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to all… i hope that you had a terrific holiday season! that it was safe and that it was warm.

i think that first, i would like to say kudos to my far better half. she has worked hard at her schooling to become a teacher. i have no worries what kind of teacher she will be. she is a caring and understanding individual. and that is just a part of what will make her a great teacher. her grades throughout the year have been high, with a 3.9 4.0 average. she still also manages to keep things going on the kid front at home.

frankly. she remains my best friend!

jonathan continues to amaze. he’s got good grades and is continuing to grow into a young adult. it is so interesting to watch. his hand eye coordination has improved, thanks to any number of shoot um up games that he plays constantly. he takes drivers education classes this summer. going to be a long year. i can feel it.

devin is moving along in his normal direction. being an adhd kid has it’s drawbacks, but even though his studies have suffered a bit this year, when he’s on, he is really on. i presume that he has what i have. too many things going on and never enough time to complete any of them. he enjoys some of his subjects more than others, as was my way in school as well. in his 5th grade year, he had a teacher that believed kids wouldn’t have any homework to take home, and worked very hard at making that happen. however. i really believe that it has hurt him more than helped him. ultimately he will be fine. he knows it. and so do we.

during the year, i was also able to hear from my oldest son ian. he seems to be doing fine. there were some bitter moments in our initial conversations, but we seemed to get through them. i miss him. there are times, when i find his early pictures, that i can think back to the fun times we had when he was younger. i soured those times by trying to get him to follow a more traditional path. i know what it is like to not follow that path, and i didn’t want his life, nor jon or devins, to be like it has been for me. but. he is his own man, and for that, i am thankful. here’s to you, ian. i hope things are going well.

my dad is doing terrific! he turned 79 this past october. i always feel bad for him in the winter because owning a miata makes winter drives more like skating with sheet metal. but he’s doing fine and is a pleasure to have around. when ever i think about it, i realize that he has seen everything. from the beginnings of sound and video, to blue ray disks, the internet and our first african american president. he is, without a doubt, a wealth of information. and i cherish every moment we have.

barb and john were able to visit us a couple times this year. they are influenced by the ‘grandchildren’ effect. that’s when the grandchildren use the powers of their minds and cause you, as a parent or grandparent, to have a need to see you in person, instead of on a skype call. it’s always a good time. and we are guaranteed to eat browns chicken (though. as of this writing, browns had filed for bankruptcy protection. bummer.)

the year itself was full of surprises. we elected a new president that is working hard to help get the country back on it’s feet. the whole experience has taught me that as much as you can wish for change, one man can not do it alone. it takes far far more. i hope that some more of our fellow countrymen and women learn that lesson. i am still a strong supporter of our president, but i admit to being a little bit sour of some of his attempts at change. i believe that his voice should have been much stronger during the health care debate. though i understand the idea of allowing the congress create the bill, it is his leadership that should have helped keep the fox and friends gang from becoming a detrimental voice in its creation. if i have a wish, for 2010, it is that any nmuber of fox folks become unable to speak. its not that i don’t believe in the ability to speak freely. it is that fact that when you speak, the truth should be what is spoken, not the twisting of words to fulfill your own agenda. glen, rush, michele and the like do that almost constantly. and their stirring of the pot can only do harm instead of good. that is just a pity.

it’s like the bears. at the beginning of the season, with the addition of a new and previously successful quarterback, it seemed that the bears would be almost unstoppable. yet. it proves the point that it takes more than a single change to reach the outcome that you want. i think that the addition of cutler to the bears showed the other, previously hidden holes, that weren’t visible prior to the addition. that we need receivers. that our offensive line is old yet also young and less experienced. yet. i don’t blame the coach. i think he did, and does, a fine job.

work was ok. i have lots of respect for most of the people that i work with, and for. reiling is there from back in the comark days which make the sap part of my job bearable. and i also work with a very bright group of ‘techies’ which makes the day go by well.

past that, the year went by pretty much like i expected with all the things that have happened. the economy sucks. the value of our house isn’t what it was. nor are any of the other houses that we have lived in, with the exception of the house in elgin. but. i believe that will change over the next year or two, yet i hope that the changes are gradual and are not the same as they were before.

but. i am thankful that my family is healthy. my job is secure for the moment. my friends are all in pretty good shape. and coffee hasn’t been outlawed!

i hope that this is a great year. i believe that it will be.

i hope that all is good for you as well. that your world is full of happiness and that all goes well for you.

thanks for reading. enjoy your day!