Dear Family and Friends,

We hope that 2005 has been good to you. We started the year thinking we could just arrive at a New Year's Eve event and get tickets at the door. But a stream of people were being turned away. Just as we inquired someone cancelled a will-call, so we got the only two tickets that day to "United we Funk," a fusion of the original members of Dazz Band, ConFunkShun, and Bar-Kays, among others. I knew several of the songs back from high school days.

Stephanie graduated from Mira Loma (see video) and now attends USC, studying Architectural Engineering. Stephen is a Junior at Mira Loma, is now working at Best Buy, the same location that Stephanie had worked.

Last spring one of Stephen's projects was to design a brace that could hold 20 pounds, out 22 inches, and be as light as possible. We worked together and came up with a fabrication from aluminum angle iron that weighed about 9 ounces.

Stephen is now mastering a stick shift and getting prepared to have his license in February.

For the past 3 years I've been wine tasting at Beverages & More a few times per month on Saturday afternoon. John was the host, who was quite knowledgeable about wine and was quick with a joke. He resigned at the end of October for health reasons and passed away on the first week of December. We will all miss him.

Tess and Kim had been together for four years, and in June they made if official at a wedding of about 45 family and friends. Click here for more wedding photos.

Not to be outdone, Kim's brother Jay married Lisa in Australia in October. Kim and his mother flew over for their fairy-tale wedding up on the Australian rainforest, inland from the Gold Coast. Click here for photos of Jay and Lisa's wedding.

We now have four parakeets (budgies), two more than last year. Their wings have grown out and they fly around the house.

Itchy thinks, "There's a bird that looks just like me!"

Anyone want to see more birdie pictures?

Tess is working through the holiday at Macys. Kim is working on the State Smog Check software. Even Clint Eastwood gets a smog check:

Kim remains concerned about Peak Oil - in spite of the recent drop in gas prices. Click here for more info:

Well according to the chart we still have two years until the ride gets rough.

Till then "no worries mate." Have a great 2006.