Christmas 2008

Dear Family & Friends:

It is so hard to believe that come this March we will have lived in Virginia for two years; it just seems like yesterday that we moved from Florida.

The year has been busy, as always. We have been able to do some traveling. In April, we visited Philadelphia–seeing Independence Hall deeply moved us both. In June, we stayed at a bed & breakfast in the mountains of Maryland. This fall, we visited friends in Blacksburg, VA and stayed a few days at The Breaks Interstate Park between Virginia and Kentucky. This December, we vacationed in San Antonio, visited the Alamo and other missions, walked beneath Christmas lights along the Riverwalk, ate good Tex-Mex food, and enjoyed the city very much.

Michelle, Kevin and family continue to do well. They are both teaching 7th grade this year and Kevin is coaching boys basketball. On July 12, we were blessed by the arrival of Mackenzie Ann, receiving a call while on the road to Michigan to drive straight to the hospital. She is doing very well and at just 5 months already scoots around the floor (they are in trouble now!). Carter turned 3 in September. He is now the “big brother” to Mackenzie at daycare, since Katie moved to the preschool run by Northwest Community Schools. Kaitlyn is 5 years old going on 15 and is in dance classes for the second year. She also played soccer for the first time this fall. All three grandchildren are such joys and their antics a great source of amusement (for us if not their parents).

In July, Ryan purchased his own place, a townhouse in Spotsylvania County just six miles from work. After three months of painting and repairs, he moved in. It looks very nice now and he especially likes not having to drive to and from Culpeper (40 miles each way) every day. He continues to enjoy his job as a graphic artist at The Free Lance-Star newspaper in Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, as it is with most businesses, the company had to make some cutbacks; they reduced his work hours to four days a week.

Linda has spent a lot of time helping Ryan decorate his townhouse and get settled in. We both have been helping him paint (there is still more to do) and Linda has been designated the expert in taping, painting trim and all-around organizing.

Unfortunately, we lost our cat, Holmes, this year. Like his brother, Watson, he was 17 years old. He had been on kidney medication for years, but they finally failed him. It was so hard to lose him and we miss him. We still have his “stepsister” Sammi Jo, and even though she is 14 and slowing down, she is doing pretty well.

David’s presidency is going very well and he enjoys it most days. Despite dealing with budget cuts, enrollment at the college is growing rapidly and he has been able to hire some good folks in key positions. In this economy, the community college is even more a place to make a difference.

To support this, we have set up two scholarships:
The first provides scholarship money for art students in the name of David’s dad, a very talented amateur artist. You can contribute by sending a check payable to “Pensacola Jr. College Foundation, Inc.” and mailing it to “Pensacola Jr. College Foundation, Pensacola Campus, 1000 College Blvd., Pensacola, FL, 32504. Enclose a note indicating the donation is for the “Tony Sam Endowment”
The second provides scholarship money for students who complete high school through Germanna Community College’s Middle School program or by passing the GED and wish to continue at the college. This is in honor of Ray and Joyce Zachmann. You can contribute by sending a check payable to “Germanna Educational Foundation” and mailing it to Germanna Community College Educational Foundation, Locust Grove Campus, 2130 Germanna Highway, Locust Grove, VA, 22508. Enclose a note indicating the donation is for the “Ray and Joyce Zachmann Endowment."

As you are selecting the organizations to which you donate, please consider these. They will make a difference in the lives of students and, ultimately, our country.

We hope that everything is going well with you despite the economic difficulties here and around the world. We think of you all often and wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, Hauska Joulu, Wesoły Boże Narodzenie, عيد ميلاد المسيح سعيدة, Frohe Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Natale Allegro, Happy Hanukkah and a peaceful, safe and Happy New Year.

David & Linda