Ted Strand:  

Life I’ve completed my 1st career, a rewarding 35 yrs. in the classroom, coordinating student internships, sponsoring youth groups, and being integrally involved in the professional organizations that have led in educational reform, actively participating in our church families, while deepening a 37 yr. relationship with my wife Dena and our daughters Nicole (31, husband Dan) and Stephanie (26, husband David). Our family has been blessed by developing relationships with people that have become our close extended family in many other countries, and we’ve renewed contact with our family in Norway. I had the opportunity to assemble and print a family book with the support of our family in the U.S. and Norway. For his 1st 2 yrs. I’ve been a significant caregiver for my “grandson-in-law”, Joey (Joey is our Stephanie’s husband’s sister’s son). His mother is completing her pediatric oncology degree while in the Army and his father is paying his dues entering the financial and investment markets, and they have now been transferred to a hospital in North Carolina for her residency. Now Dena and are I looking toward the new adventures lying ahead of us, as I look to exploring 2nd careers in the arenas that are near and dear to my soul and spirit. We have been enjoying our grown daughters and their families, and spending more time with our friends in our small study groups. We are thoroughly enjoying our home in Inverness Illinois (working on those projects postponed over the years), and helping our daughters and their husbands settle into their homes. I now have the privilege of accompanying Dena on her business trips (like she had done with me for years), the only difference is that I go out for the shopping, touring, etc., while Dena attends the meetings; a “real” switch in roles. When our girls completed their college years, Dena and I began to travel a little more extensively and now are looking forward to increasing our excursions to chip away at an extensive list of places we have wanted to visit. I Jan 2006 Nicole and Dan brought sisters (two foster children) into their home. In Dec. Chloe's (4) adoption will be finalized, with Lauren's (2) adoption hopefully completed in the first part of next year. Dear Friends, December 2008 We hope this letter finds you and your family well and looking forward to the new year. This was another great year for the Strand¿s. On February 12, Ted had his left hip replaced. He feels so good he doesn¿t know why he waited so long. In May we traveled to Holland, MI with some close friends to attend the Tulip Festival. The tulips were at their peak and the fields were just breathtaking. A week later we attended my annual e-Trade conference in Montreal, Canada. We toured Montreal during the evenings and on the weekend drove to Quebec City. What a beautiful historic city that we hope to go back to. Joey came to visit us in June. Papa Ted and Joey always have fun together. A week before he went home, Nicole, Chloe and Lauren ¿ and their new puppy, Mabel, arrived to spend a month with us. Three - four and five year olds and a puppy kept us hopping. Stephanie had flown to Naples to spend a few days and drive up with Nicole, the girls and the dog. The dog traveled very nicely, however, they got a little tired of being asked ¿are we there yet¿, ¿how much longer?¿ Dan, Stephanie and David joined us for the 4th of July week. It is always fun when we are all together. The girls took swim lessons again this summer ¿ they love the water! They loved going bare foot and rolling in our soft grass and playing on a Slip and Slide. Camp fires and s¿mores were also a hit. The second weekend in July we attended the Lemons family reunion in Jacksonville, IL where about 70 of us got together this year. The last weekend in July, we all traveled to Indianapolis where Dan met us for Stephanie¿s 30th birthday. We had a family celebration at Benihana on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we met at a beautiful park with some of Steph¿s college and work friends. I can¿t believe our ¿baby¿ is 30! Following our time in Indy, we followed Nicole and family to Blue Ridge, Georgia, a wonderful quaint little town up in the Blue Ridge Mountains with touristy shops. Nicole and Dan have a friend who loaned them their beautiful three story log cabin for a week. The cabin had decks on each floor to really take in the beauty of the mountains. We rafted down the river, road a scenic vintage railroad between two historic towns, and went hiking on a ¿bear hunt¿ to a beautiful waterfall on path away from the main trek. Thanksgiving was spent at Stephanie and David¿s and the day after we drove to Fort Knox, KY where we celebrated ¿Thanks Christmas¿ with David¿s parents, his sister and family. It was so good to see Joey ...Expand for more