2018 in Family

Benjamin

Benjamin begins his Senior Year! 

Academics were a challenge his first semester, with four college-level courses, but he came through it very well!  His grades are good enough to keep him qualified for the Zell Miller Hope Scholarship.  One semester to go!

He was in a musical, The Addams Family, one I am proud to have been in with him.  He got to use his beautiful singing voice, and show off his comedic talents.  We won't talk about the Strait dancing skills, although he was better than his old Dad.

He is a first-rate Dungeon Master and has friends over at least once a week. 

The pictures above show the cast of The Addams Family, and then one of Benjamin as Pugsly with Grandma.  I am hooded in the cast picture, as I had not yet shaved off my hair.  What did I look like bald?  Interesting that you should ask.

Back to Benjamin.

Benjamin had a great year.  He learned to drive and has become the driver of his mother's 2004 Toyota Camry.  He has taken up the martial arts. He is an usher and lector at church and enjoys summer camp at Honey Creek.  He is kind and generous, funny and nerdy, and yes, young ladies, he is single and available.

Alison

She sits on the throne of the Giant Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Because, yes friends, we finally got to take our dream vacation - ten wonderful days in Ireland!

Thanks to my son, Doug, who gave us his sky miles, we were able to afford the most beautiful trip of our lives.  Everything about it was extraordinary, from Dublin to Killarney to Belfast, from the Cliffs of Mohr (pictured above) to Blarney Castle to the walled city of Londonderry.  For those that wish to see more, please search out the blog label Ireland, centered around June 2018.

We were also witness to this special moment, where Doug proposed to Paige, in a site researched and selected by Alison.

Alison also got her first new car in fourteen years, this fantastic Subaru Outback.  It's been hard for the rest of us to get a chance to drive it, she loves it so much.

She had a good year at work, settling in with a new head of Nutrition.  She gets along with everyone and is known as the most helpful person in the office.  Working for a living can be a pain, but I think she makes it more pleasant with her generosity of spirit, and with teamwork and friendship.

Boss-A-Man sez - What about me???  Well, the pets had a great year too!  We had our full squad set for the year, no new additions.  They all have their individual quirks, but they all share one thing in common - they love us, and we love them!

And me?  Trust me, I'll get to more me later, in another blog story.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Strait Family.