Honor Flight

We had some time to kill Tuesday between visits with the Utah Congressional Delegation so we walked down to the Air Space Museum.  Yes, there is a McDonalds in there and we were hungry.  While eating a big group came in.  Honor Flight.  WWII Vets.  I loved talking to a few of them.  They are going to be gone in a few more years.  And yes they were eating McDonalds.  It was better than anything they had in Northern Africa, Sicily or Normandy; Guadalcanal or Okinawa.  All of them at least in their mid to late 80's and some 90's.  I hope we don't ever have to go through that again; I doubt we could do it again.

Around the White House

I was walking around the White House and noticed something different from the last time I was there a year ago.  There has been a fence around the White House with guarded gates from some time.  Now there is a small fence to protect the larger fence.  I guess the guy that jumped the fence has spooked the Secret Service so this is a stop gap measure.  Last year I had a great conversation with one of the Secret Service cops.  This year they did not look like they wanted to participate in any banter.  I went around the Old Executive Building and made my way through the Ellipse area.  There are some statues here and there--all blocked off.  I was wondering if I lived in the "land of the free" still.  Everywhere you go it is like this.  Even during the Civil War people could walk up to the White House and knock on the door.

Watching Kids Watch Kids

Some of the more lighthearted moments in my profession is when I have a youngster in my dental chair and brother or sister wants to watch.  They say stuff like "What's that red stuff?'  or "You know he never brushes his teeth."   I have one youngster who almost sticks his head in his older siblings mouths while I am working.  I love it.

Proud of My Street

For the past 6 days there has been a football sitting on the sidewalk across the street.  Just sitting there.  One might think the owner of the football must be lazy for not putting it away; and that may be true.  But the point I am trying to make is it just sat there.  Nobody stole it, nobody kicked it, nobody bothered it because it wasn't their's.  The same thing happens with bikes and things. They can lay on the grass for days and they just sit there.  I kind of like that.

Whatever Happened to Kathy Hawkins?

As a youngster in elementary school I had the interesting experience of going to 7 different schools in 5 different states.  One of the places we landed was Grand Forks, North Dakota right on the Red River of the North.  We arrived there from Cheyenne, Wyoming.  I had just finished the 3rd grade and it was June, 1964 and summer vacation was beginning with a little bit of uncertainty.  Each time we moved we wondered if we would have any friends.  We always did, but we always wondered too.

In Grand Forks my parents rented a home on Park Drive, a few blocks west of Belmont.  Our school would be Viking Elementary.  There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood and in the summer we played baseball, like just about everybody else in America.  A few lots east of our house was a vacant lot.  It was there we gathered almost every morning to play ball--whiffle ball--plastic ball, plastic bat because the lot was too small for real baseballs with wood bats.  One of the players was a girl if you can believe it.  Her name was Kathy Hawkins.  She could run, throw and hit like a boy.  Now before you ladies get too up in arms, believe me this was unusual in 1964.  There was not one other girl who could compare with her.  She was fast.  She could throw long and hard and she could hit.  We loved her.  She was a pal.  In the picture she is front and center and was the captain of our Pee Wee league team.  We won the championship in the city for our age group in the summer of 1965.  That is me, 2nd from the left.  They spelled my name Ollman, but that is close enough to Oman to count.  2nd row, first on the left is my younger brother Mike.  He was good too.  All these kids will be 60 years old or close to it within this year, except our coach, he would be in his 70's now.

It wasn't just in baseball though that Kathy stood out.  She would run in track meets at the University of North Dakota track and would win, literally (Thank you Joe Biden for that word) every race practically that she ran in.  She was phenomenal.  Even more she was nice.  We all wanted to kiss her once but nobody dared, at least in 4th and 5th grade we didn't.  Our experience was not unlike the movie The Sandlot.  When we tired of baseball, we went to the pool, or rode our bikes down by the Red River along the golf course and at night it was Hide and Seek and other games.  We would drop into our beds and wake up the next morning and do it all over again.  Summers would last forever it seemed and then suddenly it was over.

This all happened about 50 years ago now.  I have wondered what happened to Kathy, and my teammate in the picture, John Wavra's sister Roberta.  She was the prettiest girl in the school, an older woman by one year.  She once asked me at lunch if she could have my brussel sprouts and of course I said yes.  It was my first manly act for a girl. I am not afraid to admit that I had an incredible crush on her, at least for a 5th grader.   Time has gone by.  Much has happened there in half a century but the memories I have of Grand Forks are still vivid and as fresh in my mind as if it all happened just yesterday.  In some ways, it did.

The Authorized Oman Family Christmas Letter for 2014

The Authorized Oman Family Christmas Newsletter for 2014

(Accept No Substitutes)

As the years pass one could begin to display a rather curmudgeonly attitude towards this time of year.  The typical refrain of course is Bah Humbug.  There is no way you will find that type of attitude in our household.  We love and enjoy Christmas and we hope you do too.  This year has been kind of exciting.  Maybe that is due to our perspective rather than reality.  Our big project was finishing a large family room in our basement.  The result is quite pleasing thanks to Joyce.  All Greg wanted to do was sheet rock, paint and hang a screen with a projector.  As you can guess it entailed a little more than that and we are pleased.

THAT was not the highlight of the year though.   October 18,2014 was a great day.  Our wonderful daughter in law brought a little girl to the world.  Evelyn Fern Oman is her name.   The answer is YES, she is a pretty baby.  Everyone says she takes after her paternal grandfather, but I don’t see it.  As of this morning all is well.   Along those lines, our daughter Becki indicated via custom coated M&M’s that she is expecting in June, probably near the Solstice.  We are excited for that to happen.  Not only because of a new member of the family, but the Sun is up longer and we can golf later into the evening.  See, two birds with one Solstice.

Becki, Kyle and their kids, Weston, Elijah, Addie and “?” moved into a home they purchased near where they were living before.  They are happy about more room to stretch out.  We are happy for them too.  Life goes on with sports, dancing lessons, Tae Kwon Do, etc, etc.  Most of you get the picture.

Ben, Melissa, Miles and Evie are moving down closer to us.  Melissa’s parents don’t like it but it gets Ben closer to Salt Lake and his work.  Their plans are to begin construction on a new home in a couple of months or so.  That means we get to spend more time with them, something that was a little harder to do while they lived in Cache Valley.  Ah, well, life goes on.

Joyce and Greg had a fun trip to Kona, HI with our friends Niles and Janet Herrod.  One of the highlights was snorkeling with the manta rays at night.  Those things really glide through the water and it was scary at first, but quickly became a unique and thrilling experience in the ocean.  Some golf was played if what you consider we were really doing was golf.  This was all a byproduct of great friendships we have made on our dental trips to Central America.  We are planning on going to Guatemala this year.

Bear Lake is always fun and we had our typical Summer week up there with all the family.  Elijah and Weston are quite the swimmers now and really enjoy the water.  Ben has decided that the best way to enjoy Bear Lake is with a wet suit.  Those of us who are traditionalists look at that kind of behavior with some disdain in late summer.  To each, their own I suppose.   Pickleville Playhouse is always fun and we enjoyed another episode of Juanito Bandito.

With this Christmas Season we look forward to some of our little traditions.  Sugar cookies, decorations, music, the family party and program, some of the classic Christmas movies, especially A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott .  (Which, Greg  enjoys more than any other presentation.  There is something to seeing Patton playing Scrooge)  Most of all we are grateful for our family, our friends and our challenges.  We think of all of our acquaintances from time to time, including you.  That’s why you are getting this Christmas letter and our True Hope for you to have a Merry Christmas and a Happy NewYear.

 Evelyn at 6 weeks looking up at her dad Ben while trying on a dress Joyce made for her

blessing day

 Addie, Elijah, Little Miles and Weston 

at Miles 2nd B day

 Our Honduran family the Buitragos.  (F)  Lilo with Isabella

Joyce, Greg.  (R)  Stephen Wells, Valeria Wells, Marcela Oliviera

and Davidson Oliviera.  We feel like and aunt and uncle to

these friends we made in 2007 on a dental humanitarian trip

to Honduras.

Backyard BB! with the Thorsen Family.  We met

them in 2006 on a trip to Honduras and have been

friends since day one.  (F) NicNat 1, Joyce, Cynthia. 

(R) Greg, NicNat 2, Madeline, Scott and Ruby

A Feel Good Moment

The other day I had a sweet, 90 year old woman come to my office.  We took care of her dental needs and had a good visit.  As she was getting ready to leave she said, "Can I give you a hug?  I don't know if I will see you again."  So we hugged, I kissed her on the cheek and said to her "Merry Christmas".  I have this custom of giving my lady clients a rose as they leave so I handed her a beautiful red rose.  She had a great smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.  Life goes on.