Borlin Christmas Letters

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1970

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1971

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1972

Christmas Decoration on front of house in Florissant, MO - 1972

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1973

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1975

Christmas Card Photo - December, 1976

Christmas - December, 1977

Dear Friends,

As 1977 starts to idle down for the holidays, we find that Kodak has goofed on our Christmas picture. So in order to save a little time we are resorting to our first Christmas letter and apologize for the late date.

In May we picked up the family roots and moved about 30 miles to a new subdivision in far west St. Louis county (roughly 6 miles west of I-270 on Ladue Rd). After months of anticipation and careful planning we somehow managed to find our selves in the position of having to vacate our old house seven days before the new one was finished. So our .furniture ended up moving into the new garage and basement one week before we did. The new house is a 4-bedroom two story and for a long time we were the southern-most edge of civilization on Green Trails Drive. We now have three houses between us and the wheat fields of a nearby farm. So, the summer was spent in unpacking (still not complete), attempting to grow some grass and a few trees, and meeting a new set of very friendly neighbors.

Jon and Scott are growing up fast. They miss their old friends in north county, but have had a truly fantastic summer playing on mounds of dirt and carrying mud and sand into the house from neighboring lots. Jon has lost his two front teeth just in time for Christmas. He is in kindergarten this year and enjoys it completely. This year has been our first contact with the 'every-day' school scene and so far our experiences with Green Trails Elementary School have been very pleasant and impressive. Scott turned 4 on Thanksgiving day and feels that he is immensely more capable than when he was 'only three'. He goes two mornings a week to a nearby nursery school where singing songs about the Old Grey Cat and listening to stories are his favorite activities.

Shari is finding the task of maintaining order in a two-story house somewhat more of a challenge, but the added space is already well utilized. She somehow manages to find time from mother and housewife duties for crafts (macrame, ojo's, pine cone wreaths, etc), some adult painting classes (tole and palette), and has played a little racquetball. In July she participated in a craft show and was thrilled to actually have people paying money for her creations.

Dave's work at McDonnell Douglas seems to be not quite as frantic as in past years. His group of systems programmers has grown and reorganized to handle the workload associated with an expanding complex of ten IBM 168 computers. With three supervisors reporting to Dave he has pretty much made the transition from technical programmer to manager. Next March the MCAUTO complex will begin a rapid transition to the next generation computer, the IBM 3033's. Dave's major efforts at home have been directed toward landscaping and constructing a large cedar deck, hung off the back of our house. The deck went much smoother than the subdivision carpenters expected--they were hoping for the job to finish it. It's time to close for this year and wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season. We would like to remind you that the Berlin rest stop is now open at a new location and we love company.

Christmas - December 18, 1978

Merry Christmas

Santa came early this year to the Berlin family~ Jeffrey Marc was born at 1:17 A.M. on December 1. He weighed in at 9 pounds - 9 ounces and measured 22 inches. Jeff has been a very good baby--so far. Jon and Scott are proud to be big brothers and are already making plans to teach Jeff how to ride a tricycle.

This year has been a relatively peaceful one for us. The farmland behind us sprouted houses and is now the almost-complete last plat of our subdivision. It's been exciting to be a part of the creation of a completely new neighborhood. We have made many new friends in the past year and a half and are very happy with our house. Dave is in the midst of finishing our basement and is having a ball with it. The kids feel that the basement is ''their" part of the house and were quite excited to see a bathroom develop from scratch with "their help".

Shari became involved in the organization of the Green Trails Estates Women's Club this year and is serving as head of the baby-sitting co-op. Her arts-and crafts activities have spread into new areas with several of her creations now being sold on consignment at a local shop. Dave got involved with jogging this spring and enjoyed it .immensely. However, a close encounter with an irate skunk late one night and the cool autumn temperatures convinced him to hang up his shoes until next spring.

Jon is thoroughly enjoying first grade and spends a lot of time with Pumpkin our pet rabbit. Scott turned 5 at the end of November so he missed kindergarten this year. He goes to nursery school three mornings a week and has developed into a real chatterbox.

Our very best wishes to all of you for a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, Happy New Year.

Shari, Dave, Jon, Scott, and Jeff

Christmas - 1979

Christmas - 1982

Our very best wishes for a peaceful and happy Christmas Season! As usual, 1982 found us involved in several new and unexpected activities.

Starting this fall, little Jeff makes his way on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to Ivy Chapel Nursery School. He has the same teacher there that his . brother had' five years ago. Jeff truly enjoys people and loves to talk to everyone he meets in stores. Scott and Jon are in third and fifth grades at school this year. They are active with bowling (Jon), soccer (Scott), Cub Scouts, and are just beginning piano lessons. Jon wants to be a meteorologist some day and loves watching the weather. Scott wants to be a comedian on TV.

On Tuesday nights Dave meets in the basement with Jon's group of eight Webelos Cub Scouts. Most of the den leader activities involve inside projects, but there was one camp-out - float trip in October (only two fathers capsized). When the Pack 805 Cubmaster resigned suddenly in October, Dave agreed to take on the additional responsibility. So now once a month he has to keep 65 boys and twice that many parents and siblings entertained in the Green Trails School gym during the pack activities. We are a little busier, but really enjoy the opportunity to work . with the boys. Work at McDonnell-Douglas remains hectic with the continued spread of mini-computers.

Shari is still in search of physical fitness (Ha Ha:). Bowling and a health spa are the most recent attempts. Otherwise she can usually be found in some doctor's waiting room with one of the boys for allergy shots, braces to be adjusted, or Jeffrey's latest ear infection. Being a room mother for third grade or .. Mommy Helper" for Jeff's 4 year old class can always help fill the calendar.

We took Grandma and Grandpa Eising, the three kids, and a 12-passenger rental van to California this summer for three weeks. We went south through the Painted Desert (our rock hounds did not take any petrified wood) and the Grand Canyon (no one fell in), and spent about a week in California. We returned via Salt Lake City and a cabin high atop Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. We reached home with a deer skull, assorted rocks, a tree stump (decorative, of course a box of white salt from the salt flats, a box of oranges, 3 Mexican pots, and the memories of a lifetime.

The Borlin's

Christmas - 1983

Christmas - 1984

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BDRLINS

In an attempt to help justify its purchase, the family computer is being asked to generate Christmas card mailing labels and a family letter this year. One of the high points for 1984 has to have been our vacation - two days in New Orleans to see the World's Fair, followed by a week in a neighbor's condo on beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Several jelly fish stings failed to detract from the sheer enjoyment of surf and sun. In September Shari hitched a ride with her convention-bound parents and spent a couple of days in Florida visiting friends.

Jeff's entry into kindergarten this year marks the first time that all of the children are in "real" school, leaving Shari a couple of hours a day for her own activities. Jeff's favorite school subjects include physical education, recess, and computer lab. He is now active in YMCA Indian Guides with Dave and feels that he is an old hand at the horseback and canoeing activities at Trout Lodge. Jeff enters the Holiday season minus his two front teeth -- much like the once-popular song.

Scott, on the other hand, enters the season with a cast on his right arm -- a trophy of his soccer activities. Scott spent a week at Beaumont Reservation last summer in Cub Scout camp, learning what it's like to live and sleep in the great outdoors. Scott is in fifth grade this year and has been active in soccer, bowling, violin, piano and Cub Scouts. He can usually be found in the workshop, surrounded with tools and saw dust.

Jon has now moved into seventh grade -- junior high school -- and dearly loves the new-found independence. He has now graduated from braces. In his spare time he is active in the bowling club, takes piano lessons, is Den Chief for Scott's Cub Scout den, and is working on his "Life" rank in Boy Scouts. The whole family enjoys watching his model rockets "blast off".

Shari continues to enjoy league bowling, yoga, and use of the local Vic-Tanny health club. She is room mother for Scott's class and was drafted to train and organize the den leaders for Scott's Cub Scout Pack. Almost a year ago she satisfied a long-standing desire to learn to play the piano by beginning weekly lessons. She still enjoys trying her talents at cake decorating when the opportunity presents itself.

Dave still does a bit of running at the health club and is in his last year as Cubmaster for the Green Trails Cub Scout Pack 805 - a group that has now grown to almost 80 boys. At McDonnell-Douglas the old McAuto division is in the process of splitting into two distinct companies. Dave was promoted to Director of Operations for the St. Louis Commercial <outside McDonnell-Douglas) Processing Center. The past couple of years have seen significant changes in the company as it has moved away from the very conservative military image to one of high growth and aggressive acquisitions. If the new Information Systems Group is to be a $6 billion company by 1990, the next few years should be exciting.

Another year draws to a close and we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas - 1986

Merry Christmas to All Our Friends,

'!his seems to have been the year that the Borlins found some of our strengths and weaknesses .

Mom and Dad found the strength to begin Cub Scouts one more time. We are the proud leaders of Den 7 at Green Trails School. Eight happy, active second graders visit our house on a weekly basis.

Jon found exceptional strength to spent part of the Summer at Philmont Scout Reservation near Taos, New Mexico. He hiked and. back-packed 80 miles through the mountains over a three week period. He managed to avoid the bears, but his group was caught in a two-hour hail storm half-way up a mountain peak,. At the close of the trek the boys traded patches with scouts from Japan, England, and Canada.

Scott has found the strength to survive the first half year of German in 7th grade. He loves it. Scott spent a week this summer in Washington, D.C. with his friend Aaron and his family. It was during this trip that he developed. a taste for prime rib and polished his table manners.

Jeff has about completed his ice seating lessons and has definitely discovered some weakness in his ankles. He continues with piano lessons and has just about passed ''We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in time for the holiday season.

Mom and Dad finally weakened and allowed not one but two kittens into the house. Pepe and Midnight (brother and. sister) are now bonafide Borlins and have taken up residence in the basement.

Dad's back has weakened. the past few weeks and he is receiving therapy for a pinched. sciatic nerve. He has about decided to hang up his running shoes. Dave has nearly one more year in his assignment in Corporate Office. Next Christmas should find him searching for the strength to move back out into one of the operational areas of the company.

With the cheap air fares this year, Shari has discovered that she definitely has a weakness for travel - joining Dave on business trips to Las Vegas and Dallas and. a few day vacation to Tampa and Key West. She also logged a few miles on the highways by joining a neighbor family in a trip to Hilton Head Island and short family trips to Zanesville, Ohio and Branson, Mo.

We'd like to wish you a healthy and happy 1987. Please visit us if you're in the area.

Shari, Dave, Jon, Scott, and Jeff Borlin

Christmas - 1988

Looking back over the past 12 months, 1988 has been a particularly happy and :peaceful year for the Borlins. We are especially thankful for the opportunities that -we have had to share our lives with family and friends and to watch the development

of three very pleasant and loving children who, by all rights, must be considered young men.

Shari has served in various (unpaid) volunteer roles at Green Trails Elementary School this year, but enjoys the variety of people and activities involved. She continues to peruse physical fitness with some of the neighborhood women am still manages to survive her semi monthly piano lessons.

Dave's role at McDonnell Douglas World Headquarters has been extended for the time being. Recent newspaper and magazine publicity about computer ''viruses" has resulted in him giving interviews and presentations around the country on the topic

of how McDonnell Douglas deals with computer security security.

Jon now towers_ over rave by several inches, started to drive in May, and works part time after school in a toy store in Chesterfield Mall. (Incidentally, Chesterfield did incorporate this year and is now a "real" city.) Jon's a junior at Parkway Central Senior High.

Scott is a freshman (also at Parkway Central) , played baseball this summer still enjoys the piano, and loves to "jam" with his friends on his new electronic keyboard.

Jeff is an active, fun-loving} fourth grader. Micro machines are his big focus this Christmas, along with Lego construction kits (he obviously shares his brothers' inherited love for building models)

The family vacation this year was a two week tour of Southern California - between San Diego and Visalia. Shari and Dave also spent a few days in Minneapolis in October for a business conference - just before the winter snows started.

All of the family is still active in Scouting. Jon was presented the rank of Eagle Scout before about 200 of his friends and relatives in a court of Honor in June. Scott is working on his last merit badge for Eagle and should achieve that goal before summer. Jeff is a first year Webelos this year and has one more year of Cub Scouts left. Shari serves as the Scouting Coordinator for the elementary school and Dave is advancement chairman for the Troop. Jon and Scott each spent two weeks this this summer backpacking in the mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

Scott and Jeff are both purple belts in their Karate group and are each quite capable of keeping their parents in line, should the need arise.

The whole Berlin clan wishes you our very best for a wonderful, holy Christmas and a happy, healthy 1989! If you are ever visiting the area, please came see us.

Christmas - 1989

Christmas - 1990

Christmas - 1991

To All Our Friends and Relatives,

Each year we find ourselves looking forward to finding notes and letters in the Christmas cards we receive. So we decided it was about time for another Borlin Family Christmas Letter.

This year Jon is a sophomore at Central Missouri State University, majoring in aviation. Last summer he worked as a tour guide at the McDonnell Douglas Prologue Room (museum of aviation) and was able to log enough flying hours on weekends and after work to qualify for his private pilot's license. After he got his license, he took Shari and Scott on a tour of West St. Louis County from

2000 feet. They were able to find the house, thanks to a big "X" made out of towels in the back yard.

Scott is a senior at Parkway Central High School. He was co-captain of the varsity water polo team and is looking forward to volleyball in the spring. The whole family has had fun looking at colleges with Scott --we can find our way around most of the engineering schools in the nearby states. He works part time in Dierbergs, a local grocery store (bagging groceries seems to run in the Borlin family -- Dave did that 35 years ago). Scott attained the rank of Eagle Scout in May.

Jeffrey is in seventh grade and is our saxaphone player. He is in the Junior High Band as well as the Jazz Band. He loves the instrument. Jeff mowed yards last summer and has decided he wants a new car when he reaches 16 (not old cars like his brothers). Jeff reached the rank of Star Scout this year and is shooting to make Eagle earlier than his brothers.

Dave and Shari are still involved in Scouts -- Dave is advancement chairman and Shari continues her district position as Council representative for the Cub Scout and Boy Scout groups. Shari enjoys a variety of outdoor activities -camping, biking, and walking. She volunteers in the Counseling Department at Senior High. Dave is still working at McDonnell Douglas (which gets smaller each year as a result of shrinking defense budgets and increased competition). He keeps busy with the yard and household repairs. He also serves as a trustee for the subdivision. This year saw his 30th college reunion and next year is 35 for the high school!

We hope to see some of you next year if your are around the St. Louis area. Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas - 1992

To All Our Friends and Relatives,

We hope Christmas of 1992 finds you healthy and prepared for a great holiday season. Each year Christmas seems to sneak up on us before we expect it!

This year marked the 15th anniversary of our moving to Green Trails Drive. So we decided it was about time to give the house a bit of a face lift. In late March we literally gutted the kitchen -- tearing out walls and moving closets to create a much more "open" area. We did all the work ourselves, with the exception of installing the vinyl flooring. It was a great family project, with interesting pictures of Jeff and his friend wielding sledge hammers on a wall and a half dozen of Jon's and Scott's friends carrying in the new counter top (which would not fit through the door). The final product looks terrific.

Shari's many volunteer activities have shrunk to a handful since she started working part time at the West County YMCA. She joined the front desk staff just as the facility was being computerized and now has first-hand experience in how obstinate "the computer" can be when registering members for classes. She is still into yoga, walking, and working out on the Nautilus equipment. She did manage to join Dave for business conferences in San Diego in September and Scottsdale, AZ in December.

This has been a fairly stressful year at McDonnell Douglas for Dave. Faced with shrinking defense budgets and a weak economy, the company has laid off more than 30,000 employees and is selling off marketable lines of business. It is pretty certain that the Information Services function will be sold to a subsidiary of IBM by the end of the year. So, by mid-January Dave will be back working for IBM again after 21 years.

Jon is nearly 21 and is a junior at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, majoring in aviation. He works as a life guard and teaches swimming classes at school and at the YMCA in Chesterfield. He has had some interesting experiences this year when his fraternity served as security and crowd control guards at rock concerts in Kansas City.

Scott is well into his first year studying Civil Engineering at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He also life guards at school and at Forest Lake Country Club in Chesterfield, where he was an assistant swim team coach last summer.

Jeff is now an eighth grader and is nearly as tall as his brothers. He has reached the Life rank in Boy Scouts, plays a "mean" tenor saxophone with the junior high jazz band, and has discovered girls. His many lawn mowing jobs helped to buy a stereo for his room this Christmas. Jeff and his friend Kevin spent a week of vacation in Florida this summer with Dave and Shari. While there, we joined a crowd gathered to watch the landing of a space shuttle. We're not sure any of us ever actually saw the shuttle-- but we were there!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas - 1993

To All Our Friends and Relatives,

Once again, 'tis the season of Holiday joy and excitement. We hope this letter finds you all well (and better prepared for Christmas than we).

This was the year of the Great Floods here in Missouri. Although our house is high and dry, we can drive no more than three miles to the west or north and still see the total destruction caused by the rampaging Missouri River. At one point more than 15 per cent of the state was under water. Many of our friends and family were affected in one way or another. The clean up in Chesterfield continues into the winter, and it will likely take several years before the area is back to normal.

The Borlin family is still somewhat scattered. Jon remains at Central Missouri State University as an aviation major. He is a "first-year senior", though it is reasonable to expect he will graduate in January '95. He is active at school and in his fraternity (ATO) and is hoping to work on an internship at some exotic location this summer.

Scott is a sophomore at Bradley University in Peoria. He is an assistant residence adviser this year and (so far) has kept his dormitory floor of freshmen from burning down the building. Both Jon and Scott still lifeguard at their schools on a part-time basis.

Jeff, at 15, is a very busy freshman at Parkway Central High School. This fall his day began at 6:10 AM when he left home for marching band and closed out at 5:45PM with water polo. Watch for his band to march in the Orange Bowl parade this New Year's Eve in Miami. While in Florida, they will also march at Disneyworld and will spend several days at other attractions, as well as "practice" on the beach. The rest of the family will drive down to Florida after Christmas and be proud spectators (and hopefully not get mugged in Miami).

Dave, Shari, and Jeff spent two weeks this summer driving through Texas on vacation. We all managed to avoid the urge to purchase Texas boots and hats, which we seemed to see everywhere. Jeff and Shari went horseback riding on the beach at South Padre Island and Jeff learned to water ski with friends in beautiful Austin. On the way back we stopped to see President Clinton's boyhood home in Hope, Arkansas and Elvis' Graceland extravaganza in Memphis.

Shari continues to work part-time at the West County YMCA. Dave has now made the transition back to IBM (doing the same basic job as he did with McDonnell Douglas). The one major difference now is that half of his group is in Long Beach, California. So he packs up and visits the West Coast one week each month. We are less active this year in school and scouts. We're not sure what took their place, but we don't have any more free time. Next year will be one of major milestones for our family. Shari's folks will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in April and we will celebrate our 25th in October. Time does fly!

We have been fortunate this year to be able to visit with some of our long time friends. We hope to see more of you next year.

Christmas - 1994

Once again the desk calendar has flipped over to December and it's time for the annual Christmas letter! Each year we anxiously look forward to cards from our friends and family members and appreciate hearing the latest news. This has been an unusually busy year for us-- filled with new experiences and once-in-a-lifetime events.

Jon has now wrapped up his college career at Central Missouri State University, receiving his B.S. degree in aviation (with a minor in computer graphics). He and 2000 of his closest friends received their degrees in an impressive ceremony last weekend at the University. Jon and his pet ferret, Gambitt, have now moved back to Chesterfield to search for gainful employment.

Scott is a junior at Bradley University, where he also serves as a Resident Adviser for 42 freshman students on the fourth floor of Wyckoff Hall. He and his girl friend, Kerri, are part of a group designing and constructing a concrete canoe to represent their school in a Civil Engineering competition next spring in Wisconsin.

Jeff, now a sophomore in high school, has had a very busy year -- marched in the Orange Bowl parade in Miami, went skiing in Colorado with friends, was confirmed, climbed a mountain at Philmont Reservation in New Mexico with the Scouts, vacationed in California for a week with Mom and Dad, received his Eagle Scout award, helped his water polo team capture first place in district competition, turned 16, and bought his first car with savings from mowing lawns. His marching band is already making plans for taking part in the Rose Bowl parade on New Year's Day, 1996.

This year Shari purchased a mountain bike to ride around the neighborhood, but all of the boys like to ride it and borrow it regularly. The part time job at the YMCA keeps Shari out of the malls and provides a good opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people (but still allows the freedom to occasionally travel with Dave on business trips).

Dave now reports to the General Manager of the ISSC Aerospace and Midwest "Geoplex" (one of four very large data centers within IBM). He is responsible for strategic planning and technology directions for the organization. That means he now gets to fly into New York as well as Los Angeles. Based on his first experience, California is a LOT nicer than New York in the winter

(as well as in the spring, summer, and fall).

In April our extended families had a grand celebration in Quincy, Illinois in honor of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Shari's parents. It was a truly beautiful experience. Then in September, Shari and Dave went on a 12-day trip to Hawaii to celebrate their Silver anniversary. It was a first-time contact with the islands and the greatest vacation ever! The beautiful scenery, friendly people, and perfect weather combined to make it a paradise in every sense of the word.

We hope to see many of you in the New Year. In the mean time, have a tremendous Christmas season!

The Borlins --Shari, Dave, Jon, Scott, and Jeff

Christmas - 1995

Christmas Greetings to All

Winter has finally descended on the mid-west with several inches of snow and sub-zero temperatures. Just like Christmas, everyone knows winter will surely arrive, but we're never quite prepared. The snow and cold has finally prompted us to prepare the annual "Berlin Christmas Letter". We hope it finds you well ... and warm.

The focus for many of our activities this year has been "Rose Bowl '96". On New · Year's Day Jeff's high school band will be part of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. In order to collect the $170,000 required to transport, house, and feed the students, 1995 has been one long series of fund raising activities for the band parents. Shari and Dave have always wanted an xcuse to actually see this parade, so this is it! They, along with Scott and his girl friend, Kerri Schertz, will be sitting in the stands on January 1. Watch for the Parkway Central Marching Colts as you enjoy the parade on television.

This year Shari has expanded her interests to include bridge and canasta as part of the New Neighbors organization (even though we have been in this neighborhood for almost 20 years). She continues to work part time at the West County YMCA, serves

on many school related projects, and somehow manages to keep the family organized. Shari's dad had heart bypass surgery this April and surprised everyone with how rapidly he was able to bounce back.

Dave's work at ISSC (IBM) has involved a tad more travel this year in support of accounts in Long Beach, Seattle, Chicago, and The Netherlands. It is likely that for the next couple of years, he will be responsible for consolidating and managing data centers for a multi-billion dollar contract within Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. With luck this contract should be signed by Christmas.

Jon has successfully made the transition from college life to the working world. After getting some experience in aircraft ground support at Spirit of St. Louis and Lambert Airports, he has just started a job as technical illustrator for Trans World Airlines in St.

Louis. The family has really enjoyed having Jon back home from college. He and his girl friend, Kari Guess, can truly brighten up any family activity. (Yes, both Jon and Scott are dating girls with first names that are pronounced the same.)

Scott is now a senior at Bradley University and expects to graduate in May as a Civil Engineer. This year he has worked as resident head of Wyckoff Hall, a freshman dormitory on campus. He has started the job interview process and is anxious to land a

job by next summer.

Jeff is now a junior at Parkway Central High School. He has spent a lot of time with band and water polo this fall and is starting to look at colleges. (It's amazing how much easier the college scene becomes the third time around!) Jeff thinks he might like to study computer science, but that could all change by fall of 1996.

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish our family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you find peace and happiness in 1996!

Shari, Dave, Jon, Scott, and Jeff Borlin

Christmas - 1996

We hope this Christmas season finds you relaxed and happy. This year's unusually short period between Thanksgiving and Christmas caught our family off guard, but we will be ready.

Interestingly, every member of the family is now using computers as the main focus of our jobs:

• Jeff is working part time at Software Plus

• Scott is employed by Anderson Consulting in Chicago

• Jon works at TWA as a technical illustrator

• Shari continues at the service center at the YMCA, using a recently upgraded AS/400 system

• Dave is still with IBM, managing the Ameritech contract in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin

This past year we celebrated Scott's graduation from Bradley University. Jeff is now a high school senior and busy applying for

admission to colleges. We have all learned how to take advantage of Jon's flying privileges, so travel has become a more frequent activity. We went to the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year's day to see Jeffs high school band march. While in California, they also marched at Disneyland and performed at Sea World.

We spent a long weekend in Boston this fall and really enjoyed the historic Freedom Walk in this beautiful city. We also grabbed a couple of days in Fort Lauderdale right before Thanksgiving for our winter beach fix.

The new year will bring Jeffs graduation from high school and our first family wedding. Scott and Kerri became engaged this Thanksgiving and are planning to be married next October. We are thrilled for both of them.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. We are looking forward to spending Christmas in Chesterfield with some of our relatives from Illinois.

Christmas - 1997

Merry Christmas and a Happy Hogmanay from the Borlins of Edinburgh. One of the significant events for our family this year was the decision to accept a two-year foreign assignment with IBM. So in September, Shari and Dave moved into a flat in the heart of

Edinburgh, Scotland- about 450 miles north of London. Our neighborhood is called New Town, even though it was originally built in the late 1700's (the flat is thoroughly modem but the stone building is 200 years old). Dave is managing the computer center

for the Bank of Scotland and Shari is absorbing the culture and history of a city that has been around for over a thousand years. Edinburgh is described in the travel books as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and we couldn't agree more. We have found

the local citizens to be warm and very friendly toward Americans (one perfect stranger invited us to a dinner party with her eighbors and Shari patiently listened to Santa Claus at Jenners' Department Store describe his bus trip in the US). Being tourists at

heart, we fill up every weekend with activities (went to London one weekend; got to sit about 50 feet from the Queen of England in St. Giles Cathedral one Sunday; went Christmas shopping at Newcastle - the largest shopping center in Europe; attended a Christmas Ceilidh - a Scottish square dance; and sometimes we just get on a city bus and ride it around the entire route).

The year actually started out on a low note. In March, Jon was a passenger in a car which was struck head-on by another car while both drivers were attempting to avoid a deer on the roadway. He spent 10 days in the trauma center in Kansas City and then 6

weeks in a hospital bed in our living room, recovering from five leg fractures, a broken nose, and several major cuts to the face. He is about to have further surgery to remove the hardware from his legs and repair his nose. The high point for Jon's year was in late

July when he proposed to Vicki Van Meter on the pier at Cocoa Beach, Florida (she accepted). The wedding is scheduled for next August 1 in St. Louis. Jon has assumed the role of "man of the house" for the Chesterfield home while mom and dad reside in Europe.

Scott and Kerri Scherz were married in a small country church near Starved Rock State Park southwest of Chicago on October 3, 1997. They now have an apartment in Arlington Heights, a northwest Chicago suburb. Unfortunately the suntan from two weeks in Hawaii faded quickly in the Chicago snow. With Jeffs graduation from high school this year it's the first time in 20 years that Parkway School District has had to operate without one of the Berlin boys. Jeff entered Bradley University in Peoria, IL this fall and plans to major in Computer Science. With the age of the Internet upon us, most communication with Jeff is electronic. As Dave

leaves for work at 6:30AM in Scotland, he can sometimes "chat" with Jeff in his dorm room due to the 6 hour time difference.

In closing, let us offer our spare bedroom as lodging if anyone finds themselves passing through Edinburgh in the next couple of years. We love to receive E-mail and promise to respond promptly.

Christmas - 1998

The Scotland-based Borlin clan would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We have now passed the 15-month point of our 2-year adventure in Europe. The days have now shortened to about six hours of daylight and temperatures in the mid-30s seem familiar from last year (during our first full year in Edinburgh the temperature has never been below 30 degrees or above 75 degrees). Dave's work at the Bank of Scotland has gone well and his contract has been extended to the full 2-year period. The many activities of a local woman's club have taken Shari to interesting events within the Central Scotland area. The weekly bridge group is a fun bunch from all over the world. We both enjoy the educational opportunities offered by a country with more than 6000 years of history. We have visited some of the "Standing Stones" put in place by the ancient Picts around 4000 BC, Roman walls and a working bath from around the time of Christ, and more 12th Century castles and cathedrals than any of you would want to read about. After four visits to Loch Ness, we have unfortunately not yet caught "Nessie" on film. Since we are already "in the neighborhood", we never pass up an opportunity to travel around Europe. London is an hour by air or six hours by train, but Paris is probably our favorite city for a long weekend trip. So far, we have visited eight countries. In October, we were able to briefly visit Basel, Switzerland- the city from which great-grandpa Borlin struck out in the mid-1800s. Dave also had an opportunity to fly around the world in June to visit some of the Bank's holdings in New Zealand and Australia. The past year has truly been a fun and rewarding experience. We are looking forward to a little time with the family in St. Louis prior to Christmas, but will fly back to Scotland on Dec. 26.

In August 1 , Vicki and Jon were married at the Shrine of St. Joseph in downtown St. Louis. Their planning of the weekend events could only be described as brilliant - even the weather was cool and clear. After a honeymoon in Jamaica, they settled back into the Borlin home in Chesterfield with "the kids" (a cat, a dog, a ferret, and a baby kitten - all of whom somehow seem to get along). We ow have a trio of "Mrs. Borlins" - Shari, Kerri, and Vicki.

Scott and Kerri continue to live and work in the Chicago area. Many happy hours have been invested this year in the refurbishment of a ski boat that was donated by Kerri's parents. The Chicago Borlins were our first US visitors in April.

Jeff now has 1-1/2 years of college behind him and continues to major in computer science at Bradley University in Peoria. His visit to Scotland in May was brightened by the fact that, at 19, he could legally visit the local pubs and casinos.

In the past year we have been privileged to have two groups of friends visit us in Edinburgh (The lliffs and The Van lttersums). Our offer of last year stands- if you can catch us home, you are more than welcome to take advantage of our spare bedroom.

Christmas - 1999

As 1999 comes to a close, we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May you find Peace and Happiness in the sparkling new century that is just around the comer!

While this has been a year in which the Borlin family has moved around a bit, Shari and Dave remain in Edinburgh, with plans to hopefully V{rap up 3 year.§ of wofk__,...with the Bank of Scotland around the end of August 2000. For the past 4 months we have

sounded a bit daft when we told everyone that we really didn't know what we were doing for the next year. As this letter goes out, the Bank continues to negotiate a long-term contract for ffiM to take over their computing division. If the deal is signed, Dave will

be Project Executive for the contract during the initial Transition Period. In rnid-2000, the responsibility will then be handed over to a longer-term PE and the Edinburgh Borlins will head back horne to Chesterfield.

We have enjoyed playing host to 19 visitors from the States during the past year (peaking out with 8 at one time during the international Festival in August). Several long weekends this year have given us a chance to visit some of the major cities in mainland Europe (Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Prague, Bordeaux and Vienna) and a few of the Scottish Islands (Orkney, Mull, Iona and Staffa). Shari has been active in several women's groups in Central Scotland and frequently complains the weeks aren't long

enough for all the activities that are available. This year marked the 30th wedding anniversary for the "old folks".

Jon and Vicki purchased a house in Collinsville, Illinois in August and spent several frantic weeks packing, unpacking, arranging, rearranging, painting, sanding, plastering, plumbing and all the fun things associated with moving. The relocation of the combined

family pets (two cats, a dog and a ferret) went amazingly well, although the trip was probably most stressful for the driver. Vicki continues in Public Relations with Belleville Memorial Hospital and Jon has moved into the area of TWA that supports their Web Site

(www.twa.com). Now the whole world can see Jon's airplane drawings! Jon has also set up a family Web Page www.redrival.com/bril/home.htm).

Scott and Kerri made an even more drastic move in early August when they collected most of their belongings into a rental truck and moved to Broomfield, Colorado. Scott continues to work for Andersen Consulting (now in Denver) and Kerri is in a Masters

Program at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Both are having a fantastic time climbing up the mountains in the summer and skiing down them in the winter.

Jeff (now 21 years old) is half way through his junior year at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and probably knows more about computers than is father ever did. He and Amy look forward to trips between their respective schools (Champagne and Peoria)

for weekend events.

That's about it for another year with the Borlins. It's "last call" for anyone who wants to visit Bonnie Scotland, to stay at the "Wee Bed and Breakfast" on Cumberland Street and to sample some of the local spirits. Cheers for now.

Christmas - 2000

We would like to take this opportuni.ty.to. wish each of you avery Merry_ Christmas and a Happy 2001. This first year of the Millennium was one of change for us, as we left our beloved Scottish friends, moved back to our original house in the United States and settled down to a new life of retirement and grand-parenthood.

Until the end of August, we continued to live in Edinburgh and spent many of our weekends visiting some of the historic and incredibly beautiful sites in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. We spent a long February weekend in Athens, toured the ancient Greek remains, ate Greek food, and had to convince the local police notto confiscate our camera because we had tried to take an "irreverent" picture of. a headless statue. Our trip to Holland in July to visit friends of the family (the Bulks) was our most enjoyable visit to mainland Europe. We are veryhappy to have served as host and tour guides to 30 visitors from the US duringour three years in Scotland.

During 2000, Dave spent much of his time providing technical support for IBM marketing efforts at Bank of Scotland and various other financial institutions around the UK. The Bank did finally sign a $1.5 billion contract in June for IBM to own and operate their computer center during the next 1 0 years. Shari remained an active member of the American Women's Club of Central Scotland and helped to organize a new International Women's Club in Edinburgh. Several trips with friends to potteries in Stoke-on-Trent offered Shari an opportunity to acquire some beautiful English china at bargain basement prices.

Jon and Vicki remain in Collinsville, IL. Vicki continues to work for Belleville Memorial Hospital and Jon recently started work at A G Edwards in downtown St. Louis.

Scott snd Kerri moved to a townhouse in suburban Denver. Scott continues-to work for Andersen Consulting and Kerri is writing her Master's thesis on highway bridge design. Reese David was born on November 3 - right on schedule. Reese promises to be an exciting addition to the family.

Jeff is a senior at Bradley University and will soon discover the joys of working in the real world. He and his girlfriend, Amy, have been discussing where they would like to find employment. We suspect it will not be in Chesterfield, MO.

On a sad note, Pepe, the family cat for almost 15 years, died following a stroke in late May. He is missed by everyone.

That's it for another year. We look forward to visiting some of you during the coming year and hope that if your travels lead you to our part of the world, you spend some time with us.

Christmas Photo Card - 2001

Christmas - December 11, 2002

The first 3·inch snowfall of the season has sufficiently sparked our Holiday Spirit to finally prepare this year's Christmas letter. We are pleased to report that since last Christmas the Borlin clan has grown by 25%! On 28 August Shelby Laine Borlln made her appearance in Peoria, Illinois and Maxx Parker Borlin was born in Belleville, Illinois on 11 December. The new grandchildren and their parents are doing well.

2002 started out with a very enjoyable two months in a rental trailer at Outdoor Resorts in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Shari took up watercolor painting and Dave enrolled in a local genealogy class. Those activities, along with euchre, bridge, exercise, and daily walks on the beach made for a very pleasant winter. A couple of excursions to a local golf course (Yo' Daddy's) sparked enough interest in the sport for both of us to buy clubs and take some lessons. The fact that one sometimes confronts snakes in the rough at Yo' Daddy's is a great incentive to hit the ball properly and stay on the fairway! The extended family celebrated July 41h at Scott and Kerri's home in Washington, Illinois. Shari's mom and dad enjoyed the trip and the fireworks at Karri's parents home. The annual tent campout at Lake Shelbyville in late July was also a lot of fun for everyone. Nighttime entertainment included guitar playing, euchre, and watching a family of hungry raccoons perform tricks for fried chicken. The camping group did get "busted" one day by the rangers for having beer in the coolers at the beachfront. No one could ever explain how the beer cans got mixed in with the soda! In August we joined Jon and Vicki in Destin, Florida for a very relaxing week of sun and beach. In October we spent 10 days in northern California visiting with friends that Shari had made when we were in Scotland, visiting with cousins we had not seen in many years, and playing tourist in the wine country, gold country, and Yosemite National Park. In the middle of this trip we visited a beautiful lighthouse at Point Arena, sitting on the craggy cliffs of the Pacific coast north of San Francisco. A family of hungry raccoons chased after us as we drove away- guess they had heard about the fried chicken at Lake Shelbyville.

Jeff and Amy are still in Peoria - Jeff as a contractor at Caterpillar; Amy as a manager at FritoLay. Plans are progressing for their wedding at the end of May 2003 In Chesterfield. Their dog (Kooper) and cat (Calvin) seem to have reached a degree of tolerance for each other after a year of tense negotiations.

Scott and Kerri have become proficient do·it·yourselfers in their new home in Washington, outside Peoria. Reese is now 2 and talks up a storm. He is very gentle and protective of his little sister. Scott continues to work at State Farm and Kerri is now working part time at an engineering firm in Peoria.

Jon and Vicki are just beginning to learn the joys and responsibilities of parenthood. Jon (who turned 30 this year} continues at A G Edwards and Vicki is a stay-at-home mom starting today.

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and hope that your 2003 is filled with ... whatever you wish it to be filled with.

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2003

Winter has officially reached Missouri in the past few days. We have seen it down to about -8 degrees Celsius and we received 3-4 inches of snow. Today it was up to about 15 degrees and the snow all melted. We have had a very mild autumn, so the abrupt cool down was not a pleasant experience. Fortunately it is only 2-112 weeks until we head south to Florida for our annual "snowbird" trip. We have stayed at the same RV park in Melbourne Beach for the past 3 years and have made a number of friends that either own caravans there or come back as tenants, like us. We just found out that our landlady has replaced our old, small caravan with a new, larger unit. Maybe this year I won't have to continually fix problems. But, to put things in perspective, the temperature normally stays in the 15-25 degree Celsius range during January} and February} and walking on the beach certainly beats shoveling snow off the driveway!

This year, Jeff, our youngest son was married. He and his wife live about 2 miles from his older brother and his family near Peoria, Illinois. Both boys went to Bradley University in Peoria and ended up with jobs in the area. Jeff is a software architect for the on-board computers that operate Caterpillar vehicles. Scott is a manager in application testing for State Farm Insurance and Jon is a

web site designer for a brokerage firm in St. Louis, AG Edwards. Everybody got sucked into the computer industry!

We haven't done a great deal of traveling this year, other than the annual trip to Florida. I did finish painting all the rooms in our house and the yard looks a lot better than it did three years ago. We have also done some painting & yard work at Shari's parents' house. They are 80 and 82 years old and don't walk very well, but they love to be included in family events - which usually means we do most of the driving to accomplish that.

Shari has taken up jewelry making as a hobby and is creating necklaces for Christmas presents for some of the family members. She also still loves to do water colour painting. I've been busy making chocolate candy for Christmas and continue to pursue genealogy as a long-term hobby. I've traced Shari's father's family back to Billerbeck, Germany in the late 1700s. I recently discovered that Shari's great-great-grandmother was murdered in Minnesota in 1872- a fact that no one in the family had ever heard about. The interesting aspect of this crime is that the murder weapon was a potato masher and it is still on display in a

museum in New Ulm, Minnesota. We have to go get a picture of that!

The grandchildren are growing and each is displaying their own unique personalities. Reese is 3 and very involved in fishing and catching any type of insect or animal that moves. Shelby is approaching 1-112 and has learned to stand up to "big brother" Reese. Maxx is just over a year old and is starting to walk. Shari and I baby-sit Maxx on Tuesday afternoons, when Vicki works at a

part-time job at the local YMCA. Vicki is now pregnant and our next grandchild should come along next July.

I'd best close for now. We both hope your Christmas season is safe and happy.

--Dave and Shari--

Christmas - December 9, 2004

It has been two years since our last Christmas letter, so we thought it was time for another update on the Borlin clan. In the past two years we have added another daughter-in-law (Amy Meyer became Mrs. Jeff Borlin) and another grandchild (Vicki & Jon's daughter, Tobi Ann, born 7 July 2004). When the family gets together for a holiday it is great having four grandchildren under the age of 4 around the house! Fortunately, we saved our kids old toys, so the new generation loves to head down to Nana & Grandpa's basement to play. We're still enjoying our retirement and spent more time this year biking and hiking. Dave continues to research our roots and Shari enjoys her various card groups and has started a new career in beading.

We have continued to escape the St. Louis winters during the first two months of each year and head south to a rental trailer in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The rash of hurricanes this year confirmed our decision not to purchase property on an Atlantic Coast barrier island! Two major hurricanes made landfall just a few miles south of the site where we stay - destroying many structures and trees and seriously eroding the beach. We are told that our trailer suffered only minor damage (a sign from a near-by Seven-Eleven store broke a window on the porch and a few pieces of skirting were lost). The loss of the roof on the Indian River Club Hall seems to be the most significant damage to the facility. When we head down next month it is likely that much of the damage will still be visible.

Most of our activities this year seem to have been family related. Dave joined Scott and some of Kerri's family on a week of attempted fishing at Kentucky Lake; much of our family collected for a few days of camping and boating in July at Lake Shelbyville in Illinois; Shari joined Vicki's family for a weekend of Oktoberfest activities in historic Hermann, Missouri; and we spent a couple of weekends visiting Shari's sister Debs and her friend Nina in Fulton and touring the Amish and Mennonite areas there. On one of those weekends we were able to join Amy's parents tail-gating at a Mizzou Tigers football game on a warm Saturday in November. In August we spent several days in Quincy and built a covered deck for Shari's folks. Interestingly, all three of our boys seem to have picked up the Borlin woodworking genes and have become quite talented craftsmen. They are all comfortable with picking up a do-it-yourself book on any subject and launching major projects around their homes.

Jeff and Amy built a home in Washington, Illinois - just a few minutes away from Scott and his family. Jeff is working with embedded software at Caterpillar; Amy is a district manager at FritoLay.

Scott and Kerri are now veteran parents- Shelby (2) has become a chatterbox and Reese (4) relishes his role as the eldest (i.e., ringleader) amongst his cousins. Scott continues to oversee testing of application software at State Farm Insurance and Kerri works part time at an engineering firm in Peoria.

Jon and Vicki have recovered from the shock of having two children under 2. Fortunately, Tobi has been extremely calm and well behaved as an infant. At 19 months, Maxx wasn't quite sure what to do with a crying baby around the house, but has made a good adjustment. Jon continues to do Web Site prototyping at A G Edwards and lifeguards at the local YMCA a few hours a week. Vicki works 40-hour days around the house and still finds the energy to work the front desk at the YMCA one night a week.

We'd like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and hope that your 2005 is filled with ... whatever you wish it to be filled with.

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - December 1, 2006

We seem to be on an alternating year cycle for Christmas letters, so it's time again to update everyone on the activities of the Borlin clan. In our 2004 letter we had four grandchildren 4 and under, so it is only logical that in 2006 we would have six grandchildren 6 and under. This year Kerri & Scott had their third child (Jacob Craig) and Amy & Jeff had their first child (Lillian Clare). We are

truly blessed to have such a wonderful group of happy, healthy kids to brighten our lives. We plan to attempt a family picture session sometime next year, but in the meantime we will enclose a composite picture of the grand kids with this letter.

This year we did not spend January and February in Florida, but rather enjoyed a very mild winter in Missouri. We do plan to head out after Christmas to spend 3-4 weeks visiting friends and relatives in warmer portions of the country (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Baton Rouge). We enjoyed several family camping trips this summer at Lake Shelbyville, Illinois and spent a couple of long weekends in Branson, Missouri. We had not seen Branson in over 20 years, so the changes to that city were amazing! In September we took a family trip with Shari's mom, dad, aunt, and sister to southern Minnesota. In the historical records of New Ulm and Mankato we found traces of Shari's mom's pioneer ancestors from the 1860s- complete with plagues of locusts, Indian attacks, and even a tragic murder. On the positive side, we made contact with branches of the Roehl family that were unknown before the trip.

Shari manages to stay busy with her card groups (bridge and canasta), reading, and jewelry making. She'll always jump at a chance to tour any old house or museum that happens to be accessible. Dave is still into genealogy, home maintenance, and monthly luncheons with retired friends.

Last year Vicki & Jon sold their home in Collinsville and moved about 6 miles north to Troy, Illinois. Jon is now the web site architect for the manufacturing arm of Sigma-Aldrich, a multi-national biochemical company based in St. Louis. Vicki is a stay-at-home mom, but has initiated a cottage industry in producing decorated cakes this summer. Maxx is in pre-school half-days this year and

Tobi is very much into "Bob, the Builder" activities.

Kerri & Scott, now parents of three, have given up trying to camp in a tent and acquired a tow-able camper that sleeps 7 - a great vacation enhancement for us. Scott's work at State Farm is now focused on the next generation of insurance applications. He spent a few days in India this year to develop the necessary contacts for outsourced testing of software. The engineering company where

Kerri is employed was bought out this year, resulting in some interesting culture conflicts from time to time. Reese is now in kindergarten, Shelby is in pre-school, and Jake just started walking a few steps last week.

Amy & Jeff have slipped smoothly into the role of parents. Fortunately, Lilly has been a very calm baby and has established positive relations with Kooper & Calvin, the family pets. Jeff continues to architect embedded software for Caterpillar, but will move into PC-based software next March. Amy has moved up a couple of rungs on the Frito-Lay corporate ladder and is about to return to work

after her maternity leave.

In closing, as in years past, we would like to wish each of you a Merry Christmas. We can only hope and pray that 2007 brings a more peaceful world.

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2007

We hope all is well with you and yours in this 2007 Christmas Season. As you can see above, the Borlin Clan has now grown to 15 with the addition of Charlie Scott Borlin on 19 May. This year also saw Amy, Jeff, and Lilly relocate from Washington, Illinois to a home just 2 miles from our house in Chesterfield. We have had many pleasant opportunities to interact with our 7 grandchildren this year.

Just before last New Year we set out on a driving tour of the Southwest, planning to stick with the southernmost (warmest) routes. We should have known we were in trouble when we had to take a 200-mile detour at Amarillo, Texas because of an "impending blizzard" in New Mexico. All went well while we spent a week in Mesa, Arizona and then visited relatives in L.as Vegas, Nevada and Surprise, Arizona. As we headed east toward Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the catalytic converter on our van failed in the middle of the Arizona desert - a pollution problem we decided we could live with until we got back home. Bad weather in the form of freezing rain caught up with us in south central Texas, with the Interstate-20 median littered by dozens of toppled 18-wheelers. So, we ended up being trapped for two days at a motel in Abilene - a tiny Texas town whose only claim to fame is their annual rattlesnake roundup. In between ice storms we escaped toward Dallas, only to be rear-ended by a "poor antique dealer from L.os Angeles", who admitted that he had no insurance! After another night in Texas (and another ice storm), we terminated the vacation and limped home, spewing a rooster tail of invisible pollution from the now-dead catalytic converter.

Fortunately, we were able to make a quick trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in June to visit our nieces, Casey and Christy Kaysar. We thoroughly enjoyed the plantation and swamp tours and fell in love with Cajun food. The highlight of the trip was a "crawfish boil", served by our nieces. In August we trained to Chicago, Illinois for a few days with Shari's sister Deb and her friend Nina. Our plans for next year include a trip to Europe in late April. We will spend 10 days on a guided tour of Germany and then a week back in Edinburgh, Scotland. We have booked a flat in our old neighborhood on Cumberland Street for 7 days, commencing on 1 May. We hope to renew contacts with many of our Scottish friends during that week.

All is well with our family. Shari's folks are still going strong in their mid-80s. We will celebrate our family "pre-Christmas" at our house on 15 December with 19 family members plus Santa. In closing, we would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2008.

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2008

All over the world Christmas letters customary remark on how swiftly the current year has disappeared. Actually, in thinking back over 2008 it seems we were able to fill this year with more than a year’s worth of travel and family activities. On the home front, we have both added Yoga classes to our regular schedules in an effort to retain a reasonable level of “youthful balance and flexibility”. The reality of life is, however, brought into focus by the fact that our youngest son (Jeff) recently celebrated his 30th birthday and Shari has now joined Dave in drawing a Social Security pension!

As you can see from the Christmas card, we traveled to Europe this year. In late April Shari’s sister Deb and her roommate Nina joined us in a 10-day tour of Germany followed by 7 days in bonnie Scotland. In Germany we visited small villages and large cities, cruised the Rhine River, took a high-speed train from Cologne to Berlin, toured the Bavarian Alps, and witnessed the dreary landscape of what was East Germany. We both found German history amazing! The week in Scotland was focused on re-connecting with 16 of our dear friends in Edinburgh, visiting some of our old haunts, and catching up on changes that have occurred

since we left 8 years ago. The weather that week was better than we had any right to expect. With sun and 60+ degrees we even saw one young man swimming in the decorative pond in front of the Parliament Building. During our visit we were able to rent a beautiful flat just down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle. Unfortunately, our flat was on the top floor (96 stairs up with no elevator). It was not a pretty sight to watch us drag our four 50-pound bags up the stairs after a long day of travel. We ended up with just over 3000 photos if anyone would like to re-live our trip!

In July we rented a pair of houses near Destin, Florida and invited our children and their families to join us for a week at the beach (hence the beach scene on the Christmas card). For most of our grandchildren it was their first time to play on a sandy beach, swim in salt water, and wade into the Gulf of Mexico. The surf was quite mild early in the week and the kids had a truly great time. However, by the time we left a tropical depression in the Gulf was stirring up huge waves and sending thousands of jellyfish on shore. Driving home from Florida, we detoured to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to visit our nieces and to satisfy our primal

urge to tour historic plantations. Then for a casual get-away in September, we drove down to the Smoky Mountains for a week – hitting some of those blatant tourist traps that one normally avoids when you are on a proper vacation. We thoroughly enjoyed the

Tennessee/North Carolina region, but thought we might both expire somewhere along the half-mile climb up to Clingman’s Dome (elevation of 6500 feet and about a 30 per cent slope). We’re not sure the climb was worth it.

Our extended families have all been well this year. Shari’s folks, in their upper 80’s, still live by themselves and go out to eat nearly every day. We look forward to 2009 and pray that this year we all can move toward a more peaceful, energy conscious, and united world. We hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2009

It doesn't seem possible that it has been 10 years since we were all worried about whether the world would come to a screeching halt on New Year’s Day because of the infamous “New Millennium”. As it turned out the world never skipped a beat, but back

then it seemed like a big deal. Reflecting on that simpler time, the present seems to become more exciting and busy with each passing year.

In 2009 we made the conscious decision to drop some of our “organized activities” with the intent to focus more of our time on family and friends. During this year we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share vacation trips with each of our boys and their families. We also spent more time camping with them than in any prior summer. (With the popularity of camping trailers and coaches, “Nana & Grandpa” are often some of the few tent campers in each campground!) We are very fortunate to feel so close to our three daughter-in-laws and their extended families. Of course, we always enjoy interacting with our grandchildren and volunteer to watch them at every opportunity. Kerri & Scott’s children are Reese(9), Shelby(7), Jake(3), and Charlie(2). Vicki & Jon’s children are Maxx(7) and Tobi(5). Amy & Jeff’s daughter is Lilly(3). Lilly’s little brother is scheduled to make his appearance in February 2010 to fill the eighth picture frame on our family room wall. At that point the grandchild ratio will be 5 boys and 3 girls. They do enjoy playing with their cousins!

Shari’s parents continue to live in their own home in Quincy and manage to eat at one of the local restaurants most days (if there is no snow or ice on the roads). Norb will reach 90 next year and Mary Louise is just a couple of years behind him. Actually, Dave turned 70 this year with a birthday party in August. He insists that he has just now reached middle age. Also this fall we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with a very pleasant week on the beach in Florida. We look forward to 2010 and pray again this year that the world can move toward one that is more peaceful, energy conscious, and cooperative. We hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2010

The past year has been filled with highs and lows for our family. One of the highest points occurred on Feb 8 with the arrival of Lucas Henry Borlin, Amy and Jeff’s second child and our eighth grandchild. Now 10 months old, Lucas is crawling everywhere and has yet to find any food he doesn’t like. For the low parts, during a one-month period this summer Shari’s father and her two sisters each suffered a stroke. Fortunately, Deb and Kay’s strokes were minor and they have both pretty much recovered. However, her father’s stroke was severe and his general condition worsened rapidly. He passed away on Halloween morning, just after he celebrated his 90th birthday. Norb was a good parent, a good friend, and a good person. He will be missed. At 88, Shari’s mom is still managing to live independently.

As far as travel this year, in May we spent 5 days in Mexico with Shari’s sister and her husband,Kay & Jim Kayser, and in October we spent 5 days at Disneyworld with Kerri & Scott’s family and Kerri’s Mom. Both were wonderful and very different experiences. Also this year we did some much needed do-it-yourself maintenance work on our house (remodeled a bathroom and the kitchen and replaced some of our 35-year-old windows). We never pass up an opportunity to spend time with our children and grandchildren (who now range from 10 months to 10 years of age). It can get a bit chaotic when all 16 members of the Borlin Clan get together, but everyone always has a good time.

Each year we look forward with optimism for a better world. We hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2011

The St. Louis region this year managed to follow a very wet, cool spring with a very dry, hot summer. So, on average, it was a normal year – except for the fact that the Cardinals won the World Series! In mid-May we had the opportunity to watch two of our grandchildren, Shelby and Maxx, make their First Communions. On the camping scene, we spent a weekend with Vicki and Jon’s family at Mermet Springs in southern Illinois and watched Jon make several scuba dives into the flooded quarry. Kerri & Scott’s annual Shelbyville campout in July was great fun as usual, with all of the family in attendance. In light of the dangerously high temperatures and oppressive humidity, we left the family tent at home this time and found an air-conditioned cabin close to the campground. It was a very wise choice!

As for as travel this year, in August we spent 10 sunny days in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, with Vicki & Jon’s family and Vicki’s mother. The beach was as beautiful as ever, with no ill effects from the Gulf oil spill. In September we spent most of a week in New Mexico with Shari’s California cousins, Tom and Lynne Eising. We enjoyed playing tourists with them in Santa Fe and Taos and on some of the mountainous roads in that region – we even found a source of Holy dirt in the quaint little village of Chimayo!

Shari’s mom is managing quite well on her own and still lives independently. In August she was honored in Quincy with a BBQ on her 89th birthday. Following cataract surgeries this fall, Dave can now function quite well without glasses for the first time in over 65 years. It’s too bad you can’t have prescription lenses embedded in your eyes when you are young! We still seek out any opportunity to spend time with our children and grandchildren (who now range from 1 to 11 years of age). The grand-kids do all love to “play with their cousins”.

A few weeks ago at our Thanksgiving dinner, we talked about some of the things for which we should be most grateful. Right at the top of the list was “family and friends”. In that vein, let us use this letter to express how grateful we are that each of you has been a part of our lives. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Shari & Dave Borlin

Christmas - 2012

Christmas - 2013

It’s been two years since we wrote a Christmas Letter, so we’ll try our hand at a summary of 2013. The top item for this year is that Jeff and Amy had their third child, Lucy Anne, in September. She is a dark-haired beauty! Interestingly the last Lucy Borlin to be born into the family was in 1880! The picture on the front of our Christmas card documents the first time all 17 members of our family were together. The grandchildren now range in age from 3 months to 13 years, but they truly all have a wonderful time when they get together.

In July the whole family rented a really big green house near Gulf Shores, Alabama for a week. For 7 days we experienced the fun of having a swimming pool and the Gulf of Mexico right outside our back door. We swam, built sand castles, played in the surf, fished (Scott and Kerri got to clean the catfish for dinner), flew kites, explored a ship wreck, and watched the crew net fresh shrimp on a charter boat ride (Dave got to clean the shrimp). Six-year-old Charlie says he would like to move to Gulf Shores. The picture on the back of our Christmas card was taken on the beach by our house. While we were there, Shari’s sister and her family were just a few miles up the coast. That meant that we could go back and forth to spend some time with Kay, Jim, Casey, Christy, Andrew, baby Clara, and Shari’s other sister Deb.

The family history of support for Scouting programs continued this year. Jon and Vicki are leaders for Maxx and Tobi, while Scott and Kerri are leaders for Reese, Shelby, Jake, and Charlie. In what has become an annual tradition, we spent a week in late August with Shari’s California cousins, Tom and Lynne Eising. This year the trip was focused around San Francisco (where we saw a Giants game and watched the America’s Cup boats in the Bay), Napa Valley, Petaluma, and Santa Cruz. Somehow this year the girls were very lucky in our nightly game of Euchre.

Shari’s sister, Deb retired this year and moved in with their Mom. Mary Louise is now 91 and is doing quite well. She is always ready for a card game or a trip in the car and loves to see her great-grandchildren.

The low point of 2013 occurred on November 17th, when an F-4 tornado tore through the center of Washingtn, Illinois – destroying nearly 500 homes. Fortunately, the storm missed Scott and Kerri’s house by a mile or so, but wiped out the homes of Kerri’s parents, sister, and two cousins. The good news is that none of Kerri’s family members were injured and efforts are underway to rebuild their lives. It is truly amazing how everyone pitched in to help Washington clean up from the storm and assist the victims. Jeff and Amy’s old house was in the center of the storm path. They have seen aerial photographs of the area which now show an empty lot with the ceramic tile they picked out still attached to their sub-floor. We have much to be thankful for this year!

We hope that this Holiday Season finds you well. Merry Christmas and have a Happy 2014.

Christmas - 2014

Christmas - 2015

Christmas - 2016

December 10, 2016

We hope this Christmas Season finds all of you and yours healthy and happy. This year we have had a very mild autumn in Chesterfield, but winter temperatures have arrived with a vengeance in the past week. The photo on our Christmas card was taken in Jon & Vicki's front yard after they hosted a pool party to celebrate Dave's 77th birthday in August. Missing from this family photo is Shari's mom, who sadly passed away in March, following a major heart attack and subsequent kidney failure at the age of 93. Mary Louise Eising was an amazing woman who remained alert and capable of making her own decisions up to the very end of life. We have a photo of her happily playing cards in the hospital bed with some of her grandchildren following her heart attack. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and will certainly be missed.

We continue to enjoy playing tourists whenever we have the chance. In January we took advantage of cheap air fares to Florida and spent 10 days touring some of the cities in southern (i.e., warm) Florida. Each day we would look at the AAA Tour Book and decide what we wanted to do. There never seemed to be a lack of museums, boat excursions, or beaches for us to explore. We ended up with a day at Disney World before returning home. In July Scott and Kerri's family took a 3-week vacation visiting National Parks and we joined them for the middle week (when they were actually staying at motels rather than tenting on the side of a mountain). We enjoyed Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capital Reef National Parks and some of the local Utah parks. We then spent a couple of days in Las Vegas before returning home. During the summer we spent two weekends at Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO) to enjoy their Blue Grass Festival and Cowboy Days (7 musical shows in a day!). In November we joined Jeff & Amy's family back at Silver Dollar City, which at that time of the year is all decked out with many millions of Christmas lights along with seasonal shows and crafters. This is a wonderful way to emotionally prepare for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season!

Back home, 2016 was the year that the City of Chesterfield decided to completely rebuild the street and sidewalks for 2-mile-long Greentrails Drive South. For the past 6 months we have daily experienced noise, dirt, and detours on a regular basis. Surprisingly, we have actually developed a level of friendship with the construction crews, who wave and stop to talk when they can. In ways we will miss looking out the window at 6:30 in the morning to see what kind of equipment is making noise in front of our house. The project is now winding down just as sub-freezing weather has arrived.

We were very happy and proud to host 24 this year for the family Thanksgiving meal and are now looking forward to the family Christmas celebration next weekend. We think we will be ready!

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2017 from Shari & Dave.

Borlin Family Christmas Cards - 2019

Borlin Family Christmas Cards 2020

Borlin Family Christmas Cards 2021

December 2021

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas - 2021 and to share hope for a more normal 2022! We have kept the big, bad COVID bug away from our house so far - we have had our 3 doses of vaccine and we happily wear our masks as required. We have certainly not had a normal life this year, but are managing to see our family and close friends with minimal exposures.

During her senior year, our granddaughter Shelby was awarded a full 4-year scholarship to Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, along with other monetary and academic honors. In May we attended tow outdoor high school graduations (Shelby and Maxx). Also in May, Maxx became our second grandson to attain the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. In late July our whole family gathered for a week at a large, yellow house on the Gulf of Mexico near Gulf Shores, AL. The beach photos printed on the back of our Christmas card captured our three boys' family (except for Reese who was working this summer in northern Michigan for the Forest Service).

The photo printed on the front of our Christmas card was taken just over a week ago after our Thanksgiving meal. It was the first time that all nine of our grandchildren had been together in just about 2 years. When we first looked at that photo it struck us that our grandkids are no longer kids! They range from 8 to 21 years of age and have suddenly gotten SO tall. Each has developed a truly unique personality, but the most impressive rait they all share is "kindness". We could not be more proud of the whole bunch.

Shari and Dave

Borlin Family Christmas Cards 2022

Merry Christ and Happy New Year

As 2022 rapidly winds down, we would like to remember some of our favorite activities from the past year and look forward to 2023. We are both in relatively good health and with the support of now 5 Pfizar shots, common sense, and a lot of luck we have so far avoided the COVID bug (as far as we know). All three of our sons are still working primarily form a home office in their respective basements. By late summer we felt more comfortable starting to return to normal activities, so in early September we joined our neighbors, the Fleagles, on our first post-COVID road trip for 3 days to the Illinois / Wisconsin border area. The photo on our Christmas card was actually taken in front of a shop in downtown Galena, Illinois. Then in October we spent 10 days in the South, visiting friends near Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and Shari's sister and her family in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. As luck would have it, the weather in Chesterfield was much warmer and sunnier than in the Gulf region during our visit. We greatly enjoyed both trips and look forward to more travel next year.

In April, Jake and Charlie became the 6th and 7th members of the Borlin family to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. Mild weather allowed for an outdoor ceremony at Bowen Lake Park in Washington, Illinois. In May, Tobi graduated from Triad High School, also with an outdoor ceremony. Tobi is a member of a local dance and cheer group that have performed at various parade, holiday and competitive events in the bi-state area. The groups recently performed at Disney World and have been invited to an event in Germany next year. In March, Lucy performed in a gymnastics competition in East Peoria, Illinois, Jake and Charlie were able to join Luke and Lilly in helping Lucy celebrate her success.

We are always anxious to see our grandchildren perform in their various activities. This year we have been able to watch numerous volleyball games and gymnastic activities, an "areal silk" demonstration, cross country running, a dance and cheer competition , and Special Olympics competitions.

The two of us never seem to have a problem keeping busy around the house. We do enjoy playing card games and board games. We are members of a couple bridge group as well as several individual bridge groups. Dave's men's group meets once a month and plays for a couple of house just as an excuse for going out to lunch. We also have a couples lunch group (composed of friends from McDonnell Douglas days) and several other individual breakfast / lunch groups. This year we attended a number of St. Charles Municipal Band outdoor concerts as well as a St. Louis Phiharmonic concert and the amazing Holiday Brass concert. Our annual Thanksgiving lunch this year hosted 20. Time does seem to fly by as we age. It dosn't seem that long ago that we wished everyone Happy New Year form 2022. But, in any case, we do hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2023.

Shari & Dave Borlin