1995

                                                                                                                                                       November 28, 1995



Dear Family & Friends,

Next month Stephen, Nicole and Christie turn 11, 8 and 6. As we near halftime in the Child Development Super Bowl I have been reflecting on our first half performance and making plans for the second half.

When Stephen came along he was such a nice kid – kind to his friends, obeyed his parents and always a sunny disposition – that it was clear to us he had inherited those fine qualities from his parents. Now, eleven years and two daughters later, we know that child development is more complex than we imagined. I used to fear that Stephen was too gentle and cheerful to survive in the “real world,” but growing up with Nicole and Christie is surely preparing him for something.


Nicole is a beautiful sensitive child: soft-spoken, a lover of animals, very athletic, artistic and a serious student. She is also moody (getting her ready for Sunday School has to be one of the world’s worst jobs), generosity-challenged (she always wants to be served first and given the largest portion even if she has no intention of eating, which is usually the case) and very, very stubborn. Unfortunately her Dad is even more stubborn so occasionally we clash. I love her dearly and I know she loves me even though she burst into tears when a friend told her she looks like her father.

Christie, our youngest, exhibits a certain other-worldliness (I wanted to say that Christie arrived from the plant Xenon six years ago, but Suzanne didn’t like that.) She does not defy authority – she is simply oblivious to it. Neither Stephen nor Nicole has ever had any discipline problems at school. With Christie we got a call from the teacher on the very first day of Kindergarten – and that was only a half-day! She is so happy-go-lucky that it is hard to be stern with her.


The way the kids played soccer reflected their personalities; Stephen was a steady performer, always willing to play defense, take a turn in goal or sit out; he was happy when he won, but not crushed by defeat. Nicole played with fierce determination, scored most of her team’s goals, hated to come out of the game and did not take losing well. Christie played for pure fun; she ran around with a smile on her face scoring at will on her mostly smaller opponents. As long as she got her snack at the end of the game she didn’t care whether she won or lost.


Suzanne and I traveled to Monte Carlo and Paris this spring, compliments of one of Engine Supply’s parts suppliers. It was a great trip, but we were surprised to discover that our dollars were worth only half of what they were when we last visited in 1984. This summer the Joy side of the family congregated in Jackson Hole to celebrate my parent’s 50th anniversary.


Suzanne continues to work 300 hour weeks, keep all of the kids schedules organized and more or less managed the household while I am in Phoenix (145 days this year.) She has made an important discovery this year: QVC and the Home Shopping Network. Now when she returns from grocery shopping at midnight she does not waste time watching low-budget science fiction movies. Instead she puts in two or three quality hours shopping for Christmas and birthday gifts. I think she has Christmas covered through 1999.


Last year I reported that Engine Supply had grown to 300 employees; unfortunately at the time I did not that over 100 of them were illegal aliens with counterfeit documents. We discovered that detail during an INS audit in June and that has made the last six months…challenging. The INS treated us fairly and we are working through the problem, but if those immigrants were stealing jobs from qualified Americans we would greatly appreciate if those Americans would come forward and claim them.


Antoinette our irreplaceable child sitter/ housekeeper has been with us nearly ten years now and I don’t know how we could have managed without her.


We hope you all have a safe and joyful Holiday season.

Len, Suzanne, Stephen, Nicole & Christie





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