Merry Christmas!

2015
Its time for another exciting yearly update from the Geddie Family! I know you can
hardly wait! We may just send this newsletter in lieu of Christmas Cards this year
(we were late purchasing cards), so if the newsletter arrives and it is not inside a
card this is all you get.
Youll notice our update is grandchild centric as we have unilaterally decided this is
what people are most interested in. (If our daughters and their husbands want to
get in on the act, they can write their own newsletters.)
Ay Caramba! Grandchild number six! Nora
Dycus was born to Nicole and Nathaniel on
Cinco de Mayo (hence the Spanish theme in
this paragraph). She is yet another perfect
grandchild whose laid back personality
gives her parents a reprieve from the high
activity level of her two older brothers.
Brother Colin (age: 4) has started preschool and is already at the top of his class
or so we like to think. He enjoys school
but gets bored with the repetition (I already know that!). Brother Carson (age: 2)
is happy to have Colin in school so he can get more attention. (Ahhh, sibling rivalry!
No home is complete without it!) Carson is more physically inclined than verbal and
prefers to express himself by crashing his body into things including his
grandparents and then laughing. At this point were thinking medical school or law
school for Colin and Lucha Libre (Mexican professional wrestling he already has
the costume) for Carson.
Penny Franks (age: will be 2 in February), daughter of Robin and
Bryan, is growing fast as well. She keeps her Mom and Dad on
their toes by testing every limit they place on her. She has
figured out being cute allows you to get away with almost
anything.
Robin: Penny, dont stand on that chair!
Penny: Looks Robin in the eye, smiles, slowly stands up and
exclaims with eyes wide Wow! - like she has accomplished
some great new deed.
Penny likes to figure out how things work and is fascinated by all
things mechanical. We are sure she gets that from her Dad
(Marine Biologist/scientist) vs. her Mom (English major).

Emma (age: 4) and Brynn (age: 1) McDonald are becoming

best friends as they grow up together. Emma is in pre-school
and has a vivid imagination. I dont know if it is because they
live near Hollywood, but I envision Emma writing, directing and
starring in her own screenplay one day. (She pretty much does
already!) Rachel says she is into Power Rangers now (the pink
one), complementing her Disney princess personas. Brynn is
becoming more expressive and not just following the lead of her
sister. She enjoys her alone time with Mom when big sister is at
school. Joyce and I traveled to California in June and were able to
spend time with them (and Rachel and Matt of course). We miss them terribly!
The final member of the daughter foursome has yet to supply us with grandkids so
she gets her own paragraph. Kelsey (age: 26) moved to Nashville this year to
complete an internship at Vanderbilt University. The internship is a prerequisite for
licensure as a dietician. She will finish the internship program June 2016 and then
will take the national exam. After that, it is on to full time employment somewhere
hopefully within driving distance of Acworth. Kelsey enjoys Nashville but has not yet
succumbed to the country/western culture. However, we think it is only a matter of
time before she is line dancing and boot scootin with the best of them!
Joyce (age: none of your business) stays busy in her counseling practice and also
conducts four-day intensive marriage retreats with a program called Restoration
Therapy. Her appointment calendar is always full with several on a waiting list. As
for me (age: old and getting older), I stay busy with my position as Treasurer in the
pilot union. While I fly enough to keep current, my primary job right now is behind a
desk overseeing the unions finances. The one thing I have learned in my new
positon is that no one likes being told no much like our grandchildren.
During our trip to California in June, we also spent a week with Joyces brother and
his wife and Joyces sister and her husband. The six of us rented a beautiful house
just off the beach in Cambria on the California coast and made several visits to the
central coast wine country around Paso Robles. We are now wine snobs and can tell
you the difference between red wine and white wine (hint: its not just the color
surprise!). Cambrias climate is quite different from Paso Robles while being only 30
miles away. We would wake up to 50 degrees and foggy in Cambria only to find it
102 degrees and clear when we arrived in Paso Robles. Besides visiting wineries, we
enjoyed hikes along the beach and also visited nearby Hearst Castle.
After a week with family, we decided we needed a vacation, so we went to Kauai in
October. Now THATS a vacation!! We unplugged from our respective jobs and
enjoyed a laid back week on the most natural of all the Hawaiian Islands. We
helicoptered, drove, hiked, canoed, and snorkeled our way around the island. If you
are Facebook friends with either of us, you have seen the pictures. We highly
recommend putting Kauai on your bucket list.

Hope this Christmas finds you able to spend time with family and friends. As you
gather with loved ones, remember the reason for the season Jesus Christ.