Dec. 2009 Newman News

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We hope past year was good for everyone. Our family has definitely had a blessed & busy 2009. Left picture: Lily and her Aunt Ruth, summer 2009.

Jeff’s mother moved to Texas in Nov. 2008 to live with us while she dealt with breast cancer. She responded well to daily chemo pills that shrunk her tumors and continues to keep their growth under control. Hooray! She sold her home in Panama City, FL and rented an apartment near us in June. A month later she adopted Miss Scarlett, a delightful, bouncy Shih-tzu puppy. She’s a real cutie-pie with a spunky and active disposition that makes us laugh all the time.

Jeff was offered a job last summer with a company called NEI and he jumped at the opportunity. He had worked with them when he was with Aculab and developed friendships with many of the people. The company is five minutes from our home (NO COMMUTING!), he often comes home to eat lunch with me, they have awesome employee benefits (incredible in these days), and he LOVES his work!

Our daughter Lily is 19 and attends college full time. After receiving a scholarship for the academic year, she quit her coffee shop job to take more classes in hope of graduating by spring of 2011 with an Associate’s Degree in Game Arts and Animation. Lily is adding several extra art classes and it’s been exciting to watch her develop her creative gifts by learning new skills. She created the little bunny silk screen image to the left. Lily has a new boyfriend, a delightful young man by the name of Andrew Lindwall. He attends UTD where he is working on a degree in Criminal Justice. He and Lily share lots of common interests and get along really well.

My sister Ruth lived in San Antonio, TX for much of the year, the closest she has lived near me since she was 9 years old! We were able to enjoy long visits, go sight-seeing, and just hang out. It was awesome! I adore my little sister and felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to bond and create memories with her of our time together in Texas. Now she is in Boise, Idaho where our brother Eric lives. She is considering buying a home in the Boise area. Eric plans to attend the University of Idaho in January where he will work towards his Master’s in Biology. Our Mom is doing well in Riverton, Wyoming. Mom & I are good friends who enjoy daily talks on the phone with each other. I do plan to get up to see her in the coming year.

Me? Well I’m still the Storyteller in Residence for the Dallas Museum of Art, where I also teach several workshops & camps for both adults and children, and act as a creative consultant for their Community Outreach Education Dept. In March, I‘ll be their Artist of the Month. During this time, I’ll develop projects that merge storytelling with multimedia to create performance art works that involve the interaction & cooperation of the public. I am SUPER excited about this opportunity!

May the New Year bring you & yours many blessings and joy. ~ Jeff , Ann & Lily

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt