Christmas 2005

December 2005

Dear Family and Friends,

Ok, rather than go month to month (cause let’s face it, a year is 12 months, and what the heck ever happens in February anyway?) I’m going to organize this year’s letter by movie quotes. See if you can figure out which movie all the quotes come from. Keep count and we’ll give you your score at the end of the letter.

Phil: Do you ever have deja vu Mrs. Lancaster?
Mrs. Lancaster: I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen.

One of the things that was done repeatedly in our house, over and over and over again, was a rousing game of Candyland. Easy to learn, but difficult to master is Candyland. A piece of advice, if you play at our house against Ella, don’t put money on the game.

Shooter: We're gonna run the picket fence at 'em. ... Merle should be open swinging around the end of that fence. Boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry!

Lots of sports doings this year. The highlight of this year was when Carolina won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and I was there. This year’s victory occurred in St. Louis, which was a terrific host city. I was a little concerned when they ran out of beer Saturday night. Keep in mind they MAKE Budweiser 7 blocks from downtown. You’d think there would be some member of the Busch family out there with a key to the vats.

Ella attended her first big sporting event when we took her to a football game in Chapel Hill in October. The occasion was my Law School reunion so she was brought to show off and inhale the Chapel Hill atmosphere. She truly is a Carolina football fan, enjoying the pom-poms, shouting, cheers, people and the spectacle while glancing at the action on the football field from time to time. I think I even heard her ask “when’s Basketball?” She was enjoying herself so much that Julie said she would try to mentally prepare herself for Ella going to Carolina. I told if she did that I would try to financially prepare myself for her going to Duke.

Ella’s own sporting events were limited to kicking the soccer ball in the yard and shooting baskets in the driveway. She also attended a gymnastics class where she learned how to tumble and jump and walk on the balance beam.

Diane: I'd love to go with you, but I've got a class right now.
Thornton Melon: Well, why don't you come and see me some time when you have no class.

On the educational front, Ella attends pre-school three times a week at Winter Park Presbyterian School in a three-year old class. This year we went from crying and holding on to Mom and Dad at the drop off to zipping in without a kiss in only about a week. I expect soon we will have to drop her off around the corner so we don’t “embarrass” her.

Julie also went Back to School to get her Real Estate License. She studied every night and had classes all weekend for 4.5 weeks. When she took the state exam, I offered my retired, lucky Black Warrior pencil (used in every standardized test since the PSAT back in Jr. High) but the test is taken on the computer now. So 5 minutes after she finished the exam, she found out she passed.

Michael Bolton: You haven't even been showing up for work, and you got to keep your job.
Peter Gibbons: Actually I'm being promoted.

Despite her success in the Real Estate course, Julie is happy working at Bald Head 3 days a week (unless somebody reading this can give her a raise, if which case she is out the door unless we get some more cash, or at least a lock on the office door). In June I left the firm I had been with and started a new firm, Hodges & Coxe, P.C. with a Wes Hodges, a friend from undergrad. We are doing civil litigation, things. I really enjoy it practicing law in this environment and being the one to call the shots. So the next time you curse The Man, remember he is me!

Major Strasser: Are you one of those people who cannot imagine the Germans in their beloved Paris?
Rick: It's not particularly my beloved Paris.

Major Strasser: How about New York?
Rick: Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade.

We took a few family trips this year. We went to the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro in May. It is a fabulous zoo with three “continents” Africa, North America, and Australia. Ella liked the otters, (“Splash!”), the giraffes, flamingos, and the zebras, but her favorites were…the fish. For that, I could have (and frequently do) take her 15 miles away to the Fort Fisher Aquarium and not 3.5 hours to Ashboro.

Back in the summer, we went to Virginia for Julie’s grandfather’s 100th birthday. He is still a spry and sharp retired doctor and I think he enjoyed the attention. Hey the President even sent him a birthday card!

Lex: He is but one, while you are three!
[Non growls menacingly]
Lex: Four, if you count him twice.

Our big news is that we are having another baby, due January 20. The gender of the baby is in a note in a sealed envelope in my office desk. I cannot confirm or deny that I have opened and read said note. Ella enjoys the concept of being a big sister and even has her own “Big Sister Class” about it from Julie’s doctor. We’ll see how well concept looks like reality next year.

Maria: [singing] Silver white winters that melt into springs, these are a few of my favorite things

Ella enjoys music and singing and keeps us entertained constantly with her songs. She likes all the classic children’s songs, “Itsy, bitsy Spider,” “London Bridge,” “The Grand Old Duke from York,” (which I began to explain to her was about the failed Flanders campaign by the Duke of York in the late 18th century, until Julie told me to hush).

Putting her tumbling lessons, and my free weekend with her while Julie was at the Grove Park to good use, I decided to teach her some more of the classics. Ella now enjoys singing and dancing to the musical styling of The Blues Brothers. Her favorite is Ray Charles and “Shake Your Tailfeather.” Somehow she instinctively knew how to do “the mashed Potato.” Julie thinks she is funny doing the dances, but I am funnier doing them with her.

Charlie Brown: I got a rock.

We had some fun holiday times this year. Last year for Christmas, Ella got the aforementioned basketball hoop, a chalkboard easel, table and chairs and many other goodies, despite being too shy to sit on Santa’s lap. This year, she screwed up her courage and went right to him, so she should really rake it in this year. (I also snuck a peak at the naughty and nice list. She was on the bubble this year, but I think she’ll come out ok). For Halloween this year she was a ballerina. She got the concept of Trick or Treating after about the first two houses and then it was hard to get her off the street. We still have Halloween candy on top of our refrigerator.

Ok, if you are scoring at home, the quotes above came from the following movies and shows in order: Groundhog Day, Hoosiers, Back to School, Office Space, Casablanca, Superman II, The Sound of Music and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. If you got them all correct, I will share my $500 million Nigerian inheritance with you. Just send me $10,000 so I can process the paperwork and I’ll give you $250 million!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Bradley, Julie, Ella, and Hobbes (the cat).