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On the home front – there were many new additions. The first came in the form of a Jack Russell, very similar in markings to Simon Jack in South Africa – named Simon Zak, “Zak”. This is how Dee tells the story of how the year unfolded…. She mentioned to me one March morning that since the gerbil had died, that Henry the cockatiel was lonely when we were at work and needed a companion. I replied that I had seen a Jack Russell breeder advertising adult dogs, as I did not want to go through the house breaking “puppy stage”. We duly went to look, and Zak caught my attention immediately by jumping 4 foot up and down. He was about nine months old in March. Now as we had the dog, we needed the fence. If we were to put the fence in, we would need to landscape the back. If we were to landscape the back we might as well put the pool in. If we were to put the pool in we might as well put the 3rd bathroom (still in process) in next to the guestroom. And, yes, Henry finally did get his companion, many months later – Nicole the cockatiel, from a girl who worked with Dee.

Jason also decided that he needed a kitten for his birthday, which meant William wanted one, too, so after the carpets had already been soiled by the pool going in, Emily and Sox joined the menagerie. They came from the pound, a brother and sister, and they play nicely with Zak (once he let them) and now they tease him and then fly out the cat door I put in! Sox is a real character, he is so named due to also being a tabby like Emily, with white socks on his back legs, with black markings in the sox. He is the “hunter” and catches mice and rats – and on one occasion - a crow! Still not sure how he did that or if he just found it frozen in the cold?! Emily is the house cat who follows you around, jumps up on my chest when I read in bed at night, sits next to the bath when I am bathing. Zak is a lot of fun, he has one vice – like his alter ego in South Africa – he likes to get out and visit the neighborhood, returning exhausted but happy. Our concern is the cars on the streets so he has just started dog training school!

Talking of Zak we have to mention the other favorite activity – coming on the boat. Boat? Oh, I forgot to mention, in the summer we bought a used 17” 130HP inboard SeaRay open bow boat. It is in mint condition and we have had a lot of fun on Grapevine Lake (15 minutes away), where we have skied and played on the beaches (some sandy!) and tried a bit of fishing, too! Of course, like the cockatiel story, following the boat came a bigger car for towing, as the Ford Taurus sedan did great from a power perspective, but was too low and water was lapping up at the doors as we floated the boat in! We now have a lovely new (green) Ford Expedition with 3 rows of seats and V8 4.6l engine SUV, so our old Mercedes had to go! Later I put a 10 CD changer in it as well. Towing is a snap! And the extra seat means we can separate two feuding siblings!

The boys have done well at school, they finished their “Odyssey of the Mind” competition in March and William’s team was highly commended. Jason’s team was the ONLY kindergarten team and one member “froze” on stage, which was unfortunate for the team. I coached Jason’s soccer team which had ended the Fall 97 season 0-8 and we managed to do a 5-3 in the Spring 98. I coached William’s team in the Fall 98 as they had yet to win a game in 4 seasons and we managed a few goals but still did not win any. The closest game was when we were in South Africa when William’s presence would have made a difference. Jason’s team was 5-1-0 for the Spring 98 season when we left, and without him they lost the last two ending the season 5-1-2. I moved from Field Director to Registrar on the Soccer Board and now Coaches Director.

The highlight of our year was our trip to South Africa. We had some frequent flyer miles to use up (280,000 for 4 tickets anywhere in the world) and we went from the 18th October to the 17th November. It was a great trip, I have written a week by week blow of the trip, if you did not get it, IT IS BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! If you let me have it I will keep you up to date – and lighten your day with some jokes!

Dee has had a challenging year, where, adjusting to the unexpected loss of her father. As we were financially in a position for her to take a less stressful position, she finally left her high-pressure corporate America job with up a to a 3 hour commute per day. She took a 60% cut in pay to join a banking company down the road which you might have heard of – Wells Fargo! She started at the bottom – as you do each time in America – in a Call Center, handling customer calls about their accounts from all over the United States. She initially chose the night shift so she could be home with the boys during the 3-month summer, during which we had some trouble with the landscape company, and Dee spent the summer (an English friend Dominique helped for a few weeks) doing most of the landscaping work herself. I did my share and the drainage, some retaining wall and all the fencing.

We had two guys do the rest of the retaining walls, but they moved most of the dirt. Dee claims to have moved 300 barrow loads of soil and kept asking “upi la munti” (where is the hired help?) and was pleased to lose 14lbs doing it herself. As it was the 2nd hottest summer in history and we spent so much time working in the heat, we concluded that after 5 years (close to 6) we have acclimatized! In June Dee was promoted into on-line banking, handling customers who bank on the Internet In September, after 6 years of “having” to do jobs to make ends meet, is thriving on this job which uses all her experience to handle the multi-task position. The 9AM to 2:30PM hours allow her to pick the boys up from school at 2:45PM. Of course, catching up a month’s missed schoolwork was not fun, but we did it!

The pool is great, though we only had use of it for the last 2 months of summer. William still has trouble with ear infections, so diving does not seem to be in his future! Jason of course lived at the bottom of the pool with no trouble, much to William’s dismay! The pool is a “game “ pool, goes from 3ft to 5ft to 4ft with a net over the center for volleyball. The “Hawaiian pool warming” party (a tropical night atmosphere with candles all around the back garden) was a great success, with 12 adults in the pool vying to win the volleyball game!

Note from Dee: Enjoyed my first 5K race in March but mostly have to settle for shorter jogs. My noisy knee joints prefer a brisk walk with Zak every morning (weather permitting). As we both turn 40 next year, I decided to take up Taikwando with a friend. It is fun, plus mentally and physically challenging. In some ways it will be good to say goodbye to 1998, it has had its challenges, I’m happy to be finished the steep learning curve of 3 new positions within 7 months. Each one was a much nicer position – so worth it. I’m proud of how well Brent’s business has done, he seems content with his niche and hard-earned success.
William and Jason are still the greatest joy and I thoroughly enjoy each age they are at. They work hard and play hard. We are extremely fortunate to have such happy, healthy children (if only they’d eat fruit and vegetables!) It was very precious being with family and old friends in South Africa but we have no regrets about immigrating to the States. Our summer landscaping project was extremely rewarding and we have a lovely split-level back yard. The physical conditioning was fantastic – despite wearing through 3 pairs of cotton gloves! My prayer for you is that 1999 be the best year of your life. Like one wise friend said – enjoy each day to the full, it is a gift – that’s why it is called THE PRESENT. Love to all, Dee.

Which brings us up to date, as we prepare for Christmas. The boys have some very special gifts to look forward to, and yes, “Santa Claus” and his reindeer are still coming, although we suspect this could be the last year. God bless, love to all, wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous 1999!

Brent + Dee, William + Jason, Zak, Henry + Nicole, Sox and Emily! (Did I mention about 20 guppies?)