The Scheid Family History

2007-12-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Family and Friends,

Bobette and I are well into our empty nest stage and starting to realize how important relationships with friends and family is compared to so many other things in life. So, for the next year we will start to try and make friends, Bobette will get rid of all of her crafts and I will stop wasting so much time on chores around the house.
Nicole is now 19 years old and a sophomore at Oregon State University. She is quite an attractive young lady and of course I worry about her with all the boys swarming around her. Fortunately, she inherited my razor sharp wit and is just mysterious enough that sheintimidates many of the young men. Also like her dad, she’s very athleticand can outrun most of the girls. She finished second while nearly maxing the Air Force physical testing; she then beat her professor doing pushups in front of a class with nearly 500 students. Dude! You’d better watch out! Sheis majoring in psychology and premed, plays, coaches and is on the board of the Lacrosse team and is active in the Air Force ROTC. I’m afraid she is allowing the Air Force to turn her into a real military person. When she comes home she writes operations orders and declares herself Commander in charge of Christmas operations.

Joseph still works at Radiant Optics as the operations manager and keeps pretty busy building, cutting, trimming, digging, burning and planting at the farm; taking my new boat out; playing football; volunteering for church activities and looking for other generally dangerous things to do. Loading 2.5 tons of gravel in a one ton pickup, riding his dirt bike, or building huge fires on his farm are just a few of the dangerous things he does regularly. He must be maturing because he has backed off on some of themore dangerous things he used to do, such as saying “Dad, I can beat you up”. Meanwhile, Katie is busy doing amillion riding lessons per week, buying more horses(up to 6 now), fixing up the house, landscaping and trying to get Joseph to eat something besides French Toast (a full time job in itself). We occasionally see glimpses of Katie as she is on her way doing things…kind of reminds me of Bobette.

On a hot Phoenix day (110 degrees) Michael and Heather started their trek to Portland in the great Northwest with all their possessions in tow behind two small BMWs. The intrepid movers broke down two blocks from home. Of course Michael had a spare alternator somewhere in one of the trailers and a few hours later with the use of someone’s carport, they were again on their way. Unfortunately, they were not able to take all their stuff

and left two of their cars behind in a friend’s yard. I wonder if the friend knows that the only way to get rid of a car without a title is to cut it up witha saws-all and turn it in for scrape metal. I’ll try not to tell them.They still can’t decide whether or not to get married so they are going to act like they are married for 30 or 40 years before committing. They have new jobs (as a BMW mechanic Michael only lithimself on fire once so far), a new place to live (they are going to start raising chickens, so there’s a gift idea), and a new perspective (boy is living in Portland ever expensive)

Derrick and Biz are working harder than ever – man, can that Adrianna ever crawl fast. The only thing that seems to slow her down is the wind friction on the ear-to-ear
grin

permanently pasted on her face. Bella the dog seems a little nervous with Adrianna’s speed and usually sleeps with one eye open so as to not get loved to death. Biz has been occupied riding and taking care of her horse, trading horse stuff on the internet, and managing Adri who has risen to rock star status as the

only baby on either side of the family. They have outgrown their house and are looking at building a new house as soon as they can get the environmental weenies in the county go

vernment to let them build a road over a ditch that had water in it back around the time of the last ice age. I was lucky enough to go to a couple of Derrick’s sermons this year. He is very good. In fact he is so good he made a lady pass out in one sermon. If you go to one of his sermons, expect something to happen.

This year I finally put my foot down and forbid any further bazaars at our house. Bobette complied immediately, or right after she was abandoned by her partner

and two main attractions. She still has plenty to keep her busy. The charity she runs, Christmas Stockings for Homeless Children, is growing

every year and is starting to spread beyond the local area. We will all miss Bobette’s Mom, Marguerite, as she passed away last Spring. Bobette was fortunate in that she had the chance to spend some good quality time with her mom in the weeks before she passed away. Bobette just gets better looking every day to this grandpa.

I’m working a lot harder than I want to on my PhD program.

I’m finding that going back to school is really a great motivator to do anything but school work. It seems

that anything is more fun than homework or reading and writing philosophy. School makes even mowing the lawn or doing the dishes seem fun. But going

back to school has not kept me out of trouble. I had the bright idea a while back to tell the kids I would buy a boat if they provided a grandchild. Derrick and Biz provided the grandchild, but Joseph insisted that I keep my word. I intended on buying a canoe, but ended up buying a brand new 18ft inboard outboard.

My idea was to have a toy for the family to rally around. To a large extent it works, of course it is too dangerous for the grandchild for whom I purchased the thing. All in all I have no complaints and life is great even if I am sleeping with a grandma now.

Best wishes to all and please keep in touch, Ma and Pa Scheid December, 2007

2006 Joseph, Katie X-Mas Letter

2007-02-26T14:22:00.000-08:00

The Scheid’s Christmas letter
2006
Katie’s Letter:
Merry Christmas ya’ll, from the Scheid Ranch! 2006 has been quite a year for us. We graduated from college, got married, bought a Ranch, acquired a dog, four horses and one huge fish tank. Needless to say, we’ve been busy. So, here’s how it all went…
We both graduated from Western Washington University in March. Joseph left with a B.A. in Accounting and I finished with a B.S. in Pre-Physical Therapy. We soon bought 4 acres in Redmond, with a farm house in need of some major fixing up. We spent a few months remodeling the house and then started working outside to clear the 3 acres of 30’ tall blackberries left untouched for 20 years. What fun! Next, was the wedding. It was incredible but I am glad the planning is done. We recuperated on our honeymoon in Hawaii for a whole two weeks. It was Amazing! Upon our arrival home, were the pieces to an 8 stall, 1,800 sq.ft. build-it-yourself Kit Barn that we had ordered months earlier. It was quite an overwhelming welcome home present! With a huge amount of help from just about everyone, the barn was built and now holds our four wonderful, destructive, expensive horses.
The Ranch is coming along quite well now. We actually have a real name, “Sage Meadows” with a website, brochures and business cards…I am moving up in the world. Currently, I am teaching riding lessons there 6 days a week and Joseph has been an excellent stable boy in his spare time… stacking hay, fixing fences, managing manure, and playing on his tractor. I definitely married the right guy. The rest of his time, he spends at an actual job making money. He never gets a break!

Joseph’s Letter:
Life is good at the Scheid Household. We just realized that God has put together the two biggest Christmas fans in the same house and already we are up there with the Griswold’s. Somehow we have to find a way to combine Christmas traditions from my side of the family (which were always only perpetuated by myself) and all of Katie’s endless traditions which fills the house with Christmas knick-knacks, all of which our dog Tank can’t wait to destroy. For the last two weeks this has been my second job. I come home from Radiant Optics, where I am the Operations Manager for the last year and a half, and I get to assemble and move the newly formed pile of Christmas decorations that Katie has acquired. I suppose I can’t complain. It’s a whole lot easier than what I’ve been doing for the last 6 months before this, building a barn and putting up fencing for our four horses to destroy.
Honestly, I thought after building a horse facility, and spending everyday around these four legged monsters, I would learn to appreciate them. But instead, my original beliefs became even more inflamed. One good thing I can say is that they pay for themselves, which cannot be said about our dog, Tank. For some reason though, Katie loves them, so that makes it all worth it in the end.
We are so excited to be spending our first Christmas together. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope you can come visit us soon… but watch out, cause we might just put you to work!
Love,
Katie & Joseph Scheid

Marguerite Van Vleet 1926-2007

2007-02-04T16:26:00.001-08:00

A slide show in memory of Marguerite Van Vleet shown at her memorial service in February 2007.

2006

2006-01-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Family and Friends,

Whew! It seems like I haven’t had time to write one of these Christmas letters over the last three years. We’ve been busy turning our house into an empty nest, Derrick and Biz are working on filling their nest with our first Grandchild, Michael keeps changing his nest, Joseph and Katie are busy making a nest, and Nicole has departed the nest. That leaves just Bobette, Molly and me, and Molly seems to be shopping for another family as Joseph always talks about Euthanizing her just because she’s old and crabby. This makes Bobette and I a little nervous and we are careful not to appear old or crabby around Joseph.

Its been a big year for us with two graduations, the birth of our first grandchild, Joseph and Katie’s wedding, Nicole going off to college and my Father passing away.

Nicole made it through her senior year and of course had to raise one last assistance dog. She took the dog to school when she could and even brought her to graduation with her own little graduation cap. Midway through the ceremony the kid next to her asked her “so how much can you see? You don’t seem to be too blind to me!” just trying to be nice talking to the blind girl. Although not really a spoiled rich kid, its hard to convince people of that when you live on Mercer Island and drive a Mercedes. But she had two jobs and joined the AFROTC at Oregon State and is really a country girl at heart. She really likes the military life especially when there are 9 boys to every girl and one of the boys is named John Wayne. The boys (whoops, Air Force men) make sure she is escorted after dark on campus and call me to ask permission before they let her do stuff like eat candy or stay up late. Now how cool is that!

Joseph, the one I always thought would go into the military seems to have gone through his 20’s in about six days and has pretty much settled down like one of us old folks. Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, he and Katie got a dog before they graduated from college, then bought themselves a farm, then a truck, a tractor, a barn, a snake and fish to add to their 4 horses. Then after they got all the stuff they were ready to get married. They had a great wedding after nearly killing his future father-in-law at white water rafting bachelor’s party. Somehow it seems they have been married longer than Bobette and I. He has become quite an electrician while rewiring his farm by guess and by gosh. He made one little error when he electrified the entire barn. Fortunately the animals know not to go near Joseph’s work until a human has checked it out so nothing go hurt until Katie’s dad discovered the problem.

Michael got tired of being left out of the Christmas letters and all the free food that the other kids seem to get so he and his girl friend Heather decided to move back to the Northwest. We will have to ensure he does not appear old or crabby (see paragraph 1). Although he likes living in his 20’s and will probably another 25 years before he turns 30. He has great plans to turn the 3ed car garage into a car lift so he can work on all of your cars at a reduced rate. Bobette may have something to say about that as she would have to find other space for her growing craft supply stash. Since he is now a master mechanic and really good at what he does, I am encouraged that he will not attempt to turn the house into a salvage yard. But one never knows.

Derrick and Biz are new parents with Adrianna Nicole Scheid, born December 1 at 8:30 in the morning. Derrick is learning the terror of the night as he looks forward to being brutally awaken every few hours to take care of the baby. This modern generation is different. I never felt very useful during those late night breast feedings and just went back to sleep. I guess he is just a better husband. Derrick is still working in campus ministry and seems to really like it and has plenty of time to work on the house and go to school. Biz is no longer a barista at Starbucks as she is now a full time mom and internet merchant.

Bobette and I are still quite the pair, I tell the jokes and she gives me a crabby look. Works for us. She has kept busy running a small charity, a small business and being a leader in church and the denomination. After all these years she still has not learned how to say no so we rarely have time for a walk and if we can’t communicate with ESP, then we will have to communicate over ESPN. One night Bobette was reading one of her favorite magazines which had a special on super-women volunteers. After being awed by one woman after another, she turned the page to see a picture of herself and a feature on all she does as a volunteer. She never saw it coming.

I entered into temporary insanity as I signed myself up for an on-line Phd program in management and leadership. I guess there was not enough stress in my life. I retired from the Lacrosse board president and the high school site council, but still volunteer as the church Elder Board Chair and the treasurer for the local Republican party. I’m thinking that all that volunteer stuff along with working at the Best Christian Workplaces Institute, investing in the stock market, exercising and helping the kids with their projects should keep me looking young and not crabby which should ensure a long life.

Best wishes to all

Grandpa Kevin and Grandma Bobette.

2001

2001-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Last year was such a bad year, I decided to put off writing the Holiday letter until the new year when we can feel like laughing again. Despite what the kids say, I am NOT lazy. That's my story and I’m sticking to it.

Nicole is now 13, in 8th grade and looking less like her dad and more like an attractive young lady. An animal lover, she’s doing her best to turn the place into a barn with hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, dogs and horses roaming about. Her room is comfortable for animals but unbecoming of a young lady. We are hoping the odors of the dirty little rodents continues to repel boys for a few more years. She won third place in the state dog show - I mean Molly won, Nicole just got the glory and collected the money (he he he, nicole got hold of the christmas letter, I(nicole) did the handling though). She signed up for wrestling with her friend who asked “Nicole, what is wrestling anyway, is that where you hit each other?” Fortunately, that only lasted a few days, until they were asked to be the managers.

Joseph is getting ready for college and working in possibly the only place where his sense of humor (inherited from me) is appreciated - a retirement community. The little old ladies think he is such a cutie. He is having a great senior year playing football and the star of his ceramics class. He will graduate this year and head off to Katie College. He’s counting down the days with only 4.5 years until his wedding. Already very domestic, Joseph managed to cook a turkey dinner for the Homeless on Thanksgiving. When he went to serve the dinner with the youth group, he cooked the van. Then one of the adults yelled “it’s going to blow”, thirty kids hit the dirt. Fortunately there was no explosion, just some melted metal and a battery in flames; nothing compared to melting the school parking lot when he was in charge of the homecoming bon-fire.

Since Michael left for college, we have forgotten what he looks like. All we see of him now is his feet and his back. We see his feet sticking out from underneath the car and sticking out the bottom of the bed. Then occasionally we get a glimpse of his back as he is walking out the door. Michael continues to amaze us with outstandingly average academic achievement. Besides, the real reason for college is to learn to live like a college kid - right? Whereas no effort is too little when it comes to academics, no effort is too great in generating a laugh. As he is growing up, he is beginning to realize older is harder, not easier, and he has his share of problems with money, cars, and girls than I have had in my entire life (and I’m almost twice his age). Next year, things will change. He will try owning one car, having three girlfriends and no money. The no money thing seems to be a constant. The best man at Derrick’s wedding, Michael managed to change the mood during the solemn occasion by spitting the wedding ring out of his mouth and handing it to Derrick.

Derrick, after getting married to Elizabeth Greene (Biz) on a hot dry June day with a wet ring, rented a place in Bellevue and began looking for a job. He plans on making a living as a freelance writer; truly an outstanding writer, many believe he takes after his dad. However, many of these same people think he may starve to death before he makes a dime. He is driving cars in the meantime to make ends meet and is looking for other high paying, flexible jobs with little responsibility or commitment. Biz is working at Starbucks (one of the top jobs in WA state) to contribute to finances but dreams of becoming a professional cowgirl. I think she is still a little bewildered by our family and every once in a while I catch her trying to get Michael’s germs off of her ring.

When the family visited Disneyland this year, the kids were a bit amazed at how many rides Bobette went on. She ran from ride to ride and when the kids were all sick and wanted to go home, she wouldn’t leave. As they carried her from the park you could hear her mumbling about not wanting to leave the happiest place on earth. I think all the Bazaar crafts have finally gotten to her. Bobette is leading the family in the contest to own the most possessions. She buys them, cleans them, hides them, finds them, worries about them, guards them, insures them, shines them, loses them and gives them away. I think our family is winning.

My job is to work harder to make sure we can afford all the possessions. There are some things you get better at as you get older. I am definitely getting better at crushing the garbage into the garbage can. Occasionally I sneak some of Bobette’s stuff in there to get rid of. Seriously, I feel very blessed with a loving family that always makes life interesting, a wife who is creative, beautiful, and capable, and a house that is free of bazaar craft people more than 350 days a year.

God bless you all, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

The Washington State SCHEIDS,2001

2000

2000-01-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

It is that time of year again when you get all sorts of letters which begin “It’s that time of year again”. This is good for me because it is my queue that Christmas is near and it is time to put off writing the Christmas letter. Of course we have been really lazy busy this year with little time for such luxuries.

The big news this year is that all three boys are getting married. Derrick is engaged to get married June 30. Joseph is engaged to get married in 5.5 years, Michael has been engaged since Seventh grade but just isn’t fully aware of his situation yet.

Nicole, 12, in seventh grade and still single. She’s getting a little tired of people telling her she looks just like her dad, so her standard reply is “except for the gray hair.” She has a big heart, is very creative and personable, and loves animals. She’s convinced she wants to become a vet. I’m not sure if a vet’s job includes putting dresses and hats on dogs laughing at them, teasing them, and then taking silly pictures. I think you might get bit a lot. I’m trying to convince her to join the army because she will not have to deal with a bunch of smelly animals, won’t get bit, its cheaper, and one day every year the whole country honors you.

After two years of no concussions in football, Joseph finally achieved his B average, immediately got his driver’s license, and then went out and bought a car. He wanted to get something special, so he spent a little extra and bought a car with the dents already installed. It can be dangerous installing dents yourself. Joseph is definitely taking after his mom by learning magic tricks; he can make a dollar disappear faster than anyone I know. He was fortunate to fine Katie, a girl who is frugal, smart, friendly, and can beat the tar out of him.

Michael handed in his last homework assignment an hour before graduation, and then applied to college one day before the deadline. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised to see him graduated and accepted to college. A real fan of his dad, he is taking up the family trade (kind of) and majoring in aviation. He spends most of his time buying and selling junk over the internet, fixing cars and computers, hanging out with his girlfriend, or spouting out his wisdom the philosophy of life he gained from 19 years of growing up with excellent parenting. Michael also takes after his mother’s magical abilities and can make “stuff” just appear out of nowhere. Between the two of them, they have filled the garage and three rooms with priceless stuff.

Derrick graduated from college this year and shortly after started an internship as a campus pastor. After spending thousands of hours contemplating marriage, analyzing every every angle, interviewing married couples, and dissecting every habit, tendency, like, dislike, potential, and possibility, he finally decided it is safe to marry Elizabeth Greene (Biz). (However, in the process of watching this I figured out it was a mistake for Bobette and I to get married. Our marriage probably should not have lasted more than a year or two.) So, he developed and executed an intricate plan to ask Biz to marry him. He used garbage bags to spell “Biz marry me” at the bottom of a lake, then hiked to the top of a mountain where they could clearly see the proposal. After she said yes, they were greeted with a gourmet three course lunch with linen table clothes and all the trimmings complements of his brothers and sister. I think he was already engaged, but was just trying to get a free lunch in the woods.

After 25 years of marriage, I finally figured out Bobette doesn’t really volunteer for a million different things. She’s actually the boss, the one who runs everything. She is a living, one woman charitable foundation. With the Homeless Stocking program, Coast Guard Spouses Club President, Youth Fundraisers, car wash, garage sales, letter writing campaigns, Christmas wrapping in the mall, Women’s club crafts, Craft bazaar, Bizarre crafts, Sunday School crafts, and church administrator, her mornings are pretty full. In the afternoon she has additional projects. Bobette will do almost anything as long as you promise not to pay her. Regardless, I am proud of her. In fact, I always look forward to seeing her succeed with her craft projects - although I usually have to stand in line for the privilege.

I’m starting to feel my age now that I turned 50. I took a spill on my bike and broke my collar bone over the summer. The pain was bad enough, but the worst part was doctor’s order not to do the dishes, vacuum, or take out the garbage for at least one year.(some advice: always get doctor’s orders like these in writing just in case your marriage lacks trust). Recently, Bobette and I decided to quit our jobs at the church. I lucked out and immediately got a job as executive Vice President in a local small company. The work is great, but the president of the company is a younger attractive woman and I think she has a crush on me. Moreover, she is very demanding and expects me to clean the house, drive the kids, clean up the crafts, do the dishes, and take out the garbage(despite what the doctor ordered). Working for your wife does have it’s disadvantages. But then romance in the work place is not only allowed, but encouraged.

God bless you all and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

The Washington State SCHEIDS,2000

1999

1999-01-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Praise the Lord and may the peace and love of Jesus Christ find you healthy and calm during this new millennium. We decided to can the Christmas letter and be a little different this year by sending a millennium letter.

Life goes on in the Northwest Scheid households, and it IS amazing. The big news this year is the boys began cleaning their rooms. All three boys have girlfriends (although they call them something else - just friends). Occasionally the girls are invited over to the house and viola! - the boys are embarrassed by the mess - so they clean it up. It's funny to see my three big boys actually responding to commands. Of course this is great for Nicole, her brothers must behave and be nice to her while she can still make messes. Soon enough it will happen - Nicole will find a boy and clean her room. Then Bobette will be the only one making messes.

Nicole is now 11 and in sixth grade. In answer to her prayers, we are part-time leasing a horse. I really didn't want to do this, but it looked like she was discovering crafts and I wanted to distract her. Of course I end up riding the horse while Nicole views the situation as renting a big friend that she can feed and talk to. Nicole also likes to just hang-out at the stable and socialize with the other little girls. As near as I can figure this is wife training for little girls - how to control big dumb animals and gossip behind peoples' backs.

The son formerly known as Josè is making a name for himself as a real funny guy. Everyone thinks heÕs hilarious as he frequently talks in front of large groups of people - usually about his dad. But I don't mind as long as he doesn't mind not driving until he's 21. Joseph went another year without a concussion in football, we are encouraged that he may turn out normal. Of course that could be because he hardly played football. He cleaned his room once last year, so we let him have a little nicer room. HeÕs been taking advantage of the situation by making a larger mess in a larger room- dead crabs, uncashed checks, dirty underwear, and his retainer all rolled together with cologne and bubble gum stuck in between. I pity the poor girl who ends up with him.

I'm not sure what he does for money anymore, but his girlfriend does claim to pay most of the bills. MichaelÕs high points last year were admitting I was right twice and buying a cute little Porsche for $260. This new car has really helped unite the neighborhood as many new community action groups have formed since he started driving.

Derrick is in his last year of college and is now trying to stay there another year to avoid the cold cruel world. He always has a nice big smile causing everyone to think he likes them. So people like him since he must have good taste. He is dating Elizabeth pretty much full time now and is taking a pre-engagement courses (he learns how to control women). However, his chances of marriage seem to decrease with every special occasion; his gifts were a fish, a crab, and a rat for the last three. Derrick asks very discerning questions and doesn't seem to take life too seriously. He asked me how I knew Bobette was right for me (she told me), and of course what is the meaning of life. Just a few questions while passing in the hall.

Bobette seems to speed up as she gets older. She is always on the go doing volunteer work, doing something with the kids or working at her new job. We had our third annual Bazaar, and it is getting a bit boring but at least there were no buses this year. It seems like a lot of effort just to get your wife to clean the house once a year. Bobette's interest in crafts has only gotten greater, it is a little like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going, it goes from the bazaar to the absurd.

Retirement got a bit boring, so Bobette and I took to sharing a job at the church. It was pretty easy transitioning to a new job, and I haven't looked back at the Coast Guard much. Although there are many fond memories (which I feel like I can talk about now without being arrested). The new job is interesting working with people, and computers constantly in a pretty much female intensive environment. But of course I don't mind since Bobette is always there to protect me.

God bless you all and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

The Washington State SCHEIDS,1999

1998

1998-01-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Praise the Lord and may the peace and love of Jesus Christ find you healthy and calm during the days of high stress shopping days. I’m changing the content of our letters a little bit; I found out the kids could read and they get embarrassed at too much truth. So, this year I’m trying to be a little more flattering you know.

Nicole is now 10 and in fifth grade. She went to two horse camps this summer and partially worked horses out of her system. However, it seems a whole cabin of boys were fighting over her; I understand why boys are attracted to her, but there better not be a winner. Anyway, she was quite amused at the fight and ready to deck the winner if he had the nerve to approach her. She also got braces this year; still as pretty as a button but a little less angelic when she laughs. She stays busy annoying her big brother, singing, creating things, riding the dog, playing soccer, talking to mom and dad, and dreaming about horses.

Joseph (formerly known as José) started high school with a somewhat tame year - no concussions. He is still quite busy and involved in the Christian youth group, football, baseball, girls, his freinds, fish, a paper route, disciplining his sister and wrestling. In his spare time he cleans his room or does his homework. He hasn’t had much spare time yet this year. He was confirmed and Baptized in the icy cold waters of Puget Sound. During his confirmation he announced to the entire church that when he found Jesus he stopped shoplifting and lying - we were delighted he stopped - didn’t know he started! Joseph likes to talk with his hands. Unfortunately he uses his hands to punch, push, poke, squeeze and generally irritate you. I usually have to pin him on the floor before I can talk him.

Michael, a junior in high school is a lot like the energizer bunny - he keeps growing and growing. At 6’2” he is now taller than me, however, Joseph is the only one he can take in a fight (sometimes he can take Nicole). He has given up his computer business and spends most of his time with his girlfreind Marika. In addition to Marika his interests seem to be driving cars and being cool. After showing some interest in boxing, we had great hopes for his future. Then unfortunately he lost a fight to an inanimate object and all our dreams were dashed. Michael spent a week in Mexico on a mission trip during the peak of the heat wave. Regardless he figured out how to be cool in 120 degree temperatures. He is now the envy of his peer group as he owns his own car - a 1979 Datson B210 $150 special which was abused by its previous owners.

We see less of Derrick as he becomes more and more established in his own life at college. He is really amazed at how much Mom and I have learned since he went to college. He is now majoring in journalism and minoring in internet and Elizabeth. He likes college so much that he gets bored while home and can’t wait to get back to college - what a life. He is still taking classes on ancient Greek and history which really makes it hard to understand why he likes school so much. He again spent his summer on a mission in a remote area on Vancouver Island. We visited him for a few days and managed to escape with no injuries or losses.

Bobette is the number one target in the Seattle area for anyone seeking a volunteer. She is always busy getting the best deal on craft parts for her next charity craft project. She organized the second annual craft bazaar at our house, and thousands of people came; we even had two buses stop with about 50 people each - now you know why they call it a Bazaar. Bobette is taking some new vitamins and is also like the energizer bunny - she keeps going and going, one craft project after another - she has gone from the bazaar to the absurd.

I’m retired from the Coast Guard now and enjoying every minute - well some minutes anyway. We had a great retirement ceremony, the highlight of which was Derrick and Joseph speaking; Derrick said some really nice things while Joseph brought up everything he could think of which was embarassing. Since retirement I have found more time to get even with Joseph, spend time with the family and become very involved with the church. I’ve decided to become a full time investor; will probably be either rich or in the poor house within a year. This new career may only last as long as the savings.

God bless you all and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

THE SCHEIDS, 1998

1997

1997-01-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Praise the Lord and may you all have a happy Easter. We kind of missed the conventional time slot to send Christmas letters so I decided to start a new tradition - Easter Letters, and I am already way ahead. Disregard all the Christmas markings on this letter, we have a lot of leftover holiday stuff we had to get rid of.

Nicole is now 9, in fourth grade and is a world champion at giving hugs and greeting her dad at the door. She competes with our dog Molly for the first attention and always wins. Nicole is into that "Girl thing" of being in love with horses. She even keeps a "Horse Crazy" book filled with pictures of horses, research material, and networking phone numbers of others equally addicted. At our father/ daughter horse camp last Feb. we won the team horse race beating even the hired wranglers. It was a nearly perfect weekend except when Nicole tried to beat up an 18 year old wrangler for cleaning out the stable before she had a chance.

Jose (formerly known as Joseph) changed his name to make himself seem faster. He had a good year in football with numerous tackles, second place team in the league and only one slight concussion. Jose is a little impulsive at times and tends to be a whole lot obnoxious. When Michael bought a megaphone for two bucks, Jose decided to use it to announce that "Jesus is the Messiah" to the people driving by our house on their way to the Jewish temple. The temple has decided to move since the incident. Jose is very busy socially and seems to have little time for family anymore; I have to make appointments now to reprimand him when he's bad, and my name appears on his calendar quite often.

Michael, a sophomore in high school continues to grow in stature adding six inches since last year. All the growth occurred from the shoulders on down. He is the epitome of the movie "Big"; a boy's mind inside a man's body. He has started his own business using the internet to play arbitrage with used computer commodities. He has managed to generate handsome earnings of several hundred dollars working for roughly 2.5¢ per hour. Of course this leaves little time for homework causing school work to suffer. But low marks keep him from driving which is good because it saves his parents about $5 an hour. His business keeps him in his room nearly 100% of his time (we lock him out of his room as punishment) but it is forcing him to be inventive - like how to download a nutritious meal from the refrigerator from the internet.

Derrick is now a man-of-the-world in his sophomore year in college. He is doing well and taking life easy. His biggest worries seem to be how to get his friends to stop teasing him about having too many girlfriends and what to do during his next school break. He spent his summer as a camp counselor in a remote area of Canada and then delivering Pizza's. He has a great heart and is going through the typical stages of College idealism - like new and better ways to run the household for mom and dad; handing out sandwiches to the homeless; or donating his money to the Seattle Seahawks to buy tickets to the football game. Derrick is a great kid, fun to be around, good to his brothers and sister, and dreading the day he graduates and has to start working for a living.

Bobette has given up on trying to say no to volunteer work, so she is now trying the trick of covering her mouth with a piece of tape with "NO" printed on it. People laugh, pull the tape off and ask her to volunteer. She always says yes. Bobette is well known and seems to be loved by nearly everyone on Mercer Island for all her volunteer work; we are all very proud. She put on a Craft Bazaar in our house and did quite well; she sold about 2% of her crafts and made $800. Removing those crafts allowed me to clear a path all the way to the bed.

I'm still loving my job in the Coast Guard, but am due to get out in June. I'm looking for a job in the area working in production management. The years keeping Coast Guard helicopters flying were some of the most satisfying in my career, and that experience should translate pretty well in this area. Besides, companies like Boeing look like they could use some help. We hope to be able to stay in the area, but just recently Nicole decided she likes the Coast Guard and is now willing to move. Other than work I have been enjoying the area with lots of biking and hiking and coaching sports. I've never felt better, but Bobette thinks I need to gain some fat and the kids all say that I am shrinking.

God bless you all and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

THE SCHEIDS, 1997

1996

1996-01-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

From the dreary North West winter the Scheid family wishes you a Merry Christmas (politically incorrect) and a happy New Year.

Nicole is now 8 and thinks third grade is tough. But with a lot of prayer, “Please Lord help me to read 170 minutes before tomorrow,” along with a lot of hardwork she just might make it. School IS tough and procrastination doesn’t help . . . fortunately praying and being everyone’s “best student” does help. Her favorite pasttime is fighting with Joseph; an unrelenting force crashing against an immovable object. To her Joseph is the source of everything that is wrong with mankind; she even yells at him in her sleep. It’s hard to believe she really loves him. But she does, and she also has a special place in her heart for Daddy; that is just fine with me. She loves horses and gymnastics, is a soccer star, rarely stops talking, but never misses anything, and never seems to be going at less than 110%.

Joseph seems to enjoy the challenges of seventh grade. He’s got quite a sense of humor and has parlayed it into a reputation as the class clown. He is always ready to try something new, bold, or just dangerous and keeps school interesting by getting into trouble. I enjoyed watching and coaching him in baseball and football this year; he’s a good little athelete with a lot of determination. More importantly, we’re really proud he has gone all year without a concussion. Joseph is still convinced that having a little sister has constrained the material wealth of the family, and has never forgiven her. He will play with her, but his favorite thing is teasing her.

Michael is now a freshman in high school and loves the freedom and responsibility associated with growing up; although he dislikes being held accountable when he’s squandered his time and comes up short on an assignment or a grade, he does relish the perks of the older age. He is now taller than mom and enjoys struting around showing off his height and muscles. He is quite involved in everything and really likes to tinker and explore. As a result he has become a “techie” and an apparent expert on everything from computers to coffee pots. Not one to have the big picture and use these talents for something useful, Michael decided to crack the school’s computer code and install a game. Seemed convenient to him and being a generous soul, he shared the game with others. All was well until another kid was caught playing the game and earned Michael the dubious distinction of a three day suspension.

Derrick is now in college at Western Washington University after graduating from high school with honors and a scholarship. He seems to be learning a lot about living; can’t wait to see how much academics he learned when we get his report card. One thing we know is that he probably will NOT be an artist; his whole drawing class broke out in laughter when they saw his picture during a serious critique of art (maybe he has hope as a cartoonist). He does love the Lord and is a good freind who has witnessed to his whole dorm. When he grows up he wants to be a lawyer or a Christian minister? I think he has a chance of success since he has gotten a lot smarter resulting in fewer arguments with his mom. But, he is still working real hard on the concepts of work, timeliness, and waking up before noon.

Bobette may have to take speech therapy. Seems like she is having difficulty forming the “N” and the ‘Oh” sound with her mouth. At the same time she has an uncontrollable urge to say “yes” everytime someone needs a volunteer. I told her she has to get a job and her reaction was to double up on volunteering. Now she’s stressed and doesn’t want to talk about it. Some of that stress may come from her attempt at setting new standards in materialism, as a true “material girl” she has enough fabric (material) to make casserole wraps for the entire U.S. Army and it’s all in our bedroom. She is also stressed from jealousy; Molly, our new dog, usually beats her to the door to greet me when I come home. No real basis for jealousy, Molly smells pretty bad.

I was just recently informed by Bobette that I somehow missed my mid-life crisis, and it’s too late for a red sports car. How about a red bicycle? But, Bobette could use a few “material” things and her mid-life crisis is still pending. People keep telling me that my hair is getting quite gray. After popping them in the nose, I notice that they are correct! Read some of my previous Christmas letters and tell me your hair wouldn’t be gray as well. Fortunately, my one loyal son, Derrick, associates the gray with wisdom and provides a Bible verse to prove it. I’m looking forward to retirement so I can relax and take it easy. Wonder what kind of job Bobette will support the family with?

God bless you all and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts and the word of God dwell richly within you.

THE SCHEIDS, 1996

1994

1994-01-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from soggy, dark, and cold Seattle. This holiday season seems to be just dripping with goodwill as we think of all our good friends while drying out our rain soaked sneakers awash with the chilling beauty of the NorthWest.

Bobette didn't want to move in the worst way. But, she submitted to my will, and followed me like a good little woman. Yeah right! Really, she engineered the move, motivated the kids, and kept me in line. But, at least I get to see her more often; intensive therapy in Volunteers Anonymous has left us with actual time to talk; without an appointment. With spare time on her hands one day, she decided to get a dog for Joseph. Biting, whining, chewing, running away, barking, drooling, throwing-up, and messing on the carpet were easy to adjust to; not unlike the kids. But, peeing on the carpet is the unforgivable sin and will be engraved on Lady's tombstone. Despite the hassles, Bobette is looking prettier, and more gracious all the time.(I decided to be nice this year, I'm still paying for last year)

This year Derrick got a drivers license, bought his first car, went on his first date, and had his first accident. The move was difficult, leaving many good friends and starting at a new school. Never ask your teenager how his first day of school went after moving; "it's a stinking rotten hell, and I never want to go back.” He's a swimmer and is quite impressed with his own muscles, a real bad situation for little Joe and Michael. He adjusted well, but still can't figure all the starring and giggling from the underclass girls. A church youth group leader, high grades, muscles, and girls have made Derrick a well balanced young man with a big head. . . both here and CA, you can count on honesty; why did you buy that stupid mutt?

Michael, dealing with a fresh crop of teachers, has managed to earn all A's and B's. He's now 13 and officially smarter than mom and dad. He adjusted well and made good friends already. Michael loves projects. The messier and more complicated, the better. He has the house pretty well wired with speakers and cable. However, opening the garage door disconnects the speaker in the family room which is controlled by the radio in Michael's room. He also invented a nifty alarm system for his room; opening the door connects speaker wire to a 110 Volt system which turns on a light, shocks the intruder(dad), and starts a fire all at the same time - very ingenious.

Joseph loves Seattle, and the weather doesn't seem to bother him; he wears shorts and a T-shirt year around. He's made friends, played football, got a dog, and got his own room. The dog, "Lady", seems to actually like Joseph. They seem to be on the same level somehow, always fighting. We just have to get Joseph to stop biting the mutt. Joseph has calmed down a slight bit since he hit his head on the concrete while jumping down the stairs with his new pogo stick. We knew he was seriously injured when he wouldn't fight with the dog, argue or tease Nicole, or insult mom or dad with insensitive comments. We were hoping for a permanent change, but he was back to normal within a day. He got a young attractive teacher again this year, so he's a motivated student. Although the smallest on the football team, by the end of the year he played center linebacker and was getting most of the tackles.

A package of energy and temerity, Nicole has difficulty being limited to only two parents. Ever since leaving her surrogate parents in Calif., Nicole has had to find other ways to release her energy. The mutt and Joseph get much of it, but dad and mom get more than they can handle. We think she has a good chance of winning the world chatterbox competition. She thought the move was vacation and wanted to go home after a week. "How come when NOBODY wants to move, and ONE PERSON wants to move, we have to move anyway?" But the new house is more fun, you can run, jump, climb, and mess things up. Besides once we get rid of Derrick we can get a cat. ("Cats are smarter than dogs, they are careful where they place their feet. Dogs step on everything.") Right now she thinks she's a dog named "Pester" with an imaginary dog friend named "Pepper." Nicole was nonplused when mom put her on the wrong school bus. When finally found she sure read mom the riot act!

Despite leaving the best job in the world to live in a high cost area, commute on a bus, and listen to my kids whine about moving, I did get promoted and I'm doing pretty well. The move has drawn our family closer together and presented many positive challenges. I enjoy both work and family and we are making some good Christian friends. But, I am still waiting for enough money to afford a mid-life crisis.

THE SCHEIDS, 1994

1993

1993-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I delayed writing a letter this year until Christmas spirit came upon me. But, I didn’t get much for Christmas so I ended up writing my typical Scrooge letter.

Bobette came down with melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer. They cut out all the cancer but there’s a chance it will recur. We should know for sure in the next two years. It’s hard to figure out exactly how we both feel about this, its like maybe having a killer outside your door waiting for you. But at least there isn’t a lot of pain right now. Meanwhile she took a cruise to Mexico with her mom and her dad got remarried. Our relationship is constantly growing as we communicate almost daily over the phone.

Derrick, our rock solid dependable teenager helps us raise the others, is one of the student leaders in his church youth group, helps me match clothes so I don’t dress like a dork, and is on the honor roll. He drives just like Bobette and of course she hates driving with him. This year he went out for swimming and water polo and has developed muscles. It’s not easy (“Practice was hell dad!, I think I want to quit!”) but he has hung in there. One thing Derrick dislikes about being a teenager is that every time you get a mosquito bite on the face, everyone acccuses you of having a pimple. Being a teenager is harder than it used to be.

Michael, our interesting, witty, compassionate and lucky family character. He enjoys seventh grade immensely. Now if they could just do away with all that bothersome school work and grading stuff. He seems to be majoring in class clowning, daydreaming, and getting dad and the teachers angry with him. He fed his carnivorous fish so many gold fish that it outgrew its aquarium. One night the fish leaped out and I think tried to eat Michael in his sleep. But Michael protected by destiny, was unharmed while the fish died flopping towards Michael’s big toe. A slave to fashion he is having a financial crisis keeping himself in style with his meager clothing allowance. He likes to buy shirts that are so big they look more like night shirts or dresses.

Joseph the practical minded, independent, competent competitor who loves any rough sport. To Joseph even skiing is a contact sport. A full speed collision with a 100 ft pine only slowed him down for about 30 min. Even though he is too young to be a paper boy, he gives better service than Michael. A very determined, he is not hesitant to take matters into his own hands. He wanted us to buy the house across the street, so, every time a realtor brought a perspective buyer to the house, he would get into a screaming battle with Nicole in the middle of the street. We never knew he was doing this. Except for that one conspiracy with Nicole, he could pretty much live without her. Why did we have to mess up the family and have 4 kids? We should have stopped at three and eliminated the little sister. He has a crush on his fourth grade teacher and is working his heart out for her. His grades are good and except for lying, stealing, and peeing on a classmate's book he's the perfect student.

Nicole is the energetic life force that cannot be ignored. A skinny little stick figure with bright eyes, freckled nose, teeth which are always showing in a smile, a huge mop of hair, and a voice, which can cause pain, she is impossible to ignore. She runs everywhere she goes and is always jumping or climbing on something. I’m still her idol, but she is starting to notice some flaws like gray hair, a bald spot, and not picking up my shoes “I know you can do better than that dad!” I’m very proud of my little girl. She’s afraid of nothing, takes on Joseph routinely, likes hockey and wrestling, and can climb the wall better than Spider Man. She’s not one of those sissy little girls who plays with dolls all day. After 30 min. of shopping for dolls she said “Mom if I see one more doll I’m going to throw-up”. That’s my girl, give her a hockey stick for her birthday and she’ll be happy.

I was recently selected for promotion to Captain and expect to pin it on in July. Work is great, I almost feel guilty for having so much fun. We are all dreading this next assignment season. Bobette is tired of moving and wants me to look for a job where I can make more money and she can get off this restrictive budget. I guess maybe it’s time to decide what I want to be when I grow up.
THE SCHEIDS, 1993

1992

1992-01-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. In 1992 the Scheid family kept busy, grew, and aged. Bobette kept busy, the kids grew, and I aged. Joseph didn’t grow however, and he’s worried. Because he didn’t grow, Joseph is convinced that he’s shrinking and has been drinking huge amounts of milk to reverse the trend. The incredible shrinking shrimp.

After spending the family’s vacation money going to Minnesota, Mexico, and hiking in the Sierras, Derrick has been a happy, cheerful, perky and typically lazy teenager. He’s so happy and smiles so much that Bobette wants to smack him up-side his head. He’s especially happy when he teases Nicole, Joseph, and Michael all at the same time. He can get them to scream, cry, and whine in chorus. It drives Bobette crazy. Derrick also drives the car; in and out of the garage. He enjoys trying to run over the kids then slamming the brakes the last minute. That Derrick! What a kidder! He is doing very well in school with straight A’s and testing 99% in the ACT prep tests. The trouble is, he thinks he knows more than his parents. OK, so it could be true, but he better quit acting like it.

Michael is living proof that persistence, personality, good looks, luck, and a sense of humor are far better attributes than brains, talent, and muscle. Half way through sixth grade, he has yet to be beaten up or flunk a class. Also, he has discovered girls. After asking mom how to ask a girl to the dance, Michael was psyched. The ed. The e Michael was psyched. The date was set and all the details were finalized except one - forgot to buy the tickets. Oh well! plenty more dances, plenty more girls. He didn’t know how to dance anyway. Michael still has his route and since anyway. Michael still has his route and is trying to see just how bad the service can get before the customers kill him. Papers delivered late, in the bushes, under the car, or in the street doesn’t phase his customers because he always smiles when he collects and somehow wins them over.

G. I. Joseph, now known by his basketball team as macho man and renamed by the neighbor as macho mouse because of his incredible shrinking size, believes he is winning the war against the world. He loves to fight. and every morning you can tell he’s had a majoroves to fight. He even likes to sleep fight. Every morning he is beneath a pile of covers pulled out on all four corners with bare legs and arms sticking out the sides. His favorite pastime is avoiding “Hooked on Phonics”. His second favorite pastime is playing any sport. Last winter we bundled him up in warm clothes, put skis on him, and watched him shoot straight down the slopes falling, tumbling, and bouncing all the way. It was better than fighting.

Nicole, (relentless) at four discovered the difference between girls and boys. Boys stink and girls don’t. She no longer wants to sleep in the same room with Joseph because he stinks. She wants to sleep in mommy’s bed even if old stinky daddy is there. She loves to watch the same movie over and overer and over again, jump on the bed, ask questions, talk at the top of her voice, and her very favorite; argue. She absolutely loves to argue, and she will argue with anyone, anytime. She has yet to meet her match. Even GI Joseph the fearsome macho mouse has no counter to Nicole’s top of the lungs scream. Nicole wants to be just like mommy from the feet up. First she wanted to have big feet, then long legs. Next she just wanted to be big. Then she wanted two bumps, then a big tummy. Finally she just wants to be fat. Since all Nicole ate last year was four pieces of cheese, half a sandwich, 14 tons of pure processed white sugar, and two pieces of fruit, it seems unlikely she will ever grow up, much less get fat.

Bobette is enjoying the refreshing honesty of the little ones and recently joined weight watchers. She is beginning to look like the young woman I married again. She was so busy this year with Cub Scouts, the kids school, and talking on the phone that she just didn’t have time to clean the house or do the laundry. I get to do those things now. The kids are sapping the life out of Bobette, but she is maintaining her youthful appearance and her bumps. Mom is the most overused word in the house. The kids sometimes say Mom 400 times per minute in the same sentence.

I got lucky and managed to fleet up to Air Station CO. This is the best job I’ve ever had. I have a great bunch of people working for me, a really neat mission, and I feel that I can contribute something special to the unit. Its amazing though, homelife is still the hardest part of my life. Remember us in your prayers, and may Jesus bless your 1993.
THE SCHEIDS,

1991

1991-01-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. This hasn't been the happiest year for the Scheid family. Bobette and I have decided to call it quits. Things weren't working out and It just got to be too much. So, we decided to quit having kids. Besides, we're too old for that type of thing anyway.

This year Bobette's special holiday project is converting the local merchants to believe that Jesus was born to save the economy.

Bobette was so busy managing the family, teaching sunday school, being a den mother, and remodeling the house inside and out that she still hasn't heard about the depression, desert storm, or the Oakland hills fire.

She walks four miles every morning at 0545, is losing weight, looking healthy and is beginning to look like my daughter. One day she got home just in time to see the police leave the house (I was already at work). Nicole had dialed 911 on the phone. When a policeman came to the door, she explained that mommy and daddy were gone. Joseph verified this a few seconds later and Michael followed up and confirmed it. He left shaking his head.

If you ever sail into San Francisco, note the lighthouse structure off to the side rising 60 feet out of the channel. Bobette jumped off that rock into the water and really impressed the park rangers who gave us the tour. They said she was the first woman to fall for the old line "once you climb up, you can't climb down, you have to jump".

Derrick is going through that difficult teenage stage when your parents suddenly become retarded and don't know anything. But he is fun to be around in public because he is so easy to embarass. If Joseph forgets to take a bath or picks his nose, Derrick demands his execution. In school, he has made the honor roll, the basketball team and avoided getting beat up. He now makes more money than I do with his paper route and babysitting as a nanny, nagging someone elses kids.

Michael enticed by Derrick's money decided to get a paper route himself. However, Michael with money is dangerous. He bought a couple of parakeets at a flea market and we haven't had a peaceful moment since. The birds are so noisey that even the neighbors complain. He gets back at the birds with his trumpet, but we are still the loser on that deal. Michael wants to trade them in for another pet. He has his eye on a pet worm. He likes his teacher, Mr. Rogers, because he asks him pertinent questions like how high is a stack of a billion pennies, or how many seconds have you been alive. This type of useful information is right up Michael's alley. School still isn't so great, he was a happy camper when he missed a week of school with the flu.

G. I. Joseph, sequel # IIV. The all American boy who revels in dirt and messes, loves to fight and gets out of and into trouble with his cute devilish grin. The Army fatigues are still glued to his little blond body but he occasionally wears something a little more hip like jammer pants. We signed him up for Tae Kwan Do so he could learn some discipline, and maybe not fight so much. After about five lessons he decided he could take on the teacher, so he wrapped himself around the teacher's leg and wouldn't let go. It took two black belts to get Joseph off the leg. In school, his grin has kept him out of trouble the first semester, but is wearing thin and surely will not last the entire year.

Nicole, our relentless 3 yr old girl has laid claims to dad's lap and defends her territory to the death. She decided she's a boy and forces the boy next door to be the nurse when playing Dr and nurse. But she's all girl and has learned almost instantly how to manipulate Dad to get her way. If crying or cunning doesn't do the trick, then persistence usually will. In 5 minutes, Bobette counted her asking 157 times to watch Frosty the Snowman. If she falls asleep, she'll wake up continuing to ask for the same thing. Right now she wants to know when Santa Closet is coming.

I've been busy working as slave labor for Bobette, doing homework for 2nd, 5th, and 8th grade, trying to maintain the spiritual health of the family in Sodom and Gomorra, riding my bike to work, and being the XO at the best air station in the Coast Guard. I still play basketball, but my age is showing as I'm getting beat by the 8th graders. If I'm lucky I'll stay here another 2.5 years and fleet up to Commanding Officer.

Remember us in your prayers, and may Jesus bless your 1992.
THE SCHEIDS,

1990

1990-01-25T18:27:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This is the year we get away from materialism. We are planning a trip to Disney World and have limited each of the kids to only a few thousand dollars or seven metric tons of toys this year. Actually we really don't have room for anymore "stuff", we are chock-O-block full. Everytime we buy something new, we must balance the load and throw out something old. This was a great rule, until I found myself thrown out for a new TV and a Big Wheel.

We escaped Washington D.C. with our sanity, the equity in our house, all four kids, and our ethics still intact. Best of all, despite the best efforts of My Three Sons and one daughter, there were no fatalities on our trip. I seriously considered rigging a seat in the engine compartment for one of the kids. However, after some consideration, I decided it would be a good seat for me to get away from it all

Bobette drove a load of ladys in our new red Vanagan on the womens retreat and somehow ended up in the middle of a cow field facing off a bull that was slightly bigger than the Van. She won the face off with the bull, but is unable to do as well with 4 bull-headed children. The kids are slowly driving her out of her mind. She consistently forgets little things like how many kids we have and what their names are. She also loses things like the car keys, her credit card, and Nicole. I got to accompany her to her 20yr HS reunion. Some of her classmates couldn't make it so they sent their parents in their place.

Derrick is almost a teenager, a pre-person. The sense of humor he began developing a few years ago has gotten so funny and so cute that it makes me want to barf. He's having a tough time adjusting to the 7th grade. We are trying to help him by teaching him the latest guerrilla warfare techniques and streetfighting. But he gets his release when we leave him home to babysit. He introduces the children to the finer points of discipline and tyranny with play executions and tickle torture.

Michael is 9 yrs old now and is growing more confident by the day. He likes to take things apart and leave the parts lay on the carpet where we step on them with bare feet. One of his young friends thinks Michael is mechanically inclined "He really knows his stuff". Well, if he can't make it as a mechanical engineer, he has a solid future as a con-artist or actor. He easily transitioned to his new home, making new friends quickly. School is still not his cup of tea as his favorite day of the year was the last day of school. Always the kid with the brilliant ideas, he convinced Joseph to burn sticks in the charcoal one night on a picnic. Two days later they discovered it was Poison Oak they were playing with. Their eyes swelled shut and faces puffed up making them look like obese chinese kids with bad complexions.

G.I. Joseph is now 6 yrs old and as tough a character as you'd ever want to meet. He played both soccer and T-ball this year and always wanted to know which team they had to 'fight' next. He is always in army fatigues and the T-shirt is beginning to fuse to his skin. Joseph can't wait for World War III. He plays too roughly with his little sister and isn't aware of the retribution she has in store for him. There's nothing like a little sister to make life interesting.

Nicole is still a doll, but a bigger, more talented doll with new tricks. She's learned to scratch, bite, spit, climb, ride a skateboard, break glass with a scream, and cuss out mom and dad. Fortunately, her pig-latin is still barely comprehensible so we're not sure when she cusses. She's still having problems with mechanical equipment as this year she managed to earn her first visit to the doctor by sticking her finger between the blades of a scissors being operated by Joseph. She takes good care of herself and always manages to get even; usually a good slap in the face while asleep evens the score. She pretty much has the run of the neighborhood and knows how to weasel a dessert out of at least two of the neighbors if she doesn't like ours, which is most of the time.

I'm just tickled pink to be back flying and in California. I expect to get some skiing in at Tahoe, and maybe back into coaching and Bible study teaching. I think I've contracted a rare disease that makes you look and act younger. I have this strong urge for red sports cars and gold chains

Remember us in your prayers, and may Jesus bless your 1991.
THE SCHEIDS, 1990

1987

1987-01-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS FRIENDS,

It's time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, fight huge crowds of obnoxious people so we can throw our money away on things we don't really want or need and write tacky form letters to all your closest friends and relatives.

This has been our year of vacationing and expansion. Since our last christmas the whole family has gone to the carribean on a week long cruise, gone to Minnesota for a week on a house boat, and Bobette went to Europe with her brother Charles and her mother. The family has been expanding also. I have gotten heavier as has Bobette and the kids.

In fact Bobette expanded so much we were mistified until she had a baby girl, Nicole Marie. That was a relief. So the family is now six and there is no longer anny doubt that we are completely out of control. Bobette quit her job as church secretary so she could spend more time with the kids. Now she spends all her time dressing Nicole in different outfits and laughing at her and checking her diapers to make sure she hasn't suddenly been changed into a boy. Poor Nicole will either grow up to be a clown or an exibitionist.

Bobette is pretty well finished wallpapering the houuse except for a few spots. If anyone has a good idea for what kind of wallpater goes goo inside the refrigerator please let us know, Bobette is looking for some.

Derrick is now 10 years old and is becoming a real good athelete and a real wise guy. His basketball team lost the championship game by one point and his baseball team won their championship game by a long shot. But, he seems to be getting a big head from all of this and is pretty quick with the wise cracks. His teacher suggested that we reward him if he can make it through a week without verbally attacking the teacher. It seems that he has discovered girls, but he hasn't figured out what they are yet.. When he had some of his friends for a sleepover, they spent most of the night calling girls. We try to protect him by telling him that girls will just make you work real hard kind of like your teacher does. Since all of his teachers have been women, he seems to believe our lies. Constant complaints about all the homework in fifth grade ensure us he's learning alot.

Michael has grown a lot in the last year. He's seven years old and in second grade. in first grade now and has got a mind of his own and it always seems to be on a different track than the rest of the world. He's the kind of person that never hides his feelings and is usually feeling pretty good. One day he said to me "DAD" as he was jumping up and down, flailing his arms about, concentrating on three different things at the same time, "This must have been my lucky day, I got to drink out of a real glass at dinner tonight." That's pretty typical of Michael. He also has a pretty short attention span. One day he was highly distressed when his bike was stolen. But then he forgot and didn't tell us until dark. Michael is not a scholar but will either become one or grow up not knowing what a TV is. I think he will have to survive on wit and good looks.

Joseph is a tough nut to crack. This is may be the kid that breaks his parents. He seems to get his way more than he should and has survived so far on charm. Either his time is limited or mine is. He is doing very well in pre-school, he got all A's the first semester and he loves his teacher. Of course I knew he would (she's young and attractive). One day when I was late picking him up he had a few words with me about promptness. The next day he said that it was OK to be late, he would just walk home by himself (on his way he was going to stop at Wild World which was 30 miles away). I thought little of this, just a little boy's imagination. But sure enough he made a break for it and got out of his room and half way down the hall before he was apprehended. I later found out his route was well planned, he just misjudged distance.

I'm having a good year immersing myself in little league coaching. So far I've only lost a couple of games but I'm getting ready for the next basketball season. Work still isn't my cup of tea but it's getting better. I was selected for Commander and might even make it in this century if the budget loosens up. I'm afraid that I've worked my way into a job that no one else knows how to do or wants. The rest of my time is taken up with Church activities and house projects.

Pray for us and if you're snowed in this Christmas, think of us as we sail the Carribean soaking up the sun. Have a Merry Christmas and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season, and may God be with you. THE SCHEIDS

1986

1986-01-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

GREETINGS,

It looks like we'll have a White Christmas this year. Now if we could only do away with all the cold weather that goes along with it. We moved among the Hooisers in August and Kevin started school right away, so we haven't played with him much since. We'll only be here until July so only pencil us in.

We are renting a nice big home built in 1914, on the Purdue U. campus. The house has alot of class. Lots of dark oak woodwork and old plumbing fixtures. The kids love the laundry shoot the best I like the 12'X14' rooms and beveled glass windows.

Living on campus has its drawbacks like the noise and litter along the front but I think it's pretty exciting. We have a fraternity next door and a sorority across the street. The guys keep us entertained by skating on snow down the street hanging onto the bumpers of cars or with their loud music. The girls sing to guests and parade down the street wearing night gowns. Kevin's favorite is when they have their party on our front yard under his study window.

The boys love it here. We have a huge back yard with lots of trees to climb and wooded areas for forts. Our highlights were the football games.

Derrick made a popcorn stand from an old stove box and sold popcorn to people going to the game. He averaged about $20 which is pretty good for someone only four feet tall. Michael paraded up and down the streets advertising their popcorn. One time we caught him trying to sell used soda cans to people coming home from the game.
Joseph listens for the band then screams until someone takes him down to the parade. At the games the kids go along with the spirit of yelling and throwing marshmellows and plastic cups.

Derrick is 7 years old now and is in 2nd grade. He's doing really well. He spends most of his time playing with his friends. He's learning to play chess, babysit and impress the girls. He is still intent on becoming a baseball player when he grows up.

Michael is 4 years old. He's learned to swim in a Gym and Swim program taught by the Purdue students. He talks incessantly and is very good at making up stories; we think that he'll be a fiction writer or a politician. Michael is really excited about Christmas. We had to decorate early this year because he bugged us so much.

Joseph is 1 1/2 years of pure activity. He wants to do things for himself like pouring his cereal (only it ends up being the whole box) or dishing out his own food on his plate, (he covers his food with salad that he dosen't like). His older brothers are always on the alert when Joseph enters the room because he usually tackles anyone on the floor or throws toys to get attention. If you still don't notice him he'll turn off the TV and run in hopes you'll chase him.

Kevin is always in his cave(the study) with his nose in a book or his face against the computer. I don't know how he gets the determination to study and go to school from 7am to 10:30pm. We see him at meal times and sometimes for an hour at break times. He's coming home with A's and B's so it's worth it.

I manage to get things done. Maybe not the right way but it works. You should see how I got the Christmas tree to stand up straight. It hasn't fallen yet. I've got a couple neighbors who stay home also so they're around to help babysit or hear my crys for help. I got myself interested in quilting and also joined a good bible study.

We all hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years,

THE SCHEIDS