Category: Christmas Letters

To all of our friends and family:
May the peace and joy of this holy season be with each of you!

We have had a very busy year. We are well settled here at Eagle’s Trace. With every passing day we are more and more convinced our decision to move into this community was an excellent idea. We are involved in a variety of activities here. Pat is a part of a computer club and a Bible study group. Karen is involved in a poetry group and the choir. Both of us are active with the book club, the interfaith ministry board, and the Ambassadors (a group of residents who open their apartments to folks who are considering a move to Eagle’s Trace.) When you combine these activities with our usual commitments to the Cenacle Retreat House and the parish (a thirty mile drive, one way), we hardly qualify as retired! (And there are also Karen’s water exercises!)

Deb has a new position as branch manager of one the libraries in San Antonio. It is an exciting new opportunity for her. She is still enjoying her country life in Elmendorf, amid the gophers, snakes and other critters. Happily, her domestic pets are more congenial!

Ken, Tracey and our seven gorgeous, talented grandchildren are doing well. Tracey is still home schooling and they have proven to be good students as well as good people. The boys (except for Damien, the youngest) are all playing guitar and are quite accomplished. Christina plays the piano. Will the other ladies follow?

Chris and Kelly are doing their usual excellent work in the public school arena. The girls (also gorgeous and talented!) are involved in sports and cheerleading. The football team at Kelley’s school is still in the running for the state title and that keeps Kelley and Kirby (freshman cheerleader) busy every weekend.

As for other news, we traveled this fall to Slovenia and Croatia. It was a fascinating (and exhausting) trip. The coastline of these countries is beautiful and unlike anything on the Italian side of the Adriatic. Dubrovnik, Croatia is amazing – a triumph of Roman and Medieval architecture and determination on the part of the Croatians who endured war in the 1990’s. We encourage any and all to travel there if you get an opportunity.

We’re sure we could think of more to say, but we’ll close for now. May 2007 be a wonderful year for you. Your are in our thoughts and prayers.

To all our friends and family: May the Peace and Joy of Christmas be with you!

This year has been a bit different from our usual active running around. Karen has had two surgeries on her left knee, ending in a total replacement. In January the right one will be replaced. She is very thankful that she isn’t a four-footed creature! We have a rehab facility here at Eagle’s Trace and she will be using it again soon. Pat has been her gopher and chauffeur and is, she claims, much appreciated.

We have been busy in spite of it all. Pat has taught three different courses for the archdiocese and a nearby parish, as well as continuing with preaching and marriage preparation at our old church some 30 miles from Eagle’s Trace. He also facilitates a Bible study group at ET. Karen is on partial leave from the Cenacle Retreat House, but is still seeing a few people for spiritual direction and leading some retreats. She sings in the ET choir and takes part in the poetry group.

We have also taken two trips this year – a wonderful river cruise in Europe on the Rhine and Mosel: from Antwerp, Belgium to Basel, Switzerland – and a trip to Ohio and Massachusetts in October to visit friends and relatives, attend Pat’s 50th class reunion at Kent State, and celebrate the ordination of our good friend, Vic Norton, to the permanent diaconate. Pretty good for an ol’ lady with bad knees and a ol’ guy with a bad back!

The “kids” are doing well. Chris is still an Assistant Principle at Oakridge H.S., Kelly is still teaching math at Klein Oak H.S. Ken has a new position with United Recovery Systems (and a personal contract archiving materials for an architectural firm.) He is also a member of the archdiocesan choir which will perform at the dedication of the new cathedral in Houston. Tracey is still mom, teacher, and miracle worker. Deb is doing well in her branch manager position at McCreeless library in San Antonio. All are happy, healthy (for those at mid-life) and close-by for visiting. Nice for us.

Our nine grandkids are brilliant, talented and good-looking! Ranging from 16 to 3 years of age, they are a delight to spend time with. We are so blessed to live close enough to see them often. Among them are guitarists, pianists, cheerleaders, volleyball players, writers, craft and sewing people, and youth ministers who are also sports fans, doll lovers, and car-guys. Grandchildren are great fun!

We try to keep these annual letters to one page, so it’s time to end this year’s note. You are in our thoughts and prayers. May you have a wonderful Christmas and may 2008 be very good to you.

Dear Friends,

Do any of us really want to go through another year like 2008? There have been a lot of downs nationally/internationally as well as a few in our own lives. But we have survived and, indeed, in certain instances have thrived as well. We hope this is also true for you.

In late January Karen had her second knee replaced. Although the results of the 2007 version had no complications, the newer one did not follow the same route. She had some painful manipulations done as a follow up. She was able to do extended rehabilitation exercises here at Eagle’s Trace where we live and the results were excellent. We continue to be grateful that we chose to move to this retirement community when we did. It really does have all the medical, recreational and daily dining facilities that we throughly enjoy. Karen is involved in the residential choir, poetry and spirituality events of the community. Pat facilitates a bible study group and is active in the book club. Many enjoyed our Thanksgiving Service which Karen organized and where Pat gave a “homily.”

The usual non-Eagle’s Trace activities continue to keep both of us busy. Karen still leads prayer events at the Cenacle Retreat center, although on a reduced schedule. Pat, a “retired” Permanent Deacon, continues to preach at weekend Masses at our old parish of Christ the Good Shepherd but witnesses fewer weddings. He also teaches classes at the local parish, St. John Vianney.

The high-light of the year was the celebration of our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary. We renewed our vows at a Liturgy held at the Cenacle and enjoyed the company of many local and Californian friends who were present for the Liturgy and for a party. Tracey was not able to attend, since she was busy with Joseph Xavier Camerino, born six days earlier. He joins his four brothers and three sisters and two cousins to round out our now ten grandchildren. To allow you to be part of our 50th, we are including with our annual Christmas letter, copies of photos taken during the past year. For many of you this may be the first time you’ve seen the younger generations in a long while.

Karen’s new knees and Pat’s health allowed us to take our annual foreign vacation in September (when the markets fell everywhere.) Having pre-paid the trip we were able to enjoy the sunshine of the Italian regions around Lake Como and Tuscany for nineteen days.

As for other “events” … We survived “Ike” at Eagle’s Trace without electricity for only 36 hours. Chris’ and Ken’s families were without power and water for almost two weeks. We no longer can say: ”We like Ike.” We trust that you are as happy as we are that the election campaign is finally over. Although we look forward to the next four years, we know there are many of our friends who do so with some trepidation. Nevertheless, let’s pray that 2009 brings all of us a sense of tranquility and a true appreciation of the Peace on Earth promised to those of Good Will some two thousand years ago!

In 2009 it was Karen’s “turn” to write our Christmas letter. She chose to compose it in the form of a poem. A copy appears below. In following years, Pat would write the letter and Karen would write a poem for the Season!