2007 was another busy year. Two things consumed me this year: finishing a huge project at work, and planning and going on a European vacation (cannily timed to coincide with the completion of the above-mentioned project!).
Before I recount those two stories, I’d like to bring you up-to-date on the kids (that’s what you really read these letters for, isn’t it?).
Natalie
School and Sports: Now 12, Natalie started the 7th grade this year. She played soccer in the Fall for the Buena Vista Bobcats again this year. Although, I’d have to use the word “played” very loosely. There was a new coach this year, and Natalie didn’t see much game time. She was a real trooper, however, attending every practice and suiting up for every game. She was discouraged, but her love of the game was not diminished. [See the 2008 letter for a positive update!]
Girl Scouts: Natalie is now in her 6th year of Girl Scouts. In the spring, while still a Junior, she and her troop planned and executed a “Pet Fun Carnival” to earn their Bronze Award. They collected sheets, towels and blankets to donate to a local pet charity (see the recognition mid-way down the page at http://www.anniesblankets.org/archive/june07.html),
and they raised $100 to donate to the SPCA. Natalie and several of her troop-mates decided to bridge to become Cadette Girl Scouts. However, their troop leader decided to move on, so I went through the training and am now the proud leader of Troop 33011!Music: Natalie decided to continue with the flute. Since this is her third year in band, we rewarded her commitment by giving her a flute of her very own. She also started private lessons to help improve her music reading and fingering skills. We really enjoy her concerts.
Hobbies: She is a great “foodie” who is developing a refined palate and will try just about anything (unlike her vegetable-phobic mother). And she loves to bake and cook. Her dream is to become an accomplished pastry chef!Leland
School and Sports: Leland is 8 and in the 3rd grade. Math continues to be his favorite subject in school. This year, we passed on the Spring soccer season and let Leland enjoy his second year with the Toro Park Thunder baseball team. He’s becoming a good hitter and a lightning-fast runner, and he likes to play 3rd base. In the Fall, he returned to soccer, and George helped coach.
Cub Scouts: Scouting is great! Leland now a Bear Cub. He has had fun learning new skills (like whittling, archery and compass reading) and camping in a tent. And he's enjoyed building and racing Pinewood Derby cars and Rain-gutter Sailboats. George has stepped up to become the Den Leader. It’s a lot of work but he finds it very rewarding to spend time with Leland and his friends.Hobbies: He loves playing Gameboy and Gamecube, riding his bike and organizing things (I think he gets that from his Dad!). Leland tells us that that he wants to be an architect or engineer when he grows up. Not surprising when you see how he loves to build with Legos, K’nex, Magnetix, blocks and anything else he can come up with. Who knows, maybe my company will insure him someday!
Diane’s Big Project
Speaking of my company, I’m into my 12th year at XL Insurance, and I’ve kept busy with a number of projects but a major one in particular, noted at the beginning of this letter: managing the rewrite/update of our 500+ page contract guide for design professionals. This weighty tome rolled off the presses in July 2007, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief before we embarked on our family vacation. Follow this link to learn more about the results of my 2½ year labor: http://www.xldp.com/XLI_DP_Contract%20Guide%20Sales%20Brochure.pdfGeorge Update
George is still a Unit Manager for HSBC and will celebrate his 2-year anniversary there in January. He enjoys his work, even though he’s still on the graveyard shift.
Vacation
With my intense project work, we hadn’t done any traveling in a while. But we more than made up for it this summer! We began our adventure with an overnight flight from San Francisco to London, followed by a bus trip to Bath. We stayed in a lovely bed-and-breakfast inn, and enjoyed walking the cobblestone streets (although I admit we were tired of cobblestones before the end of our 3½ week trip!), touring the Roman Baths and taking a side trip to Stonehenge, the Avebury Stone Circles and the historic Lacock National Trust Village (where the kids had their picture taken in front of Harry Potter’s house!).
We returned to London by train, and stayed in a hotel near the London Eye. We toured the Tower of London and were awed by the Beefeaters and Crown Jewels. We took in the British Museum and the Natural History Museum. We visited Buckingham Palace. And we made a special visit to Lord Baden Powell’s house (the founder of Boy Scouts).
From London, we flew to Stuttgart, Germany, where my nephew Brad and his family are stationed. It was so wonderful to see them. And it was a unique treat to spend some time on the Army base. We were able to use U.S. dollars, and we didn’t have to use any electric plug converters! Brad and Stephanie took us to Rothenburg, a walled city dating back to the 12th century, and to Heidelberg Castle, a 13th century gothic and renaissance castle in partial ruin. Both were great trips, filled with history (and cobblestones!). We also enjoyed going to the commissary where we bought ingredients for a Mexican dinner! By that point, we had had our fill of pub food and schnitzel. We were ready for chips, salsa, fajitas and, of course, margaritas!
We were sad to leave Brad, Steph, Alexander and Chloe behind, but we were also excited to get to our next destination: Paris. We stayed in a small hotel near the Champ de Mars and the Rue Cler (another cobblestoned street, this one featuring many market stores and restaurants). We toured the city by bus, but really enjoyed our explorations on foot. The highlights included Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle, the Louvre, and a day-trip to Versailles. We also got quite a workout climbing stairs! Almost 400 to reach the bell tower of Notre Dame, and almost 700 more to reach the second platform of the Eiffel Tower.
After bidding Paris adieu, we flew to the Midlands of England, to wrap up our vacation with George’s sister, Lori, and her husband, Steve. We really enjoyed just hanging out with them, and getting together with Steve’s family, but we also managed a fair bit of sightseeing while we were there. We visited Chatsworth House, the magnificent home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. And we also went to Alton Towers, a modern amusement park that is centered around a semi-ruined gothic revival country house (looked like a castle to this American!), the former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury. We also went to a Nottingham Forest football (soccer) game.
It was sad to say our goodbyes to Lori and Steve, but we were comforted by the fact that they were coming to visit us at Christmas time! What’s more, we’d been on vacation long enough to be truly grateful to come home to good Mexican food and to leave the cobblestones behind!
With love from Diane,
and the rest of the Mikas:
George, Natalie & Leland
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