Holiday Letter 2006
Steve and Yvonne Coester
Here's a quick summary of our events for the year of 2006.
Holiday Letter 2006
Here's a quick summary of our events for the year of 2006.
But first I want to tell my friends from Kirkwood High School Class of 1959 how much I enjoy our almost daily emails. Thanks to Del, Hank, Don, Pete, Kendall, Frostie and Charli and the others who occasionally join in.
Also kudos to the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1963 particularly Secretary Mike Shelley and all of the Class and Foundation officers and volunteers who make USNA63 such an outstanding group. It is a pleasure for me to serve as web master for the Class. See USNA 63 Web Page
Boy have we slowed down. But boy did we have visitors! The only trip we've made this year was a family ski trip to Keystone in Colorado. The skiing at Keystone was some of the best we've experienced and we've skied at many resorts. There were many steep long blue runs, a few groomed black diamonds and fun green runs as long as 3 1/2 miles long which is a long trip down the mountain. Diamondback, Mozart, and Starfire were challenging but made us feel like real skiers. Schoolmarm was the long green run that was lots of fun for Yvonne. For young AJ and Dan there were lots of mogul runs. Dan got Dean and me off on Oh Bob! which was a mogul run from the top of the mountain all the way down. Quite an experience, but satisfying after finally making it down without injury.
If I can remember everyone we had Jan, Sher, Seal, Scoobie, Sam, Debbie, Dan, Erica, Cody, Larry, Joe, Danah, Dan, Angelika, Christine, AJ, Dean, Yvonne and Steve, and two friends of Larry's
Our flights both to and from Denver were disastrous with a seven hour wait at Orlando and eighteen hours at Denver until we finally got on the redeye. Flying standby has become almost impossible and very frustrating
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| Coesters at Keystone | Yvonne, Steve and Dean |
My brother Jan who lives in Lincoln, AR visited us in January on his way to a tennis tournament in Naples, FL. We played a lot of tennis.
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| Jan's volley | Steve's volley |
Yvette got her dream job this year working her specialty as a colonoscopy nurse. The office is just a couple of blocks from home. The bad news is no insurance coverage. Bodie is always cheerful but isn't able to get out much. Stephen is now 5' 11" and is on the 9th grade basketball team. He also plays some fine tennis but has quit soccer.
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| Yvette and Stephen | Yvette by the pool |
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| Stephen's first basket |
Stephen (14), Kristen (13) and Nick (10) are all doing great. Kristen is also grown to about full size and is a beautiful young lady. She's had a couple of broken bones this year from falling down stairs and roller blading. She has developed into a good tennis player. Nick is doing great in school and is active in Boy Scouting. He's spending this semester in Texas with their other grandparents. They spent some time here during the summer along with Dean who is still living it up in Denver and flying for UAL.
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| Kristen | Kristen the chef |
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| Nick | Nick kayaking |
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| Stephen and Kristen | Stephen and Mormor(Yvonne) |
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| Yvette and Dean | Dean, Nick and Kris |
In August my nephew Dan, Angelika, Nichole and AJ visited us. We played some tennis and caught up on the years since they moved to Arkansas.
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| Dan, Nichole and AJ | Christine, Nichole, AJ, Dan and Angelika |
Steve has become a fanatic playing tennis now two years into his rebirth. He plays four or five days a week and is in two or three leagues. Recently won another Gold Medal in his age group (65) playing doubles with Dave Bonnar at the Sanford Golden Age Games. While there we stayed with long time high school friend (and last year's doubles partner) Pete Wincup and his lovely wife Liz.
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| Steve and Dave win the Gold | Pete,Yvonne, Dave, Liz, Snuffy and Dutchess |
Also during 2006 Yvonne's long time friend from Sweden Mona Gladden and her friend Bo Sunnefeldt visited and we went kayaking and to the Space Center. In a separate visit Mona's daughters Mette and Tina and their kids visited us for a day at the pool
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| Mona and Bo at Kennedy Space Center | Bo kayaking |
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| Mette, Tina and all the kids by our pool |
Yvonne's Aunt Eva Roman and cousin Lena from Sweden visited us from Connecticut at Easter
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| Eva, Lena and Yvonne on our deck |
We also had a wonderful visit in October from Yvonne's soul mate, Barbara McCabe from England. They've known each other for fifty years! I took her on a up close tour of the Space Center. We also walked the beach at "Coconuts".
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| Yvette, Barbara, Yvonne,Stephen, and Snuffy | Barbara and Yvonne at KSC |
Due to an unfortunate illness to Snuffy's "Mom" we now have the most wonderful little dog at least until she gets well which we hope is soon.
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| Snuffy |
After our terrible flights at the beginning of the year Yvonne just hasn't wanted to travel. Also she's had some hip and lower back pains that slowed her down but she's doing better. She keeps busy carpooling Stephen, watching tennis and helping support her ill friend.
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| Steve, Yvonne and Snuffy |
Best Wishes for the Holidays and during all of 2007
Steve and Yvonne
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