Catching Up!

So it's been a long 9 months since my last post. We are nearing the end of Kennedy's first year of high school and that's been the least momentous event of the year!

The Jr. Jazz team in Myrtle Beach

Kennedy began her second year as a Center Stage Dance team member on TWO teams this time! She made the Junior Jazz team as a full member, and the Junior Clogging team as an alternate and started off the year very psyched to do both. Unfortunately, a series of disappointments at the studio colored her experience to the point where she began to consider leaving at the end of the year. She had been approved to try a duet for the first time, which became a trio, and then was cancelled when one of the other girls had to drop out because of foot surgery. On top of that, the age difference between her and the other girls on the team became a big issue. There is a huge difference in maturity between 14 and 11, and it became very obvious this year. Kennedy has learned a LOT this year about being a professional and sticking with something even when you don't enjoy it as much anymore. She's done a GREAT job managing the "girl drama" and figuring out that she loves dance more than she hates the drama. She has tried out for (and looks like she's made) the dance company at school, and seems to have a future in dance if she wants it. Life is worth dancing through as long as you keep your eye on the prize and the prize moves you forward not backward! 

Cassie moved in with Cole in the Fall and then they surprised us in December with news that they were expecting a baby in August! Surprise was the operative word! Even though she's now six months pregnant, I'm still not sure I feel much like a grandmother (whatever that's supposed to feel like), but I'm so excited for them and to meet "Jaxson Lee!" He will be the first boy born in my immediate family since my brother in 1963, so that makes it even more exciting!

Cassie at 27 weeks

It's definitely an exciting time, and its a real trip watching your own child go through this process instead of you... they keep asking me what I want to be called, and I have no idea! :) They have moved into a three-bedroom house in Fuquay-Varina, not far from where I work, and are busy painting and decorating and settling in. We'll be sure to keep people posted on their progress!

Christmas was a great time for all of us -- Sammy and Colleen were still here, and Serena & Charlie flew in the day after Christmas, so we had everyone here again, even though they weren't all here for Christmas Day. We are learning how to share, since we've had Serena here for Christmas for 26 years!! We were happy to include Cole this year as well, even though I think we are a bit overwhelming for him sometimes! But, he is a member of the family now and family gatherings are part and parcel of all that...

Danny decided not to go back to Florida after Christmas this time. He has decided that it is time to create a life for himself and the first step was getting a job. A friend of mine hired him at Subway, and he's been doing a great job there! He's making more money than he's ever made and saving a ton of it for a new car. He got his permit in April and has been driving every weekend since. He's about ready to take his driver's test, so he put a deposit down on his first car this week!

Danny's new car!!

Its a Hyundai Elantra, and he's very excited about that. Once he has his license and car, he'll look for a second job, and then the next step is applying to Wake Tech to start his college career. He's torn between culinary technology and the gaming industry, but either is fine with us... we're just thrilled that he's excited about becoming self-sufficient. :)

Sam and Colleen broke up in February and Sam moved back to Massachusetts. He's living with his grandmother again, has gotten a job at Home Depot up there, and is winging his way toward a resumption of his health benefits. We just heard from him this week and although he is working hard to pay off the debts he created while he was in NC, he told us he is going to the local community college to get started on a criminal justice program. That's very exciting news for us!! Its the first time we've seen him excited about getting started on a career path of his own. Seems like all our kids finally have goals and are looking toward the future. It's very cool!

Serena and Charlie's wedding plans are moving along slowly but surely. The date has been set for Labor Day weekend 2014, but it will be next month before the location is finalized. It will either be in Moncure at a beautiful camp retreat or in Willow Spring at a Greek revival mansion. Serena invited Cassie to be her maid of honor and Kennedy to be a bridesmaid in her wedding by sending them big boxes of balloons with a poem enclosed that asked them to be in her wedding party! It was soooo sweet! Cassie is hoping to plan a bachelorette party in Vegas next summer -- boy, how things have changed! :)

And although it seems like I always focus on the kids (there are so darn many of them!), Mark and I have continued on our path toward a healthier lifestyle this year. I started fitness challenges at a small, local gym in November and have been steadily feeling better about myself and my fitness level. I lost 30 pounds just by changing the way I eat over the last couple of years, but it was obvious that without adding exercise on a regular basis, I wasn't going to lose any more. In February, I decided to start running again. I had done it a few years ago to train for a 5K when I turned 45, but didn't stick with it because it was so painful (shin splints, foot and knee problems, etc.). This time, however, I joined a run club and have been enjoying amazing results without any foot or leg issues. I've lost almost 7 inches in just over a month -- between kickboxing, core workouts with a coach, and the running, its really starting to show! I love it!

Mark had hernia surgery in March, so he has had to take it slower, but he is running 3x/week, too, and is making slow but steady progress. Even Danny is running these days -- he started all by himself and is doing great, too! The only one not running in our household is Kennedy, who says dancers can't run because it hurts their legs [grin]. 

Post-braces smile!

This spring has been a busy one with dance and work and Rotary. Kennedy has been to four competitions with her one dance and has enjoyed them so far. We are done for this year, but still have recital on June 8th and a trip to Disney for dance training later in June. Her braces came off in early May, and I think she instantly looked about three years older! She's very excited about that and is doing a great job of wearing her retainer. We expect to have to beat the boys away very soon!

School ends for the year in about three weeks, but she has a weekend trip to Washington D.C. over Memorial Day weekend -- just before final exams. It will include a trip to the Holocaust Museum -- something she has wanted to see for several years. Wonder what the summer has in store for us? :)

And so Summer Ends...

So, we while away 2012, slowly treading through the year -- sometimes with galoshes and sometimes with running shoes!

The summer of '12 was full of activity. It was Kennedy's first real summer off since 3rd grade since she moved from year-round calendars to traditional after graduating from 8th grade in June. Unprepared as we were for it, she vacillated between intense boredom and a packed schedule depending on the week. We took advantage of most of Center Stage Center for Performing Arts' summer camp offerings because they were inexpensive and in the evenings, but it meant driving three towns away four nights a week for camp!

Kennedy also went on two trips this summer... she went with her friend Caroline to the Floyd Music Festival in Floyd, Virginia for four nights and survived! It was a unique experience that she seemed to enjoy most of -- saw some new age hippies, and fully had a Woodstock-style experience. Then, the most anticipated trip of the year was to Texas to visit Serena. It was her first plane flight without us, but Cassie flew out with her and stayed for a few days on the front end, and then Serena and Charlie flew back home with her 8 days later. They went bowling, on an overnight river rafting expedition, spent some time in Serena's lab, took a yoga class, explored Galveston boutiques, and more... For a kid who couldn't spend a night away from us for years, these two trips were a HUGE step forward. She may be able to go off to college after all!

The big news happened that weekend after they all came home. We had planned a surprise party for my parents because it was their 45th anniversary this year. So, Serena and Charlie came home and joined Cassie, Kennedy and I for a trip to Williamsburg. My parents knew that Mark and I were coming, but they had no idea that any other kids were with us -- and they especially had no idea that Serena and Charlie were part of the entourage. Anyway, after surprising them with the kids, we went out for dinner Saturday night at the Polo Club to celebrate their anniversary. After we got home, we settled in to watch a movie, and Charlie surprised Serena with a proposal of marriage! We were all in shock -- but a good kind of shock! We are all very excited about Charlie becoming a member of the family, but we had no idea that was going to happen that weekend. :)

So... all that excitement behind us, we got ready for the beginning of school around here. This was the big HIGH SCHOOL transition year for Kennedy! We haven't done this since 2001 when Cassie skipped 8th grade and went directly to high school. The new schedule requires that we get up at 5:25 in the morning now, and the first couple of weeks kicked our collective butts. Mark and I feel like we've lost our grip on real life, because we are both ready to collapse by 9-9:30 every night now. But, we have fully transitioned to the new schedule and Kennedy is doing well with her classes. She's actually not being challenged yet, and she's taking every honors class she can, so she wants to look at AP classes for next year.

End of Summer Pool Party!

Another change was a girl scout troop switch. Her previous troop was unaccommodating with her dance schedule, so Kennedy found a new troop that is very excited about including her in their activities. The girls are planning a cruise next summer, so things are very positive with this change!

Dance has transitioned again, too. We know that dance is Kennedy's passion, but this year it was pretty obvious. Kennedy was on the dance team last year, and was talked into trying clogging (the state dance) this year by her jazz team friends. But, rather than wait to take a clogging class starting in September, Kennedy bought herself clogging shoes in June and taught herself how to clog over the summer using YouTube videos. She went to clogging team tryouts and made it on the team as an alternate!! So, she is on two teams this year! Yikes! Luckily the teams travel together, so there isn't any added travel or scheduling. She also added lyrical and a second ballet class for this year. She is assisting in a lyrical class to help pay for her tuition, and is planning to compete a duet with a friend this year. It's going to be a lot of fun!

So, our house is still on the market. We've had 10 showings in 2.5 months, but no takers. We'll sit it out for as long as it takes. The market is trying to tell us we have to sell low to get out, but its only depressed because people are in a rush and buyers think everything should be a bargain. But, we can't sell unless we can get a set amount out of the house, so we'll take whatever time we need to until the right buyer comes along. We're in a very desirable neighborhood, so it will eventually sell. House prices are coming back up slowly, and the timing will be perfect at some point.

Cassie has found a significant other. She and Cole Long have been dating for a couple of months now, and they've spent several Sunday afternoons here watching football with us. Cole is great and we're enjoying getting to know him.

Other than that, life remains the same. Mark was rolled into a permanent IBM position this month, with no real loss in income, plus the addition of some great benefits including vacation, sick time, and holidays off! We are very happy about that. :)  This may be the first holiday season that we do not have most of the kids here, but they were all with us last year, and we'll be using the family pics we took in 2011 for our Christmas newsletter/card this year!  Here's to hoping the Fall season is good to us all!

Milestones...

Okay, here we are on the eve of July 1st -- exactly halfway through 2012 -- and I haven't posted a thing since Christmas! I guess I need to do something about that, don't I?!

This has been a crazy six months. Work has been very, very busy, and its been a busy year in general, but there have been several milestones this spring that deserve documentation at least, and probably some celebration at best!

First and probably foremost, was Kennedy's graduation from 8th grade this week. Although Kennedy feels that this year "flew by," it was a tough year of juggling academics, extracurricular activities, and middle school drama that I wasn't always sure we would live through. However, she is now fully transitioned into the world of teenagers and will be a "Golden Hawk" at Holly Springs High School at the end of August. She has learned many valuable lessons this year that I hope she will take with her to the new campus. She has developed some great friends this year outside of school that she will enjoy all summer and could carry her through high school and beyond if she can leave some of the more destructive relationships behind her next year.

Kennedy and Madison in
recital ballet costumes

Another big thing was the end of Kennedy's third year of dance at Center Stage. This year we discovered just how talented and passionate she is about dancing. There is a magic that happens when a young person discovers what lights their fire, and we watched her find that in herself and enjoyed watching her develop that passion all year. She added ballet to her class load this year, and added a sense of elegance to her dancing that I didn't know she was capable of. It was a joy to watch! She also earned a spot on the Junior Jazz team at her studio (and on the mini hip hop team) this year, and we spent the spring learning all about the world of competitive dance. She developed some great friendships with teammates that will last for years, and her confidence in her own ability grew exponentially. I enjoyed getting to know the other dance parents (and they are NOT like the ones on TV, believe me!), and we got to go to Myrtle Beach twice!! She has fallen in love with clogging -- even bought her own pair of clogging shoes -- and thank goodness she is old enough to work as an assistant this next year so it can offset the extra classes she wants to take!

Kennedy also earned a spot in her middle school dance company this year, and after choreographing two dances this year (a trio in the Fall and her own solo this Spring), her dance company director selected her for the Choreography award at their dance awards party last week! After winning that award, we traveled to Morehead City, NC where the Center Stage jazz team competed in a national competition. They came in 1st in their division and 3rd overall -- a pretty good showing!

Another milestone in our family was Cassie's new job at Cisco Systems, working in their HR department! She made the transition from retail management back in February, starting as a scheduler where she scheduled people for interviews, and organized rooms and teams and resources, etc. She's gotten a couple of promotions since then, however, and now is an Engagement Coordinator, which means she processes background checks, references, and all the paperwork that has to be completed when a person is given a verbal job offer. She loves the work, and the fact that she gets weekends and holidays off is an added bonus!

Another change in our lives is that Sam and his girlfriend Colleen moved here in April so that Colleen could take an internship in a doctor's office in Raleigh to finish her billing and coding certification. She had hoped it would turn into a full-time job, but it didn't, so they are both still looking for decent jobs while living with a friend in Raleigh. We see them from time-to-time as their budget and access to wheels permits. Its good to have them back here, tho... it was much harder to help them with anything when they were living in Massachusetts.

That kind of wraps up our Milestones Report for the first half of the year... I will make more of an effort to post in the upcoming six months. :)  One of my resolutions this year was to make more time for writing, and I haven't done a good job with that. The summer looks to be a little less crazy now that I'm no longer in a leadership position in Rotary or driving Kennedy to dance three times a week, so hopefully I can get some writing done!

"I'll Be Hoooome for Christmas!"

So, it's been a VERY Family Christmas at the Fowle homestead this year! There were ELEVEN of us here for Christmas Day, with Danny, Sammy, and Sammy's girlfriend Colleen arriving on the 21st and Serena and Charlie arriving on Christmas Eve! My mom and dad drove down from Williamsburg on Christmas Eve as well, bringing the total up to 11!

BUT, we have all gotten along famously, despite five adults and one pre-teen using one bathroom. We put Mom and Dad up in the local Hampton Inn Suites so they could escape from the madhouse when necessary, but only my Dad used that option for an occasional nap. We started the day around 5:30 am, but the rule in our household is that the kids can get up anytime they want, but PARENTS do not get up before 8:00 am. So, all the kids can do prior to that time is open their stockings (and don't think that buying stocking stuffers for SEVEN kids didn't put a dent in the old wallet!!). Present-opening began at 8:15, when all the adults had coffee and a slice of pumpkin bread (except for Mark, who is sick and tired of pumpkin anything at this point in the holiday season!). The present-opening for 11 people lasted until 10:30 -- yes, 10:30!!  We had anticipated it going to 11:00, so either there weren't enough presents this year, or we were VERY efficient at the opening process -- maybe it just gets better every year... or something like that [grin]. Judging by this photo, it certainly wasn't the former!

Dinner was the traditional roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, stuffing, green beans, and cranberry sauce. My mom and Kennedy made an apple pie and 2 pumpkin pies (much to Mark's dismay!), and Cassie helped Kennedy make sugar cookies, which we frosted heavily the day after Christmas. We also frosted ice cream cones to make Christmas trees and decorated them with jimmies and frosting garlands. Between all that, a lemon poppyseed cake that Aunt Judi sent us, and the muffins that I baked on Christmas Eve, we had a ton of food that we are STILL trying to eat!

We really planned a "family" holiday -- we gave every family member red t-shirts with "Fowle Family Christmas 2011" and a snowman wearing skates and brandishing a hockey stick emblazoned on the front. In the kids' boxes with their shirts were Hurricanes hockey tickets for the Dec. 26th game at the RBC Center as well! See the photo below for a group shot of all of us at the RBC Center in our shirts (which several of our group promptly covered up before and after the picture because it was supposedly "embarrassing"). Some of us (Serena and Charlie) had a great time with them, tho! And, the Canes won the game (amazing!!)! We all agreed that it was because of all 9 of us being in attendance AND our amazing red shirts!

In addition to the game, most of us went to see the Sherlock Holmes movie on the 27th, and most of the kids spent an afternoon at our favorite local gaming lounge, Strafe, in Fuquay-Varina playing video games and eating pizza.

One of our goals this Christmas was to have everyone back home -- its been about 2.5 years since all our kids have been here together at the same time, and we needed an updated family photo. So, isn't it a natural progression to fly all the kids home just to snap that perfect family pic and get it up on the wall? I don't see the problem with it!! :)  So, they were all here, and Cassie even had a free morning on the 27th, so my friend Jill came over and snapped about 30 photos of us. This photo below is the unretouched version of what will most likely be in the big frame on our wall. We also had individual shots taken of the boys (the ones on our wall are 5-6 years old), and photos taken of the couples (Sam and Colleen, and Serena and Charlie). I might just have to find a bigger wall for our family photos -- or just prohibit any of my other children from ever dating anyone seriously enough to be in the family photos!!

Anyway, we have had a wonderful Christmas thus far -- Sam and Colleen are back in Massachusetts, and Danny, Serena & Charlie leave tomorrow afternoon after the New Year revelry. 2012 looks like it will be a GREAT year. We are fixing our house up to put on the market and already have our eye on a beautiful house in Fuquay-Varina (where I work). Keep your fingers crossed that we can make it happen!


May 2012 be everything you hope it will be and more, and stay tuned for more Fowle updates this year, as one of my New Year's resolutions is to write more often!!

Our Christmas Newsletter ONLINE!

Mark & Kennedy, December 2011

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Charles Dickens

So, it’s 2011 and another year has flown by in the Fowle household. The holiday season here is no different, and we are running at a breakneck speed toward Christmas with no brakes!  We hope this Christmas newsletter finds you all happy and healthy and preparing to host (or travel to) family for the 25th! Our house will be full, as every one of our children (including two “significant others”) will be with us this year!

To recap 2011, Mark is still enjoying his work at IBM as a product field support engineer, and it looks like they will roll him from contractor status to permanent gig in 2012. He still helps people with computer issues on a freelance basis, and has just started a partnership with a local computer repair business to handle their OpenSource clients. Mark is still a Mason, although his commute often precludes being able to make lodge meetings.

I am still loving my job at the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce. About 90% of what I do is event management, and we run 8 major events every year ~ a 5K race, a street festival, a business expo, the Christmas parade, an annual banquet, two golf tournaments, and several other member-only events. I love the fact that I meet so many people and help them promote their businesses. Business owners are working very hard to stay afloat in this economy, and their energy and commitment to success is very contagious! 

I still edit and write on a part-time basis as well. The full-length play I co-wrote is being produced in February! I’ve also submitted several short stories to contests and I am ghost-writing a novel about Elvis coming back from Heaven (longgg story). Starting in January, I’ll be co-writing a full length stage play with a couple of women from the Cary Playwright’s Lab. My goal is to work on a novel of my own in 2012, but time will tell. I am still very active in Rotary ~ I was President of my club until June, but I am still enjoing my second year of service as an Assistant District Governor in my district. Both Mark and I discovered Dr. Mark Hyman this year, and after modifying the way we eat, we have both lost a significant amount of weight. I've lost 35 pounds and he has lost almost that much. We continue to work at it and hope to lose even more in 2012!

In 2012, we took our first “real” vacation since 2003 ~ we rented a cabin on Bow Lake in New Hampshire over July 4th week, and spent the week hanging out with family and friends in the area. Serena and Cassie both flew in to spend the week with us, and Sam drove up from Massachussetts with his girlfriend Colleen for a couple of days, so our family and friends got to see the kids for the first time in YEARS! We went to Canobie Lake Park (a trip in the Way-Back Machine for Mark and I), survived a hike of Mt. Major (Serena’s idea), and spent a day in the historic section of Boston (Faneuil Hall, the North End, etc.). It was a great week, and my family even survived the living accommodations (lake camp was a tad rustic for them).

Prior to that trip, Kennedy and I flew to Galveston to see Serena in May. It was Kennedy’s first trip on an airplane, and she is ready to do it again! We saw all of Serena’s hangouts plus checked out the aquarium at Moody Gardens, the Kemah boardwalk, and historic Galveston neighborhoods. We visited the gymnastics center where Serena coaches, as well as the lab where she works. It was a fun 5-day girls weekend!

 

Charlie & Serena 2011

Serena is in her third year of graduate school out in Galveston, TX. She is officially a PhD candidate, having passed her qualifying exam on the first try and getting her research proposal approved by her supervising committee in October. She has submitted her grant proposal for funding and she will know by March if it gets approved. In addition to her research, Serena still coaches gymnastics part-time in Kemah. She, her boyfriend Charlie, and Tucker the Dog moved into their own house on the island in October. Serena came home for Thanksgiving and both she and Charlie will be joining us for Christmas!

Sammy is still in Massachussetts, struggling with the poor job market there. His girlfriend, Colleen, is a registered Medical Assistant, and they are both in the process of finding jobs in North Carolina so they can move here. Colleen is working on a second certification in medical claims processing, and Sam is hoping to put his forklift training to use. Sam did enroll in a criminal justice training program back in September until we all realized that the program was a scam, so he is waiting to start school until they relocate to the Carolinas. They both will be flying down for Christmas this year!

Danny spent 8 weeks with us this past summer after saving up the train fare all year so he could get here. He spent time with his sister after school and generally just “chilled” before heading back to Florida to work full-time with his stepdad. He will be flying up to spend Christmas with us as well!

Cassie is still working at Banana Republic in Durham, and has been sharing an apartment with a good friend all year. She will be moving into her own place at the end of December and is contemplating a move OUT of retail work and into something else in 2012. 

Kennedy started 8th grade in July (can you believe it?!) and almost overwhelmed herself with activities this Fall. She tried out for (and made) Show Choir, Dance Company, and the girls soccer team at her middle school. She was inducted into the school’s honor society (which has a service component). Then she tried out for (and made) the dance company at Center Stage Dance where she takes classes. All that, PLUS the increased work load of 8th grade, was a deadly combination. She stuck it all out, but learned valuable lessons about spreading herself too thin and realized that it’s better to pick several things and do them well rather than try to do EVERYTHING. We select her high school courses in February ~ hard to believe she’s almost there! 

We are still huge Carolina Hurricanes (hockey) fans, even though they are having an awful season so far. We bought our first mini season ticket package this year, and really enjoy going to the games, win or lose! Cassie and Kennedy often accompany us, and the whole family will be going to a game together on Dec. 26th!

Well, our house will be filled to overflowing this year! My parents will be joining us, too, although we have arranged for a luxury room at the new hotel in town for them, since there's no more room at the Fowle Inn! :)  Have a wonderful Christmas and a productive and healthy New Year!

~ The Fowle Family (Mark, Lynanne, Serena, Cassie, Sammy, Danny, and Kennedy)

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."  ~ Burton Hillis

Hello, world.
I realized recently that I haven't updated this "my life in a nutshell" piece in over a year, so it is long overdue! Much is going on and I have enough fodder to fill several entries. :)

I will start with a quick update on all things "Fowle" for our biggest fans...
I am still working for the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce as the Director of Member Services and still enjoying it. We are very proud of all the activities we've added in the last 18 months, but it has also magnified the time needed to make it all successful. Some weeks are fun and exciting, but there are just as many weeks where I feel like I'm on a mechanical bull and just holding on for dear life until we're past an event! Never a dull moment, that's for sure! I am also in my second year as Asst. District Governor for Rotary District 7710. This year has proven to be more time-consuming as well, with our current governor demanding that we interact more regularly with our area clubs -- I have six clubs in my area, and all are rural, so the time commitment is a bit more intense this year. Last Christmas, we spun off a new Rotary club here in Fuquay-Varina, and the new club asked me to serve as President because I had the experience, so I served for six months (until June). Part of me misses my old club, but the new club is very dynamic and full of great people from all walks of life, so I'm happy where I am. :)

Although I've not had a lot of personal time lately, I have finally finished working on "Inextricable" with my writing partner, Paul. It's a full-length play about a young man who can't get out of his own way -- its rather dark and doesn't end well for the protagonist, but its a serious look at religion and addictive personalities and we are expecting it to be produced for the first time in the Spring of 2012. I am ghost-writing a novel for a friend in South Carolina and finally starting to work on some of my own prose. I am submitting a short story to the Writer's Digest short story contest next month, and working with a new friend who just published her first novel -- we are going to critique each other's work and keep each other motivated to continue writing!

Mark is working at IBM now... he moved to a unit there in September 2010 and has been working steadily there ever since. He is still a contractor, but once we get past braces and a few other expenses, he will probably roll into a permanent IBM position. He's really looking forward to that!

The kids are all busy and the older three are doing well out on their own. Serena has started her third year in Galveston, Texas pursuing her PhD in cellular biology. She has just submitted her proposal for PhD candidacy in the ovarian cancer lab she's been working in, and should hear something by the first week of November. We drove out to Galveston last Thanksgiving to visit, and loved it! Kennedy and I also flew out for a long weekend in May 2011, too, and had a great girls weekend. Serena will be flying home for Thanksgiving this year. Cassie is still working at Banana Republic, where she's been for about 6 years. She is involved with several charities in the area through work, and spent her birthday week in Galveston with Serena this year, which included catching a 40" fish on a deep-sea fishing expedition, and a trip to Austin for her actual birthday!

Sam is still in Massachussetts, but now has a steady girlfriend, Colleen, who has been wonderful for him. She is in college finishing up her degree in medical records, and Sam has found a full-time job in a warehouse driving a forklift and shipping orders. It's a great step for him, and he's hoping it will be a stepping stone to something more profitable in a few months. They are moving into their own apartment in January -- a big step for Sam!! :)

Danny is still in Florida, living with his mother and stepdad. He hasn't decided on a path for himself yet -- he works several nights a week collecting trash with his stepdad, and actually earned enough to get himself here for 6 weeks this past summer. We are confident that he will make some decisions about school and work when it is right for him -- for a kid who hated school as much as he did, it's not a surprise that he's taking some time off from the educational world.

Kennedy is an 8th grader this year. This year isn't as spectacular as last year was. She is playing on the school's soccer team again, as well as participating in Show Choir and the Holly Grove Middle School Dance Company. She has really blossomed as a dancer, and now takes 5 dance classes per week at Center Stage Dance School in Fuquay-Varina -- hip hop, jazz, ballet, and 2 team classes! Schoolwork is more difficult this year, so she struggles to get all her work done with all these other extracurricular activities, but soccer is almost over, so her load will lighten considerably after the first week in November.

Last summer we drove to New Hampshire and rented a lake cabin for a week. Serena and Cassie flew in for several days each, and Sam & Colleen came up for a couple of days as well. It was a fun week of reconnecting with family and friends and relaxing at the lake. :) We went to Canobie Lake Park, hiked Mt. Major, spent a day in Boston, and went to Midnight Bowling with John Roberge and all the cousins. It really was a lot of fun! Kennedy has really bonded with her cousins Olivia, Abby, and Madison ever since the family reunion in 2010 when we drove to NH for my aunt and uncles' internment. They are all the same age, and really connect -- thank goodness for Facebook so they can all stay in touch!!


Well, I'll add some photos to this later this week, and get started on all the other blog entries I have up my sleeve in the next week or two.

Happy Halloween!!! :)

Mid-Year Update!

Well, hello!
It's July, and time for an update! MUCH has changed for us this year, and life has slowed down a little as well, so I may actually be able to write more often!

So, its been a crazy 6 months since I posted our holiday newsletter on here. In December, Mark was out of work and my freelance business was limping along with a few small projects here and there. I was also President of my Rotary Club and serving as a "founder" for a small Sudbury school in Apex. Serena was in Galveston and Cassie was working for Banana Republic in Durham. Sam was unemployed but still in Massachusetts, Danny was working hard on his final courses so he could graduate from high school in June, and Kennedy was attending the Sudbury school, playing classic soccer, taking hip hop dance classes, working on her silver award in Girl Scouts, and busy with theater projects. Whew!!

So, here we are in July, and Mark and I are both back to work (yay!). I fell into a great job by accident ~ I dropped by the Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce to pick up a screen for a Rotary club speaker, and four days later I was their Director of Member Services!! It's wonderful to meet and work with people and plan events ~ all the things that I love to do but never got paid for before! :) I still have a few freelance projects, and the Indians have begun sending work to me again (which I fit in after hours), but I love getting regular paychecks and being busy during the day. Mark took a job in May working third shift hours, Saturdays-Tuesdays at NetApp in RTP as a call center engineer. It's horrible hours and grunt work, but there is a measure of gratitude for the fact that we're earning the money to pay the mortgage instead of paying it with our retirements funds. He is still actively job-hunting, tho, and we are hopeful that he'll find a job that he can enjoy before too long!

As for the big kids, Serena is still in Texas, but has a 4.0 average after her first semester! Cassie has moved back to Boone to be an associate manager at the Gap store there. She has applied for an assistant manager's position in Burlington, though, so if she gets it she'll be moving back to within 45 minutes of home in August or September, so we have our fingers crossed! Sam is finally working again ~ this time as an "activities assistant" and all-around handyman at a nursing home near Boston. He seems to really be enjoying it! Danny is officially a high school graduate, and is mulling over his future options. Right now, he's with us for the summer, playing video games and getting caught up on movies he missed all year. He will be returning to Florida at the end of the summer to work with his step-dad and start thinking about college options.

That brings us to Kennedy... :)
After a spring semester that almost killed us (dance, girl scouts, theater, school, classic soccer and more...), all activities ended by the first week of June and we have been enjoying a change in schedule and activity level since then. Kennedy has been to a couple of day camps and earned her PA (program aide) training for Girl Scouts. Other than that, it's been playdates with friends and chilling at home with Danny.

One notable event this spring for Kennedy was her decision to shave her head to raise money for children with cancer through an organization called St. Baldricks. She raised over $700 and shaved her head on April 14th at NC State University's Brickyard. I have included her Before and After shots and a recent photo here so you can see the full effect of the change. Her hair is now about an inch and a half long, and she calls it "her fuzz." :) She's a little tired of people calling her "sir," but she has bright pink flip flops to try to make it clear that she's a girl, and it seems to be working!

The other big news is that after 18 months of homeschooling, Kennedy has decided to go back to school. She enrolls at Holly Grove Middle School this coming Friday as a 7th grader! She has thought about it for a while now, and finally decided that ~ pending a tour of the facility today ~ she wants to go back to a more structured school environment that offers clubs and athletics in addition to electives. She also has realized that she learns better with other children and that learning alone is NOT working for her. We are hopeful that she has gained enough sense of self over the last 18 months, and seen so many other alternatives, that her decision is the right one for her at this time. She is very excited about it, and is even "okay" about the fact that she has to get caught up on her immunizations to go back, so it MUST be something she wants to do!!

So, there you have it! The Fowle Family saga in a nutshell! :)
I'll definitely post more fun stuff as the summer progresses, but we definitely needed to jump start things with a general update!
Talk with you soon!