Its My Life!

Hello, world!
I realized as I was writing our Christmas newsletter this year that I haven't updated this blog since I was writing our Christmas newsletter in 2013!! I think Kennedy was a sophomore in high school?

High time for an update, dontcha think?

Year 2016 was a year of change for many of us... all good change, but change nonetheless.

Charlie and Serena Hedgepeth

In January, Serena and Charlie bought and moved into their new house in west Houston. Lynanne flew out and helped them move over a long weekend. It's a lovely place and we are so happy that they've found a great neighborhood for themselves and our granddogs, Lola and Tucker. They survived the Houston flooding in August by just a few feet, and spent some time helping neighbors who weren't so lucky! Serena continues to travel around the country meeting with clients for Alliant Group and Charlie is still enjoying his job at TopSpot Internet Marketing. They will be joining us for Christmas this year!

Cole, Cassie, Jaxson and Gracie Long

Cassie and Cole are wrapping up their first full year in their Holly Springs townhouse, and Jaxson and Gracie are now 4 and 2 years old, respectively! Jaxson is thriving in school and Gracie is the cutest little diva. Cassie discontinued her Thirty-One business to concentrate on healthy lifestyles for the whole family, after Cole experienced a cardiac health scare earlier in the year.
Cole is a manager at Pest and Termite Consultants and works at Dick’s Sporting Goods as well. We are so happy they live so close to us here in Holly Springs!

Sam moved home to North Carolina in May of 2017 to take a great new job with Metal Supermarkets. Although the job hasn’t turned out to be what he wanted, he is working hard and job-hunting for that perfect job – preferably driving a truck, which is something he has wanted to do since he was eight years old! He is also paying off a car loan and saving for a rent deposit so he can move into his own place. We hope 2018 will be his big year!

Danny is still working at Dell Computers in Apex, but took on a new, part-time job at Ruby Tuesday on the weekends. He is working hard to become a permanent Dell employee – something he hopes to achieve in 2018 with hard work and a little star alignment. He continues to live with friends in Fuquay-Varina and we see him occasionally for family events. He and Sam love to hang out with friends together on the weekends at a local restaurant and we are hopeful they will be roommates before too long.

Kennedy is in her sophomore year at UNCG – and it’s turning out to be a great one! Last summer, she and her best friend Kayde traveled to Uganda together to volunteer in Mutungo. It was a life-changing trip! After returning, she rented a townhouse and found a great job at the Cherry Pit Cafe and Pie Shop in Greensboro. She had an amazing fall semester at school and plans to apply to the School of Health and Human Services this spring to major in social work with a focus on mental health. She has also declared minors in dance and American Sign Language! Bit by the travel bug, she and Kayde flew to Europe on Dec. 14^th for a 15-day trip to Paris, Basel (Switzerland), Barcelona, and Stockholm (Sweden) and are headed back to Uganda next summer. She is also pursuing a semester abroad through UNCG at the University of Capetown in South Africa next year. Not sure we’re ready for THAT one! :)

The Fowle clan didn’t add any new family members this year, but Mark and Lynanne finally gave birth to the brewery that they’ve been working on for the last 18 months! 3^rd Degree Brewhouse will open in January, brewing beer for distribution and sharing retail space with a taproom in Fuquay-Varina. We are very excited about the beginning of what we hope is our last big project before retirement! The goal is to be in our own space before the end of our first year, but time will tell! Mark is still currently at IBM, but Lynanne left the Chamber of Commerce in July to learn how to run a bar. She has spent the last six months managing The Corner Biergarten, where 3^rd Degree will be sharing space in 2018. Mark is still involved with his masonic lodge and Lynanne is still busy with her Rotary club. Lynanne still writes articles for a local magazine, teaches sign-making classes, and facilitates a local Leadership program. We love being grandparents and babysit for Cassie and Cole as time permits. We are finally putting the family homestead on the market in early 2018 so we can find a home that will accommodate Lynanne’s parents, Barb and Darryl, who are moving to North Carolina this summer so they can permanently retire! We celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in August with lots of family and friends in attendance! It was a GREAT weekend!