A Prairie Wind Companion: 2010 Salkeld Family Christmas Newsletter

Kids in front of the Bellagio.

This year was pretty magnificent for the Salkeld household. One thing we did this year was to take two trips to California. Both trips went smoothly and it was quite enjoyable for the whole family. Another event we engaged in was spending the day at Hoover Dam. It was such an awesome sight!! Our cousins, Catherine, Colin, and Clayton came out for a couple weeks and Colin helped us finish a room in our basement. We also went hiking with our cousins at the Garden of The Gods.

July 4th fireworks show was an amazing event at the Air Force Academy due to the amount of hail and lightning. Lightning actually struck in the field where we were watching all of the festivities. The Balloon Glow in September was outstanding because the weather was gorgeous and the glowing of the balloons was fantastic. The Balloon Glow is where they have dozens of hot air balloons inflated at night and then they run their burners so they appear to glow! It is beautiful. So many fun things happened this year that it was difficult to choose which events to include in this letter.

James turned fifteen this October and is LOVING

James doing his boarding thing.

school. He is about halfway through his sophomore year of high school. His favorite subjects include chemistry and history. He takes his History and English classes at The Classical Academy's College Pathways program. He only has to go one day a week, the rest of his school is taught at home still. Skateboarding has become a passion of his and he has gotten rather good at it. James’ favorite trips this year were his trip to Silverthorne ski resort with the high school youth group and the two trips to California. He especially loved getting a pair of shoes and a scarf for less than twenty dollars. Boogie boarding was also a very fun activity of his during the vacations to California.

Julianna - Baby's got blue eyes.

Julianna turned 12 this July. She is now in the 7th grade. She too goes to TCA one day a week. Her favorite courses are Grammar and Literature. Her favorite trips this year were celebrating her birthday in California and when she went on choir tour to a tiny little town she fell in love with called Karvel. This town is situated so that if you stand at one end you can see the other end. She loved it so much she wants to go back there this coming summer.

Justin is David's Mini-Me.

Justin is an awesome ten year old who is in fifth grade. His favorite subject is reading. He really enjoyed this summer and going to hang out with Granddad to hit some golf balls. Granddad’s house backs up to a golf course so Justin was able to hit golf balls from the backyard all the way to the green. Justin’s birthday was celebrated at Artsports in Colorado Springs. The place consists of trampolines, foam pits, and rope swings. He loves being active whether it is inside or out. Justin also enjoys spending time with his brother and dad. All in all, Justin had a magnificent year this year.

JoLayne - the Jokester.

JoLayne turned 8 this June and is in the 3rd grade. Her favorite subject in school is Grammar that she takes at TCA. Her favorite trip this year was the second trip to California, spending time at Granddad's was fun for her. Hanging out with the cousins at the beach always makes her a happy camper. Jo's favorite activity was her birthday when she got her ears pierced. She also enjoys having sleepovers with her friends Catherine and Allison.

Lynette - As beautiful as always.

Lynette (that's mom for those of you who don't know) had a great year. Mom really enjoys hanging out with her children. She enjoyed lounging around the pool and hanging out at home. Her favorite trip was, of course, to California. Chillin' on the beach was also a favorite of hers this summer. This is her 11th year of homeschooling. Mom recently celebrated her 40th birthday (even though she doesn't look a day over 30). The party was a surprise party that my Dad organized. My parents also celebrated their 20th anniversary. T'was a happy occasion for all.

David - When's he gonna grow up?

David (Dad for those of you who don't know) had a pretty good year. He had many, many trips that he enjoyed but his favorites were the ones with his family to California. He didn't just go to California this year, he also went to New York, Washington, DC, and Texas. In Texas, he built a studio as a freelance job. He took his dad on that trip, for support and free labor. Dad knew that throwing Mom a surprise party would be hard because Mom always seems to find out about these things before they happen. However, Dad succeeded in throwing the party and everyone had a wonderful time. All this year Dad has grown closer than ever with his kids and wife. He went to camp with James and had a lot of fun hanging out with all the youth. (He is the guy in the Air Force sweat shirt being chased by my cousin.)

We hope all of you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful 2011.