Damian Williams and Family Christmas Letter

Williams Family Christmas 2001 The annual Williams letter has now gone to the Web. If you are reading this on a piece of paper and you would prefer to access this information at www.williamsclan.org, please let us know to remove you from the list. Pictures are also available on the web site. To pick up where we left off in December 2000 . . . Jennifer celebrated her 16th birthday at Disneyland with her friend, Alexys and she did, indeed, officially start dating. That is, if you call going out with a guy once or twice, then ignoring his phone calls for weeks on end "dating." Lisa, along with sister, Pam and brother-in-law, Ken flew out to Las Vegas for her Mom's and oldest sister, Gloria's birthdays, both on the 19th. It was great seeing everyone, especially Gloria and her daughter, Cindy. Santa was very, very good to us, as usual. He must not be watching all the time. In addition to our usual rounds of parties and gatherings, we've added our new (two years!) neighbors, the Wilkes, to our list of "must do" holiday celebrating. Once again on New Year's Eve we returned to Mike and Sheila's, this time for a night of karaoke. The karaoke machine allows teams to compete and rates each "singer" with a score. Once everyone figured out it was not how well you sang but how LOUD you sang the noise really started to flow. For those who have been around for a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday, you can imagine this was no Vienna Boys Choir here. In January, Kim started cheerleading classes. She thoroughly enjoys it, but gets tired a lot. Jennifer went to the THS Winter Formal with Arteen, who she met at Disneyland through her friend Alexys. While at the Wilkes' Christmas drop in, Damian had spied out how Werner had tapped in to his garage attic space. Now that the parties were over he took these stolen plans, cashed in all the Home Depot gift certificates received from holidays, and conned Mike W. and Mike B. into helping him get the job done. The boys cut in to the ceiling, put in flooring and a drop down ladder. They installed lights and have named it "The Club House." Now Damian has more room for his stuff, but cannot figure out how all that room was taken up with holiday boxes. We hosted the Superbowl party in true Williams' fashion. The women slept on the couch in front of the TV while the men watched the game out in the garage, smoking cigars, eating chips, and drinking frosty beverages. The main event in February was the baptism for nephew Nick and nieces Georgia and Miranda. It was followed by a party/bar-b-q at Mike and Sheila's. This month Jennifer got her permit and started driving school - watch out, she is on the road now! Lisa and Damian had the chance to get a night out to the Improv to see one of our favorite comedy stars, Christopher Titus. He makes our lives seem so normal. Now that is a job well done! Lisa, Pam and Ken made another trip out to Las Vegas to be with her Mom (Hazel) during surgery. The procedure ended up being postponed and they had to go home before she went in to the hospital. Everything went well and Hazel is doing just fine. Mary, Heather, and EV hosted a St. Patrick's Day bash. If you enjoy corned beef, cabbage, deserts, and good company this was the place to be. This is the day we discovered Lufthouse frosted cookies. An exceptional soft cookie, that has a creamy frosting and comes in single serving packages of 12. Kim performed in her first cheer show this March. She was disappointed that her team didn't win, but they still had a great time. We had some fun school activities with a skate night and a McDonald's night - with dinner served by the teachers and principal! There were so many children at the McDonalds that Damian worried the playground equipment would buckle under the weight. April was busier than ever this year. Jen and Lisa went to Jen's soccer banquet at THS. It is amazing that in this day and age that high school sports still revolve around the boys. It seems like after an evening of all the boys' coaches giving speeches about how well their team had done and calling each boy by name the head coach got up and said "Oh yea, let's give the girls team a hand." It came as a big surprise to us that after all the talking Jen can do on the phone, her jaw bones are not large enough and so she had to have her wisdom teeth taken out. We're not sure if she was wiser before or after the removal. Nephews Jake and Nick, along with Mary, Heather, Tricia and Pat, joined us at St. Thomas Moore for an Easter Egg Hunt. It took Autumn a little while to get the hang of the whole lookin' for eggs in the grass thing and the eggs were almost all found before she would walk on the damp grass. Afterwards Georgia and Mike joined us at home as we dyed eggs. Easter came and we went to sunrise service. The kids were very disappointed that you can't actually see the sunrise on the cold and gloomy spring morning. Kim and her 5th grade classmates went to "outdoor ed" science camp for a week. Each student in Autumn's class was given the assignment of constructing a package to protect an egg dropped from the school's roof. Since parents were encouraged to help Damian immediately took over the project. The boy's (Damian, Mike W. and Mike B.) motto of "Don't engineer when you can OVER engineer" kicked in to full gear here. The ball, which held the egg, was made out of two kinds of foam. It did not look pretty, but met all regulations and DID protect the egg from the fall. Autumn was 1 of only 7 children (in a group of 80) who received a certificate for safely landing an egg without it breaking. Lisa felt Damian's "In your face" comments to the other 6 year olds was totally inappropriate and put a quick stop to it. In preparation for the opening of our new elementary school, Myford, Lisa joined the parent steering committee. She and the other parents helped develop the PTO bylaws, prepared for the school uniform vote, and got things ready for the start of a new school. Chris had his 8th birthday party playing miniature golf, go carts, laser tag and video games at Palace Park with his sisters and his friends Ryan, Justin, Sean and Jeffrey. Jennifer completed her catechism in Confirmation, with her chosen sponsor, Grandma Williams. The family had a lunch following at Chris & Pitts - a Williams's family favorite. It is not exactly fine dining, but they tolerate us well and make the biggest and best chocolate shake in town. In May, Autumn and her classmates had a beach party. Since Lisa now works at home on Fridays, she was able to join the stay-at-home Moms who can take their kindergarteners on a trip to the beach for lunch before its time to pick up the older kids from school. Chris and his second grade classmates hosted a Mother's Day tea. Each child read a poem to his mom, most with those tear-jerking words like "Mom, you rock." We celebrated Chris' First Communion this month. So, it was back to Chris and Pitts again. Damian bought a moped and now breezes past the traffic to and from work. It seems everyone was busy in June, with the end of the school year. Kim went to her second cheer show, after a rocky couple of months. Her group lost two cheer instructors, missed three weeks of practice and had to learn a whole new routine in just three weeks. By the time the cheer show came, there were only three girls left on her team - but they took second place in competition!!! She then took her cheer routine to the school talent show. Jennifer went on a Life Teen retreat with church, had a year-end Model United Nations banquet, and she went to the Mission Viejo H.S. prom with a friend she met at an MUN conference. She still has no prom pictures, but that is what happens when you do not call the boys back. Autumn and Kim both had graduations - Autumn from kindergarten and Kim from 5th grade. Damian did not know what to do with all the pre-teen girls crying around him, since they're just going across the street to 6th grade. Kim and her friends also had a great year-end swim party at the Tustin Hills Tennis Club. Lisa and Damian had their 12th wedding anniversary and have decided that the best dinner ever is "room service." Thanks to our friend Janet, for setting us up at the Newport Beach Marriott. This month was the third, and final if you ask Damian, time our house was egged. It was at this point that Damian developed a keen interest for wireless surveillance. If you do stop by some time, please smile as you walk up to the house, we do enjoy seeing smiling faces. After many months of talking about getting a job, Jennifer started work at our local Albertson's. Store Manager Yvette (a friend of Mike's from the olden days) was so impressed that Jennifer came to the interview appropriately dressed with no visible body piercings, that she tried to start Jennifer in the bakery. However, Jennifer was too young. So, she is a "courtesy clerk" - bagging groceries and fetching carts. This also meant that Damian had to give up the moped and go back to the van. Fourth of July came and our Tioga block did not continue the block party tradition we thought had started last year. So, it was back to Keelson Avenue for the parade, volleyball, fireworks, and of course, food with people who know what traditions are all about. The annual WGA picnic was an Angel's baseball game. The last time we tried to go to a baseball game, we had to leave because the kids kept trying to climb the rail from our nosebleed seats. This time, we made it through the whole game with everyone in their seats. Kim again tried to get into Girl Scout horse riding camp, but was placed into a camper sampler program. Damian and Lisa are starting to think that is the only program that camp really offers, but Kim enjoyed it all and got to spend the week with her friend, Katie. Unfortunately, she missed out on family night at the Circus while she was gone. We gave her the free tee shirt, but it just was not the same as being there. One day in August, Jenn was riding the moped to church and when she did not come to a complete stop at a stop sign, a police officer pulled her over. After a while of questioning and calling back into the station, the officer concluded that Jennifer was supposed to have a motorcycle license to ride the moped. He didn't give her a ticket, but he sent her home crying. Lisa then phoned the Irvine Police Department to ask them why they had different rules than the California DMV. The police clerk said she had just looked up the vehicle code when the officer called into the station a few minutes ago. Come to find out, we owned a moped that none of us were allowed to ride without a motorcycle license. This began complaint #1 to the DMV (it is a short novel in itself) as their Web site made no mention of this licensing requirement. We moved on to the event of the year - the Williams Family reunion. The first half was in Rock Hill, South Carolina. First, we visited Grandma Caroline and all the relatives from Mom Williams' family. Then, on to The Big House, where the California/Arizona Williams hosted Mexican night. The "main event" was Grandma Peggy's 90th birthday party. The men roasted a pig, supervised by the pig cooken' expert himself Greg Ayers, while the kids played on the bat swing and took rides on the 4-wheeler ATV. For the second half of the trip, the California/Arizona group packed up and moved out to a beach house in Myrtle Beach. Most of us have never experienced the warm, calm water of the Atlantic. Everyday we walked across the street to the beach and spent the day in the water, stopping only to eat. Lisa, Jennifer and Kim came home with temporary tattoos and hair braids. The adults went out a couple of the evenings, one was to "Dick's Last Resort" where they are famous for their rudeness. During our trip, we read in the local paper that our airline had gone bankrupt and was canceling most of their flights. Luckily, we were on the last plane to LA and arrived home without a major ordeal. After we returned home and recuperated from all that family togetherness, Damian hosted the WGA fantasy football draft pick. Damian and Lisa went to a local college this month and viewed pianos previously played by little old ladies taking their first classes. They found such a great deal they had to pick one up. It arrived as the fantasy football draft ended and now occupies the "Big Empty". September is always jam-packed with school, sports and birthdays. We started the month by taking the kids to the Orange Food Fair on Labor Day weekend. This is the first time they were really old enough to go (except in stroller) and they still never really understood the concept. "You mean we just walk around and buy whatever food we want and eat it???" This was an exciting back-to-school for everyone. Jennifer returned to Tustin High School as a Junior. Kim moved up to Pioneer Middle School - just opened last year. Chris and Autumn started third and first grade at the new Myford Elementary school, right in our neighborhood. Lisa's work on the steering committee culminated with a welcome dinner for the 400+ families joining Myford, and she has now taken a position on the PTO Board as the Auditor. Jennifer returned to the THS JV soccer team and Chris started AYSO soccer. In the midst of our busy lives, the world suddenly changed on that historic day, 9/11. Our American flag still flies and we pray for peace. Jennifer got her driver's license after two tries. But, due to the DMV living up to our expectations, it took at least 6 trips to the DMV office and several complaint letters and calls to actually get the license. It seems that you are not supposed to apply for two licenses (Car and Motorcycle) within six months of each other. Who knew? Not the people at the DMV. This month our friends Brande Lia and Tuan Dang were married. Mary was the Maid of Honor, and gave the speech "Twu Wuv" quoted directly from The Princess Bride. As usual, the month ends with birthdays and Cake Week. Autumn had a roller skating party for her 6th birthday. It was the first time skating for many of Autumn's friends, but they stayed out on the floor almost the entire time. Thank goodness bones heal quickly when you're young. Kim turned 11 and had two small parties - one at Color Me Mine and one at the bowling alley. Color Me Mine is a local craft shop were you paint porcelain and then they fire it for you. Damian and Lisa went to the Matchbox 20 concert, but that was mostly for Lisa. You may have heard the saying that "if the music is too loud you are too old." Well, Damian must be too old. He even brought earplugs with him to, as he says it, "tone it down a bit." This was a year of life's "ups and downs" and October was no exception. Lisa's sister, Gloria, passed away after a nearly two-year long battle with cancer. She will truly be missed. Lisa spent quite a bit of time alone, but with busy hands. Busy painting the downstairs, that is. She finished just before her classes started. Yes, that's right Lisa returned to school and hopes to keep at it until she gets her degree. She was expecting to be older than most students, but she wasn't expecting to be older than the teacher. After three years of the kids' begging, we finally got a new puppy. She is a Jack Russell Terrier and after much debate, we named her Foxy. Autumn, who was a big proponent for the dog, is so afraid of her that she will not go in the same room with her if no one is holding the dog. At the end of the month, everyone was in the Halloween spirit. Kim and Autumn were both cats, Chris was a Ninja (again!), and Jenn just wandered the streets with her friends. Lisa even won the costume contest at work dressed as Lucy. Each year Damian must "top" the previous year. Now, he has constructed an electronically animated ghost. Some of our neighbors are pretty stiff competition and this may eventually develop into a full-blown haunted house. In November, Damian went on a business trip to the WGA annual meeting in Maui, and Lisa just had to tag along for the ride. Besides hanging out at the hotel, spa, pools and beach, we also went on a helicopter tour and boat cruises, and even an agricultural tour (after all, it was a Western Growers trip). It was so beautiful. We even had time to pick our retirement spot, just 20 more years! Everyone pitched in to watch the kids while we were gone, Grandma Williams, Aunts Jeanne, Tricia and Heather. Heather wasn't too thrilled with the "yippy dog" that was one week new to our home, not housebroken, and had learned to climb up the stairs. We tried to call home to talk to the kids every evening (I said tried). One evening Kim was on the phone and we could tell she was just crying. When we asked her why, she said "Sometimes a girl just has to cry." Kim had a little fun, too. She went with her friend, Danielle, to the Britney Spears concert. She came home with no voice and a Britney tee shirt. It's amazing how tiny a $35 shirt can be. Thanksgiving was at Mom and Dad Williams. Damian and Mike spent the week de-boning birds to make "tur-duck-en." It's a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. Eventually, it was all stuffed into our stomachs. Chris' "Tsunami" soccer team took second place in their division and he brought home a big trophy. Not bad for his first year in organized sports. This brings us back to December. The celebrating has already begun. As of December 1, the lights and tree are up and we've watched the Grinch, this year at home. (And Autumn would like everyone to know that she is neither Cindy Lou Who, nor Cindy Brady.) Apparently, we are late, as some of our neighbors had Christmas lights up and on before Thanksgiving. For Jennifer's birthday, we had a family dinner night at BJ's; a local restaurant/brewhouse. They make a fabulous desert called a Pizzookie. It's your favorite cookie, cooked to a not quite done, topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Real comfort food! You know what they say about paybacks? Now, we are babysitting little Nick while Tricia and Pat go to their Christmas party. And, it looks like they're setting us up to watch two small children next year. Autumn has finally made friends with Foxy and now carries the dog everywhere. It brings to mind Lenny from the book "Of Mice and Men." I sure hope she gets to tend them rabbits. We leave you with "Kimo's Maui Rules" Never judge a day by the weather. The best things in life aren't things. Tell the truth - there's less to remember. Speak softly and wear a loud shirt. (Damian's favorite) Goals are deceptive - the unaimed arrow never misses. He who dies with the most toys - still dies. Age is relative - when you're over the hill, you pick up speed. There are two ways to be rich - make more or desire less. Beauty is internal - looks mean nothing. No rain - no rainbows. Damian, Lisa, Jennifer, Kim, Chris, Autumn and Foxy