2002

   Remember in “Forrest Gump”, when Forrest stopped running? He just stopped right there in the middle of the road, because “it was time”. Well, it’s the last day of February and the time has come to write my Christmas letter. I may be a little later than usual, but I am still earlier than some of you. We will talk about that later. Let’s get started on this adventure.

JANUARY

   This month had some good times and bad times, but we are just going to talk about the good. A friend told me that my famous cousin was going to be performing with his band in St. Louis and it sounded like it might be a fun road trip for the family. We made a bunch of calls, and it was set. We invited Jane’s college roomie and her family to join us. I’m sure you remember Randye from last year’s letter. Anyway, we met for dinner and then went to Bruce’s hotel for awhile before the show. We took a few pictures, and Bruce taught all the children how to burp like a movie star. I like to expose the girls to as much culture as possible. Us grown-ups then went to the show and acted silly. I had the best seat in the house, watching from the edge of the stage and eventually from behind the microphone. Bruce needed a little help with the backup vocals, so John Goodman and I came to his rescue. We did a really good job, though John seemed a little nervous. I was packed and ready to join the tour, but I think Bruce must have lost my number. Anyway, it was a “Christmas letter” weekend. Emily had her 14th birthday this month. She completed her teenage rookie year and is now fully immersed in the art of confusing her parents. And again, no pony.

FEBRUARY

   Emily has started taking tennis lessons. Twice a week she has a group lesson with the pro, and at least twice a week she is asking me to play with her. She seems to really enjoy it, and it gives her a chance to sweat out some of that teenage angst that people write bad songs about. Sara is playing indoor soccer and going to Brownies doing all sorts of things. Everyone has meetings and Dr. appointments and church stuff and it sure was easier to write about January. Sometime during the month it snowed. Sarabeth got creative and I captured the moment on whatever a digital camera captures moments on. At least you get to see a cute picture of Sara.

MARCH

   Another pretty basic month. Sarabeth turned 9 and we probably bought her some really expensive gifts that are now hidden under her bed. I don’t actually have that written on the calendar, but I’m sure it’s true. The girls started their month-long spring break. You will have to wait until the next paragraph to find out anything exciting about spring break.

APRIL

   Well, that didn’t take long did it? The first week of the month we went to Louisville to see mom for a few days. It was warm and sunny there in the Deep South. We drove home Wednesday and left for Chicago the next morning. Time for some more of that culture I was talking about earlier. It wasn’t warm and sunny in Chicago. It was cold, snowy and very windy. Huh. We stayed downtown, close enough to walk to all the museums. I soon realized that these attractions were close enough to walk to but were too far away to walk the other direction back to the hotel. We went to the art museum, the aquarium, the other exciting attractions, but the girls really seemed to enjoy the cab rides to Niketown the most. I guess it was the mix of slick streets, road construction, high speeds and foreign languages that created the carnival atmosphere. We came home and spent the rest of the month acting like your typical suburban family. At least as typical as we ever will be.

MAY

   I started this month in Columbus, OH for that work deal that I always attend. I got to see sister Marky, Don Overmyer and spend time in Columbus traffic. I wish I had learned something from that Chicago taxi driver. For 3 Mondays during May, PBS showed the “Antiques Roadshow” that was featured in last years letter. We managed to see ourselves about 3 times. It was interesting but not really exciting. Actually, it wasn’t all that interesting. Forget I even mentioned it. It’s not on the calendar, but I think this was the month Dave Emery and his family came to Indy for a baseball tournament. We spent a bunch of time together and I got to watch a lot of baseball. It was nice to realize that soccer parents aren’t all that different from baseball parents. We all cheer for our team, in a very positive manner, and quietly discuss amongst ourselves the fact that the other team is comprised of 10-year-old juvenile delinquents on steroids, whose parents probably beat them if they lose. Before leaving, they got to watch Sarabeth play a soccer game, and they probably came to the same conclusion. Don’t have a picture of the Emerys but thought you might like to see the boys. Scout & Kirby have grown. They’re cute and fun and just stupid enough that you let them get by with a few things that you wouldn’t let pass with a more intelligent lifeform.

JUNE

   Soccer and tennis are in full swing now. The regular outdoor season is over, and Sara has a couple of tournaments. They managed to win one of them, and the other was a learning experience. This is also the last few weeks of school and the end of Emily’s career as a child. She will graduate from 8th grade. The calendar is full of all kinds of practices and rehearsals. At the end of the month, we have a final flurry of activity and then send them off to camp together. Jane and I have a week together alone. Of course we spent the first few days worrying about them. At least we spent most of the first day and part of the next morning worrying about them. We spent the next few days doing other things. We spent the last couple of days trying to remember their names. The entire family really enjoyed camp week, although there were some rough spots. We received a couple of letters from Sarabeth demanding her immediate pick up. She was struck by a bad case of homesickness and decided descriptions of her illnesses, complete with drawings, was the quickest ticket home. If any of this prose had reached the CDC in Atlanta, they would have quarantined the entire state. These amazing pieces of fiction will become part of our family history, to be passed down to future generations. I know in my heart that this child will someday compose beautiful Christmas letters.

JULY

   This was our official summer vacation month. We jumped in the van and drove to Gulf Shores, AL. An hour after we arrived, we were in Gulf, splashing around like tourists. Thirty minutes later both girls were out of the water with tears in their eyes and jellyfish stings across their backsides. We talked to some locals, who told us to sprinkle meat tenderizer on the wounds. I guess it worked, but it certainly made for an interesting photo. The next day, after using a calculator to figure the odds, they were back in the water. We spent the rest of the week swimming and playing tennis and driving go-carts and eating big meals and shopping and other vacation type stuff. Did I mention that Sarabeth is now taking tennis lessons too? We weren’t doing anything on Sunday evenings, and the club really needed more of my paycheck. It’s been a great investment because she really loves it. In a few years she will probably be the family tennis champion. Maybe even State Champion. US Open! Look out Serena!!! I find it best to be very complimentary since I just put that photo of her in our Christmas letter.

AUGUST

   Sarabeth started the month by entering the 4th grade. A notable event in her life. One week later I went to Las Vegas with three tennis buddies. A notable event in my life. We had a great time, saw some interesting sites and attended cultural displays of dance and drama. Sorry, but the taking of photographs was strictly forbidden! We also gambled. I soon realized why the casinos are bigger than my house. They win and I don’t. But wait, that’s not completely true. I did win big once. You know when you go to Vegas and all your friends give you money and ask you to bet it all on “red” or maybe one pull on the $5 slots? A guy at church gave me $10 to play on 12 and 22 on the roulette wheel, and you know what happened. So, as I spend the rest of my trip losing my money in a slow, entertaining fashion, I have to carry his cash around as a reminder of how lucky other people always seem to be. And I can assure you that he is lucky, because he asked me about the trip at church and God made me fess up and pay him! This month was the start of Jane’s tennis career. She started in a clinic and is doing great. A notable event in her life. Now the whole family is playing. Speaking of tennis, my partner John and I played in a tournament and won it. It was a chess tournament. Just kidding of course. We played in four tournaments this year. We won one, came in second in another and built character in the other two. Sometime near the end of the month, Emily started High School. A notable event in her life.

SEPTEMBER

    My sister Nancy came up for a weekend and we went downtown and did some really artsy stuff. Other than that it was just a bunch of soccer and tennis. We also did some adjusting of our morning schedule. Emily now catches the bus at 6:20am. Sara’s bus doesn’t come until 8:10. We now get up earlier than ever before and are still late for work every day. And Jane got older this month.

OCTOBER

   It was a very good month. Jane and Emily spent a camping weekend together at some sort of mother / daughter girlie thing in the southern part of the state. I’m sure they did all sorts of bonding and stuff, but the highlight had to be Jane’s trip down the 800 ft zip line. I’m proud of her, but glad I wasn’t standing below in the flight path. While they were doing that Sara and I spent the weekend at a soccer tournament. And we bonded a bunch too! Sarabeth started another month off for her fall break. Emily, the high school student only had 2 days. We went down to Brown County again and frolicked in the leaves, rode the horses and played a little football. At the end of the month, I went to St. Louis for the big screen print convention. A tough four days of work, work, work. But you know me, anything for the company.  Sometime during the month, I had another birthday.

NOVEMBER

   This is normally a yucky month but not this year. And by the way, Microsoft Word’s dictionary recognizes the word “yucky”. Ken Zinn, a prominent part of our collegiate past, brought his family to Indiana. They stayed with us on Friday night and we told a bunch “do you remember the time” stories. We then went to Bloomington to watch the IU / Penn State football game. The weather was miserable. It was cold, wet and windy and IU was pounded thoroughly. It was like a nostalgic tidal wave. I can’t begin to count all of the times I sat through a terrible beating in that stadium. It never seemed as cold back then. I wonder why? The Willis family gathered in Louisville for Thanksgiving. It was different this year, but still good. Certain duties shifted into different hands, and sometimes those hands seemed a little shaky, but everything turned out fine. We all know how much we have to be thankful for, and it’s easy to feel thankful when you are surrounded by your family.

DECEMBER

   Other things happened this month, but nothing compares to Christmas. We went back to Louisville and the whole troop was there. We had a great time. Then back home for our own little family Christmas. As we drove to church for the Christmas Eve service, the snow started. Big, soft flakes that took forever to hit the ground. When we left church, the ground was covered, and the night sky was bright. The lights bounced off the snow and the whole world was lit up. Christmas morning was beautiful. Looking out the window at the snow-covered fields and trees; I thought I had somehow been magically transported into the middle of a beer commercial. Jane and the girls came downstairs, and we opened gifts and then had a big breakfast. We spent the rest of the day playing and giggling and just being a family. What a great way to end the year!

2003

   I have a suggestion for all of my friends that are reading this Christmas letter. Write one yourself! It gives you a chance to look back at a year of your life and all the things that made you happy. How cool is that? And when you get around to mailing it, you get to think about all the people that have jumped in and out of your life over the years. And then you get to be happy again! And happy is good.

Merry Christmas!