What great things the Van Schaacks and extended families have accomplished this year.

Goals were set by Chris as he decided it was the year for expansion. He purchased a house in a beautiful wooded canyon in Chatsworth. He is remodeling the existing house and has enough property to build a second home. Chris is seriously dating the loving, patient, charming and intelligent, Mary Theis. She is a computer programmer and waft color artist. They enjoy a mutual love of sports. She understands his drive and devotion to his construction business which keeps him extremely busy. He is now 31.

Lee and Linda continue their fast paced lives in San Clemente. Lee’s insurance business slackened, giving him more time for his construction business. In between his other jobs, like building a dentist’s office, and working with the U.S. General Services Administration, he is trying to remodel their home. The family is active with the Christian Mission Church, where Lee is the Jr. High School Pastor, and where Linda teaches 3, 4 and 5 year olds. Together, Lee and Linda chaperoned a church camping trip to Lake Elsinor for the 2nd through 6th grade youngsters. Linda is in her 3rd year working with the Capistrano Valley Christian School. She enjoys cycling and she would love more time for family camping. They still love surfing and spending time at the beach.

Vivacious Dena is almost 13 and made her school cheer leading team. She enjoys her friends, going to movies, working part time at the local sub sandwich shop and baby sitting. Her report card included 5 A’s and 2 B’s.

Nathan also loves school and is now a 9 year old. He is a junior life guard at their neighborhood pool. He likes bike racing, roller blading and ice hockey.

Adam, Natalie and Nick Stamos vacationed for 3 weeks in California with all the Van Schaacks. They loved surfing with Dena and Nathan in San Clemente and swimming in Tarzana.

Adam’s favorite pass time is video games. He took hockey lessons at Sierra Nevada Ice Arena with Nick and he also plays baseball. After Christmas he will be privileged to travel on a missionary trip to Guatemala,Central America with his physical education teacher. The children are now enrolled in New Life Christian School and Adam, now 12, skipped from 5th grade to a 7th/8th grade combination class. He has been truly challenged with tough assignments in composition and literature, drama, science, math, and history.

Nick and Nat are very active students. Nick, at seven, loves playing football with his friends, and he has learned to play hockey. He and Natalie are terrific at tracing and drawing pictures together. He likes playing computer and video games almost as much as his brother.

Natalie is a beautiful 8 year old, and quite a young lady. She pursues life with zest and spontaneity. She loves to dance and sing, and she wants to get back into gymnastics. She loves to cook and bake. She is now in the 3rd grade and she is a very good student.

Tom has had a great year in his insurance business. He travels frequently and recently reached his long term goal of purchasing a six passenger airplane. He bought into the ownership of an A-36 Beechcraft Bonanza and recently completed a thorough check out in the aircraft. Tom also serves on the Advisory Board of the children’s school and he still gets up in the dark to swim with the Sierra Nevada Masters.

Dana is the Area Director for Washoe County Special Olympics where she coordinates 200 athletes and coaches, and a myriad of volunteers. She continues as the Executive Director of the Reno Executives Club and when she has time she designs brochures and flyers, does data management and many other services for Accelerated Business Service, her home-based business.

Jim and Joyce enjoyed their trips to Reno in June and again in November. They traveled to McMinnville, Oregon around the 4th of July for great Grand Dad Van Schaack’s 87th birthday party. Great Grand Dad is active in his Masonic lodge and attends college lectures and sporting events.

Jim has been busy with his business, and with his Masonic lodge. He and Joyce have traveled together to Sacramento and LaJolla in California. He continues up-dating and remodeling their Tarzana home, along with the home of his sister-in-law LaVern’s and niece Cheryl’s. He is also helping Chris with his newly acquired abode. He continues to work on remodeling commercial projects and his new love, computer design. With his artistic and design backgrounds he is a very dynamic computer graphic artist.

Joyce has coerced him into designing some very impressive projects for her County Republican Women’s Clubs. The couple celebrated 42 years of marriage in November, and if they have time they may build another home in 1992. Joyce enjoyed spending the summer at home with her grand children and her sister, Lorene, and brother-in-law, Lowell, from Bloomington, Indiana. The sisters played bridge, had summer parties, and visited Southern California sites including the wonderful Richard Nixon Museum. In the fall Joyce became a retired teacher but continued teaching 4 evenings a week and substituting at the local high school. She also continues serving as a Governor’s appointee to the Dept. of Social Services Committee on Child Abuse Prevention for the State Social Service Board. She still works with the Los Angeles advance offices for President. Bush and Vice President Quayle. In November she worked at the Reagan Presidential Library Dedication as the manager of the Office of Public Liason. The Marriott Hotel in Century City had five hundred guests for the dedication, including former Presidents, Nixon, Ford and Carter and their wives, plus the families of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Many other world leaders were also guests.

This year our families have been blessed with good health, great ambitions and marvelous friendships. The future looks bright and you are welcome to visit any of the brood in 1992.

Merry Christmas To You And Yours In 1991.