Happy Holidays from our home to yours.  Well, the year of the three big zeros has almost passed, and with only a whimper...Oh the zeros?  Ray's and my 50th and our 30th.  The traffic pattern in our lives keeps abreast of the nation's--ever increasing.  Ray and I have busy work schedules, continue square dancing as often as possible, go on square dance week-ends about once a month, play cards, mostly pinochle lately, as bridge has switched to Saturday nights now and conflicts with dancing, enjoy our gourmet group, and go to the theater whenever possible.  We have season tickets to a local production company, went to see Patti Andrews (of all people) at a geriatric performance where we were by far the youngsters in the audience, saw a great production of "Chess" in New York, a fun 60's spoof called, "Big Hair," in Atlanta, a fun evening of Medieval Jousting and performing in Los Angeles, and most recently Chita Rivera in "Can-Can" in San Francisco.

     Ray's business travels are, supposedly, concentrated in the west, but somehow he winds up in Maryland, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Washington, D.C. lots of times.  We spent a week in Acapulco in March enjoying the "high" life, where we were treated royally, which was a nice break.  I tagged along on one of Ray's New York trips in June just before attending the American Association of Law Libraries convention in Atlanta and then stopped in Chicago to visit before returning to work. Then, we finally took a trip labelled "vacation" and travelled down the California Coastto LA for the first time since moving here in '79.  Since we did the New England Coast last year, it was time for the West Coast.  We only saw highlights and didn't even make it as far as San Diego, but enjoyed sights like Big Sur, San Simeon, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Hollywood, the Queen Mary, the Spruce Goose, Rodeo Drive, and other things tourists do.  It was great fun.
 

My trip to Atlanta was enabled by an award from a major law book publisher, and our trip to Acapulco was compliments of General Electric.  Golden Gate University has given me the opportunity to learn more about my profession and to make contacts all over the U.S.  I am now editor of NOCALL, the newsletter of the AALL the Northern California chapter of AALL, a lot of work, but good for the soul, and hopefully for the career.  Aside from this bimonthly publication, I published a book review in the Golden Gate alumni magazine earlier this year.

You couldn't understand why I haven't said anything yet about Monica?  Yes, she is wonderful!  Twenty months old and three years bright.  The light of our lives, she keeps everyone busy when she's around.  Needless to say, she is hardly starved for attention when there is a family gathering.  Instead of just looking at a male and saying "uncle" or a female and saying "auntie," she has everyone's name down pat now, even though weeks go by when she doesn't see them.  If no one is around, she goes over to our rogues gallery on the family room wall and starts naming names.  Her favorite though is "Busby," our little dog.  He is a little old to get used to a little one following him around, but we try to get him out of her territory and into a restful spot after a while.

     Lloyd, a Manager of Information Services, worked full time, plus, at his job in San Francisco and additionally has a growing side business selling computers, which may develop into something more in the near future.  He recently returned from a Las Vegas convention with loads of new contacts and new ideas.  After spending two weeks in Bakersfield at a branch store, he seems ready for some kind of a change.  A mishap just totalled his car, so he is in the market for a new one even sooner than he had planned--his condo/townhouse was first on his list before. 

     Mark's job at the Hilton has changed departments and titles several times over the last year, but he is now Assistant Room Service Manager/Hospitality Coordinator (try getting that on a business card) in the largest hotel on the west coast.  He gained valuable experience in helping implement the grand opening of the hotel and worked ungodly hours doing it.  His vacation at Club  Med in Tahiti, just after Thanksgiving, was long awaited, much deserved, and, apparently, greatly enjoyed--even ran into an old girlfriend.  Mark, too, is shopping for a condo, but then in the next breath talks about working somewhere like Australia or New Zealand...

     Pam was graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in May, took the California Bar in July, vacationed in Chicago and in the Caribbean in August/September and began work at the San Francisco law firm of Broad, Schulz in September.  The tension ended with bar results arriving the day after Thanksgiving; she was sworn in officially December 7th to both the California and federal bars.  She has been working on a case in Sacramento, so spends Tuesday through Friday, and sometimes more, of each week at a Sacramento hotel.  She moved from her San Francisco apartment into the towers next to Hastings for two months to study for the bar, afterwards put her furniture in storage, and stayed at home until her vacation.  When she began work, she took a furnished apartment in San Francisco until November, but now stays at home whenever she's not in the hotel until this trial is over.  The microwave her brothers and sisters got her for graduation has been her constant companion, except in the hotel.   Needless to say, if she doesn't like being an attorney, she can go into business as a consultant for relocating.

     Gail is now a certified exercise science specialist and currently is an instructor at Butte College, plus does aerobics classes at a local health club.  She is working on her Masters Degree and writing her thesis in Physiology of Exercise, which will be complete in January.  Between Monica, school, and her multiple jobs, she is a busy gal.  She also has done exercise videos for many famous people--her father, her grandmother, her sister, her sisters-in-law, her friends...  She has quite a list of credentials.  Monica helps with all her Mom's projects, and Dave is the video cameraman, or the babysitter for school and jobs whenever available, which is usually very limited.

     Dave's store manager's job is demanding of his time and energy, and holding the prestigious position of President of Rotary in Orland, California is no small time operation.  Course, being Monica's Daddy takes a lot more time and effort, but that goes without saying.  Dave had a bout with pneumonia last summer which slowed him down for a bit and scared Gail a whole bunch.  Additionally, their water skiing time was cut short this summer when a problem with the boat occurred.  The three of them took a vacation down the California coast, similar to ours.

     Bev is a Department Sales Manager at Emporium Capwell of domestics, stationery and lifestyle furniture since February at a San Mateo store.  She manages the stock, the employees, and the problems that go with both.  Sometimes it gets to her, but she's hanging in there with long hours and little rest.  She finished her studies at UC Berkeley last December, but officially graduated in ceremonies in May.  She did manage to go camping to Mount Shasta the end of summer for some relaxation, plus has made multiple trips to the L.A. and San Diego for four weddings and to visit friends there.  She moved to her San Leandro townhouse in June which puts her about mid-way between work and Berkeley-Oakland where many of her friends still reside.  Her new Nissan Stanza was purchased this summer, and she just recently got the stereo installed in it.  She also got the VCR which her brothers and sisters gave her as a graduation gift.  Ricky, her beau of several years, lives in Oakland and is an engineer for a firm in San Raphael.  He travels frequently, but they manage to eke out a social life between their jobs.

     Paul is still working for Longs Drugs and goes to school both at Diablo Valley College and at Golden Gate University.  He took a couple of classes there, since family members are entitled to tuition remission--not enough according to Paul, though.   Paul is now driving the Toyota Celica which he purchased from Gail several years ago.  He rebuilt it and got it running just before his truck (which he purchased earlier this year) was in a debilitating accident.

     Our house underwent a few changes this year when we divided the laundry room and made half of it into a much needed extra bathroom off the kitchen.  And, we have just completed changing our former office into a walk-in closet off the master bedroom.  For this last project we had to do a lot of moving things around, re-do the sewing room into an office/sewing room, and remove the huge sliding doors into the office--plus cut a new door from the bedroom into the new closet, but, it is finally done.  Now we must wait until the new year to continue tearing things up, as we have a lot of empty closets in our master bath that are about to disappear in order to make it into a "real" bathroom.  The only thing I dread is the mess, as we have been living through dust, etc. since July.  Guess we can gear up with a new year and lots of new changes coming about to a little more mess.

     Speaking of mess, during the composition of this newsletter, we were in the midst of a horrendous windstorm which knocked out five trees on our property, missed the house with any of them, but did put several holes in the roof of the poolhouse, destroy the chinning bars in the back and knocked down a fence.  We were without power for two days and couldn't even get out of the area to the freeway the morning after the storm, as a tree was across the road leading down into town--no other roads available until one property owner (mansion owner, I mean) opened their property with gates on each end leading from one street to the one quite a distance below.  Other than that, everything is honkey dory...

     That's another year in the life of the Tennison household in a nutshell.  We wish you and yours happiness, health and prosperity in the new year.

A friend is one who
 pushes you in the swing
  pulls you up the ladder
   pats you on the back
    and hugs you good-bye.