Happy Holidays!                                               December 2003

 

This has been a wonderful year and we will try to summarize and walk you through the past 12 months. In January, we started the new year on our second honeymoon with a cruise to Panama, Belize, and Costa Rica. The highlight of this cruise was Kevin winning the on-board Survivor Game. We have a small solid-gold-plastic trophy on proud display for his efforts in hula hoping, whistling, swimming, scavenger hunting and other wacky stuff. Everyone on board knew who we were and many people said congratulations to Kevin when we were walking through the halls. We were very sorry that Jen (Kevin’s bestest friend) could not make it on the cruise but we missed her very much.

Upon our return, we celebrated Kevin’s 30th birthday by having dinner with friends and enjoying a drag show starring the famous Lady Chablis at the Bounce night club in Cleveland. Hitting 30 was devastating for Kevin, but it turned out to be one of the best year’s of his life.  Unfortunately, Jen could not join us for the birthday but we talked to her on the phone.

In February, I went to a conference at the Opryland Hotel and heard that a friend at Cuyahoga Community College (CCC) was promoted and I was encouraged to apply for her job. It was a great conference and I got to share a room with Jen, we had a great time. It’s always good to see Jennifer!

In April, Kevin and Russell went together to a national conference on student affairs in Minneapolis, MN and got to see Jen there also. This is one good thing about both of us working in higher education, we occasionally get to go to conferences together. Kevin and I have been singing in the AIDS Memorial Choir for the past 4 years and this year we talked Jen into joining us, it was a good experience. At the conference, we shopped at the Mall of America and made time to catch up with old friends like Adam Rockman at Princeton University. We went to Pittsburgh for Easter and stayed with Aunt Robin for the first time in her new home. She even made an Easter dinner and we got to spend time with Grandparent’s as well as my Great Aunt and Uncle from California, Bob and Irene. It was good to see them.

In June, Jen, Tim, Joe and some other friends came over for a weekend and we enjoyed a short cruise on the lake and a day at Cedar Point. I had my second interview at CCC for the Director position and finished the year at Tiffin University before going on our Summer vacation road trip. The vacation this summer began in Pittsburgh with a performance of Miss Saigon at Heinz Hall.  It was amazing! We went back Bedford for my niece Amanda’s 6th birthday. We had a great time playing on Amanda’s new trampoline and it was good to spend time with my Mom and Dad. Dad built a new shed this summer, we do not get to see my family enough. Then we drove across to enjoy the beach on the Jersey shore, spend a few days in NYC, and then back to the beach. While in NYC we were very lucky to stay at New York University for free in a guest suite thanks to Kevin’s boss, Kim LaFond, who used to work there. While in New York, we celebrated a birthday with Julio Dantes, a friend we made on last year’s vacation; caught up with Timmy Rhone, my friend from Slippery Rock; and spent some time with a new friends, Jason T. Brown, Patric, and Simon, who we met at the beach in Jersey. We went to several clubs in NYC and Kevin came in 2nd place for an amateur strip show, he did not show anything, maybe that is why he came in 2^nd place. In the same club, we saw Jai Rodriguez’s final performance and sat next to the cast from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” This was before the show debuted. We then returned to spend another day with my family and then went to the Ohio Pyle for our first white water rafting trip with Chris and Peter, other friends from Cleveland. In the first rapid, our “ducky” collapsed in and Kevin got tumbled around a bit. It really shook him up but we finished the 6 hours on the river and ended up having a great time. Unfortunately, someone did die on the river that day and we saw the body removed from the river just ahead of us. Crazy! Good thing Jen was not there, she would not have liked that.

For the past few year’s, when we returned from vacation there have been a lot of changes. This year, Kevin found out that his partner and counterpart on staff, Donita Pace, took a job in Florida. This was devastating for Kevin, but he is surviving. Fortunately, Jen is only a state away. In late July, we went back up to Michigan to see Jen at the annual Ann Arbor Art Fair and then head over to the Williams’ Family Pig Roast. Oberlin friend, Jill Medina, brought her kids up again and we all had a great time. Jen and her parent’s did not make it to the pig roast this year and they were sorely missed. I was offered the job and started working at CCC at the beginning of August. Great Place, great people, I love the new job! Half as far from home, regular working hours, and a huge salary increase. Jason moved back home and we began to see him again on a regular almost daily basis. Things just keep getting better.

In September, the Lion King showed in Cleveland and our friend Jake got us tickets on the floor in the 16th row, great seats! He also got us backstage for a tour. Kevin got to stand right in the middle of the performance stage. He loved the show and the tour. Great time!

With the start of the new school year, Kevin and I both tremendously enjoyed the changes at work. Kevin loves his new staff, they are all new to Oberlin and he was a big part in their hiring and training. They are doing a great job and are all really good people. I love my colleagues at CCC and have a lot more time to play volleyball. Jason and I have been playing at a community recreation center on Thursday’s and in a league on Sunday’s at Cleveland State University. As of this weekend my team is ranked 3rd. Jason chose to be on a different team with his friends and I think they are in 6th place. Jack Schmidt, has been a great new friend and volleyball coach, is on my team and I hope play together next semester too!. Russell and Jason have both gotten a lot better and love volleyball a lot more thanks to Jack. The finals are the weekend before Christmas, wish us luck! But back to August! In August, I had my 15th year High School Reunion, how crazy is that! There were about a dozen people that showed up, we figured the rest were in jail, and we were lucky that so many were able to get out in time to join us. It was great to catch up, wish more had come, maybe next time.

Back in September, we went back to Michigan because Kevin was in the wedding party for one of his best friend’s from college, Dave Bone. Dave and Morgan got married in a beautiful golf resort in Kalamazoo. We also got to stay with Jennifer and finally see her great apartment and campus in Albion. We enjoyed a great corn maze with Jason and then did pumpkin carving with Jason’s family for Halloween. To celebrate our 8th anniversary and Russell’s new job we ordered a temperpedic king size bed and then went and picked out an entire bedroom suit! It is a French Colonial style and a dark mahogany wood, it is beautiful!

In November, Kevin’s mom turned 60 and we went to surprise here in Michigan,   Kevin’s Dad  also turned 60 this year! Right before Thanksgiving, we went to a conference in Orlando on leadership. The conference allowed time to visit Disney and we spent the day there with some of my students. We then took a few vacation days to visit Donita and play in the Gulf. We also visited the Murray’s, former Oberlin colleagues who move to Tampa.  Unfortunatly, Jen was not able to make the trip, maybe next time!

On December 2nd , we had several close friends over to decorate our Christmas tree this year, it is over 12 feet tall this year. We squeezed 25 people into our apartment for a big dinner and an evening of fun decorating the tree. Jen and Jason threw candy canes into the tree, Kevin might forgive them by next year. Another new friend from volleyball, Dave Ream, gave us a Christmas Pickle and shared the old German tradition of hiding the Christmas pickle in the tree and the child who finds it on Christmas morning is blessed with fortune in the coming year.  Donita was not able to make it, but Jen was here! We tried to mention many significant events and people we saw this year, but could never mention everything. If you were not mentioned, we still love you lots and look forward to seeing you in 2004!