and Trader Joe’s to sate their culinary cravings – supplying “treats” that we take for granted but are sorely missed in the rural area where they reside.)  I am so pleased that two such educated, committed, caring, and warm young people are able to represent our country and our culture to others in the world.  They are engaged in several projects; you can keep track of their adventures via their periodic email newsletter by requesting to get on their list: email them at [email protected].  Naturally, we hope to safari with them sometime in 2005, to visit the Serengeti as well as some ancient ruins on the Kenya coast.

Anyone up for a little mind-bending?  Talk to Kyle.  This bright Physics major deals daily with heady questions about the origins of the universe and how, when a unit of energy vibrates to the level of becoming matter somewhere in another galaxy, your gas mileage mysteriously goes up (string theory, I guess).  Maybe it comes from spending a year with the Welsh; or maybe it’s the Southern California sunshine (when the smog blows off with the Santa Ana winds); or maybe it’s just Kyle.  At any rate, even mundane conversations turn philosophical in a hurry around the dinner table when he visits.  Hopefully, God will tolerate and forgive my pride, because here I go again.  Although he excels in such cerebral pursuits, he also has a well-developed common sense and is a terrific companion in all situations.  Our self-guided ‘taste of Europe tour’ last spring was not only prompted by Kyle’s study abroad, but was made so much richer for his participation.

Kyle euro-chillin' at Notre Dame

 

Travis adapting to the Mohican (NY) Rugby sub-culture

What child is this?  Once the Baby Huey of the Hiner household, he is now a svelte (well, relatively, ok?) young adult, exercising his responsibility genes (heretofore dormant) as he flies off to his new temporary home in New York at Hofstra University.  His criteria last year for his college search were (in this order): 1) the farthest place from his parents; 2) where he would not have to learn a foreign language; and 3) does not involve traveling across a large expanse of open water.  Hence, Long Island.  Although only there one semester at this point, he has immersed himself in his studies (Theatrical Production) and intercollegiate rugby (yes, rugby – the physical contact sport with no padding, helmets, or any semblance of protection).  I must say, pridefully (is that thunder I just heard?) that he’s doing a great job of growing up.

 

Chérie and her Mom at Avebury near Stonehenge

Ah, yes.  Chérie.  30 years.  Where does the time go?  With her rock-solid sense of faith and family, she has been the compass in our marital sea – steering us through waters calm and weather-tossed.  I guess it’s that same strong foundation on which Sutter Health continues to rely in building the Children’s Outpatient programs here in Sacramento.  For a bit of perspective, consider that she has assumed that responsibility for the past 14 years.  My, my; how the milestones have erupted along our life-path this year!  I’d say more, but the little hairs are standing up on my neck – you know, just like before lightening strikes?  I should mention, though, how much we both enjoyed our excursion to Paris, Dublin, Bath, and London this past spring, as we took the excuse of “visiting Kyle” during his year in Wales to see for ourselves our ancestral home lands.

 

 

Ok.  Ok?  Ok.  The real reason that this newsletter is getting out a bit late in the season (but not as late as the one time it was an Easter newsletter, remember?) is that I have been anticipating some stability in my employment situation.  I have been doing some consulting work in the arena of healthcare technology after Sutter decided to eliminate my position as Telemedicine Program Manager in August (hakuna matata – it was a righteous business decision and nothing personal), all the while searching for a more permanent solution.  (Speaking of “a more permanent solution” – Travis treated us this past summer to a live performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Sacramento Music Circus.  Brilliant.)  Ok.  So I did my networking and sent a whole bunch of virtual résumés through Monster.com and did some more networking.  Fortunately, I was blessed with a couple of terrific job offers from both UC Davis and IBM – they were much different in nature but equally attractive; as a family, we eventually decided that the IBM offer was simply ‘irrefusable.’  I will be returning to Big Blue after the start of the year.

As Kyle would say, “Peace out.”