Arthur turned 21 in March and graduated from high school last year (2016) in June. We had a big party at home with extended family, friends, classmates, even his teachers came! Annie Laurie and Paul flew in from New York too. Later in June, his boss at Columbia Industries awarded him the Best Employee of the Year plaque. Artie worked two school years at Columbia Industries through the program they run through his high school. He worked two hours a day, four days a week on stamping hoods, clipping strings, assembling lanterns and replacing stickers on ducks for the annual duck race, earning a paycheck. He greatly enjoyed one week of Young Life camp with his Capernaum buddies in western Oregon again for the second year, also in June.
Now he works at Artmil again, helping with deliveries, shopping, mailings, bank deposits, emptying trash. In between his other work, he watches classic movies on DVD's and draws with markers at his desk near Dad and Mom in the office. He and Dad work out at the gym two doors down from Artmil. At home he helps with shopping, mowing, cooking, cleaning, washing cars. He takes videos of his large VHS collection of classics with his iPad and talks with his siblings occasionally on FaceTime. He enjoys shooting his bow and arrows or air pellet gun at his target in the back yard, helps out at our small church that meets upstairs at Artmil, takes part in blue grass jams and festivals with us and occasionally attends monthly Young Life Capernaum meetings.
Derek got our fancy new website up for Artmil last November amidst web development efforts continuing to grow to meet the rising demand for business websites. Dennis is working to include Chris and Andy on staff into the web development team so Derek can spend his time doing the work only he knows how to do along with part-time designers Katrina and Dagnie. Our son Zach in Colorado Springs has also shown interest in joining the team long distance by learning SEO skills and selling websites for Artmil in that region of the country.
Zach got out of the Air Force last spring and has had a tough year with Kaley's cancer and surgery and in finding what to do work-wise. We saw his family several times last year and plan to get together with them and the rest of our immediate family this coming March of 2017 in Tempe.
Paul came out December, 2016, to visit between the holidays. He had stayed with us most of 2015, then went back to New York in late fall. He started heading a new site called Circuit Breaker, part of The Verge early spring of 2016. It's been fun to see him demonstrating gadgets on video on Facebook.
Annie Laurie helped out in Colorado surrounding Kaley's surgery in the fall of 2016 and is now immersed in a big project designing a massive installation for The Magicians in Brooklyn. Dennis is going out next week to tour the installation when it opens, celebrate turning 68 and spend some time with Annie Laurie and Paul and the bluegrass scene in the big city.
I got to fly down to Tempe in late February 2016 to spend a week with Keith and Bethany's family. Then in early December, Isaiah was born so I flew out the second week of 2017 to get acquainted with their him and enjoy the family. I also got to have a nice time one afternoon with my sister Mimi. We lunched together outside in the nice weather, then happily toured IKEA together.
I returned home to the longest-feeling winter snow and cold-wise in 60 years here in Kennewick. Dennis and I are nearly finished with the remodel of our home begun nearly six years ago, just a couple more doors and windows and some trim work. Maybe this year!
