Christmas, 2004

Happy Holidays, one and all,

In the aftermath of this most recent presidential election we congratulate those of you who are happy with its outcome and commiserate with those of us who had hoped for a different result. It certainly appears to have been the most passionate and divisive election within our lifetime. Now we have to hope for - and work toward - a reunification of our nation.

2004 hasn't brought any significant changes in the Sauvageau/Sauyet/Nason families' lives. Our grandkids and our kids are all a year older. (We, of course, never age!) We are still loving retirement and managing to keep ourselves busy.

Dick & Gee Sauvageau
c/o Seacrest Condominiums - Unit 301
895 Santa Rosa Blvd.
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
Phone: (850) 301-9600 ext.1301

email: geesauvageau@att.net

       dicksauvageau@hotmail.com

The book, Tales of Sebago, which is the anecdotal history of the state park that we were putting together last year, was printed and sold by the park this past summer as a fund-raiser. We had a lot of positive feedback on it - AND we got to spend another 7 weeks there this year, showing the movies 2 nights a week and promoting the book. Our Christmas picture this year was taken at Sebago when everyone was there camping at the same time in August. Unfortunately Tim and Cristy were unable to make it because of both finances and school commitments, but the rest of us including my mother and sister were all there together for at least 2 or 3 days.

Oldest son Scott did change jobs this year, but continues to work in computer programming - just with a different company. His wife Amy has found her horse farm business continuing to grow - along with their children Teddy age 8 and Kayleigh, 5, still very much the apples of their grandparents' eyes!

Youngest son Michael and his wife Jennifer are the parents of our other grandson Ayden, aged 16 months. Like his older cousins, Ayden is absolutely adorable, bright, good-natured and a lot of fun to have around. But we aren't prejudiced or anything! Michael and Jennifer's business, Try Out Toys, continues to take them traveling throughout this country, so unfortunately, we don't get to see as much of Ayden - and them, of course - as we'd like, but they seem to love their lifestyle and their business seems to be really taking hold.

Middle son Tim and his wife Cristy are still living on the west coast and are waiting to have children until after Tim finishes his schooling. He expects to complete his paramedic classes next year then hopes to go on to get his nursing degree. Emergency gall bladder surgery in May lost him a semester of schoolwork, and threw off his plans. However, he didn't let this derail his plans, just delay them.

Hurricane Ivan which ripped through the Panhandle of Florida caused some serious damage at the condo we rent - a tornado spawned by the storm ripped off part of the roof, destroyed about half of the air conditioning units, filled the pool with sand and dumped an additional four feet of sand on the pool deck! There was some further water and sand damage in some of the units. However, we've been assured that all the units will be back up and running by the time we arrive on December 30th. We sure hope they're right! We do enjoy our 3 months there, and would hate to have to go elsewhere or - God forbid - stay in New England for the whole winter!

One of the neat things about being in FL for 3 months is the friendships we've developed down there with other "snowbirds". We're even going down 2 days early this year so that we can celebrate the New Year with many of these friends.

Last March I took a 2-hour workshop at a scrapbook store in FL where I learned to make something called a "squash book". I have since renamed them "Butterfly Books" and have made LOTS of them - many with Dick's help. We have sold some of them at a couple of local (CT) craft fairs and have given many of them as gifts for weddings, thank yous, hostess gifts, birthdays, etc. They make a wonderful, unique present and can be used as a mini photo album, a small scrapbook, a journal, a book of quotes or poems, among other things. They are made from cardstock, scrapbook or other decorative paper, cardboard (for the covers) and ribbon. When opened they extend out as much as a couple of feet, and then, thanks to a couple of origami folds, they "squash" into themselves to close. As the books are being opened and closed the pages sort of flap like butterfly wings, hence my renaming of them to "Butterfly Books."

In other family news, my mom, Barbara Nason, turned 90 last February, and still lives in her one-room retirement accommodations in NH. Fortunately, her health and mental faculties continue to be excellent for a woman her age, and she has adjusted well to life after Hudge (my dad, who you may recall died a little over a year ago.) As a lifelong Red Sox fan, she was thrilled with the results of this year's World Series - GO RED SOX!

We, here in the Sauvageau household, wish you and yours the very best for the holidays and for the year to come.

Love,

Dick & Gee