Lynette got a new digital camera for Christmas, so you can look forward to lots of picture postings!!!  (We can tell how excited you are.)  Click here for the first installment.

 

If there is a problem with, or you would like to make a comment on this page please email Lynette at sofragile2000@netscape.net.  View previous Web-letters at 2000, 2001

 

On this page:  The Boys, Travels, Church, Carl's Family, Lynette's Family, Other Bits, Health Update, More Pictures

                                            

A blessed Christmas and joyous New Year to all our friends and family!

Carl, Lynette, Alex & Duncan

 

The Boys

Alex graduated from junior high and is a freshman in high school now.  His official grades are O.K., but unofficially he's getting an A+ in girls.  Last winter he received an award at the state capitol for work on a website about how to choose a career.  He was also confirmed in May at our church.  He is thinking about a military career.  Uncle Grady is trying to talk him into the Navy.  He's become quite the civil war buff, another interest he shares with his Uncle Grady.

 

Duncan is in 3rd grade again this year.  It was a hard choice to make but so far it seems to be the right one.  He still loves trains; though he spends much more time playing with his Lego trains than his Thomas the Tank Engine trains.  Bionicles (by Lego too) are his new favorite toy.  He says he is collecting them and knows which ones he has and doesn't have.  Good thing too, because Santa doesn't have a clue. 

 

Travels

Carl & Lynette went to Hawaii in May to celebrate Lynette's 40th birthday.  It was lovely on Kawai, except they were having the rainiest May in recorded history.  The trip was also marred by medical problems.  We managed to get through the week in good humor, though.  Found some great restaurants, enjoyed a helicopter ride over the island and a boat trip to the Fern Grotto.  Lots of people get married at the Fern Grotto.  We can under stand that.  It's wet, slippery, covered with moss, and is the only place on the islands with mosquitoes.  Go figure.

 

Carl's dear friend, Jim, had a severe stroke just before Christmas, last year.  He spent many weeks in the hospital and is continuing to recover at home.  He spends more time walking each time we see him.  Some portion of the family spends about a weekend a month visiting Jim and the rest of the family in Fort Wayne.  Lynette had joked to Heidi when they moved away from Chicago, that we would end up spending more time together now that they are 3 hours away, than we did when they were minutes away.  And she was right! 

 

In July our families took a driving trip to Niagara Falls together.  It was great fun and the Falls are as awesome as we've heard.  The night we got there we made it down to the falls just in time for the fireworks…. a worthwhile experience.  We ate and did touristy things.  We did the Maid-of-the-Mists boat ride, which was great fun.  You are almost right under the falls and cannot help but get soaked.  We had dinner at the 'Table Rock' restaurant, which has a great view of the falls.  The scenery is just stunning in the area.  Very green, very quaint.  However, all of this stuff is on the Canadian side of the falls.  There is nothing worthwhile on the American side.

 

In October, Alex and Lynette went out to Fort Wayne for the Johhny Appleseed Festival, and ended up driving home with a tree in the van.  On our last visit Heidi treated Lynette to the sold out Michael W. Smith Christmas concert.  The Meyers have just purchased their first home and are spending the hectic Christmas season moving in.  We keep them always in our prayers for we are truly blessed by their friendship.

 

Church

Carl is now officially treasurer of our congregation.  Lynette has continued to develop the church website.  We now have our own domain name and she is learning more about html than she ever wanted to know.  Apparently having just nothing to do… early this fall Lynette started and is the director of the Drama Ministry Team (they are working on finding a catchier name).  The team has presented a chancel drama during 9 a.m. service on the Second Sunday of every month since September, and three chancel dramas for the Advent services.  Alex played Jesus in the first drama and did a nice job of it.  We are both proud of him.  It is a lot of work, but very rewarding and fun too.  All are welcome to join us and see what we are doing. 

 

Carl's Family:

Carl's sister Julie and her husband, Grady, moved to Florida in August.  And of course we miss them terribly.  Carl's mom, Claudia, finally retired from nursing.  Oma is enjoying her retirement very much, and is happy to be able to spend more time with her grandsons.  She has joined Lynette a few times for Thursday morning breakfast with the girls.  Which has been nice. 

 

Lynette's Family:

Grandma Welter moved out of the house she had lived in for 42 years and moved into a nearby retirement home, and just loves it.  Now she has such an active social life that no one in the family can get a hold of her.  Lynette's Godson, Nicholas, is now engaged to his girlfriend, Liz.  They are expecting a second child in May.  There were no opportunities to see little Sydney this year L.  So we are considering a trip to Texas next summer.  Other friends we thought we would visit at the same time have just moved to Wisconsin.  Lynette got a new sister-in-law and new nephew this year.  Richard (her brother) and Melanie were married in February and had a baby boy, Maximilian Lee, in November.  About the same time she also got a new cousin, Dylan Thomas, born to her uncle Tim and his wife Kera.  Lynette's dad had heart surgery in June and is recovering very well.  (For those who don't know the complicated history, and to avoid confusion when reading the next sentence, 'dad' is Lynette's step-dad).  Late last year we petitioned to have the spelling of her father's name corrected on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.  It was corrected on the memorial but is still incorrect on the website.  His information can be found with a search on "Welter".

 

 

 

Other Bits

In February, Carl will be celebrating five years of self-employment.  Lynette is still waiting for him to pay up the twenty dollars she bet him that he would do it for at least two years. 

 

In August, Carl bought a new turntable for his substantial record collection (for those of you from the CD generation, records are vinyl things with groves that play music.  No.  Really.).  This stemmed from his hobby of transferring records to CD's.  During installation of the turntable we discovered the Magnaplanar speakers that Lynette gave him as an engagement gift 15 years ago were no longer working.  So that meant that he needed new speakers too.  Well when the speakers were connected, it became apparent that the amp and preamp needed to be replaced.  But to get the same quality as what he has had for umpteen years is in the many thousands of dollars.  So, after copious research he has decided to build his own and has purchased a pre-amp kit to start with.  Funny thing, he has become smitten with vacuum tube electronics.  Says that there is an elegance that is just not there in most modern equipment.  Apparently it's also easier to play with and rewire.  Somehow it seems that there is no end in sight.  Lynette figures that there is going to be some heavy-duty soldering in her near future.

 

Health Update

Lynette seems to have made a full recovery from the ITP she had in the spring.  The doctors say that they will want to keep tabs on her platelet count for the rest of her life, but that it is not likely to return.  For the time being she is happy to be off medication and thankful for the prayers and support of her friends and family through such a difficult time.

 

More Pictures

 

Jesus, Come and fill us with awe as we ponder that first Christmas morning… Oh!  The wonder that You would clothe Yourself in human flesh, and descend to us as a fragile baby…  choosing to walk this road before us, and leaving a light that we may follow you home.