Holiday Greetings 2008 & Happy New Year 2009!

What better thing to do on a "snow" day than write a newsletter. We used to create an annual letter when we had all the happenings of our kids growing up, but have become somewhat complacent in keeping that tradition alive now that there are just the two of us. If you don’t really like reading long, possibly boring, family newsletters, then just recycle or delete. Otherwise, read on-

Bob & Nancy have been enjoying the stress of retirement. We are living on less, with time to spend on health issues, people & projects. Bob completed a long-time dream of becoming a filmmaker with the production of a feature-length documentary, “Andrus: the Man, the Mind & the Magic.” This is an insider’s view of the fascinating life of Jerry Andrus. This film is the culmination of over 2 years of work by Bob and our son-in-law, Tyson Smith. It got a wonderful review in October’s Magic magazine; another review will follow in January in Genii magazine. See a trailer at www.skepticalmedia.com

I (Nancy) have been working on many photo projects and to assist in this endeavor I became a consultant for Creative Memories, my favorite photo-safe product company www.myCMsite.com/nancyneary . I love helping others organize and preserve their photo memories, while working on my own albums as well. I am slowly, but surely, venturing into the digital age of photography.

We usually take one or two vacations per year, so its fun to see the instant replay through photos. Last year, we took a January trip to Cancun, Mexico with our travel buddies, William & Kathryn. We will return to Fiesta Americana, Cancun this January with most of our adult kids & their companions (sans Amy & Adam). It makes a nice break from Oregon winters and we will be pre-emptively (okay; I know that’s not a real word) celebrating the fact that we’re both going to turn 60 years old this year..

Last May, we were tag-a-long grandparents with Beckett & his parents to the Hilton Grand Vacation Club at Waikoloa on Big Island of Hawaii. We love the warmth, natural beauty and our favorite snorkeling bay in Kailua-Kona. Some of Ty’s relatives joined in part of the vacation, so we had quite a party.

In June, I traveled with my dad, Mel, to the Westwood Family Reunion held in Spring Lake, Utah. We had a great time. Dad had not been able to go to the reunion for several years, so it was really good for him to be able to visit almost all of his siblings (except Russell, who was out of the area.)

Bob & I continue to live at the same address where we’ve been for over 17 years. The house has been continuously remodeled, so I think Bob has it personalized just about the way we want it now. We enjoy taking a spa in our “bath house” pavilion almost every night, even in the cold of winter. The Japanese garden and pond turns our home into our very own little resort.

I miss my Mom and think about her often. She loved holidays and entertaining. When I run across little items that she gave me, such as decorative table napkins wrapped in a ribbon, it reminds me of how this family revolved around her. One of the big projects that my Dad and I accomplished this year was getting Mom’s artwork custom framed; then Dad generously shared the framed pieces with each of us kids. Mom had some lovely watercolor and oil painting “studies” stashed away from when she took art classes in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

We will be home for the holidays and mostly plan to enjoy spending time with family members. Hope wherever you are, that you are staying healthy, cozy & warm. ~ Love, Nancy

3168 SE Hathaway Dr.
Corvallis, OR 97333

Here are our extended family updates:

Amy & Adam Ghozeil have two kids, Lydia & William. Lydia just started “all day” kindergarten in the Fall and 2 ½ –year-old William proudly reports, “My kinda-garden is daycare!” William attends daycare 3 days a week and toddler gymnastics one afternoon per week. They are down to only 2 cats (Cat-Cat & Kahlua), so decided to add 1 dog. Ruby is a sweet, family-friendly adult Beagle from a shelter.

Adam continues working at Hewlett-Packard as an electrical engineer; I think he is one of the few employees still there after the firm’s major cut-backs. Amy has been running her own business, Wee Bunz Natural Parenting Resource Center, for the past couple of years. She has a cloth diaper super store and has recently added other items such as kids’ music, baby shoes, baby carriers. (Find it at: www.weebunzdiapers.com) When the business out-grew their home, she moved it to a commercial site, where she ships products all across the country as well as some to international destinations. I am a part-time employee working for Wee Bunz or shuttling the grandkids, as needed.

Travel for Amy & Adam has been taking the kids to visit their several out-of-state grandparents & other relatives (in Washington, Kentucky, Virginia & California).

The Ghozeil’s address: 3651 NW Wisteria Pl., Corvallis, OR 97330.

Laura & Tyson Smith have a 2-year-old son, Beckett, and are expecting another boy in April 2009. Their biggest challenge this year was selling their 1930’s bungalow in NE Portland, and buying a larger 1908 “project” house, also in NE Portland. After gutting the interior and rebuilding, they recently moved into the beautiful new main level. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so visit their photo site at: http://albertahouse.site.shutterfly.com/

Laura went on maternity leave when Beckett was born, then decided to continue in full-time Mommy mode. Now she is doing some free-lance as an artist. Last Spring, Tyson was laid-off from his mainstay job illustrating text books for Portland State University. With his many artistic talents & people skills, Ty he was able to land an excellent job with a non-profit organization doing similar work.

Laura & Ty, along with Ty’s parents, have been studying Italian with a tutor. They were able to put their language skills to use during a 2-week visit to Italy just before Beckett’s first birthday.

The Smith’s new address: 4814 NE 22nd Ave., Portland, OR 97211-5874.

Jesse Butler & Melissa Girard live in Orange County,California. Jesse is a senior computer programmer for InteliSea, a company that designs integrated computer systems to navigate super yachts. (www.intelisea.com) Jesse’s office is in Irvine, however his job involves quite a bit of travel, so he spends a fair amount of time at several shipyards in Washington State, as well as other ports to install ship upgrades. Melissa is pursuing a graduate degree in library sciences.

Jesse’s address: 1300 Adams Ave., Apt. 6Q, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

Kara Neary continues to live in Portland, Oregon. She continues to work at the same location in downtown Portland in the same building where Bob once worked years ago & at the same company where Laura used to work. Her company, however, has changed hands & names, now www.Yesmail.com . Kara has worked her way up to a management position. The company manages email advertising for major companies, such as Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Kodak and many others. Kara has foregone car ownership, so gets around by bicycle, powder-blue scooter & bus. Kara loves city life, travel and socializing with friends. Last year took her on a Winter trip to Romania & Hungary; the year before that she visited Morocco during Ramadan. Both were interesting experiences, to say the least.

Kara’s address: 2208 SE Belmont, Portland, OR 97214.

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