The Solari Sentinel, August 31, 2011

Better late than never!

I got off track with the regular schedule, and will try to do better.

It's good to hear from all of you and to see what you've been up to over the summer!

Happy Birthday:

 

Finley S (June 2)
Kristen H (June 3)

Terri S (June 3)

Olivia S (June 5)

Joe H ( June 18)

Amy H (June 22)

Jared F (June 23)

Jesica S (June 30)

Matthew B (July 2)

Colin G (July 8)

Carolyn F (July 12)

Taylor Z ( July 14)

Kyle C(July 18)

Dustin S (July 21)

Dianna B (August 2)

Larry H (August 3)
Piper S (August 7)

Brandon B (August 14)

Kelly S (August 14)

Marianne H (August 16)

Bryan B (August 19)

Matt H (August 22)

Melodee C (August 25)

Kurt Z (August 31)

Deb S (September 7)

Dale F ( September 10)

Matthew G (September 18)

Andrew G (September 28)

*Let me know of any birthdays that are incorrect or that I've missed!

The Cooper Clan

Howdy!

It's been a busy summer for us.

First, our big news:  Surprise!  We're having baby #3!  This was unexpected and unplanned, but after the awesome cruise we went on earlier in the year....we are expecting another baby boy due in November.

Stephen is LOVING his job, and I couldn't be happier for him.  He's earned it, and I don't think I've ever seen him so stress-free.  It fantastic!

Kyle started preschool this week.  He is having a great time, has made "ONE HUNDRED friends," and only got in trouble "a little bit."  I'm so glad he has this time to get used to the routine and having some other adults that also give time-outs.  It makes things a little easier when what we do at home is reenforced elsewhere!

Ryan is growing and keeps me on my toes.  He's really easy-going, and seems to enjoy having some one-on-one time with mom while Kyle is at school.  He better enjoy it while we can since it will be gone in only a few months!

I'm staying busy and am starting to get acclimated to being back in Texas.  That would be SO much easier if we could get some rain and/or temperatures under 100 degrees once in a while.  It's good to be back and we're looking forward to buying our first home soon.  What a happy day that will be!

We hope all is well with all of you.

Until next time,
Stephen, Mel, Kyle, & Ryan :)

Boulter Bunch

So it's the end of August and I'm wondering what happened to the summer of 2011?!!!  For Mike and me, it was mostly spent working to catch up a bit from 3 weddings, trying to get some relief from my back pain, (still working on that!), and helping some of our children move around!  (Brandon & Melinda moved north to Bountiful, Utah where Brandon is doing a clerkship in 2 district courts while waiting on results from the bar exam!  Meanwhile, Emmy & Eric just moved to Midland where Eric is going to school on scholarship from Chevron.  We're glad that they have a great support system with Mom, Deb, Mark & Terri, and some of our Texas friends still around!)  We're glad that we've been able to be around our granddaughter Paisley, who is almost 5 months old-what a cutie!  (That, plus Mel's blog, helps me get through the days NOT getting to see Kyle & Ryan until November!)  We also enjoy Sunday dinners when most of the Utah children (and their dogs...) can come. :)
Even though we haven't traveled outside of Utah this summer, we're so grateful that we can hop in the Fiat whenever we want, head up the canyon, and sit by the river surrounded by pine trees.  Those "mini-vacations" have been lifesavers!  We're also hoping to get a few overnighters in the mountains this fall in our camper.  Mike & I are still adjusting to being "empty nesters"-I miss talking to the kids as often, but it's nice to be able to be together and enjoy that time.
So that's about it-not very exciting, but that's okay!  We wish all of you a wonderful, healthy fall season and hope that you'll be safe wherever you are.  Lots of love, Dee & Mike

Ange & Marie

This has been a busy summer with visits from the Savano's, (Marla Sue, Devin, Karen, Nicklaus and Sam) and Collin and Nikki.  Next two months are also going to be busy.  We fly on Sept. 7th to San Francisco, then commuter bus to Santa Rosa to spend a week with Marla Sue.  The reason for our visit is Kenny is getting married on 9/10/11.  The ceremony will be at Kenny's home land at the top of the pasture with cocktails on the deck, reception in the barn which was a famous chicken barn in years gone by.  They have been busy fixing it up by power washing, installing windows and generally fixing it up.  There will be dancing outside.  A  well known florist and party planner, (relative) is coming from Hawaii to decorate.  Kenny is a sergeant in the Petaluma police department so has lots of friends to help with the fixing.  Carolyn and Dale are driving up.  The rest of the family down here can't make it.  Our next adventure is October 4th when we leave for New York to spend a night, then get on the Crystal Symphony cruise ship and end up in Montreal.  We are hoping to see the fall colors.  We also spent a week at Mammoth earlier in August.

We are very happy for Brianna as she finally got a teaching job at Canalino School after working there for 3 years doing intervention.  She is teaching a first and second combination.  Casey helped her a lot fixing up her class room.  She had a week after she found out she got the job before school started.  The two grandmothers were a big help to.  Callie is now 14 months and is walking all over.  She is in the early child hood learning center at Cate School.  She is able to go there because of Carolyn's job at the school.

This last week we were very concerned about Danielle living near Boston with the hurricane Irene.  She kept us posted by email.  They had heavy rain for over 24 hours but no flooding where she was.  We will be anxious to hear how her school and farm survived.  On Saturday, October 8th we will be in Boston harbor for the day.  Danielle plans to rent a car and spend the day with us.  It will be so good to see her as it seems like ages since she went east.  She has signed up to continue classes and working for another year but says she will come home at Christmas.

It will be good to hear about everyone so we hope you all contribute to the Sentinel.  Fall and winter is around the corner so hope you all had a good summer.

Lots of love to all,

Ange & Marie

Wendi, Joe, Piper, and Finley {The So Cal Solaris}

Hi all,

Piper ended her Kindergarten year with a bang.  Two field trips (one to the zoo), pizza parties, swim parties, and a sweet luau-themed Kindergarten promotion ceremony.  We had two great Kinder teachers.  Both Joe and I were able to volunteer in Piper's classroom and on field trips quite a bit and that made our experience such a great one.  She started first grade on August 15 and it took her about two weeks to decide that she likes it!  She is learning a lot about story structure and writing and we are having fun watching her grow.  She still loves gymnastics and as she moves up in her classes the requirements are more challenging.  I think at first Piper was intimidated by it but now she finds such satisfaction in conquering a skill she couldn't do previously.  It is great to see.

Finley was in pre-school a few days a week but we took her out for the summer.  She loves school and is a sponge when it comes to learning.  She is turning out to be quite the little athlete.  She does well most anything she attempts.  She is in gymnastics and also dance (ballet/tap) and loves both.  Fin had her very first dance recital in August and it was so adorable.  Her class danced a ballet routine to "Broadway Baby."

Both girls are currently in a two week swim class to end the summer.  Piper is learning freestyle and backstroke.  Her backstroke is quite impressive and as a former backstroker on my high school swim team, I'm so proud!  :) Fin is in a tiny tots class where parents do not participate.  She was successful swimming on her back on her first try without the instructor holding her.  Both he and we were pretty impressed.  Finley has never wanted assistance while swimming (even as a one-year-old), and trying to help her only makes her try to swim on her own even harder!  Our pool pump went down, the new one arrived damaged, and a series of hoops to be jumped through to get a new one sent has prevented us from swimming the past two weeks.  Can't wait for the pool to be up and running.  We use it A LOT!

Our summer was fantastic.  Piper was out of school roughly two weeks when we drove to Arizona to stay with my parents for a week.  From Phoenix we flew to Florida to visit all the family there.  Marc and Shelbe gave up their beds at various points through our two week trip so that I would have a cat-free place to sleep.  Joe and the girls bunked at Gran and Papa's house.  We were at the beach almost every day, multiple times a day unless there was a thunderstorm and we were swimming in one of many pools daily.  It was lovely!  We ate great food, were surrounded by great company, and had a great time.  Aunt Shel and Gran put together a fun shared  birthday party for the girls and there was even a pinata.  Luckily we let the two girls swing first because when Gran got ahold of the bat, that  was DONE!!  It was so funny!  The Women's World Cup was on while we were visiting so we made sure to be at a location capable of broadcasting ESPN for every game.  It was such and exciting tournament and we were shocked and heartbroken to see the US girls lose to Japan. 

I am working on my jewelry and other designs more since we are back from our trip.  Now that school is back in for Piper I am able to find a little bit of time to tackle that.  My photography season is ramping up so I will be working on that and my Wendi Solari Designs Etsy shop until the holidays.  Being busy sure does make the months fly so I try to enjoy the Fall while it is here.  Check out the blog if you get a chance.  Lots of photos.  http://www.wendisolariblog.com.

As I am typing this Joe is on an airplane en route to the Maldives where he will work for two weeks filming a women's surfing contest in 3D.  The Maldives are a chain of islands between Africa and Australia.  His travel time to and from is unreal but I am hoping he has a fantastic time.  Joe took most of the summer off of work as we had many things planned with the girls.  Since our return from our Arizona/Florida he has been working quite a bit. Some fun things have been a music video for the new Muppet Movie (by the band "OK Go") and on the tv series Bones.  I'm excited for him that he has the chance to work on such a variety of projects.  I think it keeps the job fun.

We hope you all had a great summer and we look forward to reading of everyone's adventures.

With love,

Wendi, Joe, Piper, and Finley {The So Cal Solaris}

Joe, Dawn, Amy, & Joey

Okay so where to begin…..

 

Dawn has a great new project for a Reality TV show that she is pursuing with a couple of stand out producers and talents all ready on board.  She is shooting interviews on the 18^th and will then be pitching to the Networks and Cable channels.  She has also been working on a patent with Joey that should be pending this week. Dawn and Joey are working on all his College apps, essays and information.

 

Pops and I have been working on a new software program for the legal industry and expect to be doing our demo in the next week or so.  I started back into shooting with the local SASS (Single Action Shooting Society) Club.  I have always loved Western Movies and love the idea of shooting ammo at metal targets and dressing up like old west cowboys (besides wearing a pair of six guns is fun).   

 

Amy is doing well and has been working hard this summer as a Nanny.  She interviewed for a position with a celebrity without knowing who it was.  Isn’t Pepperdine great for connections with the Movie Industry?  Turns out it was for Ms. Crawford (yes the model and star) and her family. Her weekend of initiation included a crash dose of family at their lovely home in Cabo with neighbors George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio. They loved her and increased her hours upon hitting American soil and now treat her as family including a beach party with Owen Wilson, Laird Hamilton, Gabrielle Reece, doctor from Scrubs and many other celebrities. She has been having fun and has even been to the store for her to get a birthday present for Owen.  She is just now starting her junior year at Pepperdine.  She was able to get into a condo this summer so she now lives in Malibu .  She and Mare and Aunt Sue are sharing in the Sorority life of Delta Gama (DG).  Amy is in charge of preference night this year during Rush.

 

Joey is entering his senior year (which means that we will be empty nesters soon) of High School.  He got to go to an Engineering and Robotics conference this summer at Berkley and had a great time.  He is really into the Robotics and has designed his own robot.  He is in Advanced Engineering class at his school and his teacher informed him that he will not learn a thing in class as it just touches the tip of the iceberg in comparison with Joey’s knowledge. He spends his free time doing what he loves, creating.  He is working on an invention with one of Dawn’s filmmakers that is extremely accomplished and deals with the struggles of being deaf.  Joey and Austin are creating a solution for 10 percent of the world’s population that deals with movie going for the hearing impaired. We are excited to see where this leads. He spends all his free time between the Robot and his Girl friend.  He is looking seriously into the Robotics field for college.  Finding a college will be the fun part.  He is currently looking to Pepperdine and USC but things can change.  An Ivy League school in New York is aggressively pursuing him.  We will wait and see.

 

Is there a reunion in the near future?

 

We send our prays and ask that the Lord Jesus Christ Bless you all!

 

Love Joey, Amy, Dawn and Joe

 

Matt, Kristen, Riley and Kate

Dear Family,

April: We were able to get away for Spring Break and enjoy some time in Maui. The weather was perfect and allowed us to spend time snorkeling, paddle boarding, reading and of course eating delicious food. Riley and Matt even ventured out for a half day of sport fishing. Riley scored the only Dorado of the day. The captain filleted it and we were able to have a few pieces cooked for dinner at our hotel. A memorable trip.

June - August: Just before school ended Matt and I took a Baltic Cruise, courtesy of John Hancock. We made stops in Helsinki, Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, Copenhagen, Denmark and Tallin, Estonia. So much history to take in and the weather was cool and perfect for traveling. We loved the churches, museums, castles, palaces, food and wandering the beautiful cities. As Matt says, I found my people ( I am a scandinavian mix).
We can't believe the summer is almost over. 1 more week and then the school grind starts. Our summer has been a little more relaxed because of Riley's knee and his inability to play sports. Kate has enjoyed her summer days spending them with friends, trips to the beach, dance and lots of pool time. Riley has spent a good portion of his summer in pool physical therapy for his knee, time with friends,church camp, trip to Catalina, beach time and enjoying the freedom that his new driving license has given him. He just got cleared to finally "run on land" so is in physical therapy 3 days a week gearing up for football and lacrosse seasons. During football practice, since he is not ready to play yet, he has become the team "gardener". His new nickname is "Forest", which is appropriate as he gets to sit atop the rider mower and mow the practice fields. Hopefully he will be cleared in mid September to play.

In June the family celebrated Mare and Pops 50th wedding anniversary together. Their wish was a for a small celebration with family. The evening was filled with good food, drinks at a wonderful restaurant at the beach and included many wonderful stories. We are blessed by their love for each other and our family. What wonderful role models for their grandchildren they are.

Our annual trip to Whidbey was 2 weeks filled with fun and family. Clamming and crabbing were on the menu as well as salmon. Riley caught a salmon this year which we were able to have for dinner. It's been a good couple of fishing months for him. Kate and I spent time taking walks on the beach and kayaking. A very special day was held for my mother's companion of 20 years, Mel Ryan, who passed away in March. Mel was a beloved member of our family and is the reason we found Whidbey. He was truly a blessing in our lives and we continue to feel his presence on our special island. A bright spot in our trip was the announcement that another (Galey) baby was on the way! My youngest brother Brian and his wife Vanessa, who were married at our house last summer are expecting their first baby in February. We are all very excited, especially Kate.

In July Matt chaired (hopefully his last) Golf Tournament- Football Fundraiser and continues to be busy with work, football boosters and being the lacrosse booster club president. As usual I am keeping up with everyone's schedule, soon to start my tennis league and NCL with Kate.

We hope you all have a wonderful Fall and can't wait to hear all the news from everyone.

Love, Matt, Kristen, Riley and Kate

Sue's News

Hi Sentinel Readers,

    Here I go trying to catch up.  April was a great month with a trip to Utah to attend Brandon's graduation from BYU Law School and then the wedding of Matt and Nicole.  I also got to meet my new great granddaughter Paisley.  A great time was had by all.  The in May we went to San Marcos for Michelle's graduation from Texas State.  The middle of the month I went to Berkeley, California for my 60th high school reunion.  It was great fun and I thought we were all in pretty good shape.  They didn't ask how far we came or how many grandchildren we had just how many operations we had had!  I got  home with a day to spare and I washed clothes and repacked my suitcase and left for Cabo to spend  a week with Deb .  Much fun. I was home for the next 3 months.  Midland has been HOT . Thank heavens for Mark and Terri's pool. We have had more 100 degree days than we have ever had.  We are also running out of water and can only water 2 days a week.  It looks so bad but the oil industrty is going great guns.  We have the lowest unemployment in the state of Texas.

We had Olivia come and stay 2 weeks and had a great time.  Mike and Kelly went to Cabo.  Now Emmie and Eric have now moved to Midland so that Eric can attend Midland College.  We are so excited to have them here. On the 17th Brian, Lacie and Paisley will come for a few days.  Then on the 22nd my favorite rock group Styx is appearing here in Midland.  The next day I fly to California to see Mare and Larry and gang.  The day after I get back Jules will come for a week  Now that Fall is here all my groups are starting up again.  We are opening our new performing arts center in November so that will be fun.  That will be the new home of the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale.  In November I will be going to San Francisco with my friend Maridell.  She has 3 sisters and they have a sister's weekend every year and this year they are meeting in San Francisco.  They are going to adopt me since I don't have any sisters.  We are planning to attend 3 operas and eat our way across the city.  My friend Linda Christian and I are planning a 50th birthday party for Mark and two of her kids.  It will be on November 19th and you are all invited to attend.

I hope you all had a great summer and look forward to this Fall. 

    Hope  you all had a great summer.      I look forward to the Fall and hope the weather will cool down.  I look forward to hearing all about your doings.  Stay well.

Love, Texas Sue

Mark & Terri

Greetings family!

Hope all is well with y’all.  Spring has sprung, Fall has fell, Summer is here and it’s hotter than…Usual!  We are on our 63rd day over 100 deg. We are ready for some cool.  Terri and I just got back from a trip to the Northwest to visit Michelle.  She has been back in Oregon working for a branch of the Forest Service where she works in the wilderness 8 days hiking and checking stream status then has 6 days off.  We flew to Portland, where Michelle picked us up. We drove through Washington stopping in Tacoma, Seattle, and Bellingham, ending up in Vancouver.   We spent a day there then went up to Whistler where Michelle and I got to experience some downhill mountain biking off the ski runs.  That was definitely an adrenaline rush.  We finished off the trip back with a stop at Mount St. Helens.  We had great weather during the trek with highs in the upper 70s.  I even had to put a sweatshirt on in Whistler. It was great to see Michelle.  She finishes up in late September then she plans to come home to prepare for her trip to South America to go WOOFing. (World Organization of Organic Farming).  She and her boyfriend are planning a trip to work on self sustained farms as they tour thru Peru and Ecuador. 

Earlier in the summer Terri and I went to DC.  For an early birthday present, Terri gave me tickets to the Manchester United vs. Barcelona soccer match at Fedex field in Maryland.  It was a great time that included a packed Metro trip.  We toured the Capital where it was a record 104 deg.  We thought we were getting out of the heat. HAH!  We just ran from museum to museum to get in the AC.

We also managed a trip to College Station to see Rachael.  She had spent the summer in Houston working an internship for Spectra; a natural gas pipeline company.  She was back to take a class in Business Management.  We towed the SeaDoo and made it down to Lake Somerville.  We had spent many weekends there when we lived in Houston.  We had a chance to meet her boyfriend John Ryan.  He is also a mechanical engineer student.

In mid-July, the girls came to Midland and joined us for a fund raising bike ride, The MS 150.  We rode 150 miles in 2 days in temps up to 105 deg.  We were joined by Terri’s dad and nephew along with our friends, the Boudreaux’s.  Terri’s dad inspired us all at age 73.  Our team managed to raise over $20,000.

No big plans for the fall until Thanksgiving when we plan to go to the Texas A&M vs Texas game.  We are planning a big tailgate Thanksgiving dinner.  This will be Rachael’s last season there and A&M’s last game in the Big 12.  BTHO Texas!! A!!

Love to All.  Vaya con Dios.

The Solari Sentinel, March 21, 2011

Happy Spring, Everyone!

It's good to hear from so many of you. I hope this edition of the Sentinel finds you well.

Happy Birthday:

Shelbe S.--January 8

Katy G.--January 13

Mike S.--January 20

Don S.--January 24

Rachael S.--January 26

David G.--January 26

Sandy S.--January 30

Miranda S.--February 5

Rick S.--February 13

Mickie S.--February 23

Joe S.--February 27

Rylie H.--March 5

Sue S.--March 6

Starla S.--March 21

Mike B.--March 21

Delbe S.--March 30

Julianna B.--April 7

Ryan C.--April 9

Stephen C.--April 14

Michelle S.--April 21

Wendi S.--May 1

Danielle G.--May 2

Dawn H.--May 2

Shelbe Z.--May 4

Sue G.--May 5

Kate H.--May 6

(Please let me know if I'm missing anyone or have a wrong date!)

The Cooper Clan

Howdy!

How great it is to be back in the great state of Texas!!!!!

What a busy few months we've had. Stephen graduated from FIU on December 14th, we packed up our home, moved on the 15th, arrived to Texas on the 17th, and repacked for our trip to Utah! I'm so glad we were able to stay put for a few weeks with family in Utah, enjoying some much-needed time off, grandparent time for the boys, Christmas...oh, and a wedding! (Emmalee and Eric Simons}

Vacation can't last forever. Soon, it was time to come home so Stephen could take his Anesthesia boards exam. Thankfully, he passed and is ready to start working any day now--since the licensing finally went through! To celebrate, we went on a cruise to Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras, and had an amazing time.

The boys are doing well and adjusting to the move nicely. They are glad to be around some grandparents and can't wait for the weather to warm up enough to get in the pool.

I'm looking forward to this new phase in our lives and am just trying to take one day at a time!

love to all,
Stephen, Melodee, Kyle, & Ryan

Sue's News

Hi from Texas,

I can't remember when the last Sentinel was mailed (senior moment) so I will just begin with Christmas.

It was great fun but went by too fast. We enjoyed the visits of the Cooper family both going and

coming from Utah. Then in January we had a visit from the Newlyweds (Emmie and Eric).

I had a party to introduce them to my friends. In February it was the annual Tool Box Bash for

Habitat for Humanity which was a big success. In March Maridell Fryar and I flew to Dallas for

the opera Romeo and Juliet, It was fantastic. It had beautiful sets and Romeo had a great voice

and he wasn't bad to look at either. I may be old but I'm not dead! On April 2, Maridell, Jane,

Bea and I are going to Dallas to see 2 operas back to back, shop and play bridge. I keep busy with

lots of meetings. I am in charge of fund raising for the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale so

I am getting letters out and writing thank you notes. I am also in the midst of trying to sell my trailer

since I can't seem to find anyone to travel with me. Terri is president of the board of Safe Place,

a home for battered women and children and we are looking forward to their annual fashion show

fund raiser next week. Deb and I went to San Antonio over my birthday to see Paul and Mary Friemel.

I worked for Paul for many years and they are two of my best friends. We had a ball eating our way

across San Antonio and we saw a great movie Grace Card. Much Fun. On April 18th Deb and I fly to

Utah for Matt and Nicole's wedding and Brandon's graduation from law school. Should be great fun..

In May I am flying to California for my 60th high school reunion. I have been giving them a bad time

since it is only a luncheon. I keep saying - I am flying to California for a luncheon! Surely we can

get together some other time too. I hope to be able to give a luncheon for some of my old friends. I am

now trying to diet to see if I can get into some of my old summer clothes. Since a few of my friends have

married old high school sweethearts, my friends keep asking me if I plan to look around. I tell them

I don't have time to train one and besides most of them are still married.

Deb, Mark and Terri are all doing well. Midland is like living in a bubble. We have the lowest

unemployment in Texas and oil is one hundred dollars a barrel and they are drilling everywhere. They

have a hard time keeping help in the restaurants since they can work in the oil field for big bucks. Michelle

graduates from Texas State in May and is going to Oregon again to work. Rachael will be working in

Houston and will be a senior in the fall. Deb is busy with work and church. We are hoping that Emmie

and Eric will be joining us in Midland in the summer. Eric will be starting school at Midland College in the Fall.

Hope all of you are well and busy. I keep remembering the reunion last June and what fun we had.

Take care and keep well. I heard a saying a our Women's Retreat a few weeks ago that I have adopted

as my theme - I'm so blessed I won't get distressed.

Love, Sue Solari

Deb

Greetings Everyone!!
Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I will try and update you on what has been going on.
For the last 11 months, I have been busy working on an Accounting system conversion and bringing the accounting function into our office (this had previously been outsourced to a company in Ft. Worth). This required lots and lots of hours, training, converting data, checking data, hiring people , doing office build out and working in survival mode as well as getting the Vendors and Owners paid on time. After many 80+ hour work weeks, it is completed and we are live in the new accounting system. This was quite an accomplishment but a big toll on me and the stress factor. It had been survival mode, but after we went live, my boss noticed that I was on the edge of a brakdown, so my job has now changed. I am just going back to working a 40hr work week and much less stress, with no deadlines. I am now a much happier person and I have been taking weekend trips. I love my new hours and no stress. It is amazing what stress can do to you.
This winter besides the hours at work, I did manage a good visit with Melodee, Stephen, Kyle and Ryan on their way back to Houston from Utah. I volunteered to watch the boys while Mel and Stephen went out to dinner with family. It is so much fun to play with the boys, but they can wear you out. AS they were packing up the car, and you could barely see the boys from all of the toys and luggage, we told Stephen not to stop too quick. I am so proud of Mel and Stephen and excited for their new adventure in Houston. I am so proud of Stephen for passing his boards and getting to do what he is trained to do.
A week after Mel and Stephen came through, we were blessed to have Emmalee and her new husband, Eric come down to Midland. Mom had a wonderful party for them where we got to show them off to our friends, as well as Eric helping fix things around Mom’s house. Mike and Olivia got to come too so we had a great visit with them. I think Eric liked Midland and it looks like now they are moving to Midland for him to go to school and work at Chevron. It will be great to have Emmalee and Eric here in Midland. Lots of new doors are opening up for them and I have been telling lots of friends that they are coming and they are both great volunteers and hard workers. WE are excited to have them come!!
In February, I was working on having a party to celebrate what would have been Dad’s 80th birthday, but I couldn’t get it together, so Mom, Mark, Terri and I went out to a nice restaurant , where we had a birthday party for Dad. Terri brought a picture of Dad so he sat with us at the table where we reminisced about old times, funny stories and just how much we miss him. It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since he died. I miss him everyday.
Also in February, we had our annual Women’s Retreat for church where Mom was one of the speakers. It was about the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Mom’s topic was Goodness. She did a great job and I am so proud of her for doing it. We had a wonderful weekend together.
The first weekend in March and Mom’s birthday weekend, we finally made a trip down to Boerne, Texas where we saw Mary and Paul Friemel. (They were mom and dad’s best friends, and mom had worked for Paul and Mary.) They have been in Boerne for almost 5 years and I had not been down to see them. Paul has had some medical problems and I knew I needed to go see them. We had such a great weekend, visiting , shopping and celebrating Mom’s birthday. The next weekend, I had gotten an invitation to see some property at Lake Brownwood. I knew I wasn’t going to buy any land, but by listing to the spiel, I got cash for gas money, a free 7 day cruise and 4 rounds of golf. It happened that Mark and Terri were at their lake house that weekend, so I met up with them and spent the night. (It didn’t hurt that Mark was cooking steaks too!) Even though we live in the same town, with my work schedule, I hadn’t gotten to visit with them so we got to catch
up. It was a lot of fun plus now I have a free cruise to plan, works for me.
The next big trip is to Utah in April to celebrate a new great niece (Bryan and Lacie’s new baby girl), Matt and Nicole’s wedding, and Brandon’s graduation from Law school. Did I mention that this is Easter weekend too? I am so looking forward to seeing the Utah crew and being there to celebrate these big events in their lives.
In May I will go to my annual week in Cabo San Lucas and then, I will go to Tennessee to do something on my “bucket list”. I have always wanted to go see Michael W. Smith (Contemporary Christian artist) at his church and recording studio in Franklin Tennessee. Well my wish is coming through. Terri and a good friend are joining me so I know we will have lots of fun with some great music.
Hopefully I will be doing more traveling this year and will try and make trips to go see family. With my new position, I don’t really have deadlines anymore, so I don’t have to worry about being here for the monthly closings!!! So don’t be surprised when I call to say I am coming your way.
Hope everyone remains healthy and happy. Much love to everyone and look forward to reading what has been happening in your lives.
Love, Deb

Matt, Kristen, Riley, & Kate

Hi All!

I forget where we left off last time but, here goes....

Kate's 7th grade year has been great. She has kept busy with dance. This summer she worked very hard to get on pointe(ballet). Weekend rehearsals kept her busy preparing for her studio's Nutcracker Ballet in December. After Christmas she decided that piano,NCL(National Charity League) and homework wasn't enough so she joined her middle school's lacrosse team. She enjoyed her first lacrosse experience and took after her brother and played defense. Those soccer skills really came in handy. Lacrosse ended so she is now onto tennis! She turns 13 in May and will be an official "tweenager".

Riley is busy with his sophomore year of High School. Lots of homework, challenging classes, JV Football and his social life kept him busy. He was able to play in the last Varsity play off game and so he earned a "Varsity letter". Of course this is being sewn on his new Varsity Letterman Jacket we got him for his 16th birthday just last week. Yikes! Not driving yet, but this summer he should be.

Unfortunately for Riley after hearing he made 2 Elite summer lacrosse teams and making the JV Lacrosse team and being named a slider to the Varsity, we found out he had to have season ending knee surgery. He had had knee pain off and on for a couple of months and after coming home with a swollen knee from practice off to the orthopedic surgeon we went. The MRI said there was an unstable lesion that needed to be fixed. He had 2 smart pins put in to reattach the bone and cartilage and he is in a brace and on crutches for 6 weeks as well as physical therapy 2 times a week. Hopefully he will be back by summer.

Matt is keeping busy with work, the kids, Football Booster Board, Lacrosse Booster Board, the Foothilll High School Ed Fund board and helping to fundraiser for all of these simultaneously! I just watch and help out when I can.

I am busy with the kids, PTA board, NCL (National Charity League) with Kate, helping out at the high school once a week, tennis and trying to keep all the balls afloat!

We hope all is well with everyone and can't wait to hear what everyone is doing!

Happy almost Spring!

Love, Kristen, Matt, Riley and Kate

Marie & Ange

Here we are with not much news from Carpinteria. Marie is
pretty much recovered from her broken wrist that happened September 29th.
From that she developed carpel tunnel and had surgery seven weeks
ago. She is back in therapy getting those fingers to work properly and
finds she can do most everything again. We have not done any foreign
travel this year and it does not look like we will be taking any. World is
getting too unsettled and expensive to travel. The day trips are suiting
us just fine. This last week we went to Santa Anita for a day at the
races. We always look forward to going at least once a year. It has
fond memories for both of us, Marie going with the family in about 1937 when
Tanta Gretchen and her daughter, Marie, from New York came to visit at the
ranch. Ange went with the boy scouts on a camp out and we both use to
go with Dude and Attala. Marie did spend five days at Mammoth with her ski
ladies. The economics have really hurt our rentals with the best snow in
years. That's life. At our age of 86 we are very fortunate to both
have good health. Carolyn, Brianna, Callie and I went on the annual
Flower Grower's tour. It is amazing to see all those beautiful flowers
grown in hot houses and shipped all over the United States. One of the
growers sells 1-800-flowers. Order a special arrangement and it will be
delivered from Carpinteria. A lot of the flowers are made into bouquets
and sold in super markets. We hope everyone is doing
fine and enjoy the spring and have a wonderful summer.

Love and hugs, Marie & Ange

Delbe' & Mic

It can't be that time again!

The big news here is that Shel and I managed to surprise Joe for his birthday. He was absolutely stunned to see us when he walked in the door after a long day at work. We had three fun days with him. A handful of friends joined us for Joe's choice, a three-course fondue dinner. We got to see how Piper has improved in gymnastics and Fin in her first year of dance and 'nastics. The weather was cooler than what we left behind in Florida. It was a real treat to look out the front and see mountains covered with snow. Since Joe didn't know we were coming, we didn't try to get in touch with anyone else, in case he wanted to do something special. The girls had their own special playmate in Aunt Shel! On such a quick trip there's never enough time anyway. They have their plane tickets to fly here July 5-19 and like last year will fly out of Phoenix after being with Wendi's folks for Dorman's birthday.

Things are fine here. Today we're getting a much needed rain.

We hope all's well with ya'll. Delbe' and Mic

{The So Cal Solaris}

We hope your 2011 has been wonderful so far.

Joe had a nice long 3 weeks off of work for his Christmas hiatus. Our Christmas was spent at home. It was low-key and very nice. Waking up in our own home on Christmas morning is great now that we have little kiddos. Wendi’s parents came to celebrate with us from Arizona and stayed about 5 days. The girls always love having family around.

The New Year saw Joe headed back to work on Zeke and Luther and Piper back to school to start the second half of her Kindergarten year. It is truly exciting to see what Piper is learning and accomplishing daily. She is learning addition and subtraction, how to tell time (with the big and little hands!), writing paragraphs, and reading things we never dreamed a Kindergartener could read. Piper has moved to the “big” gym in gymnastics. She passed her first beginners class in her one session and is now learning more advanced skills in beginners 2. She is conquering her fear of performing skills unaccompanied on the [high] balance beam, learning to tumble like a champ, and mastering the uneven bars. She began a cheerleading class about a month ago and with only a few classes left, she has declared that she is bored and would rather return to dance. So in a few weeks, dance class it is! Piper is an amazing big sister and her imagination fuels some very exciting adventures for Finley and her.

Finley trails Piper’s every step, mimicking her every action, and picking up every bit of skill and knowledge she can scrounge! She is in preschool 2 ½ days every week and has a blast there. Fin can be heard singing a variety of songs at any given moment. She loves pretending to sound out words while reading, just as Piper does. Fin is still in gymnastics also, though in the “little” gym, and she is a tenacious little booger! About a month ago Fin started her very first dance class and is in the Tiny Twos! It is as adorable as it sounds. They do 15 minutes of ballet and 15 minutes of tap in each class. Fin has an amazing attention span when it comes to her class and resists the urge to follow the other little girls who are constantly running in and out of class to their parents, etc.

Joe is still having a good time working on Zeke and Luther and word on the street is that this will most likely be the last season. Although it is a highly rated show for Disney Channel, it is their most expensive show to produce due to heavy stunts in most episodes. A three-season run has been a blessing and now we look to the future as we have done so many times before. Joe has also started running on his lunch breaks and after long days at work. One of his co-workers was a rabbit (pacer) for marathons and has really challenged Joe…and Joe has stepped up. He is currently running sub 7-minute miles and has really upped his mileage in recent days. If memory serves, he is at ±8 miles a day. Pretty sure there are some races in his future.

Typically the first 3 months of the year are down time for photographers and this year has been no exception for Wendi. She has been assistant shooting at weddings on weekend here and there and is beginning to market weddings herself. She is using the down time to reflect on what worked and did not work for the business in the previous year, shoot creatively for herself, organize the office, spend more quality time with the girls, and create new jewelry designs. She has been assistant shooting at weddings on weekends here and there and is beginning to market weddings herself. She still really enjoys making jewelry and it is a nice creative outlet. There has not been as much emphasis on marketing/advertising her jewelry but that is a definite focus for 2011. As far as running goes, Joe has lit the fire under Wendi but she rejoices if she completes 4 miles without crawling home. She runs, but a runner she is not!!

We have really been working on the landscaping in our front and back yards. It is fun to see our plans come to fruition, albeit s-l-o-w-l-y! Southern California has had some fickle weather in the past months but we’ve had our share of Spring-like days and we are taking FULL advantage. Next on our list is rebuilding our single and double gates leading to the backyard. We’ve got a design and now it is time to pull the trigger. We both know how much work it is going to be so we might be subconsciously dragging our feet a bit! Just maybe.

Joe got the surprise of all time when a few days before his birthday and after a long day at work he walked in our living room to find his mom and sister Shelbë sitting on our couch. His reaction was priceless and so sweet. They were able to stay Thursday to Tuesday. Over the weekend we had a few friends over for Joe’s fondue birthday dinner. Wine, great food, family, and friends made the day truly special for Joe. The girls loved every single moment that Gran and Shel were here and they did not let Aunt Shel rest. I am pretty sure Shel went home and slept two days straight! {Wendi had separation anxiety too and is looking at real estate in Florida as you read this! :) }

We really hope everyone is healthy and happy. Have a wonderful Easter and Spring.

All our love,

Joe, Wendi, Piper, and Finley Solari