This was an eventful year.
Melanie turned 21. She can drink; legally now. She is a senior at Ball State, but she'll have one more semester to go after this year. She continues with her Public Relations major. And she is also involved in the big fund raising events put on by her sorority, Phi Mu. In fact, she is living in the Phi Mu House with a couple other girls in the sorority. She had a job on campus, but when she had a three week period in August when she had no where to live in Muncie, they let her go and they did not open the position again when school started. So, she is still in need of a job. But, she will also soon be looking for places to do her Internship.
Brian is finally a senior in high school. He'll be graduating in June and he got accepted at IU. He also got accepted at Ball State, but he is leaning towards wanting to attend IU. He plans on rooming with a couple of buddies who were on drumline with him on the Homestead High School Spartan Alliance Marching Band. Speaking of band, they came in 2nd place this year at the State Finals. It was a fair ranking because I believe that the school who came in 1st truly deserved to win. But, they did place ahead of Avon again and that makes them happy. Brian did turn 18 in November. That means he is legally an adult. Oops - I just had to remind him that he MUST register with the Selective Service! We got rid of Brian's Jeep and he got my Pontiac G5. He did so good with his job at Parkview Field with the TinCaps that he just got a job at the new indoor vollyball facility near our new indoor ice skating complex.
Michael Victor also had a birthday in November and he just turned 12. This year Michael started Middle School (6th grade). He did little league baseball over the summer. And in February, Michael crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. He went on several weekend campouts as well as a one week summer camp in Ohio. Michael finished several merit badges and he has earned his Tenderfoot badge. Now that Michael is in Middle School, he has joined the Middle School Youth Group at The Chapel called AMPD. It turns out that his Youth Pastor is also his drum lesson instructor. He is in 6th grade band and is in the percussion section. He hopes to follow is his big brother's footsteps and make drumline someday. Michael loves to read and he finished the 2nd Michael Vey book. He also finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy and we saw the first movie at the theaters. And Michael was able to get his braces off over the summer; he now wears a retainer.
Wendy continued her new job as office manager at Pfister Sprinkler Systems. But, sadly we lost Nana, Paula Kirsch, in February. Wendy & her sister Tonya were able to be with Mom 'til the very end. Tonya sold Nana's house and she also sold her own house; she & her husband Doug moved to Port Orange, FL over the summer. We all made a trip to visit for Thanksgiving week. We went to Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Universal Islands of Adventure. The kids HAD to see the World of Harry Potter there. We also celebrated Brian's & Michael's birthday while we were there. When we returned to Indianapolis, we attended the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Buffalo Bills.
In February, I finally crossed over to Boy Scouts with Michael. I passed the torch of Committee Chair for Cub Scout Pack 3333 to other volunteers in the Pack. In Boy Scout Troop 333, I did not take on any official leadership duties. Instead, I attended the campouts with Michael including the week-long summer camp in Ohio.
In August, after 21 years with Raytheon, I was informed that I was part of the latest reduction in force (RIF). I got laid off. My job search included several companies in Fort Wayne that needed the skills that I had. But, I also applied for several jobs posted at other Raytheon sites. I came across one in Woburn, MA (near Boston) that they must have used my resume to write the job description. I had a phone screen, then an on-site interview. They called me two days later to offer me the job. By accepting a job with Raytheon, I would be able to keep my seniority, years of service, vacation time, and salary. So I accepted the job and started there in December.
So, our family will be moving to Massachusetts in the summer of 2013. Since Brian graduates from high school in June, Wendy & the kids are staying in Indiana. I am living in a one bedroom apartment while we browse homes for sale online. Since Wendy will have to take care of the kids and get the house ready to sell, she will not be returning to her job. Melanie still has a couple more semesters at Ball State. And Brian will likely be attending IU. Wendy & Michael will join me in Massachusetts once Brian is settled into a dorm.
This is the biggest change we've had to face in many years. But, they say "as one door closes, another one opens". We also believe that if God brought us to it, He will also bring us through it. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers so that His will be done!
We are thankful for all of our friends and family. We wish we could see you all more often.
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