Summer 2011 Swim Team

Practices began May 31 in the evening. On June 20 they switched to mornings. Preston swam in the 13/14 male age group, and Ian swam in the 9/10 male age group. 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 I limit it to just individual events.

June 22 – CPST @ Hampton Oaks – Exhibition Meet

Preston's Events: 50 Free – 39.19 (12th), 50 Fly – 50.94 (7th), 50 Back – 46.31 (5th)

Ian's Events: 25 Free – 25.12 (17th), 25 Fly - DQ, 25 Back – 27.69 (6th)

June 29 – College Heights @ CPST – WON (333-165)

Preston's Events: 50 Free – 38.53 (12th), 50 Fly – 50.45 (7th), 100IM – 1:43:25 (7th)

Ian's Events: 25 Free – 24.12 (13th), 25 Back – 27.25 (3rd)

July 6 – Fawn Lake @ CPST – WON (264-231)

Preston's Events: 50 Free – 38.55 (18th), 50 Back – 48.97 (7th)

Ian's Events: 25 Free – 23.69 (10th), 25 Fly - 33.22 (7th), 25 Back – 28.19 (6th)

July 13 – CPST @ Lee's Hill – WON (212-138)

Preston's Events: 50 Fly – 52.29 (7th), 50 Back – 47.86 (5th)

Ian's Events: Away at Camp

July 20 – Dahlgren @ CPST – WON (292-210)

Preston's Events: 50 Free – 37.61 (8th), 50 Back – 46.75 (5th), 50 Breast – 55.62 (9th)

Ian's Events: 25 Fly - DQ, 25 Back – 28.53 (5th), 25 Breast – 31.57 (6th)

July 25 – CPST @ Chancellor – WON (280-226)

Preston's Events: Away at Camp

Ian's Events: 25 Fly – 28.90 (6th), 25 Back - 25.75 (4th), 25 Breast – 28.38 (9th)

August 6 – Patriot Division Finals – WON (799 points)

Preston's Events: 50 Free – 37.12 (4th – 3 points), 50 Fly – 49.56 (8th), 50 Back – 46.82 (11th)

Ian's Events: 25 Free – 22.33 (2nd – 5 points), 25 Back – 26.95 (4th - 3 points), 25 Breast – 31.43 (5th – 2 points)

Finals works differently from dual meets with A, B, and C ranked swimmers who can all place and earn points for their teams. Additionally, points are awarded through 6th place. As you can see, the boys contributed 13 points to their team's score at Finals. This was also our first undefeated dual meet season in a long time, and to win Finals was nice too.  While all of that is awesome, they are also becoming better swimmers and having fun, which is what summer swim is all about.

Spring 2011 Soccer

Bean's fourth soccer season. Practices were on Thursdays, which meant that we could generally attend all of them, when they weren't canceled due to wet field conditions. It was a very wet spring with many missed practices and two games canceled due to wet fields. When the team practiced, they did well, but when they missed a couple of practices in a row, it definitely showed on the field. The coach did a wonderful job though. It's too bad that they had such and up and down season.

4/2 Won 5-4
4/9 Game Canceled
4/16 Game Canceled
4/23 No Games Scheduled
4/30 Lost 5-4
5/7 Won 8-3
5/14 Lost 6-4
5/21 Lost 6-3
5/28 Tied 3-3
6/4 Missed Game and never saw results

Fall 2010 Soccer

For Bean's third season in soccer, the team had fairly successful results.
Practices were on Wednesdays, so we had to miss the ones that were on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays due to Cub Scouts.

9/11 Won 6-0
9/18 Lost 2-1
9/25 Won 10-1
10/2 Won 3-2
10/16 Lost 4-1
10/23 Tie 3-3
10/30 Won 4-1
11/6 Tie 3-3

Christmas 2010 Letter

December 2010

This year has been an interesting year filled with blessings. Preston is now 14 and in high school (9th grade). Ian just turned 10 in November and is in 4th grade. Both boys continue with their music instruction. Ian plays piano, and Preston plays both piano and guitar. Both boys played basketball last year, and Preston played baseball in the spring. Ian played soccer in both the spring and fall seasons. Summer is swim team season, and both boys improved their times considerably this summer. Preston also played on the church softball team this summer and was able to contribute during most of the games he played. This summer Ian enjoyed the opportunity to attend a summer camp where they learned a mini-musical and performed it at the end of a week.

Scouting is still an important part of our lives as we enter the last year where we have one in Cub Scouts and one in Boy Scouts. Ian is in Webelos with Kanoa as the den leader and Cubmaster. Some of the activities that he has enjoyed are the annual Pinewood Derby (where he took 1st place overall), a rocket derby, the NCAC Grand Centennial Parade, a Cubmobile derby, and attending resident camp for a week. Preston has attained the rank of Life and is eagerly working toward the rank of Eagle. He has been active in the Order of the Arrow, a Scouting honor society to which he was elected last year, by participating in the Spring OA call-out; and within his troop, he is the Patrol Leader for the Hippo patrol. Highlights for this year included a trip to the Outer Banks in January, the NCAC Centennial Camporee, a trip to Natural Bridge, summer camp at Bayport Scout Reservation on the northern neck, a troop movie night, and working at the Boy Scout Christmas tree lot. A planned trip to Valley Forge in February was canceled due to the storm of the century here on the East Coast.

In addition to homeschooling the boys, Kanoa continues to actively volunteer in a variety of capacities. She is a co-leader for Ian's Webelos den and Cubmaster for Pack 1187 on the Cub Scout side, and a merit badge counselor and Troop 161's publicity coordinator on the Boy Scout side. She also helps out at the district level by serving on the Cub Scout Roundtable staff. This summer she spent two weeks at summer camp. In June she went to Shepherd's Spring with Preston and Ian and spent a week as a counselor for one of the girls' cabins. Then in August, Kanoa and some of the other Cub Scout parents took the Webelos to Camp William B. Snyder. At church, Kanoa is a Sunday school teacher for the Middler class for 4th through 6th graders, she is finishing her term as Educational Coordinator for the church's Leadership Team, and she will be working with the Youth Advisory Task Team in 2011. David continues to co-teach an adult Sunday school class, he and Preston run the sound system most Sundays, and he will be joining the Church Leadership Team in January as the Group Ministries Coordinator.

After nearly 15 years with Lockheed Martin, David's business unit was sold due to changes in federal law – he now works for a company called the SI Organization, Inc. Other than the dorky name, his job has so far remained the same.

After a winter of exceptional snowfalls, our family and David's mom decided to take a trip to Florida where we rented a house with a pool in Davenport. We enjoyed a trip to Downtown Disney, a visit to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings at Florida Southern College, a bike trip at Circle B-Bar Reserve (aka Alligator Alley), and an evening at the movies before returning home.

In May David's father turned 70, and to celebrate a surprise party was planned. However, the week before his birthday he decided to cut down a tree in their yard. In the process a branch knocked him off the ladder to the ground. As a result of his injuries, he was airlifted to Inova Fairfax hospital, where he spent a few weeks. After that he spent a few weeks at two different rehabilitation facilities. Everyone is grateful for his remarkable recovery.

This fall was busy. At the end of August, the family traveled with David's parents and Kanoa's mom to the West Virginia cabin – a great time was had skeet shooting. Next came Abingdon where a couple of days were spent riding the Virginia Creeper Trail. The family and Kanoa's mom rode the 17 miles from White Top to Damascus. After lunch Kanoa's mom, David, and Preston continued on to Alvarado while David's mom took Kanoa and Ian back to White Top to get the van. The next day Kanoa's mom, David, Preston, and Ian rode 9 miles from Abingdon to Alvarado. This sequence strategically takes advantage of the downhill portions of the trail. David also decided to visit Grayson Highlands State Park in an effort to hike to the top of Mt. Rogers. The Ratliff reunion was also held in Abingdon – everyone enjoyed visiting with the family at the reunion as well.

In November Kanoa planned a field trip to Charlottesville that was well received by all who attended. The group began the day at Monticello where they toured the house and estate. After lunch came a tour of the Rotunda and Lawn at the University of Virginia. After nightfall it was time for a program at the McCormick Observatory. It was a long but enjoyable day.

Also in November Preston traveled with his grandfather on the annual hunting trip for the first time. Since David's father is still unable to drive after his accident, David's mother drove them down to the Thompson Valley and stayed to cook for them. In the afternoon on his first day of hunting, Preston shot his first deer. After a few more days, the hunting party moved to the West Virginia cabin, and David's mom and Preston returned home, with Bob and his cousin Jim coming back to Nokesville just before Thanksgiving.

Our photo this year was taken on our trip to Florida in February to escape the snow. The Lego sea serpent is in the lake at Downtown Disney. We hope that everyone had a merry Christmas and that 2011 will bring you blessings.

Sincerely,
The Ratliff Family
David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian

Tonya Marie Martinez-Hilton

(2/24/1969-12/1/2011) Over the past several weeks my thoughts have been on my friend Tonya. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer earlier this year, and her health has been rapidly declining. You may be wondering how does a girl native to Virginia become friends with a girl from Upstate New York. Tonya and I met at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It must have been during the summer of 1977 or 1978. Our families were camping at the same campground, and we struck up a friendship. When the time came to go home, we exchanged addresses, and we kept up our friendship through letters. I used to have all of my letters (from multiple pen pals and friends who had moved away), but at some point after I left home, my father decided that they weren't necessary and either threw them away or burned them. I don't recall how often we wrote; whether it was monthly or just a few times a year. I just remember that we shared important milestones in our lives and some of the everyday stuff that happens. In 1984 Tonya invited me to visit her in Albany and stay with her family for a week during the summer. After some phone calls between the parents, everything was worked out, and a month or two later, I was boarding an airplane at National Airport in Washington, D. C. Tonya and her mom picked me up at the airport in Albany a couple of hours later. This was still in the days when air travel was more of a pleasure and an adventure. I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out that Tonya's neighborhood in Colonie wasn't so different from the Northern Virginia suburbs that I had grown up seeing. I met Tonya's dad and her three sisters: Amy, Anda, and Pepita. It turned out that living with sisters wasn't much different from having a brother. Being 14 at the time, we spent the week doing typical teenage stuff. We ate lunch at the local Pizza Hut and checked out the new releases at the record store. I accompanied Tonya on her paper route. We biked to her friend's houses and watched MTV, which I had never seen since cable was unheard of where I lived, or played games. We swam in her pool. Her parents had a lobster bake (another first for me) with extended family. I also recall attending church with her family. There came a time during the service when everyone lined up and little wafers and juice were served. This was my introduction to communion. I struck up a friendship with her neighbor as well. I remember the discussion we all had about regional accents. We were having so much fun that when the end of the week was approaching, we didn't want it to end. Somehow we managed to talk everyone into allowing me to stay longer. I think it was another week, but it may have just been a few more days. All we had to do was run to the airport and change the ticket to a later date. I assure you that, as previously stated this was a different time, and changing the ticket was not the ordeal that it is today. As I recall, it was relatively easy. Finally, the time came when I really did have to return home. Other adventures awaited that summer. We had grand plans though. Tonya invited me to travel with her family later that summer to Nova Scotia. I did make it to Nova Scotia, but not that summer. We also decided that Tonya should come to my house for a week or two the following summer. Unfortunately, that never happened. I don't recall why she wasn't able to come (if I still had my letter archive, I could look it up), but I know we were both disappointed. After that things got busy for both of us, and we didn't keep up with each other like we had in the past. In September 1995 when I got married, I sent an announcement to Tonya and her family. What a surprise it was to receive a reply that included her wedding announcement as well! It turns out that we got married within a month of each other. In the intervening years, I've been busy raising a family and homeschooling, and Tonya has been busy with her husband and her job. After succumbing to the lure of Facebook, I looked up Tonya and her family and was able to connect with Tonya's sisters and husband. I had hoped to eventually meet up with Tonya in person at some point through our various travels. Unfortunately, that was not to be. God had other plans. I pray that as it says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Rest in peace, Tonya.

In Memoriam

James Maurice Edward Smith, 66, of Catlett died March 27 at Fauquier Hospital due to complications of leukemia. He was born on November 30, 1939, in Washington, D. C. to Ruby Steele Kincer Smith and Maurice Augustine Smith who preceded him in death. Mr. Smith attended Culpeper County High School and Anacostia High School before joining the Air Force. After leaving the Air Force, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1969. He spent his career as a mechanical engineer in civil service working mainly for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Army Corps of Engineers. He retired in 1998. After retirement he spent time traveling to Florida, New Mexico, and Costa Rica. He is survived by his daughter Kanoa Ratliff and her husband David Ratliff of Somerville; his son Daryl Smith and his wife Michaelle Smith of Catlett; two grandsons, Preston Reece Ratliff and Ian James Ratliff; and two step granddaughters, Ashley Elizabeth Allen and Erin Lynne Allen. He is also survived by his former wife Henrietta Anne Smith of Catlett, his sister Ramona Donaldson of Maryland, and his sister Judy Taff of Sunrise, FL. He was a kind hearted man who would give someone the moon if he could reach it. He was loved by all and will be greatly missed.

Summer Camp 2011

Bean writes from camp...

To: Family

So we moved to cabin 5 because bees came into cabin 4 and stung a kid. But otherwise the week has been fine. We went caving today and in case you don't know what day it is, it is Tuesday.

Love,