1995 - We visit Grand Canyon for first time as part of Joanie's Discovery Toys conference. Later we go to San Diego CA (4th Discovery Toys incentive trip). Bob takes up golf. Emily joins Girl Scouts. Alex starts played USSF soccer. All four of us go to Pontiac SilverDome to see Fowler win Class D state football title. We win 1995 Ford minivan through St Mary Cathedral raffle. Road trip to Mammoth Cave in KY.

1996 - Alex and classmate Kyle Kramer perform Who's on First at St Gerard as 5th Graders. Bob's dad dies at age 79, three days shy of 80th birthday and a few months shy of folks' 50th wedding anniversary. We buy Buddy the black lab from breeder in Perry. Bob buys 1958 BMW Isetta.

1997 - Bob transfers to Mich Gaming Control Board. Emily's 8th grade basketball team wins Catholic Youth League championship. Emily gets her braces off; gets contacts lenses. Alex joins indoor rollerblade league. Palm Springs CA (5th Discovery Toys incentive trip). At Joanie's urging, we get connected to the Internet for the first time; Bob's addiction begins! We vacation in Florida.

1998 - Puerto Vallarta Mexico (6th Discovery Toys incentive trip). Emily moves to 9th Grade at Waverly High School. Alex organizes neighborhood street hockey.

1999 - Emily plays wicked step-mother in school's Cinderella. Emily takes Driver Education. Alex starts officiating 6-year-olds in AYSO soccer. The four of us and Bob's mom fly to Laguna Beach CA for niece Wendy's wedding. Emersons, Hetricks, and Purols join us for Ohio State football game at MSU for 25-year reunion from when we were roommates; MSU wins.

2000 - Worldwide Y2K computer threat (will computers be able to handle a year that ends in 00?) turns out to be a dud despite months of global fear. Paris France (7th Discovery Toys incentive trip). We rent a cabin in the hills near Gatlinburg TN with Doug & Sharon Henney and their two sons. We are visited by Craig & Marla and Dave & Sarah and their children. We all watch MSU win its second NCAA Men's basketball championship (we beat Florida). Alex moves to 9th Grade at Waverly High School. Alex takes Driver Education. Alex starts reffing USSF adult soccer. Takes up playing drums. Is in high school's play State Fair. Emily works part-time at Joanie's office. Bob transfers to Mich Dept of Treasury. Bob creates www.CQQL.net personal website. 18" of snow on ground by mid-December.

2001 - We take kids to Cancun Mexico (8th Discovery Toys incentive trip). Emily goes to Italy w high school choir group Reflections. Alex gives up high school soccer; starts playing lacrosse. Bob visits 100-year-old Sara Katzenstein, his 7th grade English teacher.

2002 - Emily plays Rizzo in high school's musical Grease. Emily starts as freshman at Western Mich Univ. Bob officiates his first high school girls state final in soccer.

2003 - We take kids to Maui HI (9th Discovery Toys incentive trip). Emily transfers to LCC. Alex works as cook at Bob Evans. Emily is part-time waitress at Cracker Barrel. Bob visits former teacher Sara Katzenstein again; she is 102. Bob throws surprise 50th birthday party for Joanie. Everyone brings spatulas. Bob and friend Brent Sorg go to Hawaii to officiate soccer.

2004 - Vienna, Austria (10th Discovery Toys incentive trip). Visit WWII Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen. We rendezvous w Vanda Vucko for first time. Emily transfers back to Western Mich Univ. We accompany Alex on cruise w his senior class. Alex starts as freshman at LCC. Starts serving at Cracker Barrel. Bob and friend Brent Sorg go to Hawaii to officiate soccer for second time. Bob sells BMW Isetta; buys 2003 VW Beetle. Vanda comes to visit, first time since she left USA in 1970. Bob takes her to Mackinac Island.

2005 - Emily goes to Mexico on Spring Break. Alex nearly cuts off thumb helping a friend move a washer/dryer. Alex starts living at Stoddard St house in East Lansing. Alex starts working for Mich Dept of Labor & Economic Growth, thanks largely to Ben Mueller's dad Don. We remove carpeting in our bedroom. Joanie brings home Cody, a stray Brittany. Bob starts w off-ice crew at MSU hockey. We vacation at Bal Harbor FL in Harriet/John Mertz's beachfront condo. Hurricane Katrina visits but isn't yet much of a storm while we are there. Also drive to Key West.

2006 - Emily starts student teaching in Battle Creek. Bahamas (11th and last Discovery Toys incentive trip). Emily and her friend Lindsey vacation in London England. Joanie and co-worker Janet Baerman attend Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.

2007 - Emily graduates from Western Mich Univ w degree in Elementary Education. Boyfriend Ben Byelich proposes. Bob/Alex go to MSU's Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. Joanie's office changes from Len Charchut to Steve Charchut. Bob drives to St Louis MO w his friend Jimmy Constandt to see MSU win their third national title in men's ice hockey. Vanda visits (2nd time). Bob takes her to Tampa FL to reunite w Jane Ambroson's family who hosted Vanda when she was an exchange student at Waverly High School. While they are there, Jane dies in the hospital (she dies of alcohol/drug abuse, totally disinterested in having anything to do w her family). We later visit Vanda in Slovenia. The three of us visit Rome via train.

2008 - Evan is born. Emily marries Ben. (Yes, in that order.) They move from Downers Grove IL to Williamston MI. Emily works part-time for an educational software company in Lansing. Ben accepts job offer from Michigan Caterpillar. She later teaches 2nd-3rd graders at Cumberland Elementary in Lansing. Alex interns at Boeing in Seattle WA. He and Bob drive there in Alex's car. Three long days on the road. At end of summer, Bob flies out, then drives back w Alex. Long, gruesome drive but worth the father-son memories. Alex vacations in Mexico. We vacation in Bal Harbor and Key West FL w Jim/Carol Young, staying at Harriet Mertz's condo. Vanda visits again (3rd time), this time w Aljaz, the son of a friend. We visit Dow Gardens and Lake Michigan. Joanie buys a puggle; Bob names him Duffy.

2009 - Joanie slips on ice and breaks left elbow. Bob, Alex and Brent Sorg go to MSU's Capital One Bowl in Orlando FL. Soon after, Bob starts using a CPAP. Had to put down Buddy. Bob fractures his right wrist while helping a neighbor w a tree. Bob retires in June. Bob shaves off his mustache that he'd had for 30+ years. Vanda visits again (4th time). The three of us visit the Grand Canyon. Alex graduates from MSU in May w degree in chemical engineering; accepts job offer in November w Dow Corning in Midland MI.

2010 - We go to NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis w Ben/Emily. While there, Joanie meets Dr. Travis Stork of tv's "The Doctors." We stay w Rod/Candy Olsen, the drive on to Kiawah Island SC at a rented house w Emersons, Hetricks and Purols. We all socialize w Warren/Donna Lasch. Vanda visits (5th time) New York City w Aljaz, so we meet them in Niagara Falls NY over Independence Day weekend. Emily's father-in-law Dick remodels our kitchen, dining room, hallway and main floor bathroom. Emily now teaches kindergarten at Cumberland Elementary. Joanie's parents are in single-vehicle traffic crash. Eugene has pacemaker installed. Bob opens Facebook account.

2011 - Eleanor is born. Alex now has girlfriend Lauren. Alex/Lauren go to Paris w her mom's high school French class. Joanie stops selling Discovery Toys after 22 years. Bob's mom adopts a chihuahua named Otis; Otis later comes to live w us on Christmas Day. We vacation in Orlando FL w friends Terry/Larry who treat us to a day at Discovery Cove. We plant a grapevine along the backyard north fence. We meet Hetricks in Chicago for a few days. Vanda visits (6th time). Bob takes her to Chicago and Milwaukee. Emersons come up and the four of us go to Mackinac Island. We later walk the Mackinac Bridge w Mike/Linda Brown. Evie dies at age 88, just two weeks after being diagnosed w cancer.

2012 - Emily teaches 4th Grade at Williamston Schools. Alex moves to Florence KY; works for Dow Corning at Burlington KY. Alex runs first marathon in Midland MI; Lauren runs half marathon. Alex proposes to Lauren.

2013 - Emily teaches 5th grade (same students she had as 4th Graders). We visit Chicago w Jim/Carol Young. Bob buys a 1947 Farmall Cub farm tractor. Alex marries Lauren. Bob drives to Nebraska w neighbor Tom to watch MSU beat Cornhuskers for first time ever in football. Ice storm on Dec 22 leaves us without electricity for three days; Ben brings us a generator. Coldest, longest winter we can remember. Not a ton of snow, just cold that would not let go.

2014 - We take Vanda to Knoxville (her 7th time back to USA). In June, we visit France, Belgium and Luxembourg w Craig/Chris for 70th anniversary of D-Day. Alex/Lauren move to San Francisco. Bob starts driving for Williams AutoWorld (Audi, Subaru, VW... later Hyundai). Bob starts volunteering at LAN airport w neighbor Jon Shoemaker when Bob's mom can no longer volunteer (she volunteered there 2002-2014). Jean moves into TimberRidge Senior Center 11-25-2014.

2015 - We visit Alex/Lauren in SF for first time; then drive to LA to see Wendy/Greg and Janet/Derek. We plant grapes near our street light. Joanie attends MSU Football Clinic. Vanda visits in August (8th time); attends her 40th Waverly High School reunion. Eugene dies on Christmas Day (95).

2016 - We visit Alex/Lauren in San Francisco in January. Bob's mom Jean dies in May (91). We attend Donald Trump rally (presidential candidate) in Cadillac (our first Trump event). We take Ken & Jeanne Krapohl with us to Knoxville TN; visit Jack Daniels Distillery. Dick Byelich remodels our Family Room. Eleanor starts all-day full-week kindergarten so we retire from scheduled babysitting. We visit Ireland in Sept w Craig/Chris Emerson and Jim/Carol Young. We attend Trump rally in Lansing (our 2nd Trump rally). Jeanne Krapohl dies in December (age 82)

2017 - We visit Alex/Lauren in SF, then Yosemite w Mike/Patty Niebauer in May. Cubs baseball game w Ken Krapohl, Craig/Chris. James Taylor concert at Wrigley Field in Chgo in July. Had to put down Cody (15 yrs old). Emily earns Masters from CMU. Watch total solar eclipse in Aug in Knoxville TN. Plant Keith/Jean Memorial Tree in Emily's yard. Bob visits MaryLou Duits in AZ on her 90th birthday. Lauren moves to Oslo, Norway in Dec (Alex and dog Frannie follow in March 2018).

2018 - Bob officiates Matt/Lisa Thelen wedding (Bob's first). Visited Billy Graham Library in NC w Craig/Chris. Meet Moody Bible Inst friends in Chgo for long wknd; tour MBI. Walked Mackinac Bridge w Mike/Linda Brown. Bob and Dan Pfeiffer attend MSU-Arizona State football game in Phoenix; tour Grand Canyon. We attend Pres Trump rally in Washington MI (our 3rd Trump rally). Bob sells 1948 Farmall Cub tractor to Duluth Trading Co; now in lobby in Cary NC. Bob and Tom Mailand attend Elton John concert in Detroit. Alex/Lauren come back to Mich in Sept to attend some weddings. Joanie retires from Steve Charchut end of Dec.

2019 - Key West FL w Craig/Chris in Jan. We attend Pres Trump rally in Grand Rapids MI (our 4th Trump rally); meet Pete Hegseth from Fox News. We go to Norway in July. Bob's 50th Reunion for Waverly High School. Walked Mackinac Bridge w Mike/Linda Brown; then two nights on Beaver Island. Margot born in Oslo, Norway. Drive to Maine, Mass, and NY. We attend Pres Trump rally in Battle Creek MI w Craig/Chris (our 5th Trump rally); we stand in line for 5½ hrs in 19º weather! Dangerously cold. We are not prepared for that cold! Alex, Lauren, and Margot come back to Michigan for a Lauren's cousin's wedding (Dec 2019) and Margot's baptism (Jan 2020).

2020 - Feb, fly to Florida. Stay w Rod/Candy Olsen, and Candy's 93-year-old dad Harold. Visit Deb Moore, Bunnie Freed, Mark/Tee Schantz, Tim/Joni Pederson. Stay one night w John/Jeanie Kaminsky. In mid-March, Covid19 hits; world changes. Bob starts 1000mg Metformin daily for diabetes; later reduced to 500mg/day after losing 25 lbs. July, Bishop James Murray dies (87). Sept, Utah w Emersons. Had tickets to MSU-BYU football game, but that gets cancelled (Covid19). We visit national parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon (our favorite!), Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Monument Valley, and Promontory Summit (1869 transcontinental railroad). Visit Grafton (Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid scenes). 80º every day. Mark Dantonio, winningest coach in MSU football history, retires; new coach Mel Tucker beats Michigan 27-24 on his first try. Three Trump rallies in Oct: Muskegon (our 6th), Lansing (7th), and Pontiac (8th). Nov, rally w Ivanka Trump in Eaton Rapids (our 9th Trump event) in Nov. Ivanka signs Joanie's MAGA hat. Nov, our 40th anniv w Mike/Linda Brown (their 40th also) at Toledo Zoo. Joe Biden declared 46th president. Thanksgiving is just the two of us; Emily & fam decide to stay home due to Covid19 concerns. Dec, Wash DC rally (our 10th Trump event). Emersons join us. Trump flies over in Marine One. On way home, Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville PA (one of four jets in 9-11-2001 terrorist attack), and Leslie Rossi's "Trump house" in Latrobe PA. Pfizer develops/distributes first Covid19 vaccine; Moderna soon follows. Ken Krapohl dies (85). We have to put down Otis when he goes blind; 12.5 yrs old; we had him for nine. We start taking Hydroxychloroquine (small white tablet) as a Covid19 preventative.

2021 - Jan 6, Trump rally (our 11th) Wash DC. All peaceful at Wash Monument, then walk to US Capitol. See people climbing statues and scaffolding. What?! Then smoke appears. Tear gas? We decide it's time to leave. Casually walk to Metro subway station. Meet and talk w Mollie Hemingway, Fox News contributor (Joanie notices her, even though we're all still wearing Covid19 masks). Never see any violence or feel any danger, though we do notice lots of police. Back in hotel room, we watch tv news: it's now officially a riot. People illegally entering US Capitol--- idiots! Margaret born in Aug. Emily takes off a semester from teaching 4th Grade, returning to the classroom shortly after Thanksgiving. Alex, Lauren, and Margot (2) come back from Oslo, Norway for a three-week visit in June. Margot stays with us while Alex & Lauren attend David & Bre Land's wedding in Chicago. Bob turns 70. Now in eighth year of driving part-time for a local car dealership. He also volunteers at the Lansing airport and the Lansing River Trail. Joanie often takes care of Margaret while the rest of the family is off to work or school. She also stands vigil once a week near a Lansing abortion clinic, encouraging girls to make a life-saving choice for their unborn. We plant a grapevine along the backyard east fence. In June, Joanie loses her only sister. Alice was 75. In Sept, Craig & Chris join us at Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in Wyoming. Football: MSU 37, Michigan 33. Things seem to be moving closer toward "normal" after many, many months of Covid19 dominating the headlines. Bob continues to add to a personal journal he started when all this craziness began in early 2020.

2022 - Bob gets Covid19 in January. A long, miserable three weeks of total exhaustion. Says he has never felt closer to death. Emily and Alex want him to go to the hospital, but Bob & Joanie choose to take five days of Ivermechtin, Azithromycin, Hydroxychloroquine, and Fluvoxamine. With just one dose, Joanie says she could see Bob's improvement! (A few months later, a blood test confirms that he is making Covid19 antibodies!) Grandbaby #5 Henrik arrives in February. We first meet him in May when he and Lauren come back to Michigan for a friend's wedding. Alex, Margot (3 years old), and their dog Frannie stay back in Norway. Margot attends Barnehagen, Norway's version of day care and pre-school. In April, we fly to Knoxville TN and meet up with friends Craig & Chris. The four of us then drive the Natchez Trace Parkway, a trading route created centuries ago by Native Americans. The Trace runs 444 miles from Nashville TN to Natchez MS. Tons of history, no billboards, no commercial vehicles! After Natchez MS, we drive on to New Orleans LA where we tour the National WWII Museum (terrific!) and Bourbon Street (not so terrific). We all fly home from there. In September, we again travel with Craig & Chris, this time to spectacular Glacier National Park in Montana. We drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Incredible scenery with a dangerously steep drop-off. We are a few yards away from a large Rocky Mountain goat who decides to casually walk near the humans. Later we watch a bear grab fish from a stream. Yes, we carry bear spray on every hike, just in case. Bob still volunteers at the Information Desk at Lansing's airport, and helps at registration for TSA Pre-Check interviewers. He also serves on the Lansing River Trail Patrol (with neighbor Tom), a program sponsored by the Lansing Police Dept. Bob and neighbor Tom attend Doobie Brothers concert in Grand Rapids. Great seats! Joanie stands vigil each week outside a local abortion clinic, hoping and praying that girls choose life for their unborns. In August and November, Bob & Joanie worked as election inspectors at the state's primary and mid-term elections--- our first time.

2023 - We spend Groundhog Day (February 2) in Woodstock IL, a little town northwest of Chicago where they filmed the movie "Groundhog Day." Wisconsin friends Dave & Penny and their daughters Audrey and Debra join us. It was the movie's 30th anniversary. Great fun. In May, Alex comes to Chicago for some training with his company so Emily, Evan, Joanie & Bob meet him there for a Cubs game. Later in May, we hike Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio with Craig & Chris and Wayne & Danette. Lots of trails, caves and waterfalls! Still later in May, five baby Fox squirrels emerge from our backyard squirrel box. One adult is so friendly, she has twice taken a shelled walnut from Bob's hand. In August, we fly to Alaska with friends Mike & Linda. We take a small airplane around (and over!) Denali (formerly Mt McKinley), tallest mountain in North America. Only about 30% of tourists ever see Denali due to nearly continuous cloud cover, so we were very fortunate to have clear skies the day we fly. We have a moose and her calf stroll out from the woods just yards from us at Anchorage. Whale-watching at Seward, and day-excursions to numerous little towns. Spectacular! Not long after our Alaska trip, a tornado sweeps through mid-Michigan. It takes down our beautiful maple tree in the front yard. The next day, we rescue a baby Green Heron from that fallen tree, and take it to an animal rescue center for rehabilitation and release. We take a little trip to the Upper Peninsula's Tahquamenon Falls in September. Though not as impressive as the Upper Falls, the Lower Falls have some nice trails that make them way more accessible. In December, we join Dave & Penny for a Christmas concert at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago. Wonderful! Later in December, Craig & Chris come up for an MSU hockey game (MSU won) and a visit to Ashley MI to see the Pere Marquette 1225 arrive. It is the actual steam engine you see (and hear!) in the Christmas movie "The Polar Express." Bob and our neighbor Tom continue to serve on Lansing's River Trail patrol. They got to an MSU football game in Iowa (MSU lost), and later to an Eagles concert in Cleveland. The Steve Miller Band was the warm-up group. Best concert ever, so says Bob. He still volunteers at Lansing's airport, and continues to drive for Williams AutoWorld. Every Friday for three years now, Joanie has stood across the street from an abortion clinic in Lansing and offered alternatives to young girls, hoping and praying they choose life for their unborn. Emily teaches 4th grade; Ben works for Michigan Caterpillar. Evan (15) plays tennis on his high school team; Eleanor (12) plays volleyball on her school team. Both are very much into MSU hockey. Margaret (2) spends most Tuesdays during the school year with Grandma Joanie! Alex is a chemical engineer, now with ZEG Power in Oslo, Norway; Lauren is at Helly Hansen corporate headquarters in Oslo. Alex, Lauren, Margot (4), and Henrik (almost 2) come back to Michigan for a visit in January 2023.

2024 - In April, we drive to a small town near Indianapolis to see the total solar eclipse, our second in seven years (see 2017.) Craig & Chris, Dan & Mary, Tom & Kathi, and Wayne & Danette join us. Franklin IN is on the "path of totality," giving us four minutes of total darkness under clear skies. Incredible! In May, we meet Craig & Chris for a week at New River Gorge in West Virginia, America's newest national park. We (Bob & Joanie, not Craig & Chris) walk the catwalk under 3000 foot long bridge, 850 feet above the water. Yes, we wear safety harnesses. "Almost Heaven, West Virginia..." Alex, Lauren, Margot (5) and Henrik (almost 3) come back to the US from Oslo, Norway for a visit in July. Fun to have them and Emily & Ben's crew (Evan 16, Eleanor 13, and Margaret 3) all together again. In Sept, we visit the Grand Canyon with Craig & Chris. We tour Lower Antelope Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Meteor Crater, Sedona, and more. More of God's awesome creation! Joanie continues to spend about two hours/week picking up trash, mostly around our local schools. She even finds a $1,000 cell phone that we are later able to reunite with its grateful owner. Bob has been driving for Williams AutoWorld for 10 years now. He also volunteers at the Lansing airport information desk, and helps when the TSA Pre-Check interview crew comes to town. He is invited to participate in a simulated plane crash involving 40 passengers, all part of periodic training for the fire and rescue teams at the airport. He and our neighbor Tom continue to volunteer on the Lansing River Trail Patrol, a program sponsored by Lansing Police Dept. They ride golf carts along the 20 miles of paved trail, chatting with joggers and bicyclists, and handing out dog treats A great summer. Lots of sun; just enough rain. Joanie's brother Mike says he's never seen corn so tall. In October, we meet in Chicago with friends Dave & Penny from Wisconsin, David & Debbie from Virginia, and Steve & Tonya from Georgia. The guys had been part of a gospel singing group in 1969 when they were freshmen at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago. We gather at MBI for their Founders Week Bible Conference. In November, Bob and our neighbor Tom go to Grand Rapids for a concert by the band Chicago that included three of its original members. Still wowing the crowds after 57 years! In December, Bob volunteers to be a Salvation Army red kettle bell-ringer at a nearby grocery store on four Saturday mornings. A good time for a good cause.