We met with Lois and Dennis yesterday to plan our summer adventure to the BVIs. We plan to dive for 3 days then sail 10 days on "Alegria del Mar" (Sea Joy) a 2008 Beneteau 46.
We hope to stay on Virgin Gorda for the first three nights while we dive with Dive BVI. We dove with them in 2009 and had a great adventure. We hope to dive "The Dogs" and "Alice in Wonderland" this time.
"Alegria del Mar" should be fun to sail. She is in the BVI Yacht Charters fleet. She has two cabins, AC with genset, and a roller furling main sail.
Now all we need to do is lose those holiday pounds so we look better in a swimsuit.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Stillwell’s Christmas letter, 2010
Each year seems to go faster and faster. 2010 was no exception for the Stillwell clan.
Ellie’s adventures were the highlight of the year. After a very busy and successful senior year, she graduated from Hallsville High School in May. Her salutatorian speech was great! She was funny, articulate and entertaining.
Ellie had many opportunities for colleges and chose University of Washington in Seattle because “it is as far from Missouri as you can go and still be in the continental US.” It also has an outstanding biomedical engineering program and Japanese study program.
We flew to Seattle in July for orientation and had a great time visiting campus and a few of the sites of Seattle. Ellie took advantage of a six week freshman early start program and left us in early August. She is learning all the things that a freshman experiences…new friends, new places, no money, tough classes, small dorm rooms… We look forward to her being home for a couple of weeks at Christmas.
An equal highlight of the year was the announcement that Andy and Ashlynn are expecting a baby in April. Andy works for National Instruments and Ashlynn is going to grad school currently working on her PhD at the University of Texas in Austin. They spent a couple weeks in Australia recently with a conference speaking tour for Ashlynn. Exciting times!
We’ve enjoyed a few grandparent weekends with Finn and Anna, Amy & Sean’s kiddos. Finn is four and a half (almost five) and Anna turned one is September. Both kids are wonderful and a lot of fun. Amy and Sean both continue as architects in Kansas City.
Mark continues his interim position as director of the Cooperative Media Group. It was supposed to be a short term position, but unknown budgets, state appropriations and a university hiring freeze has limited options to fill. Mark has learned a lot about video and radio production and is enjoying the experience. He anticipates he will be in the position at least through next June when next year’s state appropriations are know.
As if he didn’t have enough to do, Mark completed his two year term as regional vice president then was elected to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Second Vice President position this fall. He will progress to VP, then President in 2013. ESP is extension national organization with more than 6,000 members.
Suz stays busy as educational technology director for the Hallsville School District. She provides training and technical support for teachers and administrators. Suz was excited this fall to learn that she would be eligible to retire July 2012, only one more year!!…until Mark reminded her that Ellie isn’t
scheduled to graduate until June 2014.
We didn’t find time to go sailing in the Caribbean this summer, but took a week to dive in San Salvador, Bahamas. San Salvador was the first island that Columbus found when he “discovered” America. We had the usual travel challenges of delayed flights and missed bags …going and coming. Suz had an ear drum injury that ended her diving early, but was able to snorkel above Mark and the group as they dove. Overall we had a good time seeing lots of tropical fish and a few sharks.
The sailing season at Mark Twain Lake is never long enough. We had many good sailing adventures. Suz was elected Mark Twain Lake Sailing Association Commodore for 2011 so we’re planning many sailing weekends at the lake.
Take care and sea you soon.
Ellie’s adventures were the highlight of the year. After a very busy and successful senior year, she graduated from Hallsville High School in May. Her salutatorian speech was great! She was funny, articulate and entertaining.
Ellie had many opportunities for colleges and chose University of Washington in Seattle because “it is as far from Missouri as you can go and still be in the continental US.” It also has an outstanding biomedical engineering program and Japanese study program.
We flew to Seattle in July for orientation and had a great time visiting campus and a few of the sites of Seattle. Ellie took advantage of a six week freshman early start program and left us in early August. She is learning all the things that a freshman experiences…new friends, new places, no money, tough classes, small dorm rooms… We look forward to her being home for a couple of weeks at Christmas.
An equal highlight of the year was the announcement that Andy and Ashlynn are expecting a baby in April. Andy works for National Instruments and Ashlynn is going to grad school currently working on her PhD at the University of Texas in Austin. They spent a couple weeks in Australia recently with a conference speaking tour for Ashlynn. Exciting times!
We’ve enjoyed a few grandparent weekends with Finn and Anna, Amy & Sean’s kiddos. Finn is four and a half (almost five) and Anna turned one is September. Both kids are wonderful and a lot of fun. Amy and Sean both continue as architects in Kansas City.
Mark continues his interim position as director of the Cooperative Media Group. It was supposed to be a short term position, but unknown budgets, state appropriations and a university hiring freeze has limited options to fill. Mark has learned a lot about video and radio production and is enjoying the experience. He anticipates he will be in the position at least through next June when next year’s state appropriations are know.
As if he didn’t have enough to do, Mark completed his two year term as regional vice president then was elected to the Epsilon Sigma Phi Second Vice President position this fall. He will progress to VP, then President in 2013. ESP is extension national organization with more than 6,000 members.
Suz stays busy as educational technology director for the Hallsville School District. She provides training and technical support for teachers and administrators. Suz was excited this fall to learn that she would be eligible to retire July 2012, only one more year!!…until Mark reminded her that Ellie isn’t
scheduled to graduate until June 2014.
We didn’t find time to go sailing in the Caribbean this summer, but took a week to dive in San Salvador, Bahamas. San Salvador was the first island that Columbus found when he “discovered” America. We had the usual travel challenges of delayed flights and missed bags …going and coming. Suz had an ear drum injury that ended her diving early, but was able to snorkel above Mark and the group as they dove. Overall we had a good time seeing lots of tropical fish and a few sharks.
The sailing season at Mark Twain Lake is never long enough. We had many good sailing adventures. Suz was elected Mark Twain Lake Sailing Association Commodore for 2011 so we’re planning many sailing weekends at the lake.
Take care and sea you soon.
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