2008 Christmas Newsletter

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Once again it has been an eventful year. It often doesn't seem like it as the days go by but when I go back through the calendar and compile this list it turns out it was quite eventful.

The biggest news is that Meade and I will be moving full time to the house in Mississippi. The POD shows up on Dec 26 and we'll be busy packing it up and then head up to Hernando. I will be telecommuting for SAIC so the fact that we can't sell either house in Orlando right now because the real estate market is so bad won't be a problem. We just hope and pray that the economy will improve and I'll have everything I need in order to teach in Mississippi done by the time the job with SAIC ends. We're both looking forward to it because it is so peaceful and pretty up there. We're both (Meade especially) tired of the Orlando crowds and the hurricanes. The only thing wrong with the move is leaving Lee behind but we're hoping he will move up there eventually and if not it is only a 2 hour plane ride or a 14 hour car ride.

Lee is still working at Einstein's Bagel. He is the longest term employee who is not a manager. He would like to find a better job but with the economy in it's current state he is staying put. He is definitely considered a valued employee. I still hope he will go back to college but so far he is just not interested enough. Currently, his roommates are his best friend Zach and Alex who is a senior at UCF. Alex has only been there for less than a month so it is too early to know how well he will work out but so far so good. We've certainly had some bad experiences with roommates but I am hopeful.

Unfortunately, the bad economy has also effected Meade's poker. There are just not that many good games so Meade is branching out. He has gotten some new tools and is doing quite a bit of woodwork. He has made some really cute Christmas ornaments that Connie is going to paint. He also built a book house for Stephanie. He has also been doing some gardening including starting an orchard in the side yard in Mississippi. We have 2 plum trees and one peach tree with plans for apple, cherry and another peach. There are also has some blueberry bushes and one blackberry. And then there is the vegetable garden.

The biggest thing we are going to miss by leaving Florida besides our relatives is the home poker games. Some of the people we have met through the Amateur Poker League (APL) have started to have home games about every two or three weeks. They are a lot of fun and we like everyone who participates. This was definitely not the case with APL where some of the people are immensely annoying. Meade has been very successful in these home games cashing in the majority.

We've actually spent quite a lot of time up there this year. My mother came up to visit for a week and gave us the "Mom's stamp of approval". She says it definitely seems like the best fit for us of all the houses we've lived in. While she was there we did some sight-seeing including visiting the Civil Rights Museum and going on a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi as well as some other things.

Meade and I have been on a variety of trips this year. We went on a train ride in Chattanooga for our anniversary. While up there I went to the first NFL Tennessee Titan's game of the season. They won and went on to win 9 more games for a 10-0 record before losing. I'm hoping they will make it to the SuperBowl this year. Meade is tickled with how the Miami Dolphins are doing. It is much better than last year and they have a shot at the playoffs.

We also went on a week long trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the summer. The temperature was so pleasant. We are planning on doing it every year especially when I'm teaching and have summers off. We also went on another 7 day Carnival Glory Eastern Caribbean cruise. This is the 5th cruise we've taken with Carnival on the Glory. It will probably be the last because they also have ships in Mobile Alabama and New Orleans which will be much closer to us now.

I did finish my Master's this year but as I mentioned last year the college had cancelled my original degree program because it turned out they never got it certified with the state. So I can't get certified in Florida without taking 21 more hours of class. We're not interested in staying in the state long enough to do that so I've taken two of the three Praxis tests that Mississippi requires for teachers and once the scores come in I'll be applying to the Mississippi department of education to see what they say I need in order to teach. It could be anywhere from a handful of classes to a full degree. We're hoping it will just be a few classes and I can start taking them so I can be teaching in Mississippi in the next few years. We'll just have to wait and see.

I participated in a 5K this year for the first time. It was a corporate event for charity. They said a lot of people would be walking and they were right. I walked as fast I could and finished it faster than a lot of people who ran. But I did end up with blisters luckily they went away quickly.

For several months this year, I was battling Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It is an inner ear problem that causes dizziness when you move suddenly or sometimes even sometime if you not very suddenly. I didn't have a real severe case but it was still very annoying. It's gone now though they say once you've had it one time you are susceptible to having it again. Let's hope that isn't the case.

My Mom and I are going to go on a hot air balloon for my 50th birthday. We're both excited about it.

The biggest negative of the year is my sister Stephanie's health. She is still battling cancer. She has had a variety of chemotherapies. Some of them have been too hard on her body while others have not been very effective. But the good news is that she is still alive and well enough to be working. I have a large group of people praying for her.