Happy Holidays 2004!

It's been a good year for the Stieglers. We are all happy and healthy for a change!

The family:
Marc
is still at HP, loving his job and progressing toward making the world safe from computer viruses. He does have that pesky 1200-mile roundtrip every other week, but he says he gets his best thinking done there. Book Two of the Earthweb trilogy will have to wait while he "makes hay" while the sun is shining brightly.

Lynne changed jobs this year, moving from teaching at the college to counting beans for the County. She now works six blocks from home and is going to start walking it for her exercise any day now. Meanwhile, she continues to improve at her lampwork beadcraft, and she has been invited to be in a large prestigious show in Tucson in February, juried work only. You can see some of her latest work by clicking the links at http://coyote-laughing.com.

Shea made it through 7th grade and moved forward with vigor into 8th. She has tentatively decided on a career as a chef, and is making that happen by investigating local culinary arts programs and putting her money, or rather time, where her mouth is, volunteering with the high school program who professes to be glad to have her. She threatened Lynne's life if she used the picture that was published recently of her and Chef Michael Gaul during one of her volunteer expeditions, so it's been omitted for Lynne's safety. Shea can in fact come out of high school with both a HS diploma and an AA in Culinary Arts, which we think is a great move, so if she so decides, so mote it be!

Travels:
Aside from Marc's weekly ordeal, the family took a multi-week journey from Kingman in a large circle through Portland Oregon where Marc joined us, and then back through Yellowstone, visiting friends along the way. To the right is one of the friends. Also, here are Jessica and Shea trying to hide at Old Faithful.

Marc spent his 50th (time just flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?) in a tipi in Oregon, below. And we enjoyed the water and the sunsets at Bear Lake, Idaho, as well as the fresh-dipped chocolate raspberries at the Bear Lake Raspberry Festival.

We also made it to Dallas to visit our old friends Suzi, Steve and Allison, and met with another friend from Lynne's low carb as well. We had a great time!

Other good news:
Lynne has lost 50 pounds this year, due to a lap band operation (bariatric surgery, NOT a gastric bypass). Medical issues made it imperative to lose weight, all else was tried for several years, and finally a medical solution was sought. It worked! She is back to where she was when she and Marc got married (13th anniversary January 18th, speaking of time flying), and she's heading down farther. Where she stops, nobody knows! Least of all her. Here is a several-month-old pic of her and Shea...who by the way looks quite good as well. Scary how she is growing up, though!

We are so glad the year was largely uneventful! Hope we see y'all in the coming year. Trip plans include Bali and Thailand for a month in March-April for Lynne and Shea (Marc has to make that hay), but who knows where the summer will take us. You know you are always welcome here in beautiful Kingman, Arizona. We do have sights, you know, as well as good company and good food.

 

Meanwhile, best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

PS...email address has changed...see graphic with address on home page (hate those spammers!)