Merry Christmas, 2006!

We wish you all the joys of the season, and look forward to hearing your news this year. Here's the annual Himel update:

Mike graduated from Columbine and we had a great party. It was rewarding and amazing to see all those little kids who hadn't been in our backyard since Mike's 8 th birthday party come over again. Of course they had grown, but they still had plenty of kid left in them. Lots of tears, hugs, and exciting stories of what the 'best summer ever' would bring. For Mike, it brought lots of hours as a server at Red Robin, and lots of money to go along with it. He also said goodbye, gratefully, to his '87 Chrysler LeBaron. It was just a doomed car from the start, and Mike was very happy to replace it with a '95 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. In August, He packed up the truck and made his way south to Alamosa to begin college life at Adams State College. Going from big city to really, really small town wasn't the experience he wanted, so Labor Day weekend brought him home and to Metropolitan State College of Denver to study Environmental Science. He loves the social life of Denver, the freedom of being in college, being closer to his girlfriend, Rachel, at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and membership on Metro's swimming and diving team. Check out gometrostate.cstv.com to keep up with his progress. In the spring, he's hoping to enroll at CSU so that he and Rachel can take on college together. She's a wonderful young woman, and to see our son in love and to be loved in return is quite a gift indeed.

Tyler is getting ready to graduate in May '07. He is toying with attending either Metro or the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley next fall. Frankly, he's just having fun right now, and he should be. Still working at Target and active in Debate and DECA at Columbine, Ty will be pressed for free time very soon as the seasons for his extracurricular activities begin in earnest. He's a businessman at heart; always has been. His latest venture is buying and selling cards on eBay. He's managed to make some pretty good money - enough that I'm compelled to ask him to sell some of my things for me! Tyler's biggest event this year was getting a new car; he's now the proud owner of a '94 convertible Ford Mustang. Yeah, he's having a good senior year.

Catherine turned five years old this summer and started kindergarten. She still attends daycare full time, and is in their kindergarten room as well. In effect, then, she has an all-day kindergarten program. I'd be exhausted, but not Cat! She is also enrolled in swim lessons and gymnastics. She has the elements of the freestyle and backstroke techniques down, and can move with purpose in the water. She still holds her breath when she swims, but she's very proud of her accomplishments thus far. In gymnastics, she's mastered the one-handed cartwheel, backbend and splits. My jaw just hits the floor when I watch these performances. I remember being scared to do all those tricks. She's charming as ever, and those big blue eyes will forever be her trademark.

Phil is still enjoying his work at Time Warner Telecom, and even earned a promotion this year. His duties have expanded to include a staff, which is a well-deserved pat on the back that makes the morning alarm a little easier. My alarm still hurts; I can never seem to get enough sleep these days. I like my new job. In August, I began working as a Transcript Evaluator for Metro. I am transfixed by a computer screen all day long working with databases to determine acceptability of transfer credit for transfer students. The work is rewarding in that I am contributing to the success of a student, which will always be a strong passion of mine. Fortunately enough, I can continue working out every day without setting the alarm too early. I've taken up swimming at the campus pool during lunch, and enjoy that very much. Phil's still going to the gym before work, and he and I lift weights together on Saturdays while Catherine is in gymnastics classes. Gotta fight gravity somehow!

For a creative outlet, I've (re-)delved into writing. Creating the written word is probably my second most passionate drive, and I have found an entirely fun, non-threatening outlet to get my feet wet. Dubbed 'citizen journalism,' I contribute stories, photos and blogs to YourHub. It is a print/online hybrid weekly special to The Rocky Mountain News. The editors like my work enough that I have been given a weekly column in the printed runs. This is very exciting for me, but in the world of published works, I'm sure I'm pretty small potatoes. If you have nothing better to do, check me out at YourHub.com and search for Ann Himel. I think you just might be entertained!

May your Holiday Season be filled with love, peace and joy, and may your New Year's wishes be fulfilled.