Milligan's Island is located, at present, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Over the years, the "Island" has been located in Panama City, Florida; Austin & Bryan, Texas, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea; as well as the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. The inhabitants of Milligan's Island are Chuck, Net (me), Jennifer, Alicia, Sara, and Harry. There's a lot of wildlife on the Island, too...Snowball and Max (American Eskimo dogs); Starr,Tillie, Peek-a-Boo, Flower, and Peanut (ferrets); a large (55 gallon plus) tank of tropical fish; a lizard; and 2 turtles brought from Korea named Junior and Turtlenator. Harry also "acquired" (i.e.found) a baby gecko and a checkered garter snake!

This family photo was manipulated by me as part of my Fall 1997 Introductory Computer Art class at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. The original photo was taken in Korea in 1996 by a family friend, Rita Lowell (a very talented photographer!). Check out some of my art. I'm presently a NEW graduate of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (as of December 1999) with a BA in Visual Arts-Studio, and plan to teach art classes in our home, to homeschoolers. Chuck (the tall guy in the back) was the Deputy Department Head for Plans and Programs on the faculty of the U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering from June 1996 until June 1998, and taught Engineering 410 (a core course for all seniors), as well as being the course director. He also took care of the department budget, FERL (Field Engineering and Readiness Lab), and the CE Lab. In July 1998, he moved over to DFSF (Dean of Faculty Staff) to be the Construction and Facilities Manager for the Dean. He was in charge of about 45 million dollars worth of renovations for the academic buildings of the Academy. He "networked" with local contractors and Academy staff to make sure everything is done correctly. He also was in charge of all Facilities staff for the Academy. After someone in Military Personnel tried to make us move to Alabama (even though his job was "secure" until 2002), he retired on 1 August 2000. He started working with his best friend, Mike Reynolds, at his company, Mibar Engineering, Ltd. He loves it but wished he could have stayed active duty long enough to finish all four phases of the renovation project. On a personal note, Chuck's dad died of a sudden heart attack in June 2000. We were in Houston after moving Jen to Denton, so we got to see him before he died, and were able to help Mom also.

Jennifer, aka Jen, turns 19 in mid-December 2000. She was an early graduate (Dec. 99) from Air Academy High School. This September begins a new phase--college! She'll attend University of North Texas, in Denton, and live with Aunt Mary while attending school. She did so many AP classes, and tested out of others, that she begins her first semester as a SOPHOMORE! Last fall she finished her third season and was the captain of the Kadet Kolors, the school's color guard. The AAHS Band took 1st place again last year in State Competition out of 28 teams! The Kadel Kolors also placed first in all but one of their competitions, including regionals! After December she worked two jobs to make some spending money while in Texas. At his retirement ceremony, Chuck gave Jen the 1993 Saturn that she'd been driving around town. What a surprise!

Alicia will be 17 (our Thanksgiving baby!). She's into sports--soccer, volleyball, softball, and gymnastics. She's quite talented in all the sports she plays. Her schedule is busy with school and youth group. She excels in school, and is again participating on the Kadet Kolors squad; as a matter of fact, she is now the co-captain. She's got her driver's license, and her dad gave her the 1994 Chevy Corsica she was driving around as a gift at his retirement ceremony--also a surprise!

Sara turns 12 in October 2000. She also loves several sports--indoor soccer, roller hockey, soccer, and gymnastics. As always, she has a ready smile and is a friend to all. Another bright student like her sisters, she is on a continual quest to answer the question, "Why...?" Sara received the AWANA Excellence Award for completing her second book as a "Greyshirt". Sara is torn between being a tomboy who plays football at school with the boys, and being a young lady with waist-length hair, french braids, and "scrunchies"! As a 6th grader in middle school, she's started playing the clarinet and loves it.

Harry will be 11 in February 2001. His favorite sports are indoor soccer, roller hockey, and soccer. He completes the Milligan 'smart' team and has already been in some early TAG (Talented and Gifted) classes like his sisters, although motivation has been lagging lately (it must be a "boy" thing!) He is competing--and placing--on monthly Continental Math League competitions, as is Sara. He loves the Denver Broncos football team and wanted to play football this year, but he decided he wanted to play soccer more than football. This past year he finished TWO AWANA books and got the Excellence Award for his work.

Besides our individual schedules, the whole family is of course involved in AWANA (a Christian club which features stories, games, and Bible memorization). Chuck and I are Varsity leaders (9th through 12th graders) and have been involved with AWANA for 13 years.

In January 1998 we took the whole family on a ski trip to Silver Creek (near Winter Park). Although Chuck and I have skied numerous times, none of the kids had done any skiing except Jen...and she only went once, in Korea. We had a free group lesson, courtesy of one of Chuck's colleagues. Harry really picked up on it quickly, and by the end of the day, I was finding it hard to keep up with him! Everyone had a great day and the powder was awesome!

February 98 was a month of transitions for Milligan's Island. We took the plunge and bought a home! It's new construction with 3,500 square feet and a double garage. It's in the same school district we're were in while living on base. We've put up a fence, put in a sprinkler system, planted sod, etc. We recently finished approximately 1,200 square feet of basement, adding a third bathroom and a large family room which features a ping-pong table, a foosball table, and a small theater room. Chuck has a workshop and I have a small art studio in the back. We're still on schedule to actually be totally unpacked by summer...of 2001! (Smile)

This past summer (1999) we went on our first vacation in 6 years. We "camped" our way through Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Georgia on our way to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We spent 12 days at Mickey's place...it was GREAT! We had length of stay passes and were able to see just about everything. I also had the chance to go to CHINA for 2 weeks, to help our good friends Lisa & Dave Nelson as they adopted Qiu (pronounced CHEE-oo), a 3-year-old Chinese girl. It was a wonderful and interesting trip, and Qiu is adorable! Of course, we're godparents for Qiu and her big brother, Josh!

Although sometimes hectic, life is good at Milligan's Island. We hope you've enjoyed your visit, and that you'll come back soon for all the newest updates!

Created by Annette Milligan and last updated in August 2000.
Send e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected].

© Annette Milligan 1997-00

Go Home