1997

When Christmas morn is dawning I wish that I could be
There by the manger cradle God's Son, newborn, to see.
How kind of you, our Savior, For us to come to earth
Oh, may we not by sinning Despise your lowly birth.
We need you, 0 Lord Jesus, to be our dearest friend
Your love will guard and guide us and keep us to life's end.
--Abel Burckhardt (19th c.)

14 December 1997

Merry Christmas!

It gets harder each year to remember just exactly what happened during the year. There were some momentous times to remember, I think.

We did have a trip or two: In February a usual dental trip into Chicago, and an unusual trip (for us) for Iowa dental alumni to Scottsdale, AZ. Vince's class also made it a 40th class reunion and that was fun.

In June we went on an 18 day trip with my sister and brother-in-law (Sharon and Dalen) to the northwest. We saw, sometimes briefly, Glacier, Lake Louise, Banff, Vancouver, Victoria, Portland, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Big Horns, Spearfish-Passion Play, Black Hills, the Corn Palace, and a few places in between. We traveled in Dalen's RV - now that's togetherness!

It was fun to see Annie (my friend of old) and Bob in July - they stopped in for an overnight - we visited and visited. Annie wanted to see the Medical Museum at the University - that was interesting and we had never seen it. We also went to the Amanas a little bit. Annie and I roomed together at LBI, & I was her maid of honor, she was my matron of honor.

Vince took early retirement the end of August - he was given a nice retirement party - such plaudits! I've been told that retirement is twice the husband at half the pay. And the very next week we drove to Centreville, VA to visit Dawn and her family. (Any time we see any of our kids is a treat - it isn't nearly often enough.) Dawn's kids are growing up, too fast we think. Heather is 13, a sweet young lady, and Andy is 9 (nearly 10). Andy is going to be a proficient fisherman - Grandpa showed him how to cast.

Since October we have been trying to be as much help as we could to Jené - she had a high risk pregnancy and had to go on bed rest. The day before Thanksgiving she gave birth to John William Daub, III. He was a preemie and had to spend about 10 days in Intensive Care, but is now home and doing well. He seems so small - how soon we forget how tiny newborns are. BrandiAnne is 2 and is getting used to have a little brother around. John got a teaching position in Traer, IA and so they moved there in August. It is different not to have them in Iowa City, but it is only an hour and half away.

Mark is still in Carson City, teaching and doing some performing. Arik is still in Portland, helping to manage a rental company. We haven't seen them this year except for a brief stop in Portland when we were on our RV trip.

1994

It gets harder to remember what happened as the year speeds by. It's a good thing I have a calendar. It reminds me we took a few trips - some long, some short. Vince's annual March dental meeting was in Seattle - that was fun for me. Annie, my matron of honor at our wedding lives there and entertained me royally. Such gabbing! Vince took off one day from the meeting and Annie and Bob took us to Leavenworth, a beautiful little town SE of Seattle that looks like Bavaria in S. Germany.

Spring break is also in March and we flew out to visit Arik and Miranda in L.A. We felt a 5.3 aftershock from their big quake in January. Whew! Our short trips were mostly to Windom to visit my folks (or my 45th (Uffda) high school class reunion), or to Decorah. Vince has what he calls his "fishing shack" - we rent a 1-bedroom apartment in Decorah. And he has caught, and we have eaten, some trout this summer and fall. They are good!

This has been a year of changes for our children, excepting Mark. He is still in Carson City, NV, teaching voice and doing some performing.

Arik and Miranda decided to get out of LA and moved to Portland, Oregon, the first of September. We have yet to visit there. They were back here for a weekend in September for the wedding of his friend, Marty.

Dawn, Bob, Heather and Andy moved back from Guam, and now live in Centreville, VA (near Dulles airport). They stopped here for 3 weeks enroute the end of June and first part of July. What fun!

Jené and John also moved back from Guam, arriving about the same time as Dawn - they had vacationed in Hawaii and LA (with A & M) on their way. They are presently living in Iowa City where Jene is a Special Ed teacher - John is substitute teaching and works most every day. He is still looking for a full-time teaching position, so time will tell where they will be next year. We appreciate having them so close.

Vince still teaches full time but retirement is getting close scrutiny - early retirement if the Univ. would approve at least a phased retirement.

There have been some sad times: Vince's aunt and uncle in Decorah both died - Mable at Christmas last year and Bill in February. And in September his brother Spence died in Tucson. We flew down for the Memorial Service. Vince alone survives in his immediate family.

1981

Wednesday, 16 December 1981

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hey, this has been a good year! We have been able to do a lot of fun things, most of them having to do with getting together with family, relatives, and friends.

1. Vince's high school class reunion at Decorah - it is interesting to say the least to see these friends from long ago, some who are seen every once in awhile, some every five years, and in the case of one classmate the first time since graduation.

2. Vince's Johnson Cousin family reunion in Decorah during the Nordic Fest - quite often a relationship like that meets only at funerals. In my family history project, I tried to collect at least the names of all the descendants of Gus Johnson - that was fun, too!

3. A couple of weddings in Decorah - Robyn Thorsten's in July and Joelle Monhardt's in August.

4. An anniversary or two - our 25th we celebrated a couple of times. On the first of Sept. (the actual date) we met the Wangnesses and the Christensons from Decorah at Independence and had dinner together, with much enjoyable conversation. The three men all have September birthdays so it was two celebrations.

On Labor Day weekend, Dawn hosted a celebration here, with my folks and sisters and families. Bob brought a beautiful cake, Dalen brought a beautiful centerpiece; Dawn and Mark sang - the song from Fiddler on the Roof, "Do You Love Me?" All fun!

In September also, the golden wedding anniversary of Vince's uncle and aunt, Bill and Mabel Johnson at Decorah.

5. The usual vacation - this time back to the Brainerd area for a week.

6. Vince's week fishing - this time he and Dalen floating the Madison (I think) in Nontana with Lyle and Steve (Lyle's son-in-law.)

7. A couple of trips to Grinnell - the first to help Joshua celebrate his first birthday, and Ryan his third; the second for Memorial Day. That was when Vince was fishing so it was the kids and I (Pam says that was the first time she had seen me overeat!)

8. Visits - first from my LBI rommate, Annie and her daughter. We talked a mile a minute, I'm sure - we had to, she only stayed over night. The second - Lyle for a weekend while on a business trip out this way.

9. Some exciting 'cultural' events - Leontyne Price, the opera singer, and Ella Fitzgerald, the jazz singer were here at Hancher within a week of each other. Such talent! Then Mark was stand-in for one of the leads in the University production of the opera, Magic Flute. The lead didn't get sick so Mark didn't perform, but he was in the chorus so we went to see it. He had the lead in Oklahoma! put on by Iowa City Community Theater - that was fun. I only went 4 times. Now he has a supporting role in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - we are going to see that on New Year's Eve. That is also by the Community Theater.

There have been some things that weren't fun - the funeral of Paul Strand, our Decorah friend, neighbor and lawyer, whose plane went down over Texas and wasn't found for 6 weeks. We think often of the void in the lives of Joyce and the five kids.

Vince had surgery in October - gall stones. He is back to work full time and doing well. The difficult part was the diagnosing. They didn't show on xray or sonar scan, or any of the tests, so the doctors were hesitant to perform surgery. He felt lousy off and on for a couple of years, and is glad it is behind him.

That's about the year - a couple of business trips for Vince to Chicago and Des Moines, a speaking engagement at Decorah, and oh, showing the Museum and Decorah to a Norwegian family who were here at the U. for six months or so - I guess that's it.

Oh, how could I forget - six home Football Games! HOW ABOUT THEM HAWKS!?!

Do have a merry, merry Christmas - "for unto to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is CHRIST THE LORD!"