Our very first post!

Welcome to the Supp Family Blog! Pardon the length of our first post. We were going to send it to family and friends as a newsletter, but decided this was a good opportunity to start a blog!
Future posts will probably not be this long, but this will bring you all up to date on our doings. Enjoy!

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This is Patty, it is June 2006, I’m finally writing the family news we want to share with our family and friends, summarizing some highlights of 2005 and some of 2006. Way later than intended, but here it is none-the-less. I’ll insert Mike’s contribution first:

In the course of my work I had taken a trip to the Schlumberger product center in France last March. I traveled with several other SDR people. It was my first time in Paris but we had just a little time to be tourists…walking down the Champs Elyse and over to the Eiffel Tower (didn’t have time to go up) and having a meal or two in fancy restaurants. Oh, my presentation at the product center went well also. PS. The French make great hot chocolate!

This past March (2006) I was granted a Patent along with several other people I work with which applied to some of the work I did in Indiana a few years ago. I also received my 25 year pin at an awards ceremony. Hard to believe I’ve worked at SDR for 25 years! Which brings up another work related topic. My company is moving to Cambridge, MA by the end of this year! I am only 2.5 years from being eligible for full pension so it seems sensible to finish out that time. I was considering renting an apartment somewhere in the Cambridge area to live there during the week and come home on weekends. That plan was shelved and we will all be going up to the Boston/Cambridge area to live for at least a couple years. We plan to rent out our house for that time period. It will certainly be an adventure… We will continue to seek the Lord’s will in our lives…in all things.

We have been involved in a Bible study recently on prayer. We listened to a series of messages by Boyd Nicholson who is a spiritually gifted teacher. His messages were convicting and wonderful to hear.
You can download his messages for free and much more at http://www.voicesforchrist.org/order.html

Oh…one more thing…I have a beard/mustache now…the kids wanted me to grow it. Patty thinks I look better with it…I think it makes me look more extinguished!

And now…back to Patty.

Now I’ll see how I manage to put down some family recollections and some of my own adventures, that will hopefully be of some interest to you all……

Musical instrument playing has increasingly become part of our home life. We have begun playing various instruments together as a family. Mostly Appalachian & folk style music to accompany our favorite hymns and songs. Besides the piano, Jess plays the hammered dulcimer, guitar, and recorder. Julia, along with her grandfather’s fixed up violin, is learning and already doing well with her mountain dulcimer, mandolin and tin whistles. Mike is learning the hammered dulcimer, Jess is his instructor. He is also an accomplished nose-flutist. You have to see it and hear it to believe it. But believe it! He takes a break during allergy season, or when he has a head cold.

As for me, well I am TRYING to learn the banjo and the autoharp. The autoharp is much easier so I am spending more time on it. I am also making an attempt to improve my vocal inabilities. I do NOT give performances for any reason, but you can always come visit and not hear me.

Jessica was in a couple piano performances, played for some nursing home residents and had some judged theory exams; invaluable experience in front of audiences small and large. Her last piano performance was March 4th. She is studying for her Amateur Radio General License, which is an upgrade from beginner tech level. She has been a licensed tech since she was nine years old. She is more active with ham radio than Mike or me. Mike has the Amateur Extra, that’s the highest level, allowing him full privileges. If you happen to be a ham, and want to send traffic our way, our call signs are: Mike - KB1GAX, Jess – KB1GAW, Me – KB1PAT (I had to keep mine easy).

The regular orthodontist visits have started for both girls. Four years to go…. The ortho Dr. is three minutes down the street. Very convenient for those times when a wire impales a cheek or some other metallic malady necessitates an office visit.

Oh, the girls’ ages: Jess turned 15 on the 13^th of April; Julia is now 12 as of the 19^th of March. Their minds are growing as well, in their studies here at home. Jess has a full plate; some daily staples for her include New Testament Greek, Spanish, Biology, Algebra and Science to name a few. I’ve got her doing more in the kitchen, she is taking over the bread baking, but not totally, I still enjoy it and don’t foresee letting it go completely. Both girls make the breakfasts most of the time and we don’t eat boxed cold cereals! They actually prepare it from scratch, including grinding the flour. (Then vacuuming up the white dust...)

Both girls continued sewing lessons this year, from a good friend of ours, Arielle Hebert. They’ve produced some nice skirts and dresses. I’ve learned right along with them. Arielle has also involved our girls with the scripture memory club for the younger-than-they folks during the break time between our church services. So they are enjoying the interaction and learning that goes with that kind of responsibility. It is my desire that fine-tuned domestic skills will be passed on to our future generations. Any outside help is cordially welcomed.

Julia does the three “R’s” but is happiest when bouncing around doing something physical. She is very into ancient hand weapons, and has a growing collection of homemade (cardboard and wood) daggers, quarterstaffs, swords, etc., and owns ONE steel dagger and sheath (VERY sharp, which stays mainly in her curio cabinet.) She would like to take classes from and become a member of The Higgins Armory Sword Guild, where she would learn and practice techniques from medieval and Renaissance combat manuals. Areas of focus include the long sword (also called the hand-and-a-half sword or bastard sword), staff weapons, dagger, sword and shield, and rapier, based on German texts dating from 1300 to 1570. Last year our family made visits to Higgins Armory in Worcestershire, MA. Since their website gives a better description than I ever could, I’ll quote it:

“The Higgins Armory Museum enjoys the distinction of being the only museum in the Western Hemisphere entirely devoted to the study and display of arms and armor, but this is just one of many ways in which the Higgins is unique. Our founder, John Woodman Higgins, chose to house his fascinating and eclectic collection in a building of surprising contrasts, from its steel and glass Art Deco exterior to the vaulted Medieval Great Hall. Visitors will be amazed at the scope and breadth of historical, cultural and technological periods represented by the objects, amassed by a passionate collector over the course of a lifetime. Artifacts ranging from Corinthian helmets of ancient Greece to ornate suits of armor from the height of the Renaissance give our visitors an exciting glimpse into the past, while our many informative and entertaining programs help to interpret the collection in a broad cultural context.”

Mike and I wonder where this all will lead to, but the historical study of that period is an education in itself and who knows? She may be a museum curator some day. Or a good bodyguard…

Jess really enjoys horses, and has been riding during the spring and summer months for about 3 years now. We just switched instructors, and will be having year-round lessons now much closer to home – five to ten minutes away versus 50 minutes away. October marked one year that she’s had her miniature horse job, turning out Tee and Bailey early morning each M-F and any other times she is needed. I drive. (But I do help with the chores too.) Julia has begun to do the work on Fridays, giving Jess one morning off., and earning some much desired money. Mike drives that day, giving ME one morning off. Though the work can hardly be considered demanding for us. Julia does the evening chores when we are needed for that shift.

In March of 2005 the girls took a 6 week archery course. That was a good experience. We didn’t continue because that particular club trained for Junior Olympics and that wasn’t an interest of ours. Plus the girls didn’t want to spend their hard-earned money on a bow set-up for something they weren’t hugely interested in or weren’t going to pursue.

Justin - He was serving his term of enlistment (Air Force) in Germany up until August of 2005. He had been to Iraq and we’re thankful he returned safely. Several factors led to his decision to come back to the states last summer. Mostly to be back among family and friends, and realizing the brevity of time. He had come to the states on leave in May, and that whetted his longing to be back here again. He has switched from full time active duty to the National Guard. He took firefighting training at the Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX. He did very well in the course and was certified the beginning of May. Now he’s back in CT. He’s also completed his EMT course and has one final test which he’ll take soon.

At the beginning of August (2005), we went camping with a group of friends to Mt. Washington, NH. We hiked to the top and back. Mike and I hobbled down last, the round trip only took us 13 hours! The girls even beat us down. My souvenirs were purple toenails on both big toes, which fell off almost 5 months later. At the end of August we went to NH again, this time to a camp with cabins below the White Mtns. near the border of Maine. Some friends from church have relatives who own and operate a summer camp there. A group of us have been going there for the past few years. We rent the place for four or so days, and unwind, get lots of fresh air, exercise and fun, and enjoy the quiet beauty of God’s creation in a special setting.

We started our first woodstove fire of the season on October 12th. It’s a big deal here. We LOVE our pellet stove. We have it in our family room and that is where we spend most of our time all of fall, winter and early spring.

In December, we entered the world of butchering our own deer. But not hunting! And not collecting roadkill either! Friends shot a few deer over the course of the month and since they didn’t need the meat, we asked to have it along with some dressing and butchering lessons. So it was that we now have some experience with that, and a freezer full of good meat and broth. Maybe we’ll learn to hunt next. Seems the order got reversed for us.

That seems to be a fair sampling of glimpses into our life last year. Since this year is one-half underway, guess I can mention our recent trip to Florida. Mike had a convention to attend in Orlando mid-March so we decided all of us would go and make it a bit of a vacation time.

We spent about two weeks total there. It was the first time flying for the girls, which was a highlight for them. It was the first time in FL for both them and Mike. We had the best of weather while there. We aren’t into the typical touristy attractions or crowds, so didn’t go to any of the popular spots. We spent some wonderful time with friends in Clearwater and saw other friends inland. We visited the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, watched manatees up close in their natural habitat.– that was something. We took an airboat ride on the lower St. John’s River and that was great. We saw our share of alligators, up close and personal.

Captain Frank did make us feel like we were flying when we weren’t slowed for viewing all the wildlife. Julia’s highlight was attending the Medieval Dinner and Tournament. Lots of lancing, jousting, knighting, fighting, horses, Kings & Princesses, Lords and Ladies and eating dinner Medieval style: ripping fried chicken apart with your hands, that sort of thing.

Since I meant to get this done in January, then April, but now it is June, I have to mention our latest home improvement project. We covered our foundation (all 376 sq. ft.) with cultured stone.

We had a friend of ours, a young man of 16, do most of the work and we worked with him some. It was a very big project. Hopefully the photos we’re including come out alright.

The stone has improved the appearance and value of our home greatly.

Thanks to all of you who sent us greeting cards, this is our card to you (and to everyone else too!) We appreciate that you stay in touch with us. Hopefully this brings you up to date on us a bit. If you are ever in Middlebury, CT be sure to look us up. We can put together a quick Medieval style dinner for you anytime!