Happy New Year 2003 by Jimmy & Sharla (Chittick) Trainor I have come to the conclusion that it is unrealistic for a teacher, whose Fall semester grades are due December 24th each year, to get a Christmas letter in the mail on time; therefore, I have dedicated myself to a “New Years” letter each and every year from now on! And, to top it off, I promise a family picture next year! But before I fill you in on what we have been doing this year, let me draw your attention to the new mailing address. No, we have not moved…the county recently changed the numbers on our road, so we have gone from 8950 to 6113 S. Please make a note of the change in your address book so you don’t lose us! More than sending out notification of our experiences, we enjoy getting word of yours. Things here at the Trainor home are great, though busier than ever (I bet you can relate)! Let’s start with Sage: He is ½ way through his 2nd grade year of school and we are still very fortunate to have him at Mountain View Elementary School, a small private environment with only seven students. He is loving just about everything he is doing, including math, science projects, book reports, reading, writing cursive style, and, of course, recess. Outside of school, he is playing baseball (loves catcher and first base, which Jimmy plays as well), soccer, and swimming. This year, he started music lessons with training in piano, percussion, and vocals. We have really enjoyed watching him grow in his musical ability and are quite impressed by his talent. More than anything, we are relieved that he loves to practice! Jimmy is busy, busy, busy. His Internet Company has really grown this year. He is not only building websites, but also doing web marketing, hosting sites, and thoroughly enjoying the creative process of working with design and color. If ever you are in need of anything like that, or interested in what he does, check out his company site: http://www.flytrapproductions.com He has brought on his brother to do contract work and is looking forward to expanding even further in the future. Jimmy is still in love with fantasy football and has really done well this year. He is also in heaven with the Philadelphia Eagles looking so good, going into the playoffs. During the summer months, Jimmy plays softball and really enjoys the level of competition. We played together on a co-ed team this past summer, which was fun for the whole family. When not working or engrossed in his own sports, Jimmy has spent endless hours with Sage. Whether it is playing the piano, practicing baseball in the field, or fighting “bad guys” in computer games, the two seem to be inseparable these days. I’ve been told this is a natural stage of development for Sage’s age and that when he is a teenager, he will return to me…until then, I am just thankful they love each other so much! As for myself, I am still teaching World History and American Indian History at North Idaho College. I received the tenure-track position last year and have found myself settling into the career of my dreams. Grandma Chittick always said, “you can’t teach for the money, but the personal rewards are immeasurable.” I now know exactly what she meant. I have about 150 students per semester and love lecturing and mentoring more than anything. In addition to teaching, I am very active in the college community. I co-chair the Educational Technology Roundtable committee, am an advisor to the American Indian Student Alliance, and sit on a number of boards, including the Legislative Committee, College Senate, and Cultural Diversity and Events Committee. Idaho is a very difficult state in which to be involved in education, since the political body does not seem to fully support education; however, I feel that after about 20 years, we might see some changes and I hope to be a part of them! As for our attempt to expand our family, this has been a difficult year. Now that we have some medical issues (on my part) out of the way, we hope to have some news for next years’ letter. Well, that should suffice for the year. I wish so much that I had the time to write each of you a personalized letter, but hope to never lose touch. Know that we send our love and best wishes for the coming new year. Please keep in touch and know that we treasure the friends and family who are such a great part of our life experience, in the past and for the many years to come. Love, Sharla, Jimmy, and Sage slchitti@nic.edu jimmy@flytrapproductions.com