Happenings...

Greeting from Sarasota!  I just wanted to update you on a few summer happenings and what’s in store.   Let me start with Kiel.  Kiel got of school in May, turned 19 in June.  He finished his first year at Gulf Coast Community College where he is a pre-art major.  He’ll start back in late August and is on track to graduate with his Associates Degree in May 2005.  He did real well balancing school, work, church and “other activities” i.e. girls and poker (are those activities or vices?).  He kept his grades up and made the honors list, but more importantly to mom and dad, he keeps his scholarship.  After he finishes at Gulf Coast he’ll transfer to somewhere in Central/Southern Florida, possibly the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  He wants to major in Computer Animation/Video Game Design.  He works as a waiter at TGI Fridays and a lifeguard at Shipwreck Island Water Park during the summer.  Busy guy, we don’t get to see him as much as we like.

Katlin turned 15 in May and got his learner’s driving permit.  He finished his freshman year at Mosley High School.  Kat did very well in school as well.  I’m not sure where they get it – I know he didn’t get it from the Cravatta side but please don’t say the Jungjohanns or the Schlotfeldts – I’ll puke.  Kat stays busy playing soccer and golf.  He enjoys golf quite a bit and can play quite well.  He would actually like to go to college for something golf related, like golf course design.  He’s enjoying his last “summer of freedom”, next summer he’ll start working.  Katlin returns to school on August 5th. (Early huh?)  Once he starts, all the school related activities will once again begin – so we’re expecting another busy school year.  Katlin is a twisted little man; he has the most demented sense of humor in the family.

Kathy works doing hair at Salon 180.  She rents a booth and has been at this location for about 2 years.  She really likes the shop and the other girls who rent booths.  Her customers keep her very busy and she always seems to be in demand.  The property where the salon is currently located was recently sold to the Marriott Hotel chain.  So in about 6-8 weeks they will be physically moving the salon (building) about ½ mile down the road to a new location.  When they do Kathy and the other girls are going to temporialy (2 weeks) work out of the owners shop in her home – should be interesting.  Kathy also takes care of her boys – which is a full time job in itself.   She does an excellent job of ensuring that our chaotic lives are managed and everything that needs to be done – gets done.

I (Ron) still work for Yamaha Motor Corp and have for the last seven years.  I am a Computer Systems Analyst aka Computer Guy.  I do hardware, networks, software support but my primary function is to support the manufacturing software package Yamaha uses at its three boat companies and golf car locations.  I feel incredibly blessed in my job – I really enjoy the company I work for and what I do.  I usually coach soccer for one of if not both the boys and have for the last 15 years.  I am going to throttle back a bit and just be an assistant coach this fall.  I have a fair amount of work related travel this summer/ fall and I would also like to start devoting more time to other interests that I have. 

As you can see we have alot happening and we’ve experienced a lot of changes over the past year.  However, the biggest change we experienced as a family is that we changed churches.  For some of you that may not seem like a big deal.  For us it was a major change – it was difficult and painful.  We had attended the same church for 14 years and realized that it was no longer where the Lord wanted us.  I’ll devout more time to this and related subjects later, perhaps even several posts – I have a lot to say about what lead us to leave, the Lord, faith, etc.  At this time I’ll simply say I’m that I’m very happy that God lead us to where He did (Eastgate) – probably one of the best things that has ever happened to us.  It has been incredible experience – tough on many levels but definitely worth it.  There is no doubt in my mind that God’s hand was all over this move.  Like I said, we’ll talk more later.

Ron

Camp

Kiel and Katlin leave for Camp Wiregrass in Chancellor, Alabama tomorrow Sunday, July 25th.  They will be gone until late Friday, July 30th.  They are going as camp counselors for the 3rd & 4th grade week that our previous church hosts.  They have been going to this camp since they were both six years old.  Even though we don’t attend the church that hosts the camp anymore, the camp means a lot to them and is a very important part of their lives.  They look forward to going every year.    If you care to drop them a note here is the address of where they will be: 

Wiregrass Christian Youth Camp
P.O. Box 311072
Enterprise, AL 36331

If you decide to write them, I suggest getting it in the mail by Tuesday otherwise it probably won't get to them in time.  I know they would appreciate hearing from everyone.

Also, Ron leaves for Sarasota, Florida on Tuesday, July 27th and will be gone for 10 days!  He won’t get home until the evening of Thursday, August 5th.  He will be going to provide computer support for the Century and Cobia Boats Dealer Meetings. 

With the boys being gone and Ron leaving, this means that Kathy will be without all her boys for several days.  P-A-R-T-Y. Whoo Hoo.  What's a girl to do?

Kiel Running At Sunset

This is one of our favorite pictures of Kiel.  He is running next to the pier at St. Andrews State Park on Panama City Beach. We put it in Photoshop and played with it a bit.  You may need to click on the picture to enlarge it to get a better view of it.

Less Than Three

Last night I was on the computer, surfing the web.  Actually I was reading Kiel’s Blog to see if I could find anything juicy.  Just a side note to all you parents.  If your child has a blog I suggest reading it sometime, you’ll be amazed and shocked by what you read.  You'll learn a lot about your kids and their friends.  Don’t even start with me about invading their privacy.  If they are going to post it on the internet for the whole world to read, then it’s fair game.  Anyhow I digress, I was reading some of the comments his friends posted, and I noticed several entries that looked similar to this:

i <3 this song.

Please note the less than sign and the number three.  Here’s where I made my mistake, I asked my kids a question.  Innocently enough I asked “Hey guys, what does this less than three mean?”   Now up until this point they hardly noticed I was in the room.  But the moment I said this, they pounced on me like a starving man on a sandwich.  “What do you mean, what’s this less than three?” - “I can’t believe you said that!”  - “You’re supposed to be a computer guy and you don’t know what that means?” and something about me being a loser and an embarrassment to the family name.  After several minutes of laughing at their obviously out of touch father, my boys explained to me that “<3” does not mean less than three.  In some sort of strange, twisted use of computer language, I found out that it’s a heart.  I am told that if you look at these symbols and tilt your head to the right you’ll see a heart, a backwards heart, but a heart none the less.  See it now? The heart means love (this part I knew).  So when someone types something like “i <3 this song” – they are saying “I love this song”.  My question is why can’t they just say that in the first place and save me all of this trouble?

So now I’m feeling like a real idiot, a typical out of touch parent.  If you have or have had teenagers you know exactly what I mean.  If your children are not yet teenagers you will once they become a teenager.  But here is the part where I find some consolation.  My wife is in the other room and hears all the ruckus the kids are making rolling on the floor laughing at their dad.  She wants to know what’s so funny.  So we call her over to the computer and point to the screen to ask her if she knows what this means.  My wife says “Gee, it sure looks like greater than three to me”.   Greater than three?  Give me a freakin break!  Granted math has never been my wife’s strong suit but at least I got the symbol right!  Again, my kids shook their heads in disgust and promised themselves never to be like their parents when they got older (yeah right).   Anyhow they had good laugh at Kathy and my expense; I guess that’s our new purpose – to amuse our two teenage boys.

I did learn a valuable lesson; never ask your kids a question.  I forgot that when you're a parent and you want information that you don't need to ask. I should have simply stared them down, pointed to the computer screen, dropped my voice an octave and said in my firm "Dad" voice “Tell me what this means!”  They would have trembled in fear and sheepishly told me what it meant simply to avoid getting beat within an inch of thier miserable lives!  I could have avoided the whole situation.  Oh well, I guess it’s just part of the continuing education process I have to go through as a parent.  Enough for now, I need to find out what’s going on in my kids lives so I need to go read their blogs.

<3 Ron

Family Picture on the Beach

I was told to put a family picture of all four us on this site.  Here we are on Easter Sunday 2004 at Sunrise Church services on Panama City Beach, Florida. Kiel, Katlin, Kathy and Ron

Our New Blog...

Ok, we've made a decision.  We are going to try  a blog.  Let us back up just a bit.  We recently returned from visiting family and friends in Illinios and Iowa.  We had a terrific time seeing and catching up with so many folks who mean so much to us.  It made us realize that we haven't done as good as job as staying in touch as we should.  Not only with our family and friends far away but also with our friends here locally.  Life has a terrible habit of getting in the way sometimes, doesn't it?   Anyhow, that's why we decided to start a blog.  The purpose of this blog is not to keep you updated on the mudane daily activities of our lives.  Hopefully we won't post things such as "Ron woke up at 6:00AM, went pee, brushed his teeth, took a shower and went to work".  Nobody is that bored where they need to read that - you don't need that and either do I.  The goal of this family blog to let you know how we are really doing what is really happening in our lives.  The goal is to try to post updates 2 to 3 times a week.  However, if we don't then we don't. 
 
Part of the fun of this thing is for you to leave us comments.  Let us know what you think and how you're doing.  We would love to hear from you!  
 
So to get things started here are a few pictures from our recent trip. 
 
Ron and Kathy

Hanging Out

Katlin, Ron and Kiel hanging out in front of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago. "CheezBorger...No Pepsi just Coke".

Smiles

Katlin, Kathy and Kiel at the hotel in Chicago...

"The Seven"

 
The Seven Jungjohann Cousins - Mark, Lisa, Kathy, Beth, Julie, Jim and Dave(Kathy's brother).   This picture was taken at a Jungjohann family reunion in Cedar Rapids on July 5th.