Christmas card 2010

Some Christmas cards were hand delivered, some were mailed, some were "facebooked" and a few emailed. I'm pretty sure that anyone who reads this would be in one of those 4 categories, but in case I have any lurkers out there that I don't know about, or if all of a sudden my blog becomes suddenly popular in the blogosphere... here it is again...


Christmas 2010
“For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you. He is Christ the Lord” - Luke 2:11

We’ve had a hard time getting started on the Christmas letter this year. Between blogging and Facebook, it’s like we’re writing updates all the time. We couldn’t let this year go by with no letter at all though so we decided on a blogging tactic of seven quick takes to update you on the major happenings for the Scaringellas in 2010.

Jonathan is a highschooler and officially the tallest one in our family. In addition to his homeschool curriculum he is now taking some virtual classes including Spanish, English, and ……….Driver’s Ed. He is nearly ready for his learner’s permit. He continues to enjoy the technical aspects of theatre and has been the stage manager for a few adult shows this year in addition to all his work with the children’s theatre. This interest paid off this fall when he had an opportunity to be a production assistant for a movie that was being filmed locally (Ryan Waters and the King’s Sword). The movie should come out late this summer and he also will appear as an extra in the last scene. This may be how Harry Potter started.

Madi is in seventh grade and got her braces off this fall. She continues to shine onstage and in church choir. She took a babysitting class and is looking for work. She started taking virtual school classes this year including science and art. Madi is still everyone’s best friend and is counting down the days until her thirteenth birthday when she can have her own Facebook account. Madi was also an extra in Ryan Waters and the King’s Sword.

Jake is eight years old and preparing for his first Holy Communion in the spring. He finishes his second grade school work very quickly and spends his free time “casting” shows that he plans to direct, riding his bike and scooter, and playing the Wii. He is enjoying theatre, but hasn’t yet shown the public the level of commitment he puts into his shows at home. He has become infatuated with the American Presidents and knows them all.

Julie is the one who spends the most time updating cyberspace on the happenings in our family. You can check it out at www.winchesteracademy.blogspot.com. We are always looking for more Facebook friends as well. In addition to teaching our own kids (24 hours a day) Julie is teaching fifth grade religious education at church and just began substituting at the preschool that Jake attended. Also Julie and Mike were asked to be facilitators for a small group church program called “Why Catholic”. The first six weeks of the program were a tremendous success and the group will continue meeting in our home over the next four years.

Mike’s health has been great and he feels his ordeal from 2007 was a blessing; Julie still doesn’t quite see it that way, but time heels all wounds. Mike has kept all of the weight off and is in the best physical shape since his days at UCONN. Mike is still the Director of Sales and Marketing for Handex Consulting and Remediation. He continues to succeed in this role and will be a speaker at an upcoming industry convention in Orlando. His topic, “EPA’s Proposed Rule on Coal Combustion Residuals and its Impact on Beneficial Reuse” may not seem exciting to you, but your interest will peak when you see your electric bill rise significantly if it passes. This year’s focus was client diversification especially in the southeast. This has meant fewer trips north; if you want to come see us, you know where we are and you are always welcome to stay with us….we will even shuttle you to and from the airport.

Despite our hectic lifestyle, Mike is always planning the next weekend camping trip to explore the Florida state park system which offers outstanding educational opportunities for the kids and fun for the whole family. We love our pop-up camper and are using it a lot. We even got to see wild ponies on one of our trips.

We finally added to our family size this fall when we adopted a dog. Mickey, a Welsh Corgi, came to us from dear friends who sadly had to move away. We now have a nice fenced yard for our dog to run and play in. Mickey looks forward to meeting you when you come to Florida for vacation.

May you and your family have a Merry Christmas and blessed New Year. With all of love
Mike, Julie, Jonathan, Madi, and Jake