1997
True Stories presents both a story and a picture and is my first web-page.
We hosted Christmas at our house this year.
1998
Spring started this year with a leisurely trip to San Francisco . My sister, Caryl, and her husband, Bill, flew out from West Virginia to meet us there for Easter. Then our spring marathon began.
After helping our sister-in-law up north in Indian River re-roof her home, we attended our first spring wedding. The oldest daughter, Katrina, of my friend Chat from college days, was married in the middle of May. She just graduated from Michigan State University.We then went back to Indian River to attend our nephew, Beau DePauw's, graduation and party on the last weekend of May.
The next week on June 6th, we went to my son, Patrick's, high school graduation at the Palace of Auburn Hills in the AM and then on to London, Ontario, Canada to attend another wedding in the afternoon. Sally & Kelsey were married. Marcia remarked that Sally, the daughter of Marcia's cousins Ben & Julie Van Paemel, was one of the most beautiful brides she has seen. We had to leave the reception at 11:00 PM since there was an 8:00 AM church service for Emily's graduating class the next day.
On Tuesday, June 9, we went to Emily's high school graduation in the outside pavilion of Meadowbrook Music Theater in the rain.
The following weekend we had 14 guests spend the night as we got ready for our own graduation party for both Patrick and Emily. That Saturday I first went to Lee Ann O'Keefe's graduation party across town at my friend Randy's. That afternoon, Marcia and I attended the graduation party for Beth Jennings, the daughter of her cousin, Nancy. On Sunday we had a great time at our own party. We had a chance to visit with many friends and relatives who we hadn't seen in years. We were unable to attend Chat's youngest daughter, Sara's, graduation brunch which was the same Sunday and I thank Chat and Phyllis for making it to ours.
Then Tresa and Jason were married on June 21 in Mt. Clemens. Tresa is the daughter of Marcia's cousin, Jackie Soenen. We had a wonderful visit with our Canadian relatives and went for a cruise on Marcia's brother's boat that Sunday.
The last wedding of this marathon was that of Melissa and John. Melissa is one of my employees. This was a fun wedding up in Lapeer, MI. (Marcia still has to work with me for another week at the office, filling in for Melissa. I hope she's still talking to me on the 4th of July.)
This Fall started with a Labor Day weekend visit to our DePauw relatives in Canada. Daryl and his boys joined Marcia and I as we enjoyed the warm weather, the pool, and good company.
As September came to a close I was surprised at my 50th birthday. Wade shared the surprise as he turned 30. Neither Wade nor I had any idea of the surprise party. Marcia even used my staff at the office to address envelopes.
The following weekend, my staff joined Marcia and I for a dental seminar on Mackinaw Island. We had a couple of babies along with their fathers to keep an eye on them while the rest of us went to the all-day seminar. We did have time to see some of the sights on the island and even gave Kareoke a try.
In October, Marcia and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in Hawaii. We spent 4 days on the Big Island in Kona and 5 days on Maui at Kaanapali. We went on a helicopter ride over Kilauea, the active volcano on the Big Island, and took the infamous drive on the road to Hana on Maui. We had a wonderful time...What more can I say?
When we returned, not only did we have to get ready for Thanksgiving, which we usually spend in West Virginia at my sister's, we had to get ready for my cousin's wedding on the same weekend. My sister's family came to spend Thanksgiving up here while I attended various activities associated with the wedding and was happy to be asked to be one of the groomsmen. We were all waiting for this day for some time. It took 9 years of courtship to lead up to the wedding. Good Luck to Jeff and Tracy!
1999
Jim's 57th Birthday.......Jan 9, 1999David and Leslie brought Hannah DePauw over to our house to celebrated her first birthday on Saturday February 27th. Her birthday is March 2. Her cousins Keahna and Dalton joined in the celebration. Wade & Emily and Matthew & Beth will be adding some cousins of their own this September.
On March 19th through the 21st, Marcia and I went to Ypsilanti to help Wade and Emily Paint the family room in their new home(as of Dec/98). We also made time to watch Michigan State in the NCAA tournament.
On May 2, 1999, we attended a surprise birthday party for Aunt Georgette. Her whole family came in from out of town to share in the celebration
Anne graduated from nursing school on May 5th.
Marcia and I and my staff attended a continuing education seminar in Traverse City on June 4, 1999. Marcia and I went over to Cheboygan after the seminar to visit her sister.
Two New DePauws......a girl and a boy Sept and Oct 99
Halloween '99 was spent at home with David and Leslie and their daughter, Hannah.
Marcia and I joined some of our Spartan friends and attended the Ohio State - Michigan State game on November 6. MSU got back on track with a win over OSU on a sunny afternoon in East Lansing. After the game we all went out for dinner. It was a fun day!
2000!
Before we could ring in the new Millennium, we had one last 20th Century Christmas Celebration. About 25 of us gathered from Christmas Eve night thru Christmas Day night at Marcia' s brother Daryl's house...not to mention the other 5 to 10 guests who came and went during this time. Daryl’s new date, Kathy, was among the guests. Marcia and her friend Karen are being labeled "matchmakers" since they were responsible for getting the two of them together. So far, they both seem to be enjoying each other’s company...... We all had a good time and sat down to a dinner with a 45 lbs turkey. The nights sleeping accommodation were prioritized by age. We "Seniors" actually had beds and couches, while the younger set had to bed down on mattresses on the floor.
We then returned to our own home to get ready for our Millennium Party. My sister and her husband, Bill, came up from West Virginia to spend the week at our house. We were joined by about 40 others on New Year’s Eve to toast the new century. We had 11 guests and three dogs bed down for the night after the party.
In February, Marcia and I joined her cousin's family (Cindy, Gary, Michelle, and Sam) in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World. We enjoyed their company and the weather was great!
Michigan
State - March Madness! MSU is now the National Champion this
year in College Basketball. They were also in the "Frozen Four"
tournament for Hockey .
Pat, Tom, Ron and trophies
Hind site: Last summer Marcia and I got away from it all and went on our St. Lawrence Trip. We went through Toronto, Montreal (to visit Marcia's Aunt Margaret and her cousins), Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Bar Harbor-Main, and back through Niagara Falls-NY, then home. Three Thousand miles in all, with stops at 3 bed & breakfasts, 3 motels, and the rest of the time in our camper.
By April 1st this year, Patrick was finished with another semester at Kettering University and was home for his co-op semester of work. Caryl and Bill came up from West Virginia to join Pat, Emily, Anne and Chris, Marcia and me at the Batmitzvah party for Ashley Herbst on Sunday, April 2. The service was on the 1st. Uncle Howard is also in the picture to the left. Both he and Aunt Rita attended as did many other friends and relatives.
On May 20, 2000, Daryl and Kathy were married at our home in a garden wedding. They merged two families of two boys each into one family with four sons. After raining all week, Saturday was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 60s. The food was excellent and the music was great. All in all it was a memorable day!
On Saturday, June 3, Marcia DePauw from Indian River, Michigan joined Marcia and me as we traveled to Ontario, Canada with Jackie & Doug Betts and Aunt Hanna & Uncle Jermain along with the Dan & Marti Soenen family. The Occasion: The wedding of Sharon Demaiter and Joseph Elku.
On
Saturday, June 17th, The Herbst clan joined the Carmichael clan for the wedding
of Rebecca Elaine Carmichael and Rudy Jacob Olivo in Columbus, Indiana.
We had a grand time. It was well worth the half days trip to and from
Columbus to be able to visit with all the relatives. Joanne Allen also
made the trip with me since Lynd was sick and unable to attend. Marcia
also came down with a bug and convalesced at home.
On Saturday, July 7, 2000, a new Levitt entered the scene. Her name: Lauren Ilana. Jeff and Tracy are the proud parents.
Marcia and I became Grand Parents for the first time on Monday, July 24, 2000. Her name is Marley Theryn DeClerck
2001
Well, before I get on with the year 2001, I thought I’d finish off 2000. In September, Marcia and I went to Virginia Beach and the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. We stopped at Yorktown, Williamsburg, Jamestown and Monticello. We saw the homes of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.
We closed out the year spending Thanksgiving down in West Virginia at my sister’s, Chanukah at Jeff's, and Christmas up north with Marcia DePauw. We always have fun during the holidays.
In January this year, 28 of us went up to the Hunting Cabin just for a fun weekend. We had 9 snowmobiles and 3 sleighs. During the day we took all the kids sledding and in the evening the adults took off on snowmobile trails. We put on over a hundred miles. Great food and good company.
In the middle of making plans for Anne's wedding, once again we have Michigan State moving along in both the Basketball Final Four and the Hockey Frozen Four.
While the Final Four was in progress, Kathy and Daryl joined Marcia, her friend Karen, and me for a Murder Mystery Weekend up north at the Thunder bay Golf Resort. There were 10 teams of 8 each to solve what turned out to be 3 murders at the resort. We were all provided with a gourmet dinner along with two breakfasts and a 1 1/2 hour wagon ride through their Elk Ranch. We locked the doors at night.
On April 28, 2001, my daughter Anne was wed to Christopher Healy. We had a great day all around and the wedding site is under construction
On May 10, 2001, Marley crawled for the first time
This is our Canadian summer.... with four visits.
1st was father's day weekend at the Pinery on Lake Huron.
2nd, July 27-29: Marcia and I joined our friends, Joel and Kathy from New Jersey to see the Lion King in Toronto. Marcia and I took a train from Windsor while Joel and Kathy flew in from Newark. We enjoyed the food, the show, and an overall good visit.
3rd, we went to Tobermory on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula at the gateway to Georgian Bay. Our friends Mark and Pam brought their boat and we went exploring the islands.
4th, Our national park tour...: Yellowstone, Glacier/Waterton, Banff, Lake Louise......
2002
 Click on Photo |
Our main vacation for the year 2001 was our tour of six national parks -- 3 in the US and 3 in Canada. We went to Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, and Glacier in the US and Waterton, Banff, and Jasper in Alberta Canada. We scheduled our vacation around Marcia's Uncle Jermain and Aunt Hanna's 50th wedding anniversary. We were joined at various times by Daryl and Kathy, Marcia and Cameron, and Emily. We returned home by plane on September 9th. |
We celebrated this past Christmas at Jim and Joyce DePauw's house. We all spent Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day there...as usual.
The last weekend in February was when we all went up into Northern Michigan for our snowmobile weekend. 24 of us stayed at the Hunting Cabin and took sleighs, sleds and snowmobiles off to some hills and went sledding.
Here are some recent photos of our Granddaughter Marley. Marcia and I took her for a walk in the park. Then she helped us celebrate both Emily's and Luke's birthdays.
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For the Forth of July week, Marcia & I and our friends Mark & Pam took the car ferry across to Manitoulin Island and Georgian in Canada and went camping. Mark brought his boat and we went exploring in Georgian Bay. I haven't been there in over 30 years. It's hardly changed at all. |
Click on above Photo for more pictures of Georgian Bay |
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(For more photos, click on photo above.) |
In August, Marcia and I purchased a relatively small cabin cruiser and spent most of the rest of summer boating on Lake St. Clair. |
| Marcia and I had our anniversary get away to the US Virgin
Island of St. Johns in October, 2002.
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Marcia and I took our office staff to Chicago in November for a dental seminar ... and some shopping of course. (For more photos, click on photo at left.)
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2003
The last weekend of May, Marcia and I went to Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate the Bar-mitzvah of my cousin's son Gregory Evan Levitt. They kept us busy from the time we arrived on Friday until we left on Sunday. On Saturday evening the whole party went bowling. It will remain a memorable occasion.
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Emily and Drew had their first child on July 1, 2003 |
This year Marcia and I became members of the Clinton River Boat Club. My
Dad was a member from 1958 though 1984 and I spent many years growing up on Club
Island.
2004
Last summer we took a couple of trips up north with our boat. We first went to Mackinaw Island and enjoyed going under the Mackinaw bridge. Then a week later, while still up north, we went to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan with our friends, Mark and Pam.
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Beaver Island
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St. John
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Christmas-2003
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Chanuka-2003
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In October, Marcia and I once again went to St. John in the US Virgin Islands. We went to my sister's in West Virginia for Thanksgiving and she and her family joined us along with Marcia's family for Christmas at our house...35 in total spent the night... It was Sophia's 1st Christmas. We went to Jeff's for the Chanuka family get together in 2003.
In February this year, about 30 of us went up north for our winter-snow fun outing.
This summer we went for a 2 week trip to Georgian Bay in Canada.
Click on photo above for more photos
2005
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In November of 2004, my office took part in the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade. Click on photo above to see the building of our float and some of the parade.... and Merry Christmas Click on above photo |
Christmas 2004 We first spent Christmas early at Jim and Joyce's. Then
up north to Marcia's. We finished back at our own home with just our
family.
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Jan 8, 2005 Emily and Drew were married on the US Virgin Island of St. John Click on above photo
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Sophia's 1st apple tree swing May 2, 2005 Click on above video |
On Saturday, the 19th of November, we took Emily and Sophia to the Penn State - Michigan State game. Even though we lost the game, we had fun with Sophia. It was her 1st game and we watched Penn State win the Big Ten Championship.
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Griswald....10/24/05...... Shaking off the snow...
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2006-2007
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We colored Easter eggs at Emily's with Sophia and Anne & Nathaniel after going to the Village to see the Easter Bunny.
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| In July we joined our friends, Tom and Mickey, and went once again to
Georgian Bay. This time we went through the North Channel. I
introduced Tom to areas he had never seen and he did the same for me.
We had both been to these areas as young boys with our parents.
Click on photo above for a slide show
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After we returned, Marcia decided to take Emily & Sophia up to
Killarney in Georgian Bay by car. They stayed at the Killarney
Mountain Lodge (The former Fruehauf's summer home).
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Caryl and Bill came to visit in August along with grandchildren, Andrew and Jordan. We went to Greenfield Village and spend a day at my cousin Jeff's where we celebrated my Aunt Rita's 80th birthday. Brian came up from Atlanta with his family to join us. Several cousins and friends were there as well.
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Once again Marcia and I traveled to St. John in the Virgin Islands to celebrate our anniversary in October.
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Happy Birthday! We all Joined Anne and Chris to celebrate Nathaniel's 1st
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This year we spent the week between Christmas and New Years in the San Diego area visiting Karl and Pamela at a cabin we rented near them. Emily and Sophia joined us at the cabin as well. We traveled to Hollywood to see where Em and Drew lived and visited Universal Studios.
Click on photo above for a slide show |
