in the best of health and happiness. Many of you will be very surprised
to receive a "Holiday Letter" from us. We do not usually write one but
this year has been very interesting for us.
January started as usual with
rockhound meetings, board meetings, and Scout Fair meetings for both of
us. Also Betty edits and publishes a ten-page newsletter for our rockhound
club every month. In addition, of course we were still working full time.
Usually we go to Quartzsite, AZ at the end of January but this year we
had to pass it as our presence was required at a meeting of the recipients
to-be of the BSA Silver Beaver Award for 2001 so we missed it this year.
(The Silver Beaver award was introduced in 1931 as a means of recognizing
Scouters who provided distinguished service to youth on the local level.
The award is made by the National Council, upon the recommendation of the
Local Council.) Jim received this award a number of years ago.
February was pretty routine
except for the above award ceremony on the 16th at the Masonic
Lodge in Mission Valley where Betty received the award.
March we took a little time
off and went to Disneyland and Disney California. If you have not been
there, the new roller coaster is really good. April found us working at
the BSA Desert Pacific Council's Annual Scout Fair. We have been doing
this for at least 15 years.
May
we went to Las Vegas for a few days and on the way home, we stopped in
Temecula to visit with Robert, Theresa, Stephen and Margie. It was the
weekend of their annual "Homeowners Meeting and Family Day". They have
fun, food, games and a fishing contest, as there is a private lake for
the homeowners. Stephen won the fishing contest for the second year in
a row! While we were there, Robert mentioned that there was a house down
the street that just went up for sale. We had noted a house around the
corner was also for sale (I fell in love with this house three years earlier,
the first time I saw the front of it). Robert's neighbor is a realtor so
arrangements were made for us to see both of these homes the next weekend.
We made an offer on the corner one that day. It was accepted! 
June found us the owners of a home in San Diego and the buyers of one in Temecula. We had to make some decisions fast. We put our house up for sale on a Monday and that Saturday, after an open house, we had five real offers. We were both working full time in San Diego so I gave notice that I would be leaving August 31st and Jim planned to leave October 31st.
July and August we could not decided whether to pack or not or what to pack. Finally September 8th came and we moved up to Temecula. The previous owners were heavy smokers so we could not just "move in". First, we had to make it livable by repainting, tiling and carpeting the floors. Meanwhile I was living in our RV and using the pool house for an office. Oops! I forgot to tell you about this house. First, it is around the corner and four houses away from Robert and Theresa. It is 27 years old and built into the side of a hill so we have uphill, level and downhill property. It has four bedrooms (one is an office), living room with fireplace, dining room, kitchen, dinette, family room and two baths. It also has a pool, a pool house with bath, RV parking for three cozy RVs, a two-car garage and 500sq ft of stand up-walk-in attic storage. It is more house than we had expected. While I was living at the new location Jim was living with my Mom through the week and coming home to boxes and more boxes on the weekends.
We were finally able to move into the house in October. We had stored all of our belongings in the garage, the pool house and on the patio. We slowly started filling up the rooms. Stephen and Margie have already decided which of the extra bedrooms belongs to each of them. Therefore, we have a girl's room and a boy's room. Jim retired on October 31st after 32 years at Rohr/Goodrich Aerospace.
November we celebrated my fifth year being cancer free. Thank the Lord! We also celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary with 30 new friends, pink champagne and cake while we were on an Elder Hostel trip in Peach Springs, AZ at the "Grand Canyon Caverns Restaurant". (If you are not familiar with Elder Hostel, it is a way of traveling and learning at the same time. Check it out at http://www.elderhostel.org .) Thanksgiving found us quietly thanking and celebrating at the new house with Robert, Theresa, Stephen, Margie and a 19+ pound bird. The day before we celebrated Stephen's eighth birthday at McDonald's (his choice) and at home with cake.
December 3rd we celebrated
Margie's fourth birthday and the anniversary of my Dad's birth. The 15th
we will be at the wedding of my niece, Susanne Jones (an Army Reserve Private)
and Shawn Baxley (a Marine Corps Lance Corporal) if the two services will
allow them to both be here at that time. Both of their units are on standby
to be shipped out to Afghanistan. Margie is to be the flower girl and Stephen
will be the ring bearer. Keep your fingers crossed.
We want to wish all of you
a very blessed Christmas or Hanukkah and a Happy New Year. We would also
like all of you to join us in a prayer for Peace on Earth.
Jim and Betty Schneider