McElyea Family Archives

Merry Christmas to all! Here is a neat site that I'm sure you will enjoy.http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0212320003

I hope that by now all are finished with your shopping, wrapping and etc. That you can sit back and just wait for Jolly St. Nick to get here and be gone until next year. No, I don't mean to sound like a Grinch but I am so tired of the commercializm of the season. It is such a shame that the whole idea of Christmas is lost in the hustle and bustle of vendors plying their wares! Thank God for His Son and the wonder of His birth! Thank God for our families, our health, wealth?, and the happiness and freedoms we share. I know that we don't have everything we might want to make us happy but I truly beleive that I have all I need. For that I am Thankful! I do hope you will all enjoy the holidays and remember the meaning of Christmas. Love your families and share with those less fortunate!

From Wanda Mitchell about the greats and grandkids! Dewayne is the son of Paula Howell Weiner. Justin is the son, of Darlene Howell Eaves.
Dewayne crossed over from Webelos to Boy Scouts.
Justin won two second place awards in Drama and Literature from the skit he wrote and did at a Drama tournament at Arlington High School, Also he is on the Honor roll and Darlene now sports a sticker on her car saying " My child is an Honor Student at " But I don't remember the name of his school.

Christopher is due home tomorrow night (Dec. 19) for a short Christmas leave. He is due to graduate in mid Jan or Feb. from Linguistics school and then head to Goodfellow Air force Base in San Angelo for around six months. (Christopher is the son of Steve and Heidi Mitchell)

From Judy Finley:

Hi, Ann......We had a wonderful trip and visit with Adam and his family! That baby.......I believe Jonathan is the happiest and most contented baby I have ever seen. We were worried that it might take a while for him to warm up to us, having never seen us before, but it was love at first sight!! It's as if he somehow knew who we were. Marshall had to leave on the 17th but I stayed until the 27th. Before he left, though, we managed to get to the Dead Sea, Masada and Jerusalem. I'll send some pictures. Adam and I got back to Caesarea. We didn't get to stay long, but we had a good time. I started having crying fits days before I had to leave....could hardly stand to leave Jonathan. His mama and daddy are sure crazy about him....I get a kick out of seeing Adam be so sappy with him! He used to nearly gag when we'd talk to Hunter or Bryson the way you have to talk to a sweet cuddly baby. He's found out now that you can't help it!! Here's a picture of Adam, Michal and Jonathan. What a nice looking family!

Engagement???

There is a rumor that Holly McElyea, daughter of Darrell and Judy Catherine McElyea is engaged. Hopefully, I can get a confirmation of this engagement along with the proposed date of a wedding. The fiancee's name would be nice also. In any event, if this is correct, I want to wish Holly and her intended good luck with their plans.

Since there isn't much in the way of news from families, I am going to take advantage of some free space to include some things I think are good enough to share. This first one I received today, Dec. 18. I hope you will enjoy.

Santa & Grandma
>
>I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I
>remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big
>sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even
>dummies know that!"
>
>My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day
>because I knew she would be straight with me.
>I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went
>down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous"
>cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It
>had to be true.
>
>Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her
>everything She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted. "Ridiculous!
>Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes
>me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where,
>Grandma?" I asked I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon
>bun.
>
>"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town
>that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its
>doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.
>
>"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it.
>I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and
>walked out of Kerby's.
>
>I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but
>never had I shopped for anything all by myself.
>The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their
>Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused,
>clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to
>buy it for.
>
>I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids
>at school, and the people who went to my church. I was just about thought
>out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath
>and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two
>class.
>
>Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to
>recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the
>teacher that he had a cough, but all us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't
>have a cough; he had no coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing
>excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
>
>I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm,
>and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady
>behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
>
>"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me.
>I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry
>Christmas.
>
>That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons
>(a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and
>wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always
>insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house,
>explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's
>helpers.
>
>Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept
>noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.
>
>Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get
>going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present
>down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the
>bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the
>front door to open.
>
>Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill
>of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's
>bushes.
>
>That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus what
>Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on
>his team.
>
>I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.
>

Have You Seen? The "W" in Christmas........

"Each December, I vowed to make Christmas
a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations -
extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

Yet still, I found myself exhausted,
unable to appreciate the precious family moments,
and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year.
It was an exciting season for a six year old.
For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him
I'd be working the night of the production.

Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher.
She assured me there would be a dress rehearsal the morning of the pageant.
All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early,
found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down.
Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.
As I waited, the students were led into the room.
Each class, accompanied by their teacher,
sat cross-legged on the floor.
Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped
referring to the holiday as "Christmas,"
I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment -
songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer.
So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love,"
I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates,
adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters,
and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters,
one by one, to spell out the title of the song.
As the class would sing "C is for Christmas,"
a child would hold up the letter C.
Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on,
until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly,
we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row
holding the letter "M" upside down -
totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W."
The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered
at this little one's mistake.

But she had no idea they were laughing at her,
so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W."
Although many teachers tried to shush the children,
the laughter continued until the last letter was raised,
and we all saw it together.
A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.
In that instant, we understood the reason we were there,
why we celebrated the holiday in the first place,
why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high,
the message read loud and clear:

"CHRIST WAS LOVE" And, I believe, He still is.

God Bless each of you during this holiday season."

January Birthdays and Anniversaries

1 Dean Smith
5 Violet McElyea Walker
7 Mary Sue Holland McElyea
10 Paige Nicole Mitchell
14 Robert Gaines
16 Wanda McElyea Mitchell
19 DeWayne Stratton
23 Phil Harguess
25 Jason Derek Riggs
27 Phillip Roath
29 Dwight Smith
31 Dawn DeLay Mitchell

Anniversaries

2 Don and Mona Whitehead Tharp

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to each and everyone!

November 2003

Hope that everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving! We did! MariAnn surprised us with visit, coming in on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving and leaving Sunday morning afterward. We had a great time. Mother came over and celebrated with us. Not many but enough! Clinton, Angela, MariAnn, Madaleine, Tom, Austin, Mother and myself. Even though from looking at the food you would have thought I expected an army. We could have fed many more.

Vivian and Randy made it back safely from Amarillo. They spent Thanksgiving with Kim and family.

Thank the Lord, Jeremy Kessler escaped serious injury when his truck tire blew out. He was headed back to Texas Tech and had a blow out which caused his truck to roll twice. He is a great beleiver of seat belts now as he said if he had not been wearing it he probably wouldn't be here.

MariAnn made it back to Houston just fine.

Kaven, Dawn and family made it home safely from Florida. They went to Disneyworld. This seems to be a yearly vacation for them.

Cathy McElyea Prichard was hospitalized with a kidney problem recently. She has improved and is back at M.D. Anderson hard at work. Halei is attending college at North Texas State in Denton.

No more in the way of news but I wanted to go ahead and send this for the December birthdays. I am sure that Judy and Marshall are back from Israel. Hope to hear about the trip soon!

Wedding Announcement

Congratulations to Drake Roath and Tara King on their wedding which took place on September 5, 2003. They were married by Drake's dad, Phillip, in Pasadena at the South Belt church of Christ. They live in Webster, Texas.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

3 Prairie Gaines
6 Kim and Phil Harguess (Anniversary)
7 Denyce and Bob Guyer (Anniversary)
10 Kaitlin Sedgewick
11 CoriAnn Viner Blake
12 Austin Riker Alexander
12 Judy and Marshall Finley (Anniversary)
13 Laurie Morris Day
14 Hunter Holcomb
16 Kim Smith
16 Jesse Huckel
17 Marshall Adam Finley
21 Sarah Firks Tharp
22 Bill Viner
22 Clay Waters
23 Skye Day, daughter of Jason Day
25 John Viner
27 Misty and Chad Hunley (Anniversary)
28 Brittney Lowe
29 Syrina Smith
29 Chad Hunley
31 Madaleine and Tom Alexander (Anniversary)

Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary to each and everyone!

October update! Oct. 26, 2003

Medical news!

Sharon McElyea Viner has been in the hospital for the past two or three days in San Antonio after suffering a heart attack. She had surgery to implant a stint to hold open a blocked artery. Only one artery was involved but it was 90% blocked. I have talked with her today, the 26th and she is doing well. She thinks she will go home tomorrow. Thank God for her good fortune in her attack not being severe. Pray that she continues to improve and will have a long life with good health!

Uncle Randy is at home now. He is still having some soreness and stomach problems due to one of his medications. But, as a whiole he is recovering nicely.

Janie Whitehead Smith is having bladder surgery on the 28th. She has been needing this surgery for quite a time but of course, has put it off.

Letter from Judy!

Hi, Ann.....Guess what??????? Marshall and I are both getting to go to Israel next month! We found some really great round trip fares, and Adam is helping to pay for one of the tickets. Somehow he strong-armed (from Israel via phone!) his dad into agreeing to come. We are ALL so excited we can hardly sleep! We are flying out from Dallas on the 9th, will stop briefly in Memphis, then fly over to Amsterdam. We will have a 6 1/2 hour layover there, and plan to take a short bus tour and pick up a few souvenirs. Then on to Tel Aviv! It will be about 14 - 15 hours altogether, and we land in Tel Aviv at 1:20 am.......GROANNNN!!!!!!
Marshall is flying back on the 17th, but I am staying until the 27th. I suspect that by the time I am getting ready to leave, Jonathan and I will have to be surgically separated! Boy, I can hardly wait! Aside from just dying to meet my new grandson, I am really missing my son (although I know from experience that approximately 30 min. after getting there, I will be wanting to split his skull with a brick!). Adam wants his dad to see the Dead Sea, but I am not sure we will get down there.....hope we can! I wouldn't mind a return trip to Masada, and I'd love for Marshall to see it. And of course, if we get down that far, I for sure want to go back to Eilat and see the dolphins again! Maybe this time we will be able to come back through Timan National park....it is supposed to be fantastic. I recently downloaded a picture of a rock formation there, called the Mushroom Rock. It stands atop a very tall, very slender pointed peak. There is a man sitting on a nearby flat mtn, and he looks about the size of an ant compared to the rock! (If you will go to the Webshots website, you can find the picture under "travel.") I definitely plan to spend a day at the ruins of Caesarea Phillipi.......we only spent part of an afternoon there last year, and I didn't get to see everything.I was too busy taking pictures. This year I am taking my video camera, for obvious reasons!!! I just imagine I can find something (someone!) to fill up the 8 video cassettes I am taking! Boy, I hope I can keep busy enough that "time flies!" It can't get here too soon to suit me! I am once again borrowing a digital camera that takes short videos as well as still pix, so I will send you some when we get back! Give your mama my love! Love, Judy

Letter from Dave!

This next letter is a very welcome one for me! It is from my nephew, Dave Smith. Dave has had some problems and it seems as if he is finally on his way to recovery. I hope he won't mind me sending this letter but I we all need to remember that everyone doesn't always have smooth sailing in life. Please pray for Dave and his family to be able to withstand the temptation to return to old habits!

October 2003

Hello again, family!

Not much in the way of news this time. It seems that no one wants to write and send anything except a few. These, I thank profusely! We here in Odessa have been enjoying a visit with Wanda, Francis and Kayla Mitchell. They have been here a few days and of course, we aren't really getting to visit enough. I think but am not sure that they will leave in the next couple of days to go back home. They will be sorely missed!

Violet, Stormy, Dakota, Jessica, and Gregory, along with Wanda, Francis, and Kayla all went to the Sand Hills at Monahans State Park. From what I understand, the kids had a great time and the older folks felt older! :0( I know the last time I went, my age was showing but sadly my grandkids didn't enjoy the Sand Hills as much as we used to.

Uncle Randy had surgery today for a prostate problem. He went through the surgery just fine and all was just as the doctor expected, no problems! He is in room 211-B at Medical Center Hosp. He is expected to be there for 3 to 4 days. .

Mother was in the hospital for a few days with a bone infection from Arthritis. She is at home now and doing as well as can be expected.

Dean Smith had surgery this month for a collapsed lung. I talked with him yesterday and he is feeling much better. He is at home now recuperating!

Now for the responses and or letters!

Hello, this is Christopher Mitchell. Had some extra time, so I figured I would let you know how everything out at DLI is. DLI is short for Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Almost all linguists in the military graduate from DLI, many often with no prior foreign language experience. At DLI over two dozen languages are taught. Pretty much everything from Thai to Japanese, even Tagolag is taught here. I am currently enrolled in the Korean course. DLI is easily the toughest learning center I have ever attended. Homework is decided by the teachers since the curriculum doesn't prove much practical homework. Most Korean students have 2 to 5 hours of homework every night. My class only has a couple hours worth of homework most nights, sometimes non at all. Korean is considered one of the hardest languages to learn, so the course is 63 weeks long. Not much time to learn an entire language. After just over a year of language training, I will walk away with my AA in linguistics. Most of the other courses at DLI are 47 weeks, with languages like Spanish, German, and French only taking 6 months. Japanese, Chinese and Arabic are the same length as Korean, 63 long weeks. My class started last Oct. 3, and we don't graduate until half way through Feb. Most military training takes only 3 or 4 months. Mine, on the other had, goes for 63 weeks of language followed by another 6 months in Texas. I am never going to get out of training. Well, I figure I have made you all bored enough for now, but next time I have a minute I will explain more about the courses and how we operate. Luckily, we know nothing important yet, so it isn't like I can say stuff I am not allowed to, haha. Later!

This next letter was forwarded to me by mother, she had received it from Bonnie Pope Toliver, a cousin on the Hall side of the family. Her mother was Eva Mae Hall, daughter of Grandmother McElyea's sister, Viola. The letter was so interesting and Mother wanted me to start including the Hall line in the letter also, hope no one minds. The letter from Bonnie was dated September 20, 2003.

We arrived home safely Thursday night from two glorious weeks in Italy. We didn't get to our house until around midnight. We flew from Rome to Philadelphia & got out of there just in the nick of time to fly to San Francisco because Hurricane Isabella hit right after we left & all flights were cancelled. Whew! Other than that close call we had the time of our lives. We went so many places & did so much it is hard to remember it all, but here it is: We saw the The Sistene Chapel & then crossed the Tiber River & saw the ancient Colliseum, then saw the Trivea Fountain where I tossed a coin over my right shoulder with my left hand & made a wish, then past the Abbey of Monte Cassino to the Bay of Naples. We had a guided tour of the ancient ruins of Pompeii (very interesting). Then we drove along the coastline to Sorrento where we watched them do inlaid woodworking, then took a ferry to the Isle of Capri. The next day we went to Umbria & Assisi where we saw St. Francis' Basilica & admired fresco paintings. The next day we went to Venice where we enjoyed a gondola ride & were serenaded with beautiful Italian & American music. The next day we took a canal cruise to St. Mark's Square & saw the famous Bridge of Sighs & then visited a glass-blowing factory & watched a demonstration. Then we drove to Verona & saw the Roman Arena & Juliet's balcony (of "Romeo & Juliet"), then to Milan & saw the gothic 'Duamo.' Next we drove into Switzerland to the beautiful little town of Lugano & saw the Swiss Alps. Next we drove to the Italian Lakes where we spent two nights, enjoyed lunch overlooking the lake & sipped on cappuccinos, drove into the city of Genoa which was Columbus' birthplace. On down the coast to Pisa & saw the Leaning Tower & then on to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. We spent two nights in Florence & went to a leather factory & saw their beautiful 24k gold jewelry. Then we drove back to Rome through the Chianti wine - producing region to Siena. That night we had a wonderful farewell dinner in a local "trattoria," then caught our flight home the next morning. What a vacation! For those of you who have never been there, we recommend it highly. We met great people, ate wonderful food, & saw beautiful scenery. As you know, Italy is very old, so the history is fascinating. We saw buildings & sculptures which are thousands of years old, (some dating before Christ). We even learned some Italian words (sure to be of use in California, smile).
I'm sorry if I've bored you with this, I am just very excited. It was the best trip we have taken & would love to go back & spend even more time. There is so much to see & so much history that you could spend months there & stlll not see or hear everything.
I must go for now. If you write I will answer your emails individually. Looking forward to hearing from each of you. Love, Bonnie & Tom

November Birthdays

2 Kaven and Dawn Mitchell (Anniversary)
3 Allie Noble Craig
4 Calvin McElyea
6 Amy Smith Bullard
8 Denyce Walker Guyer
9 Bryson Thomas Holcomb
11 Haley Michele Price
11 Jimmie K. Henderson, Jr.
12 Michele Riggs
13 R.N. Bell
13 Pat and Amanda Bell-Dennis (Anniversary)
14 LeAnn Smith
15 David Smith
16 Dillon Harguess
16 Jim and Tammy Henderson (Anniversary)
20 Jacie Day
20 Phyllis Noble Walker
22 Francis Mitchell
22 Daymon McElyea
24 Keri O'Neal Bullard
24 Dakota Ray Hodgkins
26 Sharon and Bill Viner (Anniversary)
28 Vivian Christopher McElyea
28 Debbie McElyea Kessler
30 Hunter James Garcia, grandson of Renee Whitehead

To each and everyone of you, Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! We wish you the very best for this year and many to come!

September 2003 update!

Well, if you are enjoying this newsletter, I hope you will enjoy the updates. I thought that instead of waiting till the middle of October when this news is old, I would go ahead and send what I have. Perhaps, hopefully more will respond and I will have something for October.

Here in Odessa, all is well. I have visited the past two days with Randy and Vivian. They are doing well except both have had to have several skin cancers or skin places burned of their faces. Other than that they seem to be doing well. I have really enjoyed the visits and remininscing the past. I was going to visit a bit with Violet but she was resting. She was pooped after her visit to spend time with Richie in Abilene.

Mother continues to improve. Her shoulder is doing better but she still has pain. I'm beginning to think everyone does!

Still no news from the San Antonio McElyea bunch other than second hand news. I think some of you are getting these e-mails and would really appreciate a howdy once in a while. If you wish to respond, I would like to know if Natalie and or CoriAnn have e-mail. If so, I would really like to have their addresses. Also Bill, I understand he and his family have relocated from the San Antonio area! Please write!

I have had the pleasure of receiving a note from Chris Mitchell and really enjoyed it. Chris, I understand about being busy with studies. But, when you have the time, please write so everyone can hear about your studies and the Korean language.

Another update: As reported a couple of months ago, Steve Mitchell was having a suspicious place in his mouth checked out. Thankfully, I can report there was no cancer or anything serious.

Love to all,

Ann

More family letters! This one is from my grandson, Trey Garcia, son of MariAnn.

Grandmother,

Since you like people's reports to put in your newsletter here is one for you concerning our spout with Hurricane Isabel.

The storm hit Thursday but Wednesday night we went to Christina's mothers and parked our cars in a field so no falling trees hit them. The winds were rough and we lost power at her mothers at around 2 PM. The entire area lost power that day. Thankfully there was no damage to her house but plenty of her trees were uprooted. On Friday we took a drive to Christina's stepfathers house and it was ruined. Mud was on the floor, some of the floor had come up, the propane tank had floated away from the house and his entire front porch was gone. We went into town and found the one gas station that was open. It was pandemonium as people were driving off without paying for gas and the line was fairly long. We then went to our house, there was still some water on the road but we made it to the house. Our yard was ruined as debris from other houses had floated into our yard, a few trees were down and our patio furniture had disappeared. I found our table three houses down across the street and we found Maverick's basketball hoop a few houses down as well. We spent Friday night at Christina's father's apartment because we didn't have power at our house or at her mother's house. Her father didn't have power but they did have a gas stove and running water. Throughout town a few more gas stations were open but again, it was pandemonium. Saturday we were still without power so we drove to Richmond for dinner, but when we got back to her dad's apartment the power was on. Slowly everything was coming back on around the area but we were still without power at our house.

Finally Monday night our power came on and we moved back to our house.

Some lessons learned, get a generator, fill your tub with water if a storm is coming, stock up on plenty of water and grillable food, and don't eat quiche.

Trey

A letter from Judy McElyea Finley dated Sept. 28, Brad is her son-in-law, husband of daughter Heather.

Hi, Ann........enjoyed reading the newsletter! We must all really be getting old--most of the news being about our various aches and pains! Sad...... Except for my arm problem (and being on the road to bankruptcy because of it!), I haven't had anything worth reporting. Brad had a scare Friday. He was having chest pains Thursday night, but figured it was probably muscle strain. He didn't sleep very well, though.....he is an inveterate worrier. He felt better Friday morning, but after working for a while, started feeling constriction in his chest again, and began to feel dizzy. He went to Heather's school to get her, and then they went to the emergency room. He was admitted, and given an angiogram. Thankfully, everything looked good......his arteries are clear and his heart looked good. the Dr. was concerned about the elevation of some enzyme related to the heart, so they kept him overnight. Dr. concluded that some viral something caused the enzyme to be at an elevated level, so Brad was released yesterday evening. I talked to Heather today and she said he's feeling fine.
Adam and his family are doing well. I talked to him today too and got to "talk" to Jonathan. Adam said he was grinning real big, and I heard him squealing! Oh, how I long to see and hold that baby! Unless Adam and Michal's finances are a lot better than ours, it will probably be a long time before we see them. It makes me so sad.
I am glad your mother is feeling better. I know it was really getting her down. Hope all the rest of you are keeping well. love, Judy

September 2003

Dear family,

Well, as usual there is little for me to report. All is well at our house except for my shoulder which has plagued me for months. We are enjoying the cooler weather and hoping the electric company will realize it is cooler and stop charging so much.

Great news as far as my mother goes, She has been having fits with her shoulder and the doctor ordered a cat scan last week. The technician said it showed an abnormality so he ordered another one. This time a more thorough one with radioactive stuff. It only showed arthritis, NO CANCER, as she thought. Anyway, the doctor gave her a cortisone shot in her shoulder and it is doing better. Thank GOD!

Uncle Francis had to have some places removed from his face today. This is an excerpt from Aunt Wanda's note, "the doctor burned quite a lot of skin cancer off of Francis' face, etc., and took a place for a biopsy on the side his head. " Arvilla is having to have injections in her knees because of arthritis.

Aunt Wanda said she had talked to Uncle Calvin and they are ok. He is just tired from all he has to do. Aunt Sue is bothered by her arthritis quite a bit now days.

Aunt Violet went to visit Richie for his birthday. She is back home now. She paid mother a visit and brought Stormie's two kids with her. They are really cute kids, I hear. I haven't seen them in over a year.

Randy and Vivian are having their usual health problems. Diabetes, high cholesterol and etc. Uncle Randy has been suffering with some nausea problems of late. They are really excited as Dillon and Laurie are expecting a baby. This will be Kim and Phil's first grandchild and Randy and Vivian's first great-grandchild. The baby is due in March 2004.

David and Janie are visiting in Austin this weekend. He is going to Galveston for a car rally or something like that. Hope the weather is good for whatever it is.

Mona, Don and Mindy all fared well with the hurricane that went through North Carolina. Trey, Christina and Maverick were without power for nearly a week. They luckily had no damage in Virginia but had to stay with Christina's parents until they had power once again.

Well, this concludes my part of the letter. Following you will be able to read letters from three cousins on things that have been going on in their lives. I hope that you all will enjoy and will decide to contribute some information of your own for an October news letter.

Love, Ann

Here is a letter from Judy McElyea Finley concerning her shoulder problem.

"Hey.....just wanted to let you know what I've found out about my arm. The Dr. had some cancellations, so I was able to go yesterday. The MRI on my left arm showed no pinched nerve.....I thought it was kinda funny that it did show a slight pinch on the right side, but not enough to cause any problems. The Dr. said my right thumb would be numb if the pinching was bad enough to worry about. So, he has diagnosed Parsonage-Turner syndrome. It will eventually repair itself, within 6 months to 5 years, depending on the severity and duration of the pain, or weakness, or both. About 75% of people affected enjoy complete recovery within 2 years. There isn't any treatment for the condition, but I will have to have physical therapy to keep the muscle from deteriorating. I looked it up on the internet and found some interesting info......Though the cause isn't really known, people who get it have often recently had either some kind of trauma (but not to the shoulder) or a viral or bacterial infection, particularly of the upper respiratory area. (I had just gotten over bronchitis) It is a rare condition, with incidence in the US about 1.64:100,000 persons per year, and predominantly occurs among males, usually young to middle-aged adults (30 to 50). It nearly always occurs in the right shoulder (but in my left), and if not, then it usually occurs in both. It begins with unbearable pain in the area of the shoulder blade (I can sure testify to that!), which can last from several hours to several weeks, and always requires some very strong pain therapy, such as morphine. (I had some injections of cortisone, which helped temporarily, but have received the most relief from the chiropractor along with pain pills and muscle relaxers. The material I read said that corticosteroid injections do not usually help.) Within a couple of weeks of the onset of the pain, and usually coinciding with a reduction in the intensity of the pain, muscle weakness occurs. The muscle most often affected is the deltoid.(Mine is the triceps.) Rest and immobilization of the arm are recommended, the latter to prevent stretching of the muscle. (I actually tried a sling last week, but it
made it hurt more, so I took it back. I have to go see Dr. Kalafut about the physical therapy, and she may be able to recommend something better.) Passive physical therapy is recommended as the pain subsides, and active PT only after the muscle begins to recover. Then, not only will I have to have PT on the arm, but also on the rest of the upper body muscles, which are affected by the inability of the weak muscle to behave normally. All this info would be a lot more interesting if I were not having to deal with the pain and weakness.
Soooooooo, there you have it! In 3000 words or less! Anyway, would appreciate prayers for a very rapid recovery, as I am not enjoying the pain, and it is really inconvenient to not be able to use my arm normally. I had to get my hair cut shorter than I wanted because I can't hold the hair dryer or curling iron to do my hair on the left and back sides of my head. Actually, except for the pain, it's mostly an aggravation. And it sure has been expensive trying to find out what was wrong. I need some $$$$ to drop out of the sky or somewhere so I can pay bills. I've spent bill money going from one doctor to another, and paying the chiropractor to ease my pain. Aside from all that, I am glad that it was the P-T syndrome rather than a pinched nerve, which would have needed spinal surgery. Well, there's your soap opera for today. I'll have to see what I can come up with for tomorrow! Actually, I should bite my tongue for saying that. I don't think I can handle anything else......I've had enough misery this year to last me for the next 30 years! Hope to hear from you soon! Love, Judy

Letter from Kaven Mitchell

A note from Kaven Mitchell on his recent, first deep-sea fishing adventure. Very interesting, especially since I will never get a first hand experince myself. It was nice to read about his.

"Hello,

Mom wanted me to send you a note about my first-time deep-sea fishing trip, so here goes.

As most know, I am a buyer of raw materials for JumpKing trampolines. One of the commodities I purchase is spring wire and hardware packaging. The particular vendor that I buy these materials from has an annual fishing trip for their major customers.
Well, I get to go on these trips, this year being my first one, and since I have never had been deep-sea, off shore fishing, I was extremely excited about getting to do so.
One of the other employees here at Jumpking was going on the trip with me, so we head out on Monday afternoon to drive down Houston way and then over to Bay City, where we spent the night. We met my supplier at about 5:00 am Tuesday morning, had a quick breakfast, popped some Dramamine, so I wouldn't "blow beets", or "chunk" on the boat from the tossing waves and headed
to the big old Gulf. We first stop about five mails out and caught a few bait fish, mostly small sardines about 7 to 8 inches long, we would use these for the bigger fish later in the day. We saw a few shrimp boats and decided to see if we could do a little trading for some fresh Gulf shrimp, Bingo, got about 5 lbs. worth on the first try, for some Gatorade of all thing. Most of the shrimp boats stay off shore for about 45 days or until they get a full load. Since they don't get back to shore for a while, they like to trade with other fishermen for things they need or want.
Next we went out the about the 15 mile mark and started fishing for Red Snapper. I caught about 4 and only one was a keeper, about 15 lbs. Then I caught a 25 lb. Amber Jack and it was a tough one to get up. Every time it saw the boat, it would head straight down again. After about 20 minutes, I finally got him in the boat. After an hour or so in this location, we headed out to the 50 mile mark to fish for larger fish at about 200 ft. We caught a shark, about 4 ft long, some Trigger fish and 6 40 lb. Amber Jack. One of the other guys caught a King Mackerel. It was around 3:00 PM and we had been out on the ocean for almost 11 hours and had our limit, so we headed back, stopping behind several shrimp boats to see if they had stirred up anything around their boats when they throw the shrimp heads, they cut off the shrimp, back in the water. Sometimes large fish hang around for the goodies. We traded for another 15 or 20 lbs. of shrimp and headed back to shore. It took us about two and a half hours to get back to the docks and then we had to start the cleaning process, that was a mess and, of course, stinky.
All in all, it was a blast, other than we had to stand up while fishing and we had a lot of bruised knee from hitting the side of the boat.
Next year they are going to get a 56 ft air-conditioned boat with a fighting chair so we can go for the really big ones. The boat we had this year was only 27 ft and the seas were a little rough, anyway, no complaints, it was still fun. Other than the fishing, we did
get to see a few dolphins, flying fish, shark, and a fish called a Ling, which looks a lot like a shark.

Hope all enjoyed this adventure as much as I did. "

Kaven

Letter from Steve and Heidi Mitchell

This is a note from Steve and Heidi about their trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas. What a time! I thought about packing my bags as it sounded wonderful. Might get rid of some of the older age aches and pains!

"In August our family, minus Christopher who is still in the Air Force Linguistic School in Monterey, California, traveled to the Hot Spring Arkansas area for a short time of much needed relaxation. While there Heidi and Steve participated in the crowd drawing Bath House and Massage experience. Heidi really enjoyed it, but said that baring your body to someone you don't know and letting them give you a bath is not one of her favorite experiences. Steve went through the process because Heidi didn't want to do it alone. I expect it will be a one time experience for Steve.

Tyler and Melody enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool 2-3 times a day. The family viewed the Hot Springs area from the 750 ft National Parks Observation Tower. It was a nice time. On Thursday of our visit we traveled to Mt. Ida, home of Charlie Weaver of Grand olde Opry fame, to search for Quartz Crystals. We had a lot of fun and found a lot. You pay to stay the whole day, but the humidity was so high that once the sun was high, our butts were low and we heard the swimming pool and bed at the hotel calling. Tyler and Steve went to another crystal mine the next morning and found even bigger crystals. Now the work begins trying to clean them up and decide what to do with our booty. They are really neat to look at and we hope to go back some time and look again, maybe when it isn't quite so humid as in August.

Just a word on Christopher. He is in his 3rd semester in Korean at the Armed Forces Linguistics School. If all goes well, he will graduate sometime in January or February 2004, then go to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo for intelligence training. After completing that in about 6 months, he will ship out for Korea. His duty term there will be somewhere around 1-2 years, we will miss him terribly and chances are we won't see him until his return to the States. But if he does go, Heidi and Steve hope to fly over and visit as both have been to Europe before, but neither have been to the orient.

That's all from the Steve Mitchell family front, except Tyler started 9th grade this year and Melody started 1st. Steve says he'll never get to retire!"

October Birthdays

1 - Ashley McGuire Morris
2 - Dee Shumate
3 - Beverly Pate Whitehead
4 - James Alvin Haecker
5 - Robin Gaines
7 - Bryson McElyea
8 - Stacey Clark (Whitehead)
10 - Darrell McElyea
13 - Christopher David Hudson Viner
16 - Madaleine Noble Alexander
17 - Aaron Kessler
19 - Jason Day
21 - Amber Shumate
21 - Lynn Morris
23 - Jeremy Kessler
23 - Janice McElyea Roath
24 - Jacob Morris
26 - Maureen McElyea
26 - Cheryl Viner
30 - Paula Weiner
Wishing each and everyone of you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Anniversaries

25 Randy and Vivian Christopher McElyea

August 2003

Not a lot to report in the family this month or at least, I haven't heard much.

Jean Smith, daughter of Dale and Rhonda, has recently been certified in Scuba diving or Snorkleing. I'm sorry, I don't remember which and something got into my computer and erased all of my filing cabinet so the letter he sent is gone. So, Dale, please let me know and I will change the news to be correct. Anyway, all of the family is certified and they all really enjoy taking trips to be able to do that.

Denyce Walker Guyer has been having to have injections for back pain. She has been bothered for several years for this problem so they are hoping the injections will help.

Kaven Mitchell has been having to have shots in his left knee. . Guess everyone is having quite a bit of aggrevating problems. Arvilla Mitchell has just recently found that she tore nerves in her left knee when she took a fall. She will be on medication in hopes of averting surgery.

Steve Mitchell had biopsy on a growth on his tongue. It was negative. Thank the Lord for that!

Francis Mitchell is doing very well following his surgery. He has been dismissed by both of his doctors. Wanda is feeling fairly well. She took a fall but is doing better.

Listening to the news of war in Israel, I wanted to make sure that Adam, Mical and Jonathan Finley were okay. I called and talked to Judy tonight. She said she had talked with Adam a few days ago and that they are doing well. She said Jonathan is really growing. Babies sure do grow fast these days! During our conversation I asked some things about Adam. It seems he is a well traveled young man. I asked Jusy if perhaps she could persuade him to write and tell us about some of the places he has visited. Hopefully, he will.

I would enlist the help from any of you who would like to contribute by sending any news or stories you would like to share with others in the family. Living so far apart we don't get to share much of our lives anymore so it would be nice to get to know everyone a bit better.

One of our own has sent a letter from New York to tell of the blackout. Allen and Valerie Viner moved to NYC about a year ago. Allen is the son of Bill and Sharon McElyea Viner. Allen wrote this letter in response to my query about their experience with the blackout on the east coast. I hope you enjoy the letter as much as I did.

Allen's letter:

Greetings. Great to hear from you. Thanks for thinking about us.

Yes, the blackout was quite an experience. It occurred right about
4:10 PM. I was sitting at my desk working on compiling a report on my
computer. I was listening to a country radio station, The Wolf out of
Dallas via the internet, when all of a sudden everything stopped. I
figured that it was just a mild power surge or outage of our building
or grid and the power would be back up in a matter of minutes. Luckily
I periodically save my work on the computer, so I had no fear of losing
much time in that area. A person who works in my area had a radio that
worked off of batteries, so we turned it on and listened for any
information. My wife called after a few minutes and said the power was
out in her building also. Valerie works in Mid-town Manhattan
(Park Avenue and 41st Street). I work in downtown Manhattan
(Wall Street - blocks away from the World Trade Center).

At this point in time, my level of concern rose. The radio announced
that Long Island and the other boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten
Island, the Bronx) were also without power. Given the lack of knowledge
about what had caused the outage and the late time in the afternoon
(now about 4:30) the decision was made at my company to evacuate the
building for the day. I usually get home by the subway, which was now
not an option.

As it turned out, I had almost no cash on me ($5 maximum), so catching
a cab was also out of the question. A cab would not have been a
reasonable solution anyway. Traffic was not moving. There were so
many people walking home that the sidewalks could not hold everyone.
Walking in the street was the only option. There were thousands of
people in the street making their way to their destination. It was
really a site to behold. There were no traffic signals, no walk/don't
walk signals. It was chaotic, but peaceful. I count myself extremely
lucky that my wife and I live in Manhattan and not one of the outer
boroughs or farther. It took me an hour and a half to walk home, which
is the shortest commute out of anyone else in my office. There are
some in my office that commute over an hour (one way) when everything
is operational.

Something that must be kept in mind is that most people who work in
Manhattan commute, due to the high expense of living in Manhattan. You
also have to keep in mind that this commute is typically done via
subway (electric), train (electric), or bus. There is little parking
in the city, so garages are able to charge a very high price for those
who drive. For example, if Valerie and I wanted to rent a parking spot
at a garage it would cost no less than $450.00, but would probably be
more like $525.00 - per month. Hence, we do not have a car here at
this time.

Valerie works three and a half blocks from work, so she was home by the
time I arrived. We didn't really know what to do, so we just sat there
for a while. We didn't have any means for hearing the news because we
didn't have a batter operated radio. Almost all of the stores were
already closed due to the power outage.

I had marinated some T-Bones the previous night with the intention of
having them that day. Our oven/range is gas, so at least they would
not go to waste. Since we did not know how long the power was going
to be out we did not want to open the refrigerator any more than
absolutely necessary. We ended up with a nice steak dinner that night
by candle light (luckily we had some candles on hand).

We were able to talk to friends and family in San Antonio on the home
phone, but did not have any cell phone service. They were our only
link to news of the situation. We were told that Major Bloomberg
stated that the power would be back around 1:00 AM Friday morning, which
sounded pretty good to me. Unfortunately Bloomberg did not take a page
out of the Giuliani's play book by under promising and over delivering.
Valerie and I stayed in our apartment and didn't adventure out; although,
we could hear a lot of people outside in the street just talking and
visiting with their neighbors. We ended up going to sleep around
midnight.

We figured that work had been cancelled so we woke up late the next day,
around 10:30 AM. Still no power. I didn't like Bloomberg to begin with,
and now he had completely miss judged when the power was going to be
back. We were unsure if it was only our area, or if all of the power
was still out. Valerie diced up a couple of potatoes and fried them up
for breakfast. Again, we just sat around in our apartment. I had a
long hard day of doing nothing, so I decided to take a nap. Just after
2:00 PM we heard people cheering in the street - power was back.
Valerie and I were very relieved. In my 31 years of life that is the
longest I have ever been without electricity, so I think that says a
lot about American engineering and infrastructure.

Early that evening I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of
things. Needless to say it was packed with people. We had cable service,
but very limited channels. The only news station we had was Spanish.
Valerie speaks Spanish, so she had to translate what was being said.
We started receiving our regular cable channels a couple of hours later
- life was good again. That night we ordered a pizza and everything was
back to normal.

As for those who were in elevators, I doubt if very many people were
trapped. Most buildings have limited generator backup with the elevators
connected to that power. When power goes out they are programmed to
descend to the ground floor and lock their doors open. I did not hear
of any horror stories of anyone getting trapped.

So, that was my experience. Hope all is going well for everyone there
and hope you get some rain soon.

Love,

Allen

September Birthdays

1 - Randy Morris
2 - Vernice McElyea Stanhope
3 - Douglas Tharp
4 - Ryan Alexander
6 - Halei Prichard
6 - Michael Daymon McElyea
11 - Leon Morris
11 - Elizabeth Clark Noble
13 - Mindy Tharp
14 - Marshall Finley
16 - Joseph Morris
20 - Amanda Bell-Dennis
20 - Jason Alexander
21 - Tammy Morris Lowe
22 - Betty Copeland McElyea Patterson
24 - Richard Walker
25 - Trent Gaines
26 - Christopher Mitchell
28 - Shela Keira Sedgwick

Anniversaries

2 - Tammy and Kevin Lowe
6 - Ricky and Tina McGuire Morris
6 - Debbie and Randall Kessler
23 - Darren and Renee Whitehead
27 - Liz and Leon Morris

July 2003

What a year! Just wanted to share with you all a picture of the youngest grandson. Austin is now crawling, has two teeth and is trying to pull up. He is such a joy. A really happy baby, it is rare to see him looking sad or crying. I'm sure you all can tell we are enjoying him immensly. This is one of his latest pictures.

Now for the rest of the family!

Births

Judy and Marshall Finley became proud grandparents when Adam and Michal welcomed Jonathan Adam Finley on June 14, 2003. Jonathan was born in Israel. He weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz. and was 19 inches long. Judy, like any proud grandmother is elated but her elation is tinged with sadness because he is so far away. Here is a picture of Adam and Jonathan at his cicumcision, which in Israel is a religious ceremony. Adam is holding Jonathan. Betty McElyea Patterson is the proud great-grandmother.

Adam and Jonathan Finley

~~~

Marriages

~~~

Terry and Robert Gaines welcomed a new daughter-in-law into the family with the marriage of their son, Trent.

Aaron Trent Gaines and Amanda Haralson were married in Eureka Springs, Arkansas on June 21, 2003. Trent is the grandson of Betty McElyea Patterson and the late, J.D. McElyea.

Amanda and Trent Gaines

~~~

Dillon Blake Harguess and Laurie Elaine Webber were married at Terrace Hills church of Christ in Odessa, Texas on June 27, 2003. Dillon is the son of Kim McElyea Harguess and Phil Harguess. He is the grandson of Randy and Vivian Christopher McElyea. The couple will reside in Odessa.

Dillon and Laurie Harguess

~~~

Mona and Don Tharp's son, Douglas , was married this past Friday, July 11th. Douglas Ray Tharp and Sarah Marie Firks were married in Glen Eyrie Castle, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Douglas is the grandson of Ann and Clinton Noble, also the late, Donald Whitehead. He is the great grandson of Vernice McElyea Stanhope. The couple reside in Colorado. I will update the picture as soon as I get one of the wedding pictures.

Douglas and Sarah Tharp

~~~

Health News

Francis Mitchell, husband of Wanda, had surgery on July 18 in McKinney, Texas. During recent tests it was found he had an anurysm on his aorta. Please pray that his surgery will be successful and his health will be restored swiftly. At this time he is recovering well and is sitting up, talking and eating as much as they will feed him.

UPDATE!

Uncle Francis is being moved out of ICU to a room. If you want to send a card, he is in room 323, bed 2 at North Central Medical Center in McKinney. Included is the address, sorry, I don't have the zip code,

North Central Medical Center
4500 Medical Center Drive
972-547-8000

~~~

Wanda Mitchell has been told that she has rheumatoid arthritis her her wrist and that is cutting back her computer activities. Hopefully, the medication she is taking will help and she will feel better soon.

Steve Mitchell is supposed to see a doctor on the 28th of July to determine if a spot on his tongue may be cancerous. Please remember him in your prayers! Also Melody, Steve and Heidi's daughter, 6 years old, is having vision problems. It seems that she is losing her sight. So pray for her vision to improve!

Sue McElyea, wife of Calvin was hospitalized recently with recurring health concerns. Remember Sue and Calvin in your prayers!

Vernice Stanhope is enjoying a bout of good health. She will celebrate her 86th birthday this September and has good days and bad days.

Randy and Vivian are doing fairly well. They still have to really watch things because of diabetes and Vivian's high cholestrol. Randy is going to have some kind of procedure early in August to determine the cause of his stomach problems.

Violet is doing fairly well also. She has bouts of illness but seems to be doing well now. She is busy painting and doing some repairs to her house. She had been living with Tammy and Jim but decided as most of us have, "there is no place like home", so she has moved back into her house.

As far as I know this is all of the family health concerns, if there are more, please let me know.

Additional news

As you can see, I meant what I said. My brother, David reminded me that Janie's grandson, Jacob Morris, has been critically ill. I can't remember the exact time but Jacob came down with some kind of viral blood infection that resembled leukemia, I think. He was in a coma and not expected to live. After months in the hospital and rehabilitation, he is at home and improving daily. Thank everyone for your prayers and concern, please continue to remember him daily!

I also want to thank cousin Terry for pointing out that she had already named Trent, Aaron Trent. I guess as she said I must have had Adam, Judy's son on my mind as I wrote Trents name. Please accept my apologies, I had a hard enough time naming my own, I sure don't want to start naming other people's kids.

Graduation

Halei Prichard, daughter of Kathy, graduated from Pearland High School in Pearland, Texas. Graduation was held on May 30, 2003 in the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston. Proud grandparents Randy and Vivian Christopher McElyea attended from Odessa.

Christopher Viner graduated from high school in the San Antonio. Texas area. No other information available! If someone in that particular family will send me the info I will be glad to include it. Please!!!!

~~~

Birthdays and Anniversaries

July Birthdays

3 - Jennifer Kass Lindsey, daughter of Dawn Mitchell
4 - Jessica Craig, granddaughter of Clinton and Ann Noble
8 - Justin Mitchell, son of Darlene Eaves
10 - Clinton Noble, husband of Ann
12 - Jimmie K. Henderson, husband of Tammy
17 - Janie Smith, wife of David
18 - Allison Dennis, daughter of Pat, husband of Amanda
19 - Valerie Viner, wife of Allen
20 - Jordan Harguess, daughter of Phil and Kim
20 - Cooper Bell-Hunley, son of Misty and Chad
21 - Trey Garcia, son of MariAnn
21 - Natalie Segwick, daughter of Rhenae and John Viner
22 - Terry Gaines, daughter of J.D. and Betty McElyea
25 - Rhonda Smith, wife of Dale Smith
30 - Maverick Garcia, son of Trey and Christina (grandson of MariAnn)

Anniversaries

4 - Jennifer and Danny Lindsey
6 - Steve and Heidi Mitchell
13 -Darrell and Judy C. McElyea

August Birthdays

2 - Ada Smith
2 - Vernon Hodgkins
6 - Austin Taylor Morris, grandson of Liz and Leon
7 - George Burleson, husband of Tammy
8 - Jacob Cooper, son of Wendi (grandson of Karen)
12- Kevin Lowe, son-in-law of David and Janie
15- Darlene Eaves
16- Kayla Mitchell, daughter of Paula
19- Ila Riggs
22- Raye Vern Bell
25- James Morris, grandson of Janie and David
28- Tracie Dawn McElyea
29- Tyler Mitchell, son of Steve and Heidi

Anniversaries

6 - Debbie and Randy Kessler
15 -Darlene And Sandon Eaves

Newsy Items

Christopher Mitchell was at home on leave from July 3 to July 12. He is stationed in California. His family was certainly glad to be able to spend time with him. Although, I did hear he did like most young folk, spent a lot of time with friends.

This past Friday morning, the 18th of July, Angela, Madaleine and I drove to Arlington to meet Mona. Mona was in town after attending the wedding in Colorado of her son, Douglas and his bride, Sarah. Mona was attending a business conference while in Dallas. We enjoyed getting to spend time with her, David and Janie, Ada, and daughter #2, Liz. The aunts thought that Austin was a really cute baby. We had to leave by 1:30 p.m. on Saturday to be back in Odessa for Madaleine to attend the wedding reception of her step-son, Jason and his bride, Brandi. Mona left Dallas to go back to N.C. later that evening. What a wonderful few hours! Way too short but precious non-the-less!

~~~

David Smith got to have a really enjoyable morning, Friday. He is involved with the Ford Falcon Car Association. They were having a convention in Arlington this past weekend. He got to drive around the Texas Motor Speedway track in his Ford Falcon. He made the loop four times reaching his top speed in the Falcon of 86 miles per hour. David publishes a Ford Falcon web magazine which has members all over the world. At this convention, he was able to meet some of his members in person.

~~~

For those of you reading this newsletter, I would appreciate any family news you would like to share. Due to distance and other things, we rarely see each other anymore so this is a way to have some knowledge of things that are happening in others in the family's lives. Please bear with me with the print and appearance of the newsletter. I am using a new program and still learning.

~~~

February 2003

Not much in the way of news for the month of February! Congratulations are in order though to Randy and Vivian McElyea. They won $500 in groceries from Rogers Ford in Midland. They went over to see if numbers they had received in a letter would win them a new vehicle, the numbers didn't match but the entry was put in a hopper. At five p.m. they drew a winning number for the groceries and Randy's name was drawn. Congratulations!

~~~

Also it is great to report that Wanda and Mona both came through their surgeries with flying colors. They are both on their way to a complete recovery.

~~~

Arvilla Mitchell will be having the same surgery as Wanda did on February 21. It seems that this problem is something hereditary. It has something to do with the gall bladder. Please remember her in your prayers!

~~

Hopefully Kaven, Dawn and Paige will be in their new home soon. They thought that everything had been okayed but again the county came up with another hitch. Seems as if they maybe be in before February is over!

~~~

February Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays

1 Sharon McElyea Viner
2 Joey Garcia
7 Elizabeth Noble Morris
13 Ricky Morris
14 Roy Dean Henson
15 Steve Mitchell
16 Ashley T. Morris
17 Stephanie Whitehead
18 Janae Cardenas
22 Randy McElyea
23 Kaven Mitchell
24 Alan Robert Viner
25 Zachary Walker
26 Drake Roath
27 Kathy McElyea Prichard

Anniversaries

5 Raye Vern Owen and R.N. Bell

******************************************************************************************

January 2003

Happy New Year to each and everyone!

Yes, I know it is past January 1, but I wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

The year started slowly around our house and so far has been mostly
uneventful. We are really getting into the grand-parenting thing after
a 13 year lull in grandchildren. It is so nice to be able to be
around a new baby again. Just so wish we could have been closer when
all the rest were younger, plus all of the great-grands. Oh, what a
joy we have missed but we are so blessed to be so close and to be able to watch this new arrival grow. Please take note, if I have missed anyone in your family or if you see anyone that has been missed, please e-mail me and I will make the corrections.
~~~

Kaven, Dawn and Paige Mitchell are eagerly awaiting the day they can
move into their new double-wide mobile home. It is located on Kavens'
two acres behind Francis and Wanda's home. Right now they are awaiting
the final okay from the county to be able to move in. It has been a
very frustrating time for all as the county seemed to change the rules
at almost every turn. They are hoping that the county won't find some
other problem to prolong the move.

~~~

Christopher Mitchell is back in Monterrey, California. He was home
on leave from the Air Force during the Christmas holidays. He is studying
to be a linguist, learning the Korean language. Steve, Heidi, Tyler and
Melody sure hated to see him leave. They are hoping to travel to CA.
this summer to spend some time with him. Not only did his family hate to
see him leave but also his Mitchell grandparents, numerous aunts, uncles,
cousins and others.

Steve has recovered enough from his recent surgery to return to work. He had to have his right shoulder that he injured while in the service and left knee, which he damaged during his tennis days, operated on. I do so hope that this surgery does the trick. Steve, just don't overdo and mess either one of them up!

~~~

Aunt Wanda Mitchell will be having gall bladder surgery on the 31st of January. Arvilla may have to have the same, but at this time it isn't definite. Please remember Wanda in your prayers!

~~~

Mona Tharp will be having surgery also on the 31st. She has a tumor or something on an ovary. We are praying it isn't anything serious. Please remember her and her family in your prayers. Don will probably be deployed for duty at any time. I am so hopeful that he will not have to leave before her surgery.

~~~

I am sure by now that Adam and Michal Finley are back in Israel. They were visiting in the states over the Christmas holidays. They are in our thoughts and prayers daily as we hear of the violence
over in the area. Since Judy's visit though, she feels some better as
she said it isn't bad where they live. I pray this continues to be the
case.
~~~

Sympathies are extended to Vivian Christopher McElyea in the death of her
sister, Sybil Louise Inge. Sybil passed away on Monday, Jan.13. She had
been in very delicate health for many years. Funeral services are scheduled
for 2 p.m., Friday, January 17, at Northside Baptist Church.
~~~

Special birthday greetings this month to Aunt Violet McElyea Walker on the 5th,
Aunt Sue Holland McElyea on the 7th, and Aunt Wanda McElyea Mitchell
on the 16th. Other birthdays are as follows:

January Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthdays

1 Dean Smith
5 Violet McElyea Walker
7 Mary Sue Holland McElyea
10 Paige Nicole Mitchell
14 Robert Gaines
16 Wanda McElyea Mitchell
19 DeWayne Stratton
23 Phil Harguess
25 Jason Derek Riggs
27 Phillip Roath
29 Dwight Smith
31 Dawn DeLay Mitchell

Anniversaries

2 Don and Mona Whitehead Tharp

~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 2002

~~~~~

Sympathies are extended to Mary Sue Holland McElyea in the death of her brother-in-law, Brad Cooler. He died recently from a heart attack

News

A new addition to the McElyea line!

Madaleine and Tom Alexander had a son, Austin Riker Alexander. He was born December 12, 2002. He weighed 6 lbs. 5.2 oz and was 19 1/2" long. He is adorable! and being the proud Grandmother that I am, here is his picture.

~~~

From Wanda McElyea Mitchell

Dewayne Stratton's boy scout pack put on a skit December 13 of the Alamo, They used homemade puppets and Dewayne was Amaron Dickerson/Dickinson. Of all the boys participating he was the only one who had memorized his lines and did his part without a hitch. He has been off the Phenobarbital (that he had been on since he was six months old) for about two weeks now and he such a happy little almost 11 year old boy to finally not have to take that stuff twice a day. He and his sister Kayla are being home schooled and are really doing well both have tested for a grade higher than they started out in.
Christopher Mitchell US Air Force is due in December 21 for a two week leave and we are all so excited.
Wanda and Francis had three of their six grandchildren and their three great grandchildren visiting for a few days, Tyler is 14, Melody 5 they are Steve's children, Paige is almost 11 and is Kaven's daughter, Dewayne and Kayla 7 are their Granddaughter Paula's children and Justin who is 12 is Darlene's son. Paula and Darlene are Arvilla's daughter's

December Birthdays and Anniversaries

3 Prairie Gaines
6 Kim and Phil Harguess (Anniversary)
7 Denyce and Bob Guyer (Anniversary)
10 Kaitlin Sedgewick
11 CoriAnn Viner Blake
12 Judy and Marshall Finley (Anniversary)
13 Laurie Morris Day
14 Hunter Holcomb
16 Kim Smith
16 Jesse Huckel
17 Marshall Adam Finley
22 Bill Viner
22 Clay Waters
25 John Viner
27 Misty and Chad Hunley (Anniversary)
29 Syrina Smith
29 Chad Hunley
31 Madaleine and Tom Alexander (Anniversary)

Congratulations to each and everyone of you!

~~~~

November News

On November 28, Sarah Grace Phillips, daughter of Kellie Price and Ryan Phillips was born. Sarah is the granddaughter of Dawn and Kaven Mitchell. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 181/2" in length. Sarah Grace now will have to share her birthday celebrations with Aunt Vivian McElyea and cousin, Debbie McElyea Kessler, who both celebrate their births on November 28.

Birthdays and Anniversaries in November

2 Kaven and Dawn Mitchell (Anniversary)
3 Allie Noble Craig
4 Calvin McElyea
6 Amy Smith Bullard
8 Denyce Walker Guyer
9 Bryson Thomas Holcomb
11 Haley Michele Price
11 Jimmie K. Henderson, Jr.
12 Michele Riggs
13 R.N. Bell
13 Pat and Amanda Bell-Dennis (Anniversary)
14 LeAnn Smith
15 David Smith
16 Dillon Harguess
16 Jim and Tammy Henderson (Anniversary)
20 Jacie Day
20 Phyllis Noble Walker
22 Francis Mitchell
22 Daymon McElyea
24 Keri O'Neal Bullard
24 Dakota Ray Hodgkins
26 Sharon and Bill Viner (Anniversary)
28 Vivian Christopher McElyea
28 Debbie McElyea Kessler
To each and everyone of you, Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! We wish you the very best for this year and many to come!

~~~

October Happenings

Adam Finley and Michal Nadel married in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 4, 2002. Adam is the son of Marshall and Judy McElyea Finley.

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Finley

Chaim Nadel, Judy, Leah Nadel, Michal and Adam, under the hoopah.

The poles of the hoopah are held by Michals brother, Rel, friend, Avi and two other friends. The rabay (sort of a lady rabbi) is reading the service. In the background the sun is setting over the beautiful Mediterranean. Chaim and Leah Nadel are Michal's parents.

Judy's pictures from her trip to Israel.

judy_finley.htm

50 years of Marriage

Congratulations are in order for Randy and Vivian Christopher McElyea. Randy and Vivian were married in Odessa, TX. on October 25, 1952. To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Randy and Vivian went to spend time in Pearland with their youngest daughter, Cathy. They spent time on the boardwalk in Kemah, Texas. They love the water and spend as much time enjoying it while in the area. Since their marriage the McElyea family has increased by nine, three daughters were born to this union and from them six grandchildren. We love you all!

undefined


undefined
More...


undefined
[Close]


undefined
[Close]


undefined

October 1, 2001