Mon Jan 6 07:48 EST 1997 Vacation Update: Happy New Year 1997 Since this is a new year, I'm giving you each the oppportunity to be taken off my _friends list if you find these weekly tomes too cumbersome to deal with. You can be taken off anytime but now is a good time to say, "Mark, I just can't read it all. Send me a personal note from time to time." You family members are stuck with me, though. Just remember that if you get weekly updates about the Mark Metcalfe family, we'll only have YOU to talk about when we get together again! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A week ago was my mother's birthday and we celebrated it at a steak house in Nashua. On Tuesday we had a couple of couples and my brother Steve and his boys over for New Year's Eve. This is the second or third New Year's that Steve, Ben, and Jake have spent with us. On Thursday, after having lunch with friends because our kids were in school and the parents (us) were on vacation, we surprised our good friend, church pianist, first grade school teacher, and all around good egg by showing up at the elementary school with a balloon and a truffle and singing Happy Birthday to her. By the way, she was not *our* first grade teacher but if I do my calculations, she may have been teaching first grade then. 8^o Mom knows that birthday's so close to Christmas and New Year's are often forgotten in the rush but this year I was determined to remember Jan Lunn's. By the way, Mom, I still have your birthday card that was on the table for you last Monday night. (Can I save it till the end of this year?) Thursday afternoon, the In-Laws arrived for the first Crawford grandson's wedding last Saturday. We took them to see the new house on Friday and sign the final Purchase and Sales Agreement (contingent on the sale of our current home). We stopped at the Pizza Man in Hudson, NH - if you get a chance, try out their pizza - it was DEE-LICIOUS! Later, we zoomed down to Gordon College for the wedding rehearsal. I was the video photographer and needed to get my bearings. for my trouble, which was no trouble at all, I got a mug and a hug. The mug's nice! The hug wasn't bad either! We went out for chinese food and there are always leftovers. Rather than toss them out, I gathered people's unchewed food and boxed them up for later consumption. They were yummy. ("Are you going to eat those, Maureen?") On Saturday, the nuptials were enjoined and the bride wasn't too obviously nervous. I told her that she was the most beautiful bride I'd seen in 17 years. Thomas, my nephew, seemed cool as cucumbers throughout, even taking me up on a dare that's on video tape to be used as extortion for years to come. The only hitch in the wedding were the couple themselves. Tom Sr. (the groom's dad) did an outstanding job at officiating the wedding. I did an outstanding job and chronicling the event. And the couple did an outstanding job of getting married. I wish them every happiness and unity throughout their lives together. On Sunday, between services, we reinitialed some portions of the PSA, getting the jots and tittles into place on the contract. We have a showing of our house at 9:30 this morning. We're hoping that THIS WILL BE IT! (We do that each time!) When we sell our house, we'll likely be a bit "Pentecostal" in our reaction (hold the tongues, please). Cousin Kerri is in town from Texas - Yeehaw! we're hoping to get a few days with her. Perhaps when mom comes up with her on Thursday, you can leave her with us until Sunday? On Thursday, we're also off to the auction in Concord NH in the hopes of getting the newlyweds some good bargains to add to their apartment in Danvers. (Thanks to all who gave CASH at the wedding!) Now to wade through the 124 email messages I got while I was away for one week. It is a good thing many other people were also away! God bless You this year. He already has blessed us... with you among other things. Mark , __..--''``---....___ _..._ __ \_0__, //_.-' .-/"; ` ``<._ ``.''_ `. / Mark Metcalfe M _.-' _..--.'_ \ `( ) ) / Cadence Design Systems .|\.(_..-' // (< _ ;_..__ ; `' / (508) 446-6451 // // // `-._,_)' // / ``--...____..-' /// / metcalfe@cadence.com