Christmas 2014

December 2014 (after Christmas)

AD 2014 is a few days from being over, so it's time to put out another Ratliff Annual Update. Lots of changes, excitement, and other terrors (parents of multiple teens will understand) this year – as well as the normal family fun.

On New Year's Eve last year (to celebrate finishing last year's letter), the Ratliffs went to the see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D. C. For a full 186 minutes we managed to NOT get ejected from the museum while steeping ourselves in art and culture. Afterward, we took a jaunty stroll down Embassy Row on our way to lunch. We then enjoyed the Mall and the Air & Space Museum before returning home.

Spring semester 2014, found Preston taking more classes at Northern Virginia Community College while completing high school and continuing to evaluate colleges. In March we traveled to Philadelphia to tour Drexel U. We also used our time in Philly to see the Liberty Bell, have cheese steaks with our Pastor's daughter (who lives there), and enjoy the fragrance of NJ wafting over the Delaware. During April, Preston and David attended Virginia Commonwealth University's Preview Day in Richmond. After a close evaluation of schools (plus meeting two charming VCU engineering majors, both named Brittany), Preston made the decision to attend VCU and study mechanical engineering. At the end of the school year, we celebrated what came to be known as the “Month of Preston.” At the end of May, friends and family gathered to honor Preston's scouting journey with an Eagle Court of Honor. The following weekend we celebrated Preston's graduation from high school at the Home Educators Association of Virginia convention in Richmond. The next week Preston and Kanoa attended orientation at VCU. That Friday Preston played in his last piano recital. Later in June we held a party to celebrate Preston's graduation and 18^th birthday; thus completing both the “Month of Preston” and Preston's childhood; and marking the beginning of David and Kanoa having an adult son. Hallelujah!

2014 was a busy scouting year. In January Ian and Troop 161 went snow camping in Rixeyville, VA, which included sledding. The troop also devoted time this year to working on the God & Church award, and several boys, including Ian, earned the award this fall. In November they attended a Washington Wizards game. As is usual, December has been busy working the Christmas tree lot fundraiser. Additionally there were several camping trips, a snow tubing event, and Merit Badge Midway; plus the troop held a spaghetti dinner to raise funds to travel to summer camp in Canada.

2014 was Preston's second year on the Mid-Atlantic District Youth Cabinet, which planned events for senior high youth in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. Events included a winter retreat at Camp Hashawha in Maryland and snow tubing in Pennsylvania.

Summer 2014 Preston acquired his first full time job. He enjoyed working with a team rehabbing concrete safety barriers; he also assisted in on-site placement of barriers for road projects and the African Summit in Washington, D. C. He was able to work plenty of overtime. In his spare time, he was able to play church league softball and complete his 11^th season on the Curtis Park Swim Team. Preston finished his first semester at VCU this fall. His community college classes transferred so he was able to take Calculus 2, Physics, Psychology, and Statics. We were able to visit during Family Weekend in October. For Kanoa's birthday in November we all went out for a nice dinner in Richmond.

When summer vacation time came this year, we were nearly overbooked. The major event for Church of the Brethren youth this year was National Youth Conference (NYC), which is for high school aged youth and their advisers only. And due to Kanoa's untreated compulsion to volunteer for everything, she was one of our church's advisers. Also Troop 161 had been planning for a couple of years to have its 2014 summer camp in Ontario, Canada – starting 2 days after the end of NYC. And by the time of the camp, Preston would turn 18 and be too old to attend as a scout. The Ratliffs' quandary was how to spend summer vacation together as much a possible at two major events located 1700 miles apart that not everyone could attend. The obvious answer: Road Trip!

So on a beautiful July morning, David and Ian set off in the big van and a rented minivan with Preston, four other church youth, Kanoa, and another adviser for northern Colorado, making overnight stops in Illinois and Kansas.

Two days later the caravan arrived at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Kanoa, Preston and the other NYCers enjoyed nearly a week of uplifting worship services, introspective small groups, exciting workshops, service projects, and daily recreation opportunities.

During NYC, David and Ian enjoyed their own 'man-cation' in a nice rental townhouse, free from the constraints of Kanoa's relentlessly civilizing influence. Beds were left unmade and milk was consumed straight from the carton. They were able to visit David's Aunt Mary and cousins during the week and even joined up with Kanoa and her charges at Rocky Mountain National Park for a hike.

Once NYC came to a close, most of the NYCers, including Preston, headed east for home. (Preston wanted to get back to his job - $$) Kanoa, David, and Ian, however, began a dash across the middle of North America to rendezvous with Troop 161 in Ontario. On their way they traveled through Nebraska, a state none of them had previously cared to visit. They had a steak dinner and stayed overnight in Omaha. The next day they traveled to Port Huron, Michigan, dodging Chicago rush hour and Indiana drivers making their way north for the weekend. The following morning the border crossing into Canada could not have been easier, eh?

They aimed the van toward the great white north, passing Toronto and eating at Tim Horton's on the way to meet up with the rest of the troop at Haliburton Scout Reserve. Haliburton is located in the “Cottage Country” region about 4 hours north of Toronto. There are hundreds of lakes that dot the countryside. The camp itself surrounds a beautiful lake, and upon check-in everyone is issued a life jacket. Scouts, adults and gear were piled onto pontoon boats and ferried across the lake to a secluded campsite reserved for Troop 161. The scouts and the adults made camp; pitching tents, gathering wood, and stocking the privies with fine American TP. Not long after a rustic dinner, cooked and eaten in the fresh, brisk air, it was time to turn in for the night. David had outfitted his tent with air mattresses to ensure Kanoa's comfort – everything was in order. So after two long days traveling upon unfamiliar roads; after 6 days of chaperoning teenaged girls at NYC; after the trip from VA to Ft Collins; after 12 states plus Ontario – Kanoa laid her head upon the pillow. In the fading twilight the call of a loon was heard. Then the rain began to pour. It may be happily reported that David's fervent prayers were answered that night: The seldom-used large tent that David had purchased ten years prior on clearance did not leak. Hallelujah!

The next morning was misty but fair. At orientation the campers were issued canoes, which are used to attend activities throughout the week. The boys were able to participate activities such as sailing, paddling, mountain biking, rappelling, and trapping chipmunks (this last one was unsanctioned, but no chipmunks or scouts were harmed). At the campsite, the boys also worked on both Canadian and American merit badges.

David and Ian stayed the whole week at the scout camp, while Kanoa escaped for a few days of 'mom-cation' in a motel in a nearby town. Kanoa did return to spend two more nights at the Scout camp before it was time to head for home.

On the way home was a stop at Niagara Falls. Leaving Canada proved to be more difficult than entering since there was considerable traffic. It turns out that there are two lanes for most of the approach to the Rainbow Bridge. One lane, which is the through lane, consisted of 5 miles of orderly and neatly-spaced Canadians. The other lane consisted of several hundred yards of American vehicles jockeying for position in order to cut in front of the placid Canadians at the head of the line. In retrospect, waiting it out in the through lane may have been unpatriotic. Heading back through NY and PA, we encountered heavy rain much of the way, but we still managed to make it home late that night (at 2:30 a. m.). When David, Kanoa, and Ian emerged from their beds late the next morning they found that Preston had made them a pancake breakfast. Thus ended the three weeks of Road Trip 2014. Hallelujah!

Ian just turned 14 and is in 8^th grade this year. He is continuing to take French at CHESS and has also added a Virginia History class and a writing class. Ian also participates in a co-op to supplement the literature we are studying at home. He has had field trips to the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Virginia Center for Architecture and Mount Vernon this fall. Ian also continues to take piano lessons. In February he participated in the Manassas Piano Festival, receiving superiors in theory and solos. He played in recitals in June and December. He also plays at church from time to time, and even played at a fund raising dinner for Shepherd's Spring this fall. Ian again played both spring and fall soccer, and his team continues to rack up winning seasons in the WYSC U-16 division. Following in his brother's footsteps, Ian has enjoyed participating in Mid-Atlantic District Church of the Brethren events. He attended a junior high lock-in in and snow tubing in February and a 30-Hour Famine in April. Most Sundays, Ian runs the A/V systems at church. Ian has continued to swim for the Nation's Capital Swim Team during the school year and the Curtis Park Seahawks during the summer. He spent a week at Shepherd's Spring's Outdoor Adventure Camp in August. This summer Ian volunteered at the local library's Summer Reading Program, and he has continued in their Teen Advisory Group as he is able during the school year.

Kanoa completed her term as chair of the church's leadership team, while also teaching Sunday School and helping with the youth programs. This year that included attending various district youth events (plus NYC). Kanoa also ended a three-year term on the board for the Curtis Park Swim Team. Hallelujah!

David continues to teach an adult Sunday School class and oversee the sound system. He is also the Committee Chair for our Boy Scout troop. This year David (and Kanoa) also attended his 30^th reunion of the Brentsville District High School Class of 1984.

Wishing blessings for our friends and family for 2015,

The Ratliffs

David, Kanoa, Preston, Ian (&Tigger)

Christmas 2013

December 2013

As usual it has been a busy year for our family. Preston is 17 and a senior this year, and we have spent much time in college preparatory events, including taking achievement tests and visiting colleges. In February we spent a weekend visiting the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, and in April we visited the University of Virginia on an official tour. Then in August we spent a day touring Virginia Commonwealth University. This fall Preston has also begun the process of applying to colleges. This year Preston is only taking one class at CHESS (Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services) – Spanish 3. However, beginning with the summer semester, he has been taking dual enrollment classes at Northern Virginia Community College. During the summer he took college chemistry, and this fall he took scientific programming and pre-calculus. The other big news for Preston is that he obtained his driver's license, and thanks to a used truck from his grandparents, he is able to drive himself to his classes this year.

Ian just turned 13 and is in 7^th grade this year. He is continuing to take an introductory French class at CHESS, and additionally, he is participating in a co-op to supplement the literature and history we are studying in our homeschooling. The co-op members spent a day in Richmond in October where we visited the Edgar Allan Poe Museum and St. John Church, where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech. Additionally, several members of the group went to see a production of MacBeth by the Castaways Repertory Theatre.

In church-related news, Preston and Ian both participated in Youth Sunday, with Ian acting as the worship leader and Preston providing accompaniment on piano and guitar in May. In June David and Kanoa took Ian and a friend from church to the Church of the Brethren National Junior High Conference at Elizabethtown College. We rushed back on Father's Day just in time for a church service on Licking Run where Preston and two other youth from church were baptized. During the summer both boys attended church camp at Shepherd's Spring. In September we celebrated homecoming at church with a special service and guest speaker followed by a meal. Preston and Ian participated in a praise band. Preston played electric guitar, and Ian played piano. Following the meal, Preston's Eagle project in the church cemetery was dedicated. Whether it is ushering, sharing their musical talents, or helping with the sound and audio/visual systems, both boys routinely participate in worship services. Additionally, Kanoa is finishing her first year as chair of the church's leadership team, while still occasionally teaching Sunday School and helping with the youth programs. David continues to teach an adult Sunday School class and oversee the sound system.

Preston and Ian are both active in other extracurricular activities as well. Preston is in his second year on the Mid-Atlantic District Youth Cabinet, and he has enjoyed planning and attending several events for senior high youth in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. Events have included a winter retreat at Camp Hashawha in Maryland, snow tubing in Pennsylvania, Roundtable at Bridgewater College, a Baltimore Orioles game, a beach retreat at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, and a Christmas lock-in, plus a few Cabinet meetings. Both boys continue to take piano lessons, and Preston continues to work on his guitar skills. Preston played church league softball again this year, and Midland won the championship in their division. Ian played both spring and fall soccer. In the fall he moved up to the U-14 division, and his team was undefeated in the regular season as well as the end of season tournament. They also continued to swim for the Curtis Park Seahawks this summer, and due to his participation during the school year with the Nation's Capital Swim Team, Ian saw great improvement in his times during the summer.

Preston and Ian are also still active in Boy Scouts. Ian sold enough popcorn last year to earn tickets to Scout day at the Washington Nationals game in the spring. Among other camping trips this year, our troop planned their own summer camp in Gettysburg to participate in the sesquicentennial events. Ian attended for the whole week, and Kanoa, David, and Preston went up for a few days at the end of the week. Highlights were attending a battle reenactment, visiting Hershey Park on the fourth of July, and watching fireworks in Lititz. We have also been busy working the Christmas tree lot that our troop runs each year with four other area troops.

Biking and hiking remain popular pastimes. For Memorial Day, Preston and a friend went hiking on the Appalachian Trail, and David, Kanoa, Kanoa's mom, Ian, and a friend went biking on the Warrenton Greenway followed by a picnic at Sky Meadows State Park. In June, David and his siblings planned a fiftieth anniversary party for his parents. Many friends and family were able to attend. Additionally, in July we traveled to Abingdon for a reunion. Preston invited a friend, and they were able to do some hiking on the Appalachian Trail in that part of the state. In addition to the reunion, we biked on the VirginiaCreeper Trail for David's birthday, and despite a mechanical breakdown, we had an enjoyable time. Everyone also enjoyed swimming on South Holston Lake. The new double level dock proved especially popular.

Wishing everyone the best for 2014,

The Ratliffs

David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian

Christmas 2012

I had hoped to finish updating posts of our trip by including photos, but I currently don't have access to them.  Instead I decided to post our Christmas letter from last year, which gives an overview of the trip.  Hopefully I will be able to come back and finish that series of posts at a later date.

December 2012

This was the year of the great American road trip for our family.

In April we traveled to Florida with Kanoa's mom. We spent a week in Pompano Beach enjoying the sun and sand and warm weather. We were able to take a boat cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway on this trip. We also visited the Everglades and rode bikes through Everglades National Park, where we saw more alligators than people. Another interesting place that we visited was the Henry Flagler Museum.

During the first half of the year, Preston continued to prepare for his trip to the BSA high adventure base Philmont in New Mexico. The crew of 7 Scouts and 4 adults took many hikes and backpacking trips in the local area. At the end of July they flew out to Albuquerque to become acclimated to the area. They visited Sandia Peak and the Atomic Museum prior to heading to Philmont. At Philmont they spent 12 days hiking in the wilderness of New Mexico. A highlight of the trek was hiking to the top of Mount Baldy.

While Preston was hiking, David, Kanoa, and Ian packed up the van and headed west. Our first stop was St. Louis, where we visited the Gateway Arch. Ian found the ride exciting, describing the tram to the top as a tiny compartment of death. From there we drove through Missouri and into Kansas, where we stayed in Junction City. Then it was on to Colorado, where we stayed with David's Aunt Mary just outside Denver. The following day Preston's Philmont Crew flew home through Denver, so David was able to pick him up from the airport. We spent a few days in the Denver area visiting David's relatives and seeing the sights in Denver. We were able to take the train up Pikes Peak, eat lunch in the Garden of the Gods, visit the Manitou cliff dwellings, and tour the Colorado State Railroad Museum in Golden before David's parents arrived. The following day we drove from Denver to Wyoming. Our first stop in Wyoming was Riverton where we visited the Pioneer Museum in Lander, drove out to Sinks Canyon State Park and Shoshone National Forest to see the Sinks and Rise of the Popo Agie River, ate lunch at 9000 feet in the Shoshone National Forest, and found Sacagawea's burial site in Fort Washakie. From there we visited Grand Teton National Park, where we saw some of the sights and had a picnic lunch. Then we headed to Yellowstone to check in at the Lake Lodge Cabins. While there we drove the Grand Loop around the park and drove out the north entrance into Montana to see the Roosevelt Arch. After our too brief stay, we drove east out of Yellowstone to Cody where we toured the Buffalo Bill Museum on our way to South Dakota. At our first stop in South Dakota we visited Mount Rushmore and the Museum at Black Hills Institute. On our way to Huron we took the scenic drive through the Badlands. From Huron we drove to DeSmet to tour the Ingalls Homestead (from the last five books in the Little House series). From there we drove across Minnesota to Wisconsin, where we spent a couple of nights in the Wisconsin Dells. After driving through Illinois and Indiana, our last stop was a brief trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio. Final Tally for Road Trip 2012: 8/5 to 8/22 = 18 days, 5400 miles, 15 states, and a lifetime of memories.

In other news, Ian is in 6^th grade and decided to take an introduction to French class at CHESS (Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services) this year to supplement what we are studying at home. Preston is a junior in high school and is continuing to take classes at CHESS. He is taking Spanish 2, pre-calculus, physics, and a writing class. Both boys are continuing piano lessons. Preston earned another superior rating at the piano festival last February, and both of them recently performed at church. Preston filled in for our regular pianist, and Ian shared special music.

Ian played soccer last spring, and his team made it to the championship game for the U-12 division. Preston played softball for our church's team again this summer, and both boys continued to swim on a summer swim team (Curtis Park Seahawks), where Kanoa serves on the board. This fall they also started swimming for a year-round swim team, Nation's Capital Swim Club.

In church news, David is finishing his term on the leadership board as the Fellowship and Recreation coordinator, and Kanoa will begin a term as the chair of the leadership board in January. Last May Preston and Ian both participated in the Youth Sunday program, and in August Preston was selected to be a member of our denomination's Mid-Atlantic District Youth Cabinet, which is responsible for planning district-wide events for senior high youth. So far this year he and other youth from our church have attended a beach retreat in Delaware and a Christmas lock-in in Maryland.

The photos featured on our card this year are all from our summer trip. The center picture was taken at the Colorado State Railroad Museum. The other photos, counterclockwise from the left, are David, Kanoa, and Ian at the Gateway Arch, Ian at the Sinks of the Popo Agie River, an elk in Yellowstone, Preston at the Sinks of the Popo Agie River, and Preston and Ian at the Colorado State Railroad Museum.

We wish all of our family and friends a happy and healthy 2013

Sincerely,

The Ratliffs

David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Days 3 through 5

Days 3 - 5

August 7 - 9

Arrived in Denver on Tuesday. David picked Preston up from the airport on Wednesday. Ian and I spent the day with David's aunt and cousins visiting some shops in the suburbs of Denver. Rode the cog railway up to Pike's Peak, ate lunch at Garden of the Gods, and visited the Manitou cliff dwellings on Thursday with David's cousin's family.

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Day 2

Day 2

August 6 – Crossed Mississippi River, visited Gateway Arch, crossed Missouri River twice, stopped for gas in Warrenton, MO, drove through Topeka, KS, stayed overnight in Junction City, KS

Travel notes - I-70 in Kansas becomes Kansas Turnpike (toll road), no rest areas until after Topeka

Corn was bad in Illinois, worse in Missouri, and even worse in Kansas – brown and burned up, no green; even grass in much of Kansas is burned up. Soybeans still seem okay.

Many rivers are low; some creeks and rivers are almost dry

Weather/traffic: blue skies, sunny, good driving weather; temperatures in upper 90s- 100 degrees. Very little traffic except near cities, no back ups, few work zones.

Speed limit: 70 mph on I-70 in Missouri & Kansas

Total miles: 453 Total time: 7:30 a. m (CDT) – 7:00 p. m. (CDT) with stop in St. Louis

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Day 1

Day 1

August 5 – West Virginia: curvy roads, pit stop at New River Gorge Information Center, photo, lunch near Charleston

Kentucky: straighter roads

Indiana: straight roads, corn crop not doing well, pit stop at welcome center, photo

Illinois: pit stop at welcome center, photo, stayed at Comfort Suites, Mount Vernon, dinner at Cracker Barrel

Weather/traffic: good driving, no rain or storms, expected cold front with bad weather missed us, traffic light

Total miles: 745

Total time: 7:10 a. m.(EDT) - 7:30 p. m.(CDT)

Summer Swim Team 2012

This summer swim season was different in several ways. First, I was serving my first year on the Board. Second, this was the first time both boys swam in all of the dual meets. Preston moved up to the oldest and most competitive age group in the league: the 15-18 male age group. Ian also moved up an age group this summer to the 11-12 male age group. This was his first summer to swim the 50m distance using flip turns in competition. Finally, we moved back up a division from Patriot to Battlefield.

A note about scores and awards. First through sixth place receive ribbons, and first through third place score points for your team in dual meets. Both boys swam in relays as well, but it's harder to record the results of those, so again I am limiting my results to just individual events.

Practices began May 29 in the evening.

Beginning June 18 practices moved to mornings.

June 20 – CPST @ Fawn Lake – Exhibition Meet

Preston's events 100m free – 1:18.28 (7^th), 50m back – 42.89 (6^th), 50m breast – 52.58 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.44 (16^th), 50m fly – 1:22.45 (7^th), 50m breast – 1:08.64 (6th)

June 27 – Hampton Oaks @ CPST – won 217-290

Preston's events 50m free – 35.66 (13^th), 50m back – 43.85 (10^th), 100m IM – 1:37.25 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 48.88 (15^th), 50m breast – 1:04.72 (11th)

Week of July 4 – No meets

July 9 – CPST @ Austin Ridge – won 311-198

Preston's events 50m free – 35.10 (11^th), 50m fly – 45.68 (12^th), 50m back – 44.26 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 53.78 (17^th), 50m breast – 1:12.97 (11^th), 100m IM – 2:32.37 (8th)

July 12 – Massad YMCA @ CPST – lost 286-219

Preston's events 100m free – 1:17.99 (9^th), 50m back – 44.22 (8^th), 50m breast – 48.96 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.66 (11^th), 50m breast – 1:07.83 (7th)

July 18 – Aquia Harbour @ CPST – lost 187-167 (only swam through event 46 - backstroke)

Preston's events 50m free – 34.22 (10^th), 50m fly – 45.97 (10^th), 50m back – 44.07 (8th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.76 (21^st), 50m back – 1:08.89 (8th)

July 23 – CPST @ Woodlands – won 330-168

Preston's events 50yd free – 31.22 (11^th), 50yd back – 39.51 (10^th), 50yd breast

Ian's events – only swam relays – freestyle relay got 2^nd place

August 4 – Battlefield Division Finals – finished 3^rd out of 6 – 694 points

Ian's events 50m free – 45.72 (8^th in C division)

Preston didn't swim due to being at Philmont