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Dear Family and Friends,

We have had a good year and are looking forward to 2007. We hope that you are too. If we haven�t seen each other in a while, we hope this Christmas/New Year letter will bring you up to date on our family. Now that Patty, Andy and Megan all have digital cameras, it should be easy to share some picture memories from 2006.


All dressed up for Christmas mass

If last year�s big transition was Andy going off to college, this year�s would have to be Patty finishing her medical training. She completed her 3-year residency in Family Medicine and graduated from the Methodist Hospital program in Baytown in June. She�s a free woman! Except that she does have a regular job now, but that�s better than the 80-hour weeks at the hospital. She began moonlighting at Calder Urgent Care and Family Practice Clinic in League City in the spring, and was fortunate to continue working there after completing residency. She only works about 30 hours per week, and is pleased that her life is better balanced now. She is still leading Megan�s Girl Scout troop, which has 6 amazing girls in their 11th year together. She also volunteers with the Clear Lake High School Band and is looking forward to chaperoning the band trip to Florida this coming March.


The Ewert family in front of the UT Tower

Mike says he has a new job this year but no one can tell because he still works for NASA, has the same boss, sits at the same desk and does the same type of engineering management work. But if you follow NASA closely, maybe it will mean something to you that he is now the deputy functional area manager for human systems for the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which will replace the Shuttle in 5-10 years. NASA has a good plan for transitioning from the Shuttle to tending the Space Station and exploring the moon again with this new spacecraft. The challenge will be doing it with much lower budgets than the Apollo program. Outside of work, Mike stays busy with family activities and his Houston Renewable Energy Group. The solar home tour they organized in October drew about 600 people this year.


Allen and Mike on a trip to Arizona

Andy had a great first year at UT-Austin and is having a great second year as well. He moved from a dorm to a nice apartment on the opposite edge of campus this year and has already signed a lease for a house near campus next year (with the same 3 roommates). As a summer job this year, he really enjoyed being an orientation advisor to the incoming students. Andy is still in the Longhorn band, and is excelling in his work toward dual degrees in Linguistics and RTF � (Radio, Television, and Film). He is hoping to spend next fall in Los Angeles in a UT RTF program there. He also enjoys traveling, recently to Washington DC � with plans to visit Egypt over spring break. He�s also trying to figure a way to go to Europe in the summer. You�ll have to tune in next year to see how all his travels went.


Andy's 20th Birthday

Megan has been working very hard and doing well as a junior at Clear Lake High School. She is taking lots of advanced placement classes with lots of homework and she continues in band, so it was a very busy fall for her � and the rest of the family. Mom and Dad often had a high school football game to attend on Friday night and a college game on Saturday. Megan�s most memorable time this year is probably the cruise she and Patty took to Mexico. Ask about her favorite part and she�ll be hard pressed to decide between the relaxing sunsets, the shows, and the 24-hour soft serve ice cream. It was the first time either had taken a cruise, and they are eager to sail again. Meanwhile, Andy headed for South Padre and Allen and Mike spent a much drier 4th of July in Arizona.


Megan and Patty on their cruise

Allen did the most growing of anyone in the family this year, passing up sister, mom and dad (watch out Andy). He is in his final year (8th grade) at Seabrook Intermediate School and doing well. He is also in band and wants to switch from bassoon to saxophone. Maybe the sax he got from Santa will help with that goal. Outside of school, Allen seems to enjoy building things and shooting things. This would be evidenced by several pressurized-air potato launchers he has built from PVC pipe and the air-soft gun games he frequently goes to with his friends.


Megan and Allen before a Longhorn football game

We should mention our big Disney family vacation in Florida this summer that was a good break for all of us and a lot of fun. God certainly continues to bless us. We thank Him for a nice Christmas, a very good year and family and friends like you! We hope to hear from you and see you soon.


Family fun on the boat to Disney World

Love,       
Patty, Mike, Andy, Megan and Allen Ewert