XMAS 2007

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays As always, we hope this note finds you well and happy. The Hamilton’s are spending the holiday’s at home in Ohio this year, getting a little R&R and some time to cherish being with family and friends. We skipped a beat not getting a note out last year, so we’ll try to catch you up!

Ryan, now 27, has settled into to his home in Oakley, a revived older community near Cincinnati, popular with the X/Y generations. He’s been busy with both home improvement and repair. Ah yes….the rewards of home ownership! His biggest project to date was a new cobble stone patio with a fire pit. Rick shared his “school of hard knocks” learning’s and Ryan caught on quickly. He finished it in September 2006, just in time for the crisp fall weather. A great time for parties…..not as if that’s a requirement. In June, Ryan moved to Barefoot, a growing advertising firm in Cincinnati, joining their interactive marketing group. Leading edge technology, exposure to the creative side of advertising, and great colleagues make this a great place to work. Ryan has been dating a young lady named Marianne who is also in the marketing field and is quite a gourmet cook. He also continues to be a loyal Bengal season ticket holder…..well, there’s always next year! (ryanahamilton@gmail.com)

Rebecca, 24, has moved to Columbus, Ohio (about 100 miles north of Cincinnati) and is now in her second year as a teacher’s aide at the Oakstone Academy, a chartered school for autistic children. This is a great example of finding your profession by chance and then discovering just how personally rewarding it can be. These kids really need special attention and Becca enjoys being there to help. You can learn about Oakstone in this short video clip (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv_uHUrQQVM). On another front, we blame the fact that Becca has become a Browns fan on her boyfriend Joey who grew up in Cleveland. Actually, he’s a great guy she met at BGSU. Of course, the Hamilton’s couldn’t write one of these letters without reporting about another knee surgery for Becca….this time a small meniscus tear. Becca’s also works at a local gym and has done a great job with her therapy this time around. (beccahamilton@gmail.com)

The Hamilton’s are very happy to announce that Jared, now 22, graduated last June with honors from The Ohio State University in Columbus. If you’ve not been counting….that’s 3 of 3….Yes! His degree is in Strategic Communications. After Jared’s lease ran out at school, he moved back home where the rent is much more affordable. Right now he’s working as an intern at the American Red Cross as assistant to the marketing director. This is proving to be a really good experience as he explores his long term interests. Jared continues to have a wide range of music, cultural and sporting interests. Over the last several years he started developing passions for homebrewing and cycling.(hamilton.508@gmail.com)

Another milestone, Carla quietly turned 50 this year….pretty hard to tell! Carla is now in her 15^th year teaching junior high Health and PE in Lebanon, OH. She also continued coaching track as the long jump coach. With more frequent injuries and dings from playing soccer and tennis, she finally accepted Rick’s suggestion to take up golf. Like everything Carla does, she took it seriously. This past summer she played with the girls every Friday and a number of times with Rick. He knew he was in trouble when she’d report that “I had four fours today” and “I birdied the last hole”. Nothing like a little pressure to improve your game (talking about Rick here). Carla is also religious about her daily walks with Beau and Luke who the Hamilton’s affectionately call the “boys”. These two and a half year old English Springer Spaniels have now taken over the household. Like teenagers, they have a mind of their own and have forgotten who’s the boss. It’s reached a point now that Carla and Rick are doing an intervention program (with advice from the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan) to reestablish who’s the “Leader of the Pack”.

Rick is now in his 30th year at P&G….wow! Last year Rick started a new mega project using an external supplier to replace the enterprise data warehouse he helped build. For stress relief, Rick continued to plug along with his outdoor projects, completing phase three (of four) which included another patio, concrete stairway and built-in spa. He’s also slowly improving his golf game and finds a little time to update his weblog (www.ohiohamiltons.com). Several weeks ago, Ryan, Jared and Rick had a long weekend in the Bay Area, visiting Rick’s dad (he lives in a retirement home in Fairfield); everybody’s favorite spot Lefty O’Douls; and then on to the Niner vs. Bengal game with Rick’s brother George and family. Yesterday, Rick and Carla joined Becca, Joey and his family for the Niner game in Cleveland. As you can see, Rick remains a Forty Niner Faithful no matter how poorly they are playing! (rhamilton11@fuse.net)

A final note….over the last several year’s Carla’s parents, Harvey & Jeannette, have taken the grandchildren on trips to exciting places. Last year, Rebecca and her cousin Ella toured Spain with them and this year Ryan and Jared were the lucky ones, traveling through Italy. Needless to say these trips produced some wonderful memories.

Love from Rick, Carla, Ryan, Becca and Jared

Home Address: 8803 Carey Woods Lane, West Chester, OH, 45069

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