Christmas Newsletter 2018

So this year, we have decided to make our Christmas newsletter a bit more graphically-pleasing, but that doesn't translate well to a blog post, so please bear with me while I rework it into a post...

Serena and Charlie have fully recovered from Hurricane Harvey and are enjoying their house on the edge of the Buffalo Bayou. 2018 was a big year for the Hedgepeths, who started down the road of “fostering to adopt” in January. It took 6 months, but in late July they were placed with a 2-day old infant. “Baby Ty” has been with them ever since, and even traveled to North Carolina in November to meet his cousins, aunts and uncles, and great grandparents! In other news, Charlie started work in August as a web designer at Alliant Group where Serena works.

Cassie and Cole moved their family to Angier back in May — to a 3-bedroom house with a fenced yard. Jaxon started kindergarten this fall, in a regular classroom. We are so proud of his progress! Gracie started preschool and loves going to “school” every day! She also started dance this fall at Center Stage, where Kennedy danced for so many years! Cassie became a full-time Cisco employee this fall and Cole is now a manager with Pest & Termite Control. We love that they only live a couple of miles from us!

Sam and Danny have both had a productive year! Back in the spring, they moved into a house together in Fuquay-Varina with a friend and have been slowly acquiring furniture and household goods. Sam left Metal Supermarkets for a short-term job delivering construction materials and has just recently secured a full-time job at Lowe’s Home Improvement! Danny finally secured his permanent status as a DELL employee in November and is finally enjoying the fruits of his labor as a contractor for the last two years — especially the paid time off, health benefits, and 401K!

This year, Kennedy transferred from UNC-Greensboro to NC State University to continue her degree in social work. She works as a nanny and at O2 Fitness. She struggled with some health issues this year but was finally diagnosed with untreated Lyme Disease this fall and is now getting some help with treatment options. She is commuting to classes right now, but plans to move to campus for her senior year. Kennedy spent Thanksgiving in Paris with her good friend, Kara Porter, who has been studying abroad this semester. Kennedy is preparing for her own study abroad experience in Ghana in Summer 2019.

Mark and Lynanne sold the family homestead in mid-2018, and moved to a new house just a few miles south with 1/2 an acre of land and enough room for Lynanne’s parents, Barb & Darryl Hamson. The Hamson’s home in Virginia still hasn’t sold, but they are already moved in and getting to know their new community! Our brewery, 3rd Degree Brewhouse, opened for business in May, and we have been happily brewing and selling beer ever since!  Our big adventure this year, however, was a 2-week trip to Ireland that we had been hoping to take for years!! Lynanne and Mark also are enjoying new jobs — Lynanne started at Campbell University as an admissions coordinator and Mark switched from IBM to Nutanix as a systems reliability engineer.

That's it in a nutshell! We hope your family is healthy and happy and we'll see you next year! :)

~ Lynanne & Mark

 

 

 

 

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!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and that 2018 is everything you hope it to be! Our best to you and your family!

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