(Updated 1/31/17)
I, over the last 20 years, have become the bionic man. 7 knee ops, including 2 artificial knees with one being done twice, aortic valve replacement, gall bladder removal and, after quitting smoking, a lot of extra weight gained. Last November I had weight loss surgery and am on the way to being 1/3 less of me.
I hate reading obituaries and will hate it when somebody has to read mine. Classmates, take care of yourselves. I am trying to do a better job of that.
I have a lovely wife, 3 wonderful kids, and 7 super grandchildren. Lots of you do too. Let's be around to enjoy them and ourselves.
I promise to make every effort to be at the next reunion to see all your faces.
(Updated 12/16/15)
I am doing fine. Have become somewhat of the bionic man. 2 new knees, a new aortic valve, heart recorder implant, but otherwise I am doing okay. Retired and living in MD. Kids are fine as are the 7 grandkids. All were here for Thanksgiving.
(Updated 10/5/14)
Add 1 more grandson to the group. Heath, for my youngest daughter, Kristina, in NJ. 2&1/2. Rori and I are considering moving to SC. The winters and the better cost of living there are the big discriminator. House in on the market so we will see what that does.
(Updated 1/1/12)
My son and his wife had a son on 11/29 bringing the total to 6, 4 boys and 2 girls, and my youngest daughter is due on March 9th with a son. The boys will outnumber the girls, but we spoil them indiscriminately.
The cross country trip is still in a planning stage, but PG is definitely on the map. Being a senior is great when you are bionic. I have made a vow to myself that the next reunion is a must. I love looking at the pics as they bring back so many great memories. Best of luck to all and a wonderful 2012.
(Updated 12/15/11)
#1 - In the fall we decided to sell our house so we had a ton of "getting ready to sell" things to do. That took a while. We finally sold the house on the 21st of October, had all our things packed up, but not before we went through everything and threw out a lot. In a parallel activity we bought a new construction house that was not going to be ready til Feb 12 so we had to plan for a 4 month stay in a hotel. It was a long and arduous task but we got done.
#2 - Change of plans. An already built house became available in the new area we had bought in became available immediately, like the 24th of October so we took it and then had to rearrange a bunch of stuff, buy a bunch of stuff, move, and put all the stuff away. We did most of that and now have only a little left to put away which is awaiting a modification of a closet and the arrival of some new furniture. All should be done by the end of the year hopefully.
#3 - My left knee got so bad I decided to have it replaced. It was a no-brainer. There were no more arthroscopic solutions for either knee and the left one was the worst so it got done on the 5th of Dec. I am in the early stages of rehab, pain pills, and stretching the new knee. First post-op doc appointment is next Thursday. The PT lady says I am average so I guess I'll be fully recovered in the March time frame. In the mean time my lovely wife, Rori is taking excellent care of me and I have a supply of pain pills that do an adequate job. Crutches and a walker help too. The new house is a help as we now live in a 55+ community that has all the owner's stuff on the first floor, an upstairs where anyone who comes to visit us can stay, and a man caver with home theatre downstairs. It takes me awhile to get there, but I can now do it.
(Updated 10/30/11)
We moved to a new house last week and it has all the owner's stuff on the first floor. Couldn't take the steps anymore. Getting my left knee replaced on Dec 5th because it really hurts. Otherwise the only news is that there are 2 new grandchildren on the horizon. One in Dec that is known to be a boy for my son and another, sex unknown, for my daughter in New Jersey due in March of next year. Just hoping they will be healthy. Retirement is great. I highly recommend it.
(Updated 3/13/10) I am really retired now with the exception of working part time at a driving range. Keeps me in practice. Now have 5 grandkids (3 boys in Ohio with my oldest daughter, 1 in NJ with my youngest daughter, and 1 in Md with my son's ex).
My wife is set to retire in July from the govt. Road trip will be next spring and will include PG. Expect the road trip to last a few months. Still in Md and now that the snow is almost melted life may return to normal.
(Updated 1/7/07) I decided to "retire" early. While I loved my job of teaching high school math to kids with learning disabilities the bureacracy and administration invaded the classroom and I decided I had had enough. So now I am doing something different. I start doing some volunteer work at the local Job Corps center in town tutoring math and doing some mentoring. It is twice a week for a couple of hours. That will leave me free to play golf when I want and do some traveling.
My kids are older (Scott 35, Elissa 32, and Kristina almost 30) and my grandchildren (all 4 of them) are around or at least close enough to travel to. My wife has 3 & 1/2 yrs til she retires and then we plan to travel. Right after she retires we want to see a lot of the US and that includes PG. I really am looking forward to seeing the town, the houses I grew up in, and seeing folks that are in the area.
Best to you all and if you are in the Washington, DC or Baltimore area please call so we can get together.
(Updated 10/20/05)
I now have another grandson, Devon Thomas Michalski. My oldest daughter and her husband who are the parents moved from Laramie WY to Cincinnati OH.
I am still in Maryland and only 2 & 1/2 years away from retiring and playing a lot of golf somewhere. Still teaching special ed math and loving it. It is nice to see some of my former students come back to visit with a college degree.
(Previous Entry) Spent 7 yrs in the Army mostly as a helicopter pilot. Left and went to work in the aerospace industry for 23 years. Got divorced in 1994. Have 3 wonderful children (Scott (30) an IT tech with the Univ of Md, Elissa (28) a teacher in Laramie, WY married with 1 and 8/9ths children), and Kristina (25) who will be moving to Md to finish her degree). Left industry in 1998 and now teach math in a special ed school. Remarried to Rori Bergere in Nov 2000. She works for the government and will retire in 8+ yrs.
It is a wonderful life. I often think about PG and how great it was to go through HS there at that time. Returning from college was wonderful. To see friends is a blessing that I miss. I did see Jim Riovo when I lived in NJ, but would love to have been at the reunion. Couldn't make it. Was starting my new teaching job and the timing wasn't the best. A summer reunion would be nice for the 40th.
I am still teaching math in a special ed school and enjoying it. My son and granddaughter still live near me in Maryland. My oldest daughter, her husband, and 2 boys, have moved to Cincinnati from Laramie, Wy which is much better for visitation purposes. My youngest is back in NJ and making up her mind about either working or going back to school for a masters. My wife, Rori, is still working for the government and is set to retire in less than 6 years. We haven't figured out where we are going to live other than the fact that it won't be in Md.
I look back on my life in the army, business, and teaching, and still think how lucky I was to be in PG when I was. Next summer, I am thinking about visiting during summer break. My sister lives in Chico and we are considering coming to PG to play some golf and visit friends. I have not been there since the summer of 1970 when I returned just after graduation from college. I think it is about time to see what my hometown has become and how the people I grew up with are doing.
My best to all of you. We are the people we have become because of the people we grew up with.
