Christmas 2002 (Beth's Father passes away)

December 2002

Dear Family and Friends,

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! I’m not sure when this letter will actually be completed so I’m covering my bases with both of our traditional greetings. Once again I sit down at my computer to attempt to relive some of the more important dates in the Templeton’s year of 2002.
Beth opted to retire this year although by my calculations she’s still quite a few years from the typical retirement age. She left ALLTEL back in May to spend more time with Lawson and Georgia. The kids still spend some time in Mother’s Day Out but I think they’ve had quite a big time with their mother since she’s home more. I believe Beth will agree with anyone who suggests staying home is more difficult and busier in many ways.
In last year’s letter we mentioned the home improvement process would be completed with some landscaping and a new front door. We finished both of those this year but somehow new projects keep getting added to the list. I think this may be a direct result of Beth having more time at home to generate new lists.
My job had me traveling overseas quite a bit earlier in the year. Luckily Beth had already retired so the impact to home front was not quite as great as it would have been with her working. I had three different trips to Budapest, Hungary during June and July, each of which was just over a week long. I went back again in October for another 8 days or so. Our work schedule was so busy it was truly “just another business trip” as my sightseeing consisted of the taxi ride to and from the office. We hope for Beth to travel with me on one of my trips over in 2003. (Babysitting anyone?)
Georgia turned 1 year old in July. She is holding her own pretty well with her older brother. She doesn’t miss many meals either. Her mission at this time of the year centers around rearranging the ornaments on the Christmas trees (we have 2 this year).
We had another great loss in our family this year: Beth’s father died from a sudden heart attack in August. It was quite unexpected. We appreciate all of the sympathy and compassion all of you have provided. “Paps” is missed by all of those who knew him. Beth is spending a lot of time in Russellville taking care of the related affairs.
We headed to Destin, FL again this year for a little R&R. No tropical storm this year, but the seas were a little high. Lawson was almost 3 years old when we went and he really enjoyed the sand and surf. Georgia spent a lot of time sitting on the towel under the umbrella eating crackers. Like I said, she doesn’t miss a meal.
Lawson had his 3rd birthday party in the garage this year as a result of the outdoor party moving indoors when the rain arrived. But rest assured, the rain did not hinder our ability to ride around the neighborhood on the fire truck that came to celebrate with us. Lawson and his daddy even got to blow the horn and blast the siren. He/I sure did like that part: rain or shine.
We rounded out our 2002 travels with a trip with all of the Templetons to Branson, MO and Silver Dollar City back in November. The Christmas lights were bright and the outlet malls were full of “bargains.”
For those of you who know my sister Jan, she and her family moved from Ft Smith to Fayetteville in August. Jay is still commuting to work in Ft Smith and Jan has started working in Tyson’s in Springdale. The Fayetteville Templetons/Davidsons are really turning up the pressure to get our family to move to NW Arkansas…but none of them have offered gainful employment yet.
We hope you and your family have a great Holiday Season and find joy in the coming year.