Chuck & Nancy

Season’s Greetings 2005
From Chuck & Nancy Hevenor
This has been a challenging year. It seems like the past year has contained more than an ordinary amount of heartache, illness, and tragedy for us, our family and our friends as well as the world. Our heart goes out to all of them. We mourn the loss of a dear friend, Donna Kerley, after she lost her long battle with cancer. As you all know I do not like to dwell on sadness and the negative aspects of life. Suffice to say that our sufferings make us stronger and teach us compassion. So if you are struggling our thoughts and prayers are with you. On a more positive note, we are all finishing the year healthy and anticipating a happy holiday season and joyful new year.

Last January we returned to Hawaii for an extended stay. This year we were by ourselves and so I quickly found some other tennis players and we made some interesting new friends. We stayed at Kamaole Sands in Kihei on Maui, right across the street from Kamaole III Beach. We enjoyed the weather, water, and whales, of course. We took a helicopter ride and snorkeled and swam. I played tennis and took hundreds of photos with my new digital SLR. Chuck spent time taking walks and getting proficient at Turbo-Cad which he uses designing furniture and built-in cabinets. I took some photography and printing classes at The Hui – a visual arts studio on Haleakala. Now that the weather has turned cold here in Connecticut we are getting excited about our return trip to Hawaii. We’ll be there from Jan 10 to March 1 and we’re planning on quickly catching up where we left off. We have some friends that will be there during our stay and that will only enhance our visit. Adam will be coming for a week. Pete is busy getting established working so he probably won’t make it this year .. maybe next year.
Adam & Peter are still both living in Colorado. In May we celebrated a very happy event - Pete’s graduation from Colorado State. Currently he’s working for UPS in Steamboat Springs. Unfortunately it’s only a seasonal position but hopefully it will develop into something permanent. Whatever happens, he is happy and healthy and starting to discover what he wants to do with his future. As we all know a lot of our career happens to us rather than progressing along our own plan.
Adam is doing terrific in his career and with his condo. He’s been working at Wall Street on Demand for 4 ½ years now and is doing great. He had a business trip to NYC this past May and we’re hoping he’ll get back East more often. He combined it with a visit here in Mystic and we had a terrific weekend with boating and day trip to Block Island with Ruth & Dick Treat. We also fit in some sight seeing in NYC. Of course we were completely exhausted after the 3 days but it was a terrific time.
Chuck & I have been out to visit the boys in Colorado several times this year. We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with them and Diane & Ken Wood. My niece, Carolyn, has also moved to the Denver area so we enjoy visiting with her too while we’re out there. We’ve been doing some condo improvement projects with Adam. One trip we installed hard wood floors in the living and dining areas. Another trip we renovated the master bath with a tile floor and granite counter. Adam is learning a lot about home improvement and Mom & Dad enjoy adding a little knowledge and sweat equity.
I’m more involved with my tennis group than ever. I love playing and I can’t begin to describe what a terrific group of women players are here in Mystic. As a retirement and resort destination it seems to have a larger proportion of women around my age (give or take a decade) who have time and interest in playing. We really have a blast! I always feel like it sounds very shallow to spend so much time and energy running around after a little yellow ball but I confess it is a real passion of mine. I only hope my joints will hold out so I can continue to pursue this very favorite activity.
We continue to enjoy Mystic more and more. I wish I could have all my friends and family nearby but of course that’s not feasible. We do have lots of room and enjoy having people come visit.

Celebrating Adam’s 27th birthday in Denver with my niece, Carolyn.

We are becoming more involved in the Mystic Community. I am working on the Library Board and Chuck is volunteering at the Mystic Seaport. He’s working in the exhibits building department. I’ve also been doing some websites and putting on some seminars on computer topics. Chuck is continuing on home improvements and building furniture. He has really become an expert at furniture building – accomplishing more and more difficult pieces. He’s built a lovely cherry bow front desk and chair, an inlaid Pembroke drop leaf table and is currently working on a 4 poster, pencil post bed.
My sisters, brothers and their families are thriving and growing. My niece, Leslie (my sister, Melissa’s middle daughter) has a GORGEOUS little girl Paige. She looks so much like her mom. You can see her on the Paige Page at http://www.hevenor.com/paige.htm My niece, Robyn, will be graduating from Harvard this year. I’m sure there are great accomplishments in her future. Olivia will be graduating and going on to graduate school for teaching I believe. My sister My nephew, Alex, graduated from NYU and is working at the Hartford Children’s Theater. Carolyn & Mariah bought a camper and spent a delightful summer on the lake in Salem. Mariah is 13 and very involved in basketball and her ever growing social life.
My niece Leslie’s daughter, Paige. What a cutie-she looks like her mom!

I’ve created a few blogs this year. I created one for friends from Gerber at http://www.gerberfriends.blogspot.com/ I am also working on one for Dulcie & Valerio on their wonderful house project the Victorian Lady .. it is http://www.hartfordvictorianlady.blogspot.com/ Finally I am about to do one for Chuck & I at http://www.chuckandnancy.blogspot.com/ You can visit them directly or you can go to http://www.hevenor.com/ and locate them through the Nancy’s Blogs link. What is a blog? Well I didn’t really know so I decided to try building one. It is merely a “web log” and is an electronic journal. You can add comments to the blogs. The Gerber Friends Blog is a Team blog so all our members can create a new blog topic to comment on. It’s fun and easy to build a blog .. just go to http://www.blogger.com/ and create a blog. It doesn’t cost anything – you just create a username and password and you can begin to blog!
Cherry bow front desk and slat back chair that Chuck built.So for more info and photos visit us on our website or check out our blogs. Who would have thought back when I was first typing those first Christmas letters in the 90s that now I’d be blogging them?! It’s a new world, Golda!
Sending you and your loved ones much love and wishes for a happy and healthy 2006.
Email us at: n@hevenor.com or c@hevenor.com

Love, Nancy & Chuck