Update and this summer's trip to Ireland

Hey everybody! It has been awhile since I have seen or talked to a lot you and I wanted to take the opportunity to let you all know what is going on with me these days. I am in the second semester of my junior year at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where I am pursuing a double major in Economics and Business Management with a minor in Communications. In addition to my full course load, I also am very active in my fraternity on campus (The Fraternal Society - OKE) and I am a three year member of Hope’s Men’s Varsity Soccer team. I am also active in the Holland community by coaching a local High School JV Lacrosse team and working at both on campus and off campus jobs.

I have a girlfriend named Lauren who I will have been dating for 2 years in April. She is a tall, skinny blonde, but my sisters have forgiven her for that and seem to have given their stamp of approval. This is a picture of us during homecoming last year. She is also a junior at Hope and her family is from Grand Rapids, which is only about 30 minutes from Holland. Her brother and father were both members of the same fraternity that I am in right now at Hope, which has served as a nice connection.

Every five years the men’s soccer team travels to Europe to experience the roots of the game that has been such a large part of my life. This summer the team will be traveling to Ireland and will spend 10 days touring around the sites and experiencing the Irish culture, playing in and watching several friendly soccer matches, as well as doing some community service at an Irish community center. I will try to post a copy of our trip’s proposed itinerary and I have include a few picture of me from this last season. Everyone around here is getting very excited because we will be using the trip as a spring board into our fall training.

This past season I worked to secure a starting spot on the team and ended up being voted as a captain for next year’s 2009 season. This trip is going to be a once in a lifetime experience for me and it is important for the team that I be a part of the trip because of my leadership role for next year. This is not a cheap trip and, although Hope is covering a portion of each student’s/player’s trip, it is up to me to cover $2,000 in order to pay for airfare, lodging and transportation for the 10 days that we are over there. I am trying to get as much out of my college experience as possible, and I wanted to ask for your help to make this dream of mine become a reality.

I realize that many of you visited Ireland and Wales a few years ago and that you had a fantastic trip. If you have any advice/information for me about the area or if you would like to make any financial contributions to help make this trip possible, I would be extremely appreciative. Please feel free to send me an email (john.herbert@hope.edu) or give me a call sometime (574-339-6114) and we can catch up. Hopefully I’ll talk to a lot of you soon.

Love,

John David

Welcome Tucker!

J & A,
Tucker is beautiful!!!! Congratulations. Give Celia and Tucker xoxoxoxoxo from the California cousins. We love you all.

Kathy & Rob

Introducing....

Thomas Everett Betz -- the newest member of the Herbert/Betz family. "Tucker" shares his big sister Celia's and his mom's birthday -- arriving about 11 o'clock this morning. Aunt Kate, now home from CA, was the first person (after Jenni and Andy) to hold him.

Helloooooo?

Should have grabbed my camera today, but I didn't... so all you get is text. John David, Lauren (sp?), Kate Herbert and I enjoyed lunch together at the Northstar restaurant near Kate's HNB branch in the Short North. Kate is clearly happy in her new and well-earned position as the lead customer service rep there. John David is looking forward to visiting Ireland this summer with his soccer team -- yes, he is captain! -- and to playing on a brand new field back home. Lauren, whom I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time today, is an amazing young woman who needs to meet and talk with Judd before she heads for Spain.

Happy February birthday wishes to Andy, Eunice, Walt, Maggie, Kathy, Benjamin, Tom, Josh & Will!!! Got any postable celebratory photos?

Rosie's Black Hat

Dear Family & Friends,

Thanks for honoring our requests for no calls, for allowing us a much needed time-out to try to absorb the devastating news that we are losing Celia to a hideous disease. There are times now when I can talk about it, and times when I'd rather not. Rod was wise enough to tell his colleagues, “Please, let’s do us both a favor and just don’t say anything.” Our wonderful ministers & spiritual friends have jumped down in the hole with us (instead of just offering some infuriating nonsense about “God’s plan” and walking by, but that’s another story.) All your patience & kindness & prayers are appreciated.

Jenni, Andy & Celia joined us for dinner this evening, and after dinner (while Celia watched Moose A. Moose) I told the story of my black hat. As a young teacher I kept a black hat in my classroom. For the most part, the hat stayed on its hook in the corner, but my students knew that if I put that hat on my head, they were not to approach me for anything short of a real emergency. In the fall of 1974, as Dad was slipping away, I wore the hat more than usual – but never long, and not often. I remember one day I was seated at my desk, trying to get hold of myself, hat brim dipping over my face, when our principal walked through the classroom door. Some of my students, who had been working quietly, rushed up to him saying, “Sorry, Mr. Harmon, you can’t talk to her now unless it’s an emergency -- she’s wearing the hat. You’ll have to come back later.” And he did!

I tell the story here because we all need a black hat from time to time. [A student taught me that by asking to borrow my hat one day. From that day on, my students and I shared the hat – and no one ever abused it.] Figuratively speaking, I’ve put the hat back on its hook tonight, knowing I’ll need it again, but who knows when? We need your love and support and prayers as well -- and I’ve felt those despite my recent reluctance to communicate – so please don’t rush to the phone – let’s just know that we’ll email & talk again sometime soon.

Celia wore a black bow in her beautiful red hair tonight… and she has several, fetching hats from which to choose!

The Night Santa Came To Town

We moved to our new home in 2005, when our streets were unpaved and muddy, and MapQuest had no idea we existed as a little community, called Old Trail #9, in the hilly farmlands south of Pittsburgh. It was common to find delivery trucks wandering up and down our streets looking for a particular family, repair men knocking on doors asking for directions, and folks who knew each other by lot number instead of street address. As Christmas 2005 loomed before us, the kids in the 'hood were deeply troubled. How would Santa find us if FedEx can't? Mothers sent emails to the North Pole, with specific travel directions, but the absence of street signs to guide Santa's way was a persistent topic of conversation and concern. As children of all ages pondered this dilemma, an idea began to take hold: what if there was a Santa Sighting in the distant hills and fields, demonstrating Santa's commitment to make sure he knew where everyone lived? And who better to play this part than Chip Stevers? No kids in the house to bust his cover, and since we were all still getting to know one another, the kids in the 'hood would surely not recognize him from afar! In December of 2005, the first Santa Sighting in Old Trail #9 was born.

Our plans were great, on paper. Santa would tromp around in the snow, a safe distance from the houses, and the kids would be alerted by the sound of sleigh bells (with the added protection of cell phones ringing). Santa was so hugely effective that the completely unexpected occurred: little people in bare feet and pajamas were running out their front doors, following Santa as he tried to make an escape. The Pied Piper in Red. Sounds of clapping, shouting, running and laughing filled the air. Mothers and fathers scurrying behind, snatching up the littlest and slowest. Poor Santa slipping and sliding down the back hills, trying to get away without losing his pants or his beard.

We had to make some changes in subsequent years. Now parents are on-guard for escapees, but Santa actually knocks on front doors. He's accompanied by Rudolph, who helps him remember kid's names and distribute chocolate-covered pretzel rods made by Mrs. Claus. The 4th Annual Santa Visit occurred on December 22, 2008, and was a huge success: what started as a visit to less than 25 children for not more than 30 minutes has expanded to visiting close to 100 children in a period of about 2.5 hours. The shouts of glee and absolute delight on little faces is truly a sight to behold, creating a feeling of Christmas in the air that can practically be touched with your fingers.

Deployed

Hey Herberts!

I just wanted to write you all a quick note now that I'm at Al Udeid AB, Qatar. I've been here just under a day, and will be staying the next 4 months, thru the middle of May '09. Fortunately, I was able to get back to Covina and the family for Christmas, and spend the New Year with good friends in Seattle before I left.

While I'm out here I'll be working in the Combined Air Operations Center, which controls all allied airspace/planes for both wars...so, a pretty important thing if you ask me ;) My contribution will be as part of a 2-man team coordinating the diplomatic clearances of US mobility (cargo) aircraft as they overfly other countries enroute to/from Iraq and Afghanistan. It shouldn't be too difficult as many countries have already pre-approved most overflights, but there will certainly be some short-notice taskings that aren't quite as vanilla. Good-times for sure. The biggest bummer is that I won't get to fly at all while I'm out here.

Anyway, I hope you all had a great holiday season...though we still have one day left of Christmas, so make the 12th day great...get those 12 drummers to drum! haha. I plan on enjoying the relatively chilly weather since it's going to get really hot and humid here in a few months. I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon. I'll post my mailing address here as soon as I get it, and feel free to send me an email or post some great stuff here to the blog to let me (and everyone else) know what you're up to.

Take care!

Aaron