The Ewert Family 2002

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Merry Christmas!

This website seemed to work well last year so here we go again. We are fortunate to have had no injuries or set backs this year, so this will be a bragging letter of sorts.

Allen has been taking piano lessons and had his first concert this year. He is still our soccer star, and, with Mike coaching, scored the most goals on his team. The children name their own teams, and his was the Black Dragons... incidentally they played other teams named the Blue Dragons & the Green Dragons! I guess dragons are popular this year. One year many of the teams were various colors of "fireballs". Allen has the same 4th grade teacher as Andy had (and she is fabulous), so he has matured (a little). Currently we are pet sitting one of the class pets over the Holidays — Dublin the rat (yuk!). We told him he could take the rat if no one else would, lucky us. In May, Allen earned the most accelerated reader points in the whole school (Woo hoo!) but getting him to read his school books is still a challenge!

Megan is in 7th grade. She became a teenager this year, but she is still sweet. She is still playing clarinet, and is now in the top band at her school (symphonic). Megan is a huge Harry Potter fan. This year for Halloween she dressed as Hermione (one of the characters) complete with a hand-knit scarf which Andy bought her from an on-line friend. She has started designing a Harry Potter fan website (padmepotter.darthwhoever.com). Megan is also an avid reader (more than Allen), and we can't seem to keep her supplied with enough books. She is still taking dancing (jazz is her favorite), and still active in Girl Scouts (Cadettes), with Patty as troop leader.

Andy is a sophomore and will have his license to drive in just a few days. If you hear a crash... well hopefully it won't be him. Andy is a sci-fi geek. This August, Patty took him to Atlanta for Dragon*Con — the largest sci-fi/fantasy convention in the country. There were a lot of crazy people there, and we were two of them! Actually it was a blast, and he got to meet some on-line friends in person (mostly very smart college girls!) He dressed as a Sith Lord and Patty was Obi Mom Kenobi. He is also a band geek (his term). Just this month he qualified for the top band in his school (wind ensemble) on trombone. He is also a computer geek and is currently building his own computer, including cutting Plexiglas to build the case that houses all the computer guts.

Patty is a senior at medical school and currently interviewing at several hospitals for a residency position in Family Medicine. While interviewing has been fun (I've been treated to fantastic dinners at nice restaurants), deciding on a program is more difficult than I imagined. This is where I will be spending the next three years of my life, and a poor choice could mean a lot of misery — so keep me in your prayers. I am planning to have a phenomenal (or at least very fun) graduation party in May. You already know about the Dragon*Con adventure & my involvement with Girl Scouts, but I also have been active with the high school band. This year one of the students jumped off a building and broke several bones in his foot, and that's when I discovered that the band's first aid kit didn't even have an ACE bandage! Oh, if only I could have found some duct tape!

Mike is a solar geek, according to the kids. If anyone is in the market for a "solar mobile" please give us a call. Again this year he volunteered at the elementary school teaching the value of solar & alternative energy by building & racing model solar cars; and at the middle school with a solar cart, which the kids build & ride in. He is still working at NASA but with a newly self-designed 6mo-1 year rotation at the environmental office. He will be studying technologies that can help NASA ground operations be more environmentally sustainable — less pollution, global warming, etc. Mike manages to stay busy at home as well. The whole family just finished constructing a 14' X 10' shed in the backyard (OK, so there are still a few bolts to go, but the roof is on!). This will provide a home for the junk displaced from the garage when Patty's new car moved in a couple of months ago. That means Andy gets her old hand-me-down car when he gets his driver's license next month. And the "solar mobile", which made its TV debut in the Art Car Parade this year,... well, see above. (Mike is the only one sad to see it go.)

Last summer's activities included visits from cousins from both California and North Carolina (at the same time). Every square inch of floor was covered with someone, and at one point there were 8 kids sleeping in our den! Everyone had a lot of fun, especially going to the beach and visiting NASA. Megan and Allen each went off to different summer camps. It was Allen's first time away from home, but Mom and Dad were much more nervous about it than he was. Next year we are planning a family vacation for spring break, but we haven't decided exactly where to go yet!

Every year we thank God more and more for his amazing love and blessings! We hope this Christmas finds you all well and happy. We think of you often. Well, it's time to go watch "It's a Wonderful Life". Merry Christmas!