Merry Christmas 2008
(See photos above and below this letter)
Dan celebrated his 50th birthday this summer with many friends (including the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile!) joining the festivities held at the Oliver Inn in downtown South Bend. In January of this past year Dan transitioned from a volunteer to staff at Granger Community Church with the responsibility to oversee most of local outreach including the Monroe Circle Community Center (“MC3”). http://www.monroecircle.com/. He also continues to be an AFLAC agent but has given over most of the daily responsibilities to another agent.Dan also traveled to India this summer with a team from GCC to help indigenous church pastors teach village children conversational English and learn how to care for people infected by the HIV virus. Later this year (December 27th) he returns with teams that will build homes, install wells and water purification systems, address justice issues and launch a couple of micro enterprises. Dan will remain in India for a few extra days to meet with community groups and officials to discuss ways the local church can reduce the infant infanticide rates in southern India. http://www.monroecircle.com/2008/08/what-wakes-me-up-at-night.htmlDuring his free time Dan was able to finish the exterior of our farmhouse built in 1898. I’m not sure and a little bit concerned when he refers to this three year project as the completion of phase one!Jo continues to serve on the Indiana Department of Education board and is excited about the new State Superintendent, Tony Bennett who brings new energy and is open to innovative ideas. This role takes her to Indianapolis once or twice a month. She also represents the state on a federal level by serving on the National Association of State School Boards (NASBE) that takes her to Washington D.C. each quarter. This fall they meet with the US Department of Army at Ft. Jackson, North Carolina to learn how the Army has significantly changed their teaching methods and as an aside was able to visit the shooting range where she won first place.Jo's work with the Indiana Virtual Families, seeking to offer additional public school learning options, is growing in momentum and interest. This general session should prove to be timely and if you are interested in learning more go to www.indianafamilies.org.It's been a challenging year for Jo as she tries to pin down some heart issues. One of her stent's was 99% blocked and was "reloaded" with another stent. With continued angina she is being tested for Printzmetal's Angina - a syndrome that only 2% of the population has that is usually treated with rest, de-stressing and medication.Dan and Jo celebrated their 20th Anniversary this fall with a relaxing trip to Key West, Florida for seven days filled with seventy degree weather, sunshine and reading. It was a double blessing considering winter weather has set in early this year in South Bend with nearly 20” of that “fluffy white stuff” already falling this year!
Papps/Tim, Shannon and SethThe Papps still reside just south of the Blacketor compound with their brood of roaming animals. This past spring Tim invited his favorite mother-in-law (“FMIL”) to join their family for a trip to Gatlinburg, TN to stay in a home overlooking the Smoky Mountains. Not to be outdone Tim and Shannon joined her FMIL for a family vacation Branson, MO. As a reward, Tim was able to join his hunting buddies this fall in North Dakota.Shannon is extremely busy volunteering at Seth’s preschool (Stanley Clark) where he attends a couple mornings each week. In addition to serving in Seth’s class Shannon also was a key leader for Stanley Clark’s annual fundraising “Art for the Mind.” Shannon also leads the food pantry and café at MC3. In her free time she continues working on her degree through University of Phoenix and keeps her key clients content with a relaxing massage.Tim has found his business groove at ADP where despite the economy he continues to hit his numbers each month earning him the right to consider a management role with the company. Unfortunately, FMIL (Jo) is trying to influence any decision by trumping any potential offer with “proximity to grandma” rule one. Tim is also a key leader for GCC’s annual food drop that engages over 3,000 volunteers as they deliver food boxes to nearly 5,000 families on one Saturday morning.Seth (3 ½) is trying to adjust to school days and most days he is enjoys it. He has become an avid John Wayne fan and can quote many scenes from several of his favorite movies. His best friend as well as biggest advisory which is always in a constant state of flux is his cousin, Joe-Joe. Their favorite pastime is eating bacon, playing with army men, building something with Lincoln logs or reenacting a John Wayne gun fight.Chrapliwys/Josh, Ginger, Mackenzie and JosephTo celebrate Ginger’s graduation from IUSB this spring they took a family vacation Branson, MO to spend a week at Surrey Vacation Resort. It was a double blessing because Josh’s parents were able to join them on the trip and the resort was extremely gracious to provide each family their own 2 bedroom condo instead of one 3 bedroom condo to share. The Chrapliwy’s recently completed a major home renovation (their bathroom). The "Chraps" live just north of us within biking or walking distance. Ginger accepted a new job at the University of Notre Dame in the Strategic Planning department. Her office is still in the “Golden Dome” but she moved to the third floor which infers she’s closer to Jesus. In May, after many years of dedication Ginger graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. This fall Ginger returned to her volleyball roots and began coaching Mackenzie’s team at Our Lady of Hungary – patience became a valuable virtue as most of the girls on the team had never played v-ball and after months of coaching began to realize the goal of the game is to try to get the ball over the net!Josh remains an avid sports fan sharing his loyalty between the Chicago White Sox, Notre Dame football, LOH volleyball and da Bears. Despite ND’s record at home Josh attended every home game and has been scanning the internet for flights to Honolulu on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, because of their win/loss records, we have had to keep sharp objects way from him this past year but we have already been hearing a steady discourse of “just wait until next year!”Mackenzie (10) is transitioning from being a little girl to becoming a young lady. This year Mackenzie moved from public education (Hay Primary) to Our Lady of Hungry but is making the adjustment very well. This fall she was a cheerleader for the football team and was the star of her volleyball team.This spring Mackenzie joined Dan and Jo during a trip to Washington D.C. and can now give anyone the history of the various monuments – the Washington monument is 522 ft high and there are three separate but equal branches in the federal government. Joe (3 ¼) is Seth’s best friend 50% of the time (on good days) with the balance of time experiencing “time out” in separate parts of the house. His nickname should be “no fear” since he will run at full speed and either tackle whatever object is in his way (usually Seth) or complete a drop and roll without regard to property or self. Joseph loves good books with his mom and still enjoys Toy Story and Shrek! This Halloween he dressed up as Buzz Light Year!It has been a good year. We have learned that we are blessed regardless to our nation’s present economic situation. We love our family, our church and our good friends. We wish you a simple and joyous Christmas and a very Happy New Year!Blessings,Dan & Jo Blacketorhttp://www.onesolitarylifemovie.com/
