The last few years have brought a lot of job changes.  In last year’s newsletter, we said that Ron had just started a new job at Molex and we hoped he would be happy there for many years to come.  Well, things did not work out quite that way because Ron was laid off in June.  It was a long summer while he searched for a new job but he is now back at ITI!  Ron feels like he has come home again and is also much happier with the shorter drive.  We hope that next year’s newsletter will not have any job news!

Our big vacation this year was a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean with Mama and Daddy.  Unfortunately, I caught some kind of bug a week before the trip and was sick the whole cruise, so I didn’t have as much fun as I should have.  But we still enjoyed the beautiful ship and visiting the different ports.  My favorite parts of the trip were seeing El Morro fort in San Juan and taking the tram to Paradise Point in St Thomas.  What a beautiful view from the top of the mountain!

In June we took a long weekend trip to Jamaica with our friends, John, Lori, Royce and Laurie.  We had a great time playing on the water slides at the resort and snorkeling off the beach.  While we were snorkeling, I saw a parrotfish being cleaned by several cleaner wrasses.  I was so excited to see a cleaning station for the first time.

Our quest to photograph all the Florida lighthouses continues.  This year we visited 2 new lighthouses – Cape Canaveral and Cedar Keys.  We were very lucky to see the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse because it is located on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and is usually off limits to the public.  But I e-mailed Dr. Elbert (Sonny) Witt at the Air Force Station and he graciously invited us out to the Cape to take some pictures.  Thank you so much, Sonny!  Be sure to visit my new lighthouse web pages to see pictures from our latest lighthouse travels.

In September my mom retired after 20 years as Resource Director with the Presbytery of Tampa Bay.  The Presbytery had a wonderful ceremony and lunch in her honor.  Jenny and Mary also come down for the weekend so the whole family could celebrate the milestone together.

Our latest news is that we are boat owners again!  We recently bought a 17-foot Bayliner Trophy.  She is the perfect boat for wakeboarding at Lake Tarpon or cruising the Intracoastal Waterway.  Our first boat trip was to Homosassa Springs to swim with the manatees.  We had two great days in the water playing with the gentle and curious animals.  What an amazing experience!  We are looking forward to spending a lot more time on the water and enjoying the things that make living in Florida so special.

We have so much to be thankful for, new jobs and boats, and time shared with our friends and family.  Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!