1994
Dear Friends,
Well, it's January 5th so I guess it's time to compose the annual Willis Christmas card letter. I hope to have these things in the mail by the end of the month. I'll bet your saying to yourself right now, "That Wayne sure is a lazy " but that's not the case at all! I have two very good reasons for waiting until now to write. How exciting is it to get a Christmas letter the week before the holiday? You get all sorts of letters that week. Wasn't it a nice surprise when you found this in your mail box today? Of course it was! The other reason is that by now I know who sent us cards this year and I won't waste 32 cents on my non-card-sending acquaintances. If you didn't send us a card and are reading this, don't feel guilty. Just try to do better next year.
After reading all the letters we received this year and critiquing the different styles, I decided to go with the monthly synopsis letter. I ran upstairs and got the 94 calendar off the wall so that no important detail of our lives would be missed. Here we go.
Either we didn't do anything at all in January and February, or Jane didn't buy a calendar until they went on sale in March. I do believe that Emily did have her 6th birthday party in January and I'm sure she had a great time and got all sorts of neat gifts.
The calendar says that in March, Sarabeth had her first birthday party. I'm sure she had a great time, but only being one year old and not really caring, combined with the fact that she's the second child and we've learned a lot since the first one, she got a few things she needed and maybe a stuffed animal or two, but nothing really neat like Emily got at her party. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
April was a really busy month. The neighbor's kid had a birthday party on the 9th, lots of church committee meetings throughout and a couple of dentist appointments. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
May was great. It always is in Indy. You know spring is here when you hear the first car at the track. As usual I spent a decent amount of time at the track this year, watching the cars and enjoying some of the other cultural attractions. We had some friends from Louisville come up for a qualification weekend and had a great time. May is also the start of the outdoor art festival season, so Jane led the family on a couple of adventures. May was good. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
June started with Emily's graduation from kindergarten. We're talking robes and hats and tassels and diplomas and everything else you can think of when you think about graduations. Yes, I do believe there was a long boring speech. It was great and we were proud and she looked so grown up and we were so happy that once again we only had one child in daycare. The month also had some vacation time that consisted of swimming, cutting grass, swimming, painting, swimming, cleaning the garage etc. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
July consisted primarily of 4 birthday parties, three doctors’ appointments, a couple of concerts in the park and church things. Jane did get a haircut at 5:00 on the 14th. Jane and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas for a few days at the end of the month. Business trip. Left the kids at home. Had to, cause it was a business trip. Work, work ,work. Well, maybe not that much work. We had a great time and decided that we really could get used to that sort of lifestyle. The first morning home we sat at the breakfast table for 20 minutes before we decided that no foreign guy in a tux was going to appear, place a napkin in our lap and take our order. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
August was the same as July, except we didn't' get to do the fun stuff. Except Rocky.
September saw Emily start the first grade. I felt like a Hallmark card as I watched her get on the bus that first day. How did she get so grown up while Jane and I haven't aged at all? Well actually, Jane has. September also saw Jane conquer 40. Years that is. That's OK though, because she is still the most beautiful woman in the world. I hope I look that good when I get that old, although I may not have a chance to get that old after she reads this letter. Emily is doing well in school and seems to enjoy it. And if she wasn't, I probably wouldn't just blurt it out in the middle of my Christmas letter. And on the 20th, Rocky got his heart worm pills.
I really like October. It's my favorite time of the year. Red and orange trees, football games, Halloween. Other than rake leaves, go to football games, and dress the kids up in funny costumes, we didn't do much. And on the 21st, Rocky got his heart worm pills. I was watching a football game on the 20th and forgot.
November. November. November. If it wasn't for Thanksgiving, would we really even have that stupid month? If we moved Thanksgiving to October, we would have more time to figure out what to get that crazy in-law, whose name you pull out of the hat every year, for Christmas. The only one who would object to getting rid of November would be Rocky, who would get a little edgy around what should have been the 20th.
December was fantastic. Sarabeth loved all the sights and sounds and Christmas cookie smells of the holiday. Her vocabulary increased dramatically with the addition of HO-HO-HO, Santa, Dolph, (a.k.a. Rudolph) and other assorted holiday expressions. She seems to pick up new ideas very quickly. I see a Nobel, or at least a Pulitzer in her future. I think she pulled most of her genes from the Finley side of the pool. Emily was the star of the church play, "The Littlest Angel". She was great. We were very proud of her. Perhaps an Oscar or Emmy in her future. You know where those genes came from. Christmas was beautiful. The highlight of the year. Santa visited Rocky about 5 days early.
Well, that was 1994. It was a good year, if not really exciting. Jane and I both have good jobs, a nice home, two beautiful, happy little girls, and a dog with a healthy heart. Combine all that with friends like you and we're gonna live happily ever after.
Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year to all of you.