..::My Parents Rule!::..

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the Libertyville Lichtys. The turn of a century, a Presidential election, or sort of. Fortunately the meteor missed the Sun and the ice cap didn't melt. What a great year! Our home is truly blessed and we are very thankful for the love of all our family and the wonderful support of our friends.

Barb has had an up and down year. Her entire department at the hospital was eliminated to reduce costs and Barb was one of a few survivors. That leaves both good and bad feelings. Some of her best business colleagues left her and that makes going to work tough. Her mother came to live with us for the summer. That presented some wonderful opportunities to return the love and caring that she always provided us. We did some real fun things while she was here including a long weekend in Mason City . Her health improved throughout the summer and she is doing great back in Denver with Barb's sister. We really look forward to her coming back next spring.

Chad graduated from Northern Illinois in the designated four years and even made the Dean's list. We are so proud of our young man. He accepted a full time position with a computer animation company called High Voltage. His first assignment is to work on a team designing a skateboard computer game. Tough job. He also created the animation that shows on the Chicago Bulls jumbotron when Marcus Pfizer is introduced. He's very proud of that assignment.

Brett went to a few more car races this year and is still active trying to help the Jacob Wetterling Foundation. He & Chad designed a decal that was displayed on the World of Outlaws race cars during their National event. The decal featured Jacob Wetterling, John Gosh and Jody Husentruitt. The top four cars in the race had the decal on their cars and the potential for a lot of television coverage resulted. He plans more activities to promote the dangers of abduction and to keep an awareness of all the kids who are missing. His golf game continues to falter but he's learning how to win at Links2000 computer golf.

Lauren is enjoying all the aspects of college life in Madison , Wisconsin except the frigid temperatures and snow. She shares an apartment with four young women and has performed very well on her coursework. She's planning a trip to Scotland with a friend for the summer of 2001. She's more worldly traveled than all the Lichty's combined not including Dana. Her photography skills are outstanding and she hopes to finally take a college course in the subject. She enjoys snowboarding and goes with her friends often.

We are always happy to see old friends and our family. We now have a little more time to explore our world and our interests. We're thankful that our love continues to grow and that being a proud member of AARP doesn't mean finding your teeth in a glass on the nightstand. Continue to pray for Jacob and all the missing and exploited children.