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Happy
Holidays from the Greens!
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The
sun tried to shine
I thought it was too cold to play
So we sat in the house that cool November day
There
was one thing to do,
and there was nothing I could say
It was time to slay the old growth
The wife said we couldn’t delay.
I
sat there with Haley
We all sat there, Jordan and Allison too
And I said, “How I wish I had something else to do.”
Too
wet to drive the old car,
Too cold to mow the grass,
So I sat there and waited for my wife to say
“Let’s go get the Christmas tree, now move your . . . car, it
needs some gas!”
So
we loaded the minivan, jackets and boots for us all
And we started on our journey,
For a Christmas tree none too tall.
And
then something went “BUMP!”
How that made the car jump.
“It must be the tree,” I trumped.
“For only a large tree being cut
could cause such a thump!”
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And
then we looked!
We saw it, leaning there
And mother exclaimed, “We must have that tree,
for without it my holiday will be bare!”
So
we bundled the tree tight
For the short trip home
Will it fit in the house?
I think it will be just right.
A
snip of the limbs
A fresh cut and a drilled hole or two
The tree was ready to stand tall
For my family to enjoy before going to the mall
Angel the dog said, “Oh no, this will never do!”
“This tree is too tall!”
“But wait, are the ornaments there for me to maul?”
So
we sat there the cool November day
And looked at the tree, the lights all a glitter
Ready for presents, around it all littered.
So
I thought to myself, as I plopped in my chair
“Why did I pull my hair and make such a fuss?”
“Next year I will not pull out my hair, no I will not” “But
I WILL haul our tree on a bus!
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Well, enough imitations of Dr. Seuss, or at
least I hope you made the connection to The Cat In The Hat . . . Haley
did! This has been a year of excitement and changes for the Green
family. Below are a few of the highlights.
Haley: Our resident 3-year old continues to keep all of us on our
toes. This fall she started preschool two days a week, walked down the
aisle as a flower girl in big sister’s wedding (more on that later),
and generally looks for new adventures every day. One of her favorite
sayings is “It’s a pitty (pretty) day!” This is heard as she heads
for her new swing set/sand box structure. After Melissa and Matt’s
wedding, Haley spent the week in Spokane with
our friends the Flowerdew’s and their daughter Natalie. I think Mom
and Dad had a tougher time than she did, but by the time she arrived
home it was apparent she really missed us too. Whew!
Haley is very tall (40”) and slender (34
lbs) for her age. She also catches and throws very well, which of course
has dad preparing for her athletic career. Oregon State coaches need not
contact us!
Allison is almost ready to get her driver’s license, at least
according to the state’s requirements. She has yet to pass dad’s
driver’s test, which includes changing tires, oil and other minor
maintenance items. I have no illusions that she will continue to apply
her newfound automotive knowledge, especially with dad and Jordan at her
beckon call, but at least she should understand what we do for her! We
will issue a press release to the media when she obtains her license so
that you can be prepared for a possible highway encounter.
With her driving apprenticeship well on its
way, she is looking for the “perfect” car. Of course she is also
looking for the perfect contribution from daddy to help buy it! She
thinks something like an old Mercedes or BMW would be appropriate --
I’m saying Hugo, Pinto or AMC Pacer as my opening position in this
negotiation. Both of us will probably move to the middle and settle on
Mazda, Toyota or Nissan. She continues to pursue her love of music with
piano lessons, and recently won an award for playing a full-length
classical piece in its original form. Allison will complete high school
in the spring.
 Jordan
had a busy year. Working part time while attending Portland Community
College, playing in a band called “Lips
Like Lilies” (don’t even ask) and going to Nepal for 2.5 weeks
with a church group were just a few of the highlights. Jordan returned
from Nepal the day prior to Melissa and Matt’s wedding, much to the
relief of his sister, but a bad case of Nepal pink-eye (and a fever)
made him look like he should have been in some sci-fi movie.
The new year will find Jordan entering a
mechanic’s certification program at PCC to pursue his passion for
making fast cars. He will graduate with an associate’s degree in about
18 months. When he isn’t hitting the books, his limited spare time
will probably include a young lady named Katie. This is a good thing, as
it keeps him out of trouble, although Jordan wouldn’t know trouble if
it bit him (at least outside of driving a car). And Katie has passed the
Haley approval test!
 Probably
the biggest event of the year was the wedding of Matt
Marteney and Melissa. The October 4 event was attended by
more than 350 people looking to drain my wallet and that of John and
Molly, Matt’s parents (okay, I’m kidding -- sort of). The wedding
went off with barely a hitch, and it was fun to see two young people in
love with each other and God. This was truly the best part of the entire
day -- well, maybe watching them drive off in my ‘53 Chevy was the
best part (grin). The car was returned safely to my house -- my daughter
was not, but that’s how it’s supposed to work. You can see all the
current family photos including the wedding at
KayGreen.com (click
Marteney for the wedding photos
– and the puppy photos).
Melissa and Matt have a home in Banks, and to
fill Melissa’s steadily growing maternal instincts, took the path of
most young couples . . . they got a yellow lab puppy named Bo. The next
day they got a second puppy, a chocolate lab named Luke. Now for those
of you familiar with the old television show “The Dukes of Hazard,”
you will get the connection. You will all understand what Matt and
Melissa do with what little spare time they have -- clean up after Bo
and Luke!
 Kay continues to develop her business, My
Precious Kid. You can visit her website, and be sure to order lots
of child identification kits, boo-boo kits and anything else you like.
She has 110 sales reps this year - and loves helping others run their
own business. I’m hoping her business becomes so successful that she can become the
primary bread-winner so that I can spend the rest of the year writing
the family Christmas letter! She still dabbles in homeschool and
adoption resources at PreciousKids.org
She also runs 123HomeBusinessGuide
and KayGreen.com
If she isn’t shuttling Haley to preschool,
dance class or keeping the refrigerator stocked, Kay has found time to
sing in the church choir and exercise at a local Curves fitness club.
 Russell: Well, I spent most of the year
writing this letter. Okay, I got a few other things in.
I continue to work with our church youth group, and served as a
director of summer camp last July. My job at West Oregon Electric keeps
me busy, and I continue to learn on the fly how to get our subsidiary
telecommunications company up and running. I managed to get a fishing
trip on the Deschutes River into the schedule, and witnessed the Ducks
thumping the beavers in the Civil War game -- life is good!
The next year brings some exciting things,
including a trip to see Mickey Mouse and a possible cruise for Kay and I
to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. For our out-of-town
friends, please make our new year perfect by coming to beautiful
downtown Buxton for a visit. We are on the way to the coast, so it only
makes sense! God bless you and your family in 2004.
To view other Christmas Letters go to
2003 /
2004 /
2005 /
2006 /
2007 |
