CHRISTMAS LETTER 1993

Christmas 2006 -Pictures removed

Get yourself a beverage of choice, gather round the family and find a comfortable seat to join us for our busy trip through 2006.

This Annual Christmas letter is dedicated to Joshua Seunglee Oh, the newest bud connecting the Sriner Tree of Life to the Tree of Oh. The budding Joshua is already loved by us all. Krystal and Steve’s branches spread all the way to Plainfield where they are dropping their own roots. The other main branch, the Kimberly branch, as you may recall had made it all the way to Florida, but hurricane winds, local entanglements, and poor educational nourishment caused a break. The now, shorter but stronger portion of the branch extends down to Carbondale where it is dropping roots and getting better nourishment from Southern Illinois University. The aging dual trunk of this tree records 60 age rings to date. Some of the bark is beginning to peal as its girth expands, and it isn’t as limber as it was, but, it still stands tall and proud showing off its offspring.

I usually start my Christmas ~~Novel~~ Letter with some reference to a starting point in January. This year I am going to start with April because that was the month I turned 60. It seems cruel for nature to have me start my old age in the spring of the year. Everything around me is putting out new shoots and new growth and mine is wilting. (My life not my shoot) I needed something new and exciting. Pat got me a new camera; probably to chronicle my demise. You might ask, “Why did you need a new camera?” “Well, I’ll tell you, it all started in January. Aren’t you sorry you asked?”

January of his year brought with it a new desire to capture some of life’s beauty in pictures. It was our first quest to find the mighty eagle. It only took one day out scouring the treetops for the majestic raptor, to hook us. Like a gambler looking for the winning hand, I wanted the best pictures. It is a little like “no-kill” hunting. It’s obvious that I enjoy taking pictures, but now it is more than that. Now I am perfecting my skills and adding new tools to ply my new trade.

Almost every weekend in January and February were filled wholly or partially with trips to Western Illinois’ river valleys. I added new lenses and eventually a new camera to capture the eagles we saw and when there were no eagles, we captured the beauty of the rural landscape.

March brought a new chapter to my book of picture memories. They were pictures I didn’t enjoy taking but felt compelled to capture. March 12^th remains clear in my mind; the air raid sirens were sounding (that dates me, doesn’t it? For those of you born after the Cold War, that’s what we now call tornado sirens). Anyway, whatever they were, they were making a lot of noise; Kim was taking her laptop, MP3 player, and cell phone, down to the big closet in the basement. Pat had the portable radio, a flashlight, her notebook and pen for lists, and the emergency kit from the car. You know the one with the blanket, candle, protein snacks, and matches in a coffee can. I was standing on the porch with my camera trying to document the storm. It was dark and I could not make out much; but when the next door neighbor blew by followed closely by her roof, I knew this was not your average storm. I was barely able to get a shot before I felt myself being lifted off the porch floor to join the flying neighbor and ride Aladdin’s flying roof across the street. I grabbed up my equipment and headed for the basement. This is the first time in my life that I have been chased to the basement by a storm. To make a long story short, (I know what you are thinking, “Sure, like that will happen.”) the funnel missed us by two blocks. We didn’t have any structural damage but the recently filled freezer was going into an extended defrost mode. We had no power for several days. A borrowed generator followed by a generator purchase, saved the contents of the freezer and saved us from e-mail withdrawal. There was extensive damage all across town. Apparently there were several tornadoes. I am not exaggerating when I say, we are still cleaning up. Some businesses on Wabash Ave. were completely demolished and some decided not to reopen. A couple places had grand reopenings just last weekend. A completely rebuilt Barrel Head Restaurant should open soon.

After all the excitement of early March, Pat and I headed south to get a head start on Spring and take some pictures. We began our trip with a visit to the Schreurs’ in Hot Springs They took us to see the most beautiful Garland Woodland Gardens. It was tulip time and the display was fantastic; there were thousands of them. Back at their lake front home, we had our own bungalow just off the main house. Our host Jerry, a recently retired Ford employee, had our bungalow decorated in all types of Ford memorabilia. While Ford is not my current car, of choice, this was definitely my kind of room. I convinced Pat it was her type of room also by pointing out the many windows facing Lake Hamilton. The sunset cast a romantic glow over the adjoining lake. I couldn’t help but remember my first and only Ford with the Rambler-like custom reclining seats. If you can’t see why a romantic glow across a still lake would invoke such a memory, you obviously never spent a night at the submarine races.

After Hot Springs, we headed south into Texas where we met up with my nephew, Harry and his family, living north of Dallas. We tasted our first fried pickles at his new restaurant. I can’t wait to go back there for seconds. We were also joined by Jackie Hubbins, an old friend of Pat’s. At this point, I would usually interject that the relationship was old not Jackie; but considering the fact that she was in our same school year, there is no need for such a disclaimer. We are all OLD! After a great time at the restaurant, and a short stay at Harry’s house where we met up with more family including another nephew, Jeff, we went around to the south side of Dallas and visited with more relatives. This time it was my cousin, David, who definitely brings out my humor. (Good and BAD) I’m not certain Texas was ready for my “Hi, Big Boy” swish. We laughed until our sides ached. He took us to see their goat ranch. (Perhaps after the previous comment, mention of a goat ranch is not a good subject) Let’s just move on to Crawford Texas where the President has a ranch previously unseen by my cousin and his wife Cheryl. We made quite a comedic scene trying to find out from the locals where it actually was located. I don’t think David will be showing his face there again in the near future; but guess who has pictures of the ranch and security encampment? Yes, we found it!

At that point we had run out of relatives and free housing; but we headed further south to Padre Island where I would photograph the shore birds. We stayed on the island across from Corpus Christi. The pelican brigade was fantastic to watch as they flew over our balcony in perfect formation. In the morning we headed up to Aransas National Wildlife Preserve. It was photographer’s heaven. I only wish that I had then, some of the equipment I have now to do justice to the photographs. It was awesome! I will go back there.

Our next stop was our hotel on the River Walk in San Antonio. That is another place I want to revisit. The night lights along the river were breathtaking. Needless to say, I have lots of pictures.

In June, we opened a new campground out behind our house. The Dershimers, our dear friends from Florida came for a visit. We have the new motto of “travel light” they don’t; they carry everything including the kitchen sink in their new camper. Since we met them while camping the Rockies years ago, they felt comfortable camping out here. Not to be confused with a basic SRA with no amenities, I installed water, electric, and cable TV hook-ups, along with fast Ethernet internet connections. All the good places have internet now and I didn’t want to have them feel less than First Class. I made the standard camping signs so they would feel at home. You know things like “Campers, please do not wash dishes in the bathroom sink,” “shower for registered guests only,” and “office hours” posted on my office door. We had a wonderful visit, but I decided not to continue in the campground business. They were our first and only guests. With the end of August just around the corner, Pat and I were getting ready to hit the road again as we returned to empty nesting when Kim left for school in Carbondale. You will remember, we had a practice run in the fall of ‘05 when Kim was in Florida.

Earlier in the year, we were delighted to find that we were going to be grandparents. At last we could buy baby clothes and not have to worry about how they will clean up or how hard it is to change them, because that’s not in our job specs. We can buy big, noisy toys, plan parties with lots of treats and not worry about the resulting sugar high because we can send them home with their parents. Wow, I think I will like this grandparenting thing. We can spoil not scold. Joshua was born October 23^rd at 9:32 AM and weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz spread over 21 inches. He is adorable. But how could he not be considering his lineage? I can’t think of much that makes Pat happier than holding him! I’ll probably get him a hammer and power drill for Christmas; because, he is obviously too young for a fishing pole. He also might eat the bait. Although, the minnows and worms would be good training for the future sushi bars. I obviously didn’t eat enough minnows and worms as a kid! I preferred the cookies and look where that got me.

Shortly after Joshua was born, he decided he wanted a little party here in Springfield to meet his new relatives. I quote from his letter which he dictated to me telepathically so I could send it. He knew he could not get to the mailbox and his Mom would never let him lick the stamps:

In the original plans, it was decided that I should arrive around November 13^th. I had no intention of waiting that long; so, I just sat down like my Aunt Kimmy and went on strike. The doctor told Mom I was breech. I think that meant stubborn. Then they decided they were going to come in and get me November 8^th. Ha! Ha! I had other plans! One well placed Tae Kwon Do kick and I emptied the pool. I had everyone scurrying to get me out then. I guess, I showed them who was in charge. So, here I am; and I would like to meet all my family and new friends.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we had house guests, the Schreurs’ from Hot Springs. They cashed in their Sriner-Hilton bonus points earned earlier and reciprocated a visit. While we couldn’t provide a themed room like they did, we did have a fantastic city tour. Like many of our friends, we also met The Schreurs camping. We hope they will come again for an extended tour.

That was a full week. We had house guests on Sunday – Monday; then Thanksgiving with the kids here; followed by a coming out party for Joshua on Saturday; and, all on just one house cleaning. That’s what I call good planning!

After such a busy week, I thought we could sit back and take a couple weeks to recuperate (we seem to have to do a lot more of that nowadays) the Storm Gods dumped about an inch of ice on us and then covered it with 7 inches of snow. Everything was literally frozen in place; except the too heavy tree limbs and power lines. This time it wasn’t the thawing freezer that worried us, but rather the freezing interior. Where is some good global warming when you need it? It is bad enough being cold, but cold and no e-mail, I had to act. The tornado-purchase generator was again pressed into service and I rebooted the computers; then I plugged in the refrigerators and furnaces. It was so good to hear that heart-warming sound “you’ve got mail.”

In my spare time this year, I have added three new blogs to my web presence:

One is for classmates: http://shsclassof64.blogspot.com/

one is for photography tips: http://dsdigitals.blogspot.com/ and

one for our many trips: http://em-t-nest.blogspot.com/

It is like our own reality show. Perhaps we can syndicate it! These are in addition to my other websites.

www.DSDigitals.com is home to my photographs, which I will be expanding this winter as Housedoctor business slows down.

Obviously, I have more words than space. Pat tells me if my Christmas Letter gets any longer, I will have to include Cliff Notes and an index; but don’t worry, you won’t be tested on any of this.

From all of us in the Sriner family, may 2007 bring you peace, happiness. and good health to sustain you throughout the New Year and beyond.

Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year 2007!

God Bless you all,

Love and Light,

Pat and Dulany

Sriner’s Annual Christmas Letter ‘05 (Pictures removed)

As I sit at my office desk peering out into the garden, I can see two turtle doves spooning in the pear tree. Could it be the second day of Christmas already? Sorry, they are not doves; they are pigeons and one of them just left a mess on the head of St Francis. OK, it was an apple tree; but if you have been privy to my Christmas letters in the past, you know I am given to slight exaggeration and that is an understatement. I believe in laughing, loving and living life to its fullest. If you don’t build up speed on the down hills, how will you ever make it up the next incline? This year has had more than it’s share of hills -- both up and down!

January started on the first this year. There was some discussion of starting it on the 31^st and working backwards; but then some months didn’t have the 31 days, and the whole 28 days in February and the leap year thing made scheduling from the last to first thing a complete nightmare. So, it looks like the committee to restructure attitudes politically, acronym = CRAP, will have to give this change a little more thought. So I say, “Merry Christmas to you all”. For those of you who don’t share the belief of Christmas, I welcome you to share the spirit of peace and goodwill that it represents, as we all will face the same maker at judgment day, only the doormen are different.

If I had to think of a keyword for 2005, it would have to be stress. I did a Google search; (For those unconnected with life on the internet, a Google search is to the internet as Webster’s Dictionary is to books.) I typed in stress and hit OK. The first link was www.Krystal’s wedding, the second was www. Kim’s college choice and similar pages, www.college visits part 2, and www.let’s drive to Florida again. Www.dementia and how it affects family was also on the list. The list seemed to go on and on.

Kim had applied and been accepted to University of West Florida in Pensacola and Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. After an on-campus overnight stay at Augustana College and a second visit to UWF in March, Kim decided warm breezes and palm trees were better than icy walks and long johns. This culminated a two-year search and visits to over 60 college campuses. (see last year’s letter) She was accepted into the Honors Program, which is respected as one of the best in the nation.

While Kim was shopping for a college, Krystal was planning the world’s most beautiful wedding. Tapping into her Mom’s organization gene, she had lists of lists all packed into a small, 60-pound notebook. There were idea books, picture books, sample books and even a scratch-and-sniff wedding cake and flower book. She became Miss Wedding Planner extraordinaire.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Pat and I were trying to maintain some semblance of sanity. It was with cloudy judgment that we decided we would bring my Mom home from Sunny Acres to live with us. I spent the winter remodeling the gameroom in the back of the house into an apartment for her. I added a handicapped-accessible bathroom with a large shower and appropriate grab bars. In April, we brought her home. The first few months were delightful. She was able to watch spring bloom in the garden outside her window and sit on her own deck and take in the sun and fresh air. She delighted in sweeping up the deluge of maple seeds that covered the walks. She was at peace, as was I, knowing she was no longer in a nursing home.

May started with a bridal shower for Krystal and ended with Kim’s recognition assembly and preparations for Kim’s graduation party. Kim was awarded the D.A.R. Citizenship Award and the Ray Kroc (MacDonald’s) Youth Achievement Awards. She was a Spartan Scholar, a Student of the Year finalist and received the Golden Laurel Award. She was awarded the Southeast High School English and Cisco II Award. Nothing in a parent’s life brings more joy than seeing their kids excel. We were ecstatic!

June brought Kim’s high school graduation. Her salutatorian speech at graduation was awesome. We were so proud.

We had an open house/graduation party for her, but there was little time to celebrate as we had to take another trip to UWF for orientation and registration. I took Mom up to stay with my sister in Chicago for a week, and then we left the next morning for Florida. After the two-day event, we were hurriedly urged to head out as a hurricane was approaching. We drove back to Springfield, and the next day we headed up to Chicago for another bridal shower at Krystal’s new house in Plainfield, where she is still teaching high school English. I went to pick up Mom (Grams) who was at my sister’s. The week culminated with the drive back that night. Another keyword for 2005 could have been driving. I logged more miles than a politician during an election year.

As the wedding neared, we noticed Mom was becoming more and more detached from reality. Mood swings took her from a peaceful lunch in the garden to angry confrontations by mid-afternoon. I had become the “bad guy”. July was a real uphill struggle. I became less and less able to work away from home, because I never knew how Mom would be when I left or came home. On one return, I found her searching through the garage. When I asked what the object of her search was, she responded, “I’m looking for the hatchet.” And her response to “why” was “because you told me to get it.” This was a bit unsettling. Would we be the inspiration for a new CSI in the Land of Lincoln? I can see the promo: “Family found slain while grandmother sleeps peacefully in adjoining room.” I didn’t tell the rest of the family, but I did hide the hatchet and other sharp objects. Interconnecting doorways were also found locked at night.

August 6^th was the wedding. Two of our friends Barb and Barb (reminiscent of “my brother Daryl and my other brother Daryl” from the Bob Newhart show) stayed with Mom, so Pat and I could enjoy the wedding. Let me go on record here to say, “thanks again to the Barbs”. Without their help, I don’t know what we would have done. The wedding was fantastic. Krystal and Steve’s planning had paid off and everyone in attendance was impressed. The wedding, held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, was beautiful. The ceremony included two ministers and much of the ceremony was in dual language, Korean and English. Again, we were proud and happy parents. The reception was elegantly beautiful and the food was outstanding. After a day of recuperation, Steve and Krystal left for their honeymoon in Hawaii.

We on the other hand, had no time to regroup. Mom was getting more belligerent, and we were due to take Kim to College in Florida. Mom didn’t want to go to Chicago and even medication was not calming her. I made the decision that she was going to have to go back into the nursing home. Pat and I just could not cope. After making the necessary arrangements for Mom, we were off to Florida following Kim in a parade of Jeeps. She drove one fully packed SUV, and we had the overflow in ours.

After getting Kim all settled into her dorm room, it was time to leave her there and head back. The drive was lonely, as was the empty nest we call home. But it wasn’t empty for long. After shortly more than a week at school, Kim’s college life was imposed upon by a category 5 hurricane! I was awakened at 5 am on Sunday morning with a call. “Are you watching TV? The hurricane grew to a category five overnight.” “No, I responded groggily, I just awakened to answer the phone.” Kim asked, “What should I do?” “You have to follow your own instincts here,” I responded. After about an hour loading up her fishy and her plants and dirty laundry, she was on the road. This was followed several days later with a return drive into uncertain conditions and limited gas supplies.

Now I walk her to class on her cell phone as she tells me about this boy she met. He is a senior at UWF studying art. His family lives down there, and she was able to spend Thanksgiving with them after deciding it really wasn’t smart to drive 13 hours by herself, mostly at night to be home for Thanksgiving. Although, it was the first time she wasn’t with us to share the traditional turkey, we were relieved she wasn’t on the road.

That brings us to the present. Pat and I have been recently enjoying the freedom of empty nesting. We go someplace almost every weekend. I have found a new passion taking pictures. My pictures of the pumpkin festival at the Washington Park Carillon are on their website; http://www.carillon-rees.org/html/jack__o_lantern_spectacular.html and I was asked to be the official photographer for the Elijah Iles House after taking and sharing pictures of their candle light tour. http://iles-house.blogspot.com/ I am hoping to develop this love into a commercial pursuit and will be unveiling a new website in the near future.

As you can see, this year Pat and I were only minor characters in this play of life. The stars were Krystal and Kim. Pat is still with the Secretary of State. In February, Seniors Department closed and she was transferred to Archieves’ Records Management. I am still doing my house doctoring. We are both feeling the effects of distancing youth and dwindling mobility, but we are making the most of it. The other day as I hobbled across the room, I said, “I walk like an old man.” Pat’s reply, “You are an old man!”

So with that I will end this novelette Christmas letter 2005.

May the breezes of time blow gently across your soul

and erode away the wrinkles of time and bring peace

and love to you and your family in the New Year .

This is how the annual Christmas Letter started back in 1983

Pictures have been removed and links may nolonger be be functional

For years Pat and I have read the wide varieties of Christmas letters from friends and relatives. Year after year, they come bringing good tidings and all the good news from the Previous year. They tell of Prosperity and good health. There is always a list of the many accomplishments of all the children and relatives. With all this in mind, itis obvious to us that everyone who takes the effort to write and send Christmas letters is always rewarded with another year of unlimited good luck. Now, we too will join this list of those who shape their own destiny by sending the Notorious Christmas Letter. You must keep in mind that this is our first wear so you might say we are just priming the pump. Next wear we can tell you about all the good things that have happened in 1984. This year we will just have to tell you the truth!

The year started off with Pat's being out of work and my business being next to non-existent. Fortunately, the winter was not too severe so it wasn't too bad without any heat. The Christmas candles we got for Christmas were a help, when they shut off the Power. The bean seeds that we had saved from the garden started to sprout in the basement; so we did have some green vegetables for a change. We let the dog out every morning to scrounge the neighborhood for his own food. By the time February came around, things started to get bad. The candles were gone, the bean sprouts were starting to mold and the neighbors started to lock their garbage can lids. It was right then we decided; NEXT YEAR WE SEND OUT A CHRSTMAS LETTER!!

Immediately things started to turn around. Just knowing that things would be better seemed to help. My work began to pick up. Pat got a new Job with a local law firm as a legal secretary. For Fathers Day, Pat registered me for a drawing at a local Jeweler. To our surprise I won a $200 Gift certificate. Krystal started back to school. Now she was in the first grade. At last she was going to school all day. This gave me more time to work and Pat didn't have to worry so much. Our bills were caught up and we were sitting on top of the world. Pat was on a roll; so she put our name in a drawing at a local department store and again we won first Prize. It was an all-expense Paid trip to Washington, D.C. Things were going so well that we decided to get a new truck for my business as we now felt we could afford the Payments. We took the trip to D.C. and enjoyed every minute of it. As the trip was for four People, we were able to take my Mom with us. When the time came to come home, we were simply overjoyed to think of' how well everything was going. Things were so good, we didn't think we would need to send out a Christmas letter after all.

That was a mistake! Krystal's class at school was split up and she went into a new lst-2nd grade split class. She had to leave most of her friends. She came down with a sore throat and since I was in the middle of a Job, Pat had to stay home with her! Pat's boss didn't like that, and she was laid off! PERMANENTLY!! I now we had a new truck and Payments, with one less Paycheck. Pat's Parents left for their trip around the world in 81 days so we lost that regular free meal. Then the teachers went on strike and the schools closed down. By the time Krystal was back in school_, Pat was ready for the funny farm. You know how it is with forced vacations, when it is too cold to Play outside - Disaster!!

It was obvious to us that it was the old Christmas Letter Syndrone. We had to make a firm commitment to send one out. So here it is.

Now, Pat has started back to work with the school district as a secretary. It doesn't pay as much as she is used to, but it is a doorway into the system. The work is enjoyable because she is working in the refugees Program and she can work with people. She needs to feel she is doing something for People, so this new Position looks to be very' rewarding in that respect. I had been keeping busy with my work until this month, which is always a slow time. It gives me a chance to work on my new computer and get my books in order for the start of a new year. It also gives me a chance to write this Christmas Letter. Krystal is back in school and she loves it. She has really taken to reading and is reading way above her grade level. Being a Poor reader in school myself, I really am glad to see her doing so well. Looks like we are settling back to normal. It is comforting to know; now that we have sent out our first Christmas letter, we will no loner have to worry about the future. Now we have our thoughts in order.

Next year we will be able to tell you all the good news this letter has precipitated. But for now, let us say,

May the Glories of this Christmas Season fill you with love and Peace and may they stay with you throughout the coming New Year 1984.

It is that time of year again. A time you have all been waiting for. Sit back and relax while you read the sequel to last years widely acclaimed CHRISTMAS LETTER 1983 this years smash hit CHRISTMAS LETTER 1984. The title just came to me one night in a nightmarish-like dream.

You will recall from last wears letter that we had decided to commit ourselves; to an annual Christmas letter, that is. We knew that was the best way to obtain peace and happiness. We promised you all an annual report on our newly acquired superiority. So, it is with "tongue in cheek” that we send this Christmas greeting. (If by chance you missed last years Presentation, additional copies are available with a SASE)

1984 started out like a rock but as it rolled down the mountain of life it gathered no moss. I like the way that sounds, don't you? Pat has changed jobs again and the new job promises to be even better than her last one. (That's why she changed) Now she is with Project Quality. She is still working with district #186 it Lawrence Adult Center which is so close to home that she can come home for lunch Project Quality evaluates the adult education Programs throughout the state. She has mastered the use of her new trash 80 computer. They sent her to school to learn how to use the word processer and out of a class of at least one she was the top student. We were all very proud of her.Her new job is on a ten month basis so she will have two months off in the summer to be with Krystal. This new Job also has the added benefit of Paying lots more than what she was making when she wasn't working.

In February of this year Pat was offered a job in Dallas Texas. The position was with one of the largest banks in Dallas. The salary was about twice what she makes here, so we thought we should at least go down and take a look. As it turned out the trip was a kind of paid vacation. The interview lasted all day. We liked the idea of the salary increase but we just weren't ready for the fast lane in Dallas. Housing costs were out of sight.We could get a real nice little Place in the slums for under $80,000. It just wasn't the place for us!

You should remember Krystal was Put into a first second grade split class last year. We were somewhat concerned but it worked out well. She liked being with the older kids._In fact her boyfriend is an older boy. He is in third grade now. They correspond regularly but she hides the letters. I feel she is a little young for serious entanglements but you know how it is with this new generation. This year she is back with her friends in second grade. She is doing so well that there is no doubt that she will be able to apply to Harvard or Yale for' college if she wants.

This year has also brought a new addition to our house. Some of you probably didn't know that we were expecting. The arrival took place October 13th. We are now the proud parents of a one proud turtle. His name is Timathy T. Turtle. The T. is for Terrapin. He is a most beautiful green and yellow, Red Eared Slider. Now some of you probably remember your pet turtles. They were about the size of a half dollar and cost about the same. Times have changed this one is about six inches across and costs considerably more. Next time I will check before I make promises. Timithy T. Turtle lives with Krystal in a 20 gallon aquarium half full of water. Now before you get a picture in your mind of a seven year old sharing an aquarium with a turtle, let me clarify myself. Timithy T. lives in an aquarium. The aquarium is in Krystal’s room. A couple of weeks ago we had a weekend guest with us. He/She (I forget to look) was a white guinea pig from Krystal’s class at school. Shep wanted to play with him but we decided that wasn’t a good idea. All in all, Krystal is growing bigger, better, smarter, and prettier with each day and I can say that with prejudicial honesty.

Last summer we spent some time in our mountain hideaway. We spent a week camping at Mary’s Lake Campground, Estes Park, Colorado. As always the mountains were beautiful.

My year has gone stupendiously. I had planned to win a seat in congress but my ‘write in’ campaign fell a little short. I only got one vote. I guess the judges couldn’t read my name on the other ballots. I can’t understand what happened. I even got beat out by Wilby Nogood and he died two weeks before the election. I think he got the sympathy vote. You can be sure that this is only the beginning of my political career. Don’t forget! I write Christmas letters!

I am still house doctoring while I wait for a political appointment. I also started teaching again. I am teaching a class for the Adult Education Department. It is a 12-week class on basic home maintenance. It has been very successful and I will be offering it again next semester.

I am also taking a correspondence course from the Institute of Children’s Literature. I have only completed one assignment but it promises to be rewarding. You will probably be seeing my name on Time Magazine in the near future as the most promising childrens author of 1985. I think I have made more than my share of promises.

I am going to wind this up for now as I am expecting a call from the resident at the White House down the street.

Doorway to the new Millennium

In preparing to write this, I looked back at that notorious first Christmas letter I wrote. It started like this:

For years Pat and I have read the wide varieties of Christmas letters from friends and relatives. Year after year, they come bringing good tidings and all the good news from the Previous year. They tell of Prosperity and good health. There is always a list of the many accomplishments of all the children and relatives. With all this in mind, itis obvious to us that everyone who takes the effort to write and send Christmas letters is always rewarded with another year of unlimited good luck. Now, we too will join this list of those who shape their own destiny by sending the Notorious Christmas Letter. You must keep in mind that this is our first year so you might say we are just priming the pump. Next year we can tell you about all the good things that have happened in 1984. This year we will just have to tell you the truth!

A long time has passed since then. At that time, Krystal was just entering school. Now Krystal has entered a new school but this time she is the teacher! Looking back on this year, it is obvious that our life revolved around these changes. In May of this year, Krystal graduated from Augustana College in the Quad Cities with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was certified to teach English in the upper grades. So, the early part of the year was devoted to graduation and all that goes with it. We had a nice party here and many of her previous teachers came to wish her well. She took a summer job with the school district and mailed out job applications. Many of the applications went to Florida, the land of Disney, seashores and sun! She and a friend, Courtney drove down to a regional job fair in June but nothing came from that. In July, The statewide job fair was in Tampa. She flew down to that and on the second day she was offered and took a job at Lee Middle School in Orlando. She is now teaching 6^th grade English.

With the summer half over, now we had to get her moved to Florida. The end of July, she and Courtney drove back down to Florida. She had new teacher orientation for the week before school and in her spare time they had to look for an apartment. They lived in the Marriott near the airport at the school districts expense. The end of the week, Kim and I drove down to take more important stuff (computer) and to pick up Courtney and bring her back up north. It was a quick three-day trip. As soon as we arrived home, I had to start packing Krystal’s furniture to take down in my small trailer. The trailer was open so I shrink wrapped EVERYTHING! Once I had it in the trailer, I shrink wrapped the trailer with all its contents. It was certainly a site but I wasn’t taking any chances. It was a long drive. So, the first week of August, Pat, Kim and I headed for Florida. Only the VW with six rooms of furniture strapped on top looked any crazier. We arrived in Florida only to find that the apartment was not quite ready so we took the opportunity to spend some quality time with our friends, Wil and Elizabeth Dershimer. They put us all up till we could move Krystal into her apartment.

Moving day came and Krystal went to work we went to move. We were aided by Wil and Elizabeth in this labor of love. Now picture this, a trailer full of furniture with shrink wrap holding it together, an apartment up a flight of outside stairs, the temperature was typical for Florida summer, high 90’s, humidity that made fog look dry and four overweight, over 50, movers. Kim was the only one that looked up to the task. As it turned out, removing the plastic wrap was as difficult as moving the stuff up the stairs. But we did it and just as the last item was in place, Krystal came home from work!

Now Krystal is settled in and has a new boyfriend. She loves Florida, she still likes teaching but the school is more like an inner city school and it has certainly been a challenge. Her boyfriend Mark lives on the west side of Orlando and works at the Cape. His work is in computers but he can’t talk much about it. He is older than Krystal is but the mature influence has been nice. He has been very good to her. We like him a lot! So, you can see 1999 primarily revolved around Krystal. We say we gave our summer to Krystal this year.

In the 1984 Christmas letter, there were only three of us. Kim was not even born. Now she is in 7^th grade at Franklin Middle School. She came home from school the other day telling us she was voted “the student most likely to succeed in life”, also voted “the best student in her class”, and voted “the biggest flirt”. I’m still not sure which one held the highest regard! We do know, she is an excellent student and gets high marks (Straight A’s) on her report card. But, I’m still not convinced that was the highest of the three! She spends most of her time on the computer either gaming or communicating. She has friends all over the world. It certainly makes it a small world. She e-mails, chats and even has a voice chat program that they use to hear each others accents. She e-mails pictures and I assume it won’t be long before she will some how set up a picture phone. That’s my Kim truly in the computer age. She is always showing me how to do something on the computer. I can see in her eyes she is thinking “Dad, don’t you know anything about computers?” She has always been the one that had to show the teachers how to do something on the computer. Sure glad we have smart kids to take care of us.

Our most recent adventure was a trip to Hilton Head SC. A fellow at Pat’s work had won a week’s stay in a condo for 6 persons during Thanksgiving week on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He could not use it and ended up transferring it over to Pat and me. Pat asked for that week off, but could not get it as another girl was going to be off the same timeframe. So we made our plans to drive the 900 miles on Wednesday night and come back on Monday after TG. Then, on the Friday before, her boss told her she could go ahead and have off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday BEFORE Thanksgiving. Well, with not finding out until so late, we could not make arrangements for our dogs to be at the kennel until Monday morning and Kim had to acolyte at church on Sunday. So we spent the weekend home preparing for our trip. We arrived in Hilton Head late Monday night after a 15-hour drive. Every time I wanted to pass the wheel over to Pat, it either got too congested for her to drive or too dark or too rainy. It was a long drive but worth every minute of it. Hilton Head was fantastic. The weather was great. It rained several times but just for short periods and then cleared off. We loved it. Our faithful friends from Florida joined us on Wednesday and Elizabeth cooked the Thanksgiving turkey. It was truly a wonderful Thanksgiving. On Friday after Thanksgiving, Krystal and Mark drove up to spend a couple nights. It was a wonderful finale to the trip.

On a sadder note, the weekend before we left for Hilton Head, Pat found out that her brother had passed away. November 21^st, Sunday afternoon around 2:45 PM, Pat received a phone call from her (ex)sister-in-law, Judy, who told her that her brother, Jerry (age 54) had died of a heart attack that morning as he was getting out of bed. In talking with Jerry’s wife, it was apparent some harsh feelings were still there. This was echoed in the obituary that left out surviving siblings. Pat was glad she had made peace with Jerry a short time before. This was a sad end to an already sad chapter in her life.

Now you are up-to-date with what has happened in our lives during 1999. Krystal will be coming home for a week at Christmas. Unfortunately, Mark will not be able to come up with her. I think he is afraid of the possibility of snow. He has never seen it. WE are planning a party for New Year’s Eve but it won’t be for Pat and I. It will be for Kim. We don’t know all the particulars yet but I’m sure it will be an experience!

We don’t write much except for e-mail. We both check that regularly and respond. So, if you have an e-mail address, PLEASE share it with us. We would love to be able to communicate more often. My address is housdoctor@aol.com and Pat’s is pjsriner@aol.com. I am not certain how long we will keep the AOL account although we have had it for years. You can ALWAYS get us through my website www.housdoctor.com or mail to DFS@housdoctor.com. Krystal’s is twinks0077@aol.com and Kim’s is tiger0086@aol.com. Kim was reluctant to have her address included because she gets so much mail already. “KIDS,” what can I say – “I love them”

This once-a-year letter brings with it peace, love, and joy for the very Merriest Christmas for you and your families and to wish everyone the most prosperous and happiest of New Years. Bring on 2000…we’re ready for the New Millennium!

It seems to be that time of year again. Time for the yearly update of Sriner family events for family and friends.

During Easter break this year, we went to Grayton Beach, Florida so we could meet up with Krystal and her boyfriend, Mark. We spent a week on the beach enjoying the Florida weather and sunsets. Ask the family about driving 60 MPH in a 15 MPH zone to get to the beach for the last chance to see the sunset before we all went our separate ways in the morning. We came North and they went back to Orlando. It was a sad parting as usual.

Kim is in her own world either working on her computer or giving someone at school a piece of her mind if not the toe of her shoe! The boys know not to tell any “women belong in the home” jokes around her.

Last winter, she was awarded an “exceptional” in the school science fair and a first place at the Regional. She moved on to the State Competition in Champaign where she received a second place! We were certainly proud of her. We look forward to a repeat this year!

After a boundary change for the new middle schools, many of the neighborhood kids had to transfer back to their old 6^th grade school even though we were within walking distance of Franklin. Fortunately she was in the gifted program which was centralized this year into Franklin. Yes, there are two Miss Sriners at Franklin Middle School! I think they both like having each other around. Kim is doing well with all her classes and she is quickly nearing the end of my math expertise. The gifted program is planning an 8^th grade summer trip to Orlando to visit some of the educational sections of the theme parks. We think it is a great opportunity but Kim is rather blasé considering all the time we have spent in Florida over the last two years.

After more than ten years at SIU School of Medicine, Pat has moved on to a secretarial job with the Secretary of State, Senior and Community Services Department. The general atmosphere at SIU was getting worse all the time and most of the long time employees had left. She hung in there longer than everyone else. She likes her new job but says she doesn’t have enough to do. I guess you just can’t win. I know I like being able to pick her up at 4:30 and not have to wait for 30 minutes while she finishes up something. Only time will tell how it goes. I think it is a stepping-stone to another state job.

I am still inspecting homes, but with the soft real estate market, I have had more time to work on my web site. I love my computer, but I was born just a little too early to get into it at the right time. The kids today graduating in the computer fields have grown up with it. They are the true computer age adepts. I just need to learn to quit tinkering, but that is just my nature. I crash my computer on a regular basis but I am getting better at resurrection. My web site is www.housdoctor.com.

Last October we were able to be with my sister, Carol, and her family at the baptism of “Tanner”, Mike and Kathy’s new baby. It was nice to get together with the family. It isn’t until you get older that you realize how important family is. Carol and Tanner below.

That brings us to the present. There have not been too many changes unless you count moving, new jobs, state championships, vacations, and a potential trip to Florida. Just about the same as last year! The biggest and best change has been having the family together again. It is especially joyful at this holiday season. Below, Kim and Krystal decorating cookies on their “snow day.”

I hope this finds you all well. And may the joys of the season carry throughout the coming new year. May good health and prosperity be with you always.

Wow – It once seemed we would never get to the year 2000 and now the years are flying by just like the ‘90’s before them. We, at the Sriner household take this opportunity to wish you peace and prosperity throughout this holiday season and the coming new year.

While the past couple years were Krystal years as we moved her back and forth to Florida, this year was truly a Kim year! We are all so proud of her. Most of you know by now that she was a finalist in the Discovery Young Scientist Challenge held in Washington, D.C. last October. This absolute joy was put on hold September 11^th as we, like all of you, experienced the various emotions associated with the terrorist attacks. There were many behind-the-scenes discussions up until the last minute to decide if the October event would be cancelled. It wasn’t! We did cancel our flight reservations and decided to drive. The trip and accompanying experiences were more than we ever could have imagined. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.

She was in the top three teams competition the last day and walked away with a $500 scholarship, a minor planet named after her, many gifts and memories of working with the nation’s top scientists while studying the behavioral habits of the pandas at the Washington Zoo, genetics with top scientists from Celera, alchemy experiments, and several others. It was truly a lifetimes worth of memories.

Kim receiving autograph from Astronaut Joe Allen

Krystal is still moving on a yearly basis but at least this time she stayed in town. We enjoy having her in town. She is presently teaching English at Lanphier High School. She has one Junior class and the rest are Freshmen. She is still searching for the right niche for herself and she isn’t certain it is in high school or even in Springfield. Time will tell. She is currently burning the highway between here and Chicago visiting an old High school boyfriend. Krystal in classroom at Lanphier High School

Pat Says: I’ve completed my first year at Senior and Community Services for the Secretary of State. And, I love my job! I’m Secretary to 15 staff persons, and our office is located at 324 West Monroe. I coordinate their Speakers Bureau program, in which I locate speakers for various organizations, and, I talk with a lot of seniors everyday in helping them with their “problems”…whether it has to do with driving, testing, license plates, circuit breaker program, whatever. It is a challenge at times. Yet, I do not have the stress that I had at SIU/SOM O&P. Furthermore, it is especially nice to be close to home--only a 5-10 minute drive to and from work with FREE parking!

My life has also made some changes. I decided to go back to teaching, which I left 25 years ago. I managed to get my substitute-teaching certificate so I can substitute-teach in Illinois. I was supposed to be put on the list effective November 1^st but I have not been called. I probably have not made it on the list, which is just as well, as I have been busy with my construction/inspection business. Now that things have slowed a little, I will be calling to pursue the substitute teaching. I do look forward to it.

Another highlight in the Sriner family has been the remodeling of our home…I have taken out walls and put in more walls. We are back to hardwood floors and they are beautiful! Actually, as you come into our home now, the library is on the right and the living room with the piano is on the left…no more long central hallway! You have to go left through the L/R, through an open archway into the dining area. There is a guest bathroom and coat closet off on your right as you pass towards the dining area. Now, my office is in the old sunroom between the family room and game room at the back of the house. To say the least, this is OUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT TO OURSELVES. Our family and home have always been our pride and joy, so we take special pleasure in enjoying them both this wonderful holiday season and throughout the years to come. We wish each and every one of you a very blessed Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2002! God bless!

The presents are all opened and put away in their new respective homes. The remains of hours of tedious wrapping now line the back fence waiting for someone to haul them away. Miniature lights no longer give a twinkling hue to the room and years of hanging memories have been packed in tissue and placed back in their protective housings. The scent of pine still lingers and needles of pine will look for places to hide from the all powerful mechanical tornado. The festive mantle no longer supports boughs of pine and holey but returns to the majestic resting place of precious memorabilia. The now barren Christmas tree, propped against the patio wall will provide a place for birds to rest as they face the cutting winter winds and we settle in bracing for the icy grip of winter.

Now, it is time to look back and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas which permeates the spirit of all mankind no matter what their color or religion. Christmas brings hope for those who have the foresight to see it and a promise of peace for those with the faith to accept it. May you all find that inner hope and peace and let your light shine for others. Pray for peace in your own heart and let that light of peace shine for all to see.

There is a rumor going around that people all over the world are wearing a path to their mailbox looking for our notorious Christmas Letter. I know these rumors are going around because I started them! Unfortunately, the Christmas Letter fund drive has been a little slow. I scanned and e-mailed myself a twenty dollar bill to prime the pump but even that has not had much effect. This, as all my Christmas Letters, is written with “tongue-in-cheek” because I learned a long time ago from my Mom who learned it from her Dad that the best way to face the problems of life is with a smile. As long as we can see the humor, we can make it through. This year has had more than its share of humor!

We started this year about mid-February. We planned to start in January with everyone else but some how that New Year’s resolution along with the one about starting a diet didn’t seem to materialize. Oh well, there is always 2004! I’m not sure why we even started the year in February because it was relatively uneventful. We even cut the month short to get a head start on March and the beginning of Spring. If I had to sum up the events of 2003 in a couple words, they would be work and stress.

I gave up my inspection business this January because it was just too much stress. In a time when honesty and integrity are lacking in many businesses, my in-depth inspection was more than the realtors wanted to promote. Many went out of their way to try to keep me out of the process promoting other “less picky” inspectors. I resumed my previous business of home remodeling and repair and have had more work than I care to do at prices that make it worth while. So, I reduced the work-stress but increased the work-work!

On the home front, we decided to remove the old tree in the front yard which was home to several families of raccoons and more than its share of rodents and insects. That led to a new porch, new landscaping, and a completely new look to the house. We think it is for the best but it was a lot of work.

Pat is still working for the Secretary of State. She enjoys her work with seniors and does not miss the stress of her old job with the School of Medicine (SIU). It is a good thing she changed jobs because that SIU department was phased out.

There are times in life when it is not wise to ask “what is wrong”. Pat made the mistake of asking the Doctor and she found out she has arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel, high cholesterol and diabetes. “Sorry I asked’” was her reply. For that very reason, I’m not going to the Doctor!

Krystal is in the Chicago area teaching high school English to freshmen at Plainfield South High School. She lives with a guy she has known from early childhood. Actually, she is just on a spy mission to find out the ingredients in the Oh’s family restaurant’s hot and spicy chicken. She eats there as often as possible but so far the recipe is still a secret.

Kim is a Junior in Southeast High School. She and another fellow student have been trading off first and second place class rank. Needless to say we are proud parents. It reminds me of what I could have done in high school. Most of her classes are advanced placement classes which makes her eligible to test out of college classes. At this rate, she will probably enter college as a senior. She finds boys a pleasant distraction but not worth wasting too much time on. I know it is a dangling preposition, it’s Christmas, think of it as a decoration for the sentence.

Kim spent her summer working for the Secretary of State’s Information Technology Department. She made corrections to the SOS web site so fast that they still have not been able to catch up implementing all of her corrections. Her computers are her major distraction considering they are much more dependable than her boy friends. She hosts her own web site on one of her computers and there is even enough bandwidth for me to check my e-mail if I wait until the middle of the night.

My Mom, the last remaining grandparent in the family had to go into a nursing home last fall. We knew there was a problem when we found her on our front porch preparing for a party with six glasses of punch. When asked who was coming, she named relatives and friends we have not seen in years and some of whom were only around in spirit. Now I am open minded enough to accept the fact that they might have been there but they sure weren’t drinking any of the punch.

The first week at the nursing home, she tried to break out the window to get away. This led to another hospital visit. After returning to the home for about a week, she fell and broke her hip. Now for the average person of her age, this is the beginning of a downhill trend. But my Mom is far from average. She was sneaking off without her walker in less than two weeks. It has been a little over a month now and she is walking around as good as new. Pictured above, she is seen telling Santa that she wants a Model “T” Ford for Christmas. It is probably part of her new escape plan.

I know how a parent of an unruly kid must feel. Every time the phone rings, I worry it is the nursing home calling to tell me she was taken into the principal’s office for doing something terrible. One time she stood up in the middle of breakfast and shouted out “Don’t eat the food, it is poison!” I can imagine how well that went over. They tried to move her to the more restrictive Alzheimer’s wing but she packed up her bags and moved herself back to her old room. She told the nurse she didn’t belong with the crazy people. Her memory is fine and she remembers all her friends and family; but some days you are her friend and other days you are part of the conspiracy trying to do her in. Just last week, I got a call from our favorite nurse. She told me that Mom had barricaded herself in her room with the bed blocking the door. When Mom finally got to the phone, she told me the reporters were there to take pictures and write a terrible article about her so she wasn’t letting them in. I finally convinced her there were no reporters and that if she didn’t cooperate, they would move her back to the other wing. She didn’t want that so she said she would do what I told her. I told her to move the bed back! Now picture this: an 85 pound, 89 year old, little old lady moving furniture around at will. As I said before, she is not your average octogenarian.

Now, as I sit here listening to Christmas music on my computer, I know it is all in Gods’ hands. It is all as is should be for each of us to grow. Only the seed that can break through the shell can go on to become a towering tree and reach for heaven. I wish you enough trials to make you strong, enough love to give you purpose and the vision to see the light.

Christmas 2004

As I look out into the garden, I see snowbirds stopping for a drink at the waterfall. The green holly branches accented with bright red berries stand out from the otherwise bleak surroundings. Ice covers the pond and even the stately Heron yard ornament seems to be shivering in the cold. The lush green potted plants, recently brought inside have to search for the sun through insulated windows.

But the cold crisp air can’t chill the warmth of the Christmas tree all decorated and standing at attention by the crackling fire in the fireplace. Carefully wrapped packages fill all the empty spaces around the base of the tree just waiting for the excited hands to rip off their ribbons and bows. It’s that time of year again to try to compress the events of 2004 into some kind of an ordered chronicle of events to share with friends and family.

This year started out like most years with January. That is probably a good thing because if it started with, say July, I would have even less time to get ready for Christmas. And I don’t know about the rest of you but the older I get, the faster the years go by. This year was no exception. The fact that we spent a lot of the year in the car driving to colleges all across the country might account for the compressed time continuum. Einstein had a formula for it. It was something about mass and speed. I will take a little liberty with the exact formula to say that it simplifies down to: The more schools you visit, in a given amount of time, the more they all seem to run together and this gives the illusion that time is passing more quickly. OK, I took a LOT of liberty with the formula, but I’m sure that even Einstein would admit that seeing nearly 60 colleges in one year causes the inertia syndrome in man. This states that a body at rest wishes it could stay at rest and not drive another 500 miles. In January, we went to Florida and back on a 4 day weekend. This was a good start with over 2,000 miles and almost 10 colleges on the itinerary. By the second trip during spring break, we had it down to a science. With the laptop GPS manned by Kim, we made our way out to Washington DC and got there in time for the cherry blossoms. Even the thought of them brings the scent to mind. From there we headed south and took a break in Colonial Williamsburg. Then we pressed on down to the beautiful campus of Duke University. (pictured at left) that could be a vacation destination by itself. We completed the loop going across South Carolina and Tennessee and then back north and home. This loop took in 33 more colleges. (At Right, Kim at Berry College) Several other weekend trips completed our quest. This should all give you a look at the inner workings of Kimberly’s in-depth mind. I think Kim could sum up her 2004 as the year to get ready to go to college. She has narrowed the list to 5. She has applied to 3 so far and has been accepted at all three. She is leaning toward University of Western Florida but her sister is trying to convince her that her alma mater, Augustana, should be her choice. She is presently #1 in her class and President of National Honor Society at Southeast High School. No matter where she goes, I am sure she will do well and we are all very proud of her.

Krystal will also start on a new journey this year. During her spring break, she was proposed to by Steven Oh while they were having dinner at the Italian restaurant in Epcot Center in Disney World. The wedding is scheduled for August of 2005. This year for them has been dominated by wedding plans. I always thought Pat was organized but she couldn’t hold a candle to Krystal and Steve. They have an organizer for their wedding organizers. They have more complete plans than a major corporation at a stockholders meeting. If that were not enough, they are now looking for a new house to go with it. Talk about a full plate. She is teaching Freshman English at Plainfield High School and Steve is climbing the corporate ladder rather quickly at ICON in Deerfield. They presently live in Darien. For a look into their wedding plans and pictures, go to the sriner family website www.sriner.com and click on the link to Krystal’s page.

That brings us up to Pat. As most of you know, Pat had breast cancer surgery in January. They removed a small mass and while it was a rather routine procedure, any surgery takes its toll on everyone involved. Pat was able to continue her positive outlook throughout the entire ordeal. The surgery was quick but the radiation therapy was not. As the radiation exposures increased, so did the discomfort. We can all remember getting a sun burn. Now think what it would be like to keep exposing the sunburn to the sun until the blisters had blisters. That might give you an idea of what it was like. Now you might think that would get anybody down but not Pat. She decided she might as well be recuperating from carpal tunnel surgery at the same time. That would be more efficient. And let’s not just do one hand, let’s do them both. Talk about being helpless. Now you all know that we try to look on the bright side for all life’s challenges. After all the radiation, if I can’t find Pat in the dark by following her snoring, I can look for the dim glow emanating from below the covers. This gives new meaning to “glowing bride”. She is still with the Secretary of State, Senior and Communities Services and loves her job.

In order of importance, we now come to me. Being 58 going on 100, I can’t remember much of anything that I did this year except work. I spent much of the year getting mom’s house ready for rental. Even simple projects turned into major renovations. A loose tub surround turned into a new wall, window and tile. A plumbing leak grew into all new copper piping. I also had a major kitchen/great room remodel (at left) that took a good deal of my time and attention. Now, things have slowed down – almost to a stop! It is feast or famine in my work. I spend a lot of time taking pictures and working on one of my web sites. Pictures from our 40^th class reunion (at right.)can be found at www.shsclassof64.info

Now, after passing the tests of 2004, we can all get ready for a new year and new challenges. May we all have the strength to overcome the challenges ahead, the wisdom to learn from the trials and the humor to face them all with a smile and a hardy laugh.

Come visit us on the web at www.sriner.com

May 2005 bring good health to your body, wisdom to your mind and peace to your soul.

Love and Light,

Dulany, Pat, Kim