FALL/WINTER 2002

SEPTEMBER

On Sunday the first I attended a dog show at Monroe Civic Center for a while in the afternoon, then went back in the evening to specifically watch the German Shepherd Specialty. On some grooming tables they also had some Pembroke Welsh Corgis and that was the first time I remember seeing any up close. (Now we have one, Lily, as anyone reading this site is probably very well aware of!!!) I was impressed with them! (Ken seldom attends dog shows so he didn't get to see them.) Then on Monday, Labor Day, Ken and I went boating on the Ouachita River.

The fall was a long semester of classes for Susan and work for Ken. Susan also worked as a part-time lab assistant in one of the computer labs. However, we did get a few things in. Tim and Dallas came in for Kenneth' birthday on the 7th. We really enjoyed their visit. Don't know how they are getting so grown up while Ken and I stay the same age (just birthdays, no aging I guess). Then on the 14th we attended the annual Monroe/West Monroe Folklife Festival. (see pictures below of both). We were only able to get one more week of boating in on the last weekend of the month.

OCTOBER

More classes and work...... On Saturday the 5th we attended the ULM tailgate party before the football game and then went boating on the Ouachita River on Sunday. On Friday the 11th Susan's mother and aunt drove in for a visit. They had never been to the house before and had a long drive down here from the Kansas City area. We had a wonderful time of visiting, shopping, sightseeing, and shopping, before they headed back home on following Wednesday.

Otherwise, we ate out a bunch, sometimes with business associates and various others. We purchased a new outdoor table and chairs set for the covered patio area. (Who knew they had gone up so much in price!! Well, that finishes my purchases for the new house for quite a while!!!!)

NOVEMBER

On the 3rd we joined the St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Monroe. It's a fairly large church with around 1,000 members, so it's going to be hard to find our niche. Half of our family birthdays are in this month with the Tim's the 11th, Susan's the 17th, and Roy's the 27th. We went to eat at Red Lobster to celebrate Susan's. On the 22th, Susan went on a geology field trip. That was fun!

We got to go boating on the river several times including over Thanksgiving when Wes and Dallas came in. The weather was pretty cold so I'm not sure everyone enjoyed that trip too well. Since they were here we made Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in four years. (We rarely bothered out in North Carolina with just the two of us around.) They left on Friday so we enjoyed a nice peaceful weekend before getting back to it, as finals begin soon after the holiday and the school semester winds down for both of us.

DECEMBER

December was a busy month. We attended the College of Business Administration (CBA) Dean's Pizza Party at noon on the 3rd, and then the President's Reception later on in the day. On the evening of the 4th we held a HUGE PARTY at our house for all the CBA faculty and staff members. We had approx. 70 people with food and drink everywhere. They were three and four deep at the kitchen counter and you could hardly move around at times. It was tremendous fun though and the CBA executive committee helped with food and cleanup (their wives did lots of work). Susan was pretty nervous, but the party went off without a hitch, though she had to get special permission to take a final exam on another day in order to be there. On the 6th was the CBA Dean's lunch and then our twelfth anniversary took place on the 16th. We had dinner at Red Lobster which is always great!!

Ken's boys and Heather arrived early for Christmas so we could celebrate before they were to leave for the Bahamas via Miami on Christmas Day.

SUSAN'S CHRISTMAS TRIP

After the boys left, Susan left on the 26th for a week's roadtrip north to see Roy in Pittsburg KS and her mom and other family in Independence MO. It was kind of a scary undertaking for her because it was the longest driving trip alone she has taken, but since Ken was too busy to get away at this time, it was the next best alternative for seeing relatives. She stayed all night with Roy and had breakfast at Harry's Cafe before leaving that afternoon for the Kansas City area. Luckily, it was a mechanically uneventful trip, if a rather lonely drive, but the weather held well the entire time and it was great to see everyone. Steve was up at Mom's for awhile also, and it was great to see him. After a good visit, it was time to head for home and there was a chance the weather was going to turn bad, so Susan decided to keep driving after stopping to see Roy in Pittsburg. That was a really long trip to do in one day's time and she didn't get in until about 1:30am the next day. If you're going to do that, it's best to get started early (but it was worth it).