Happy New Year! It's 2001! Woo ho!
On New Year's Eve we had the relatives over. We talked, had supper, played games. Chris and I played network games over the computer. That was fun. We also played card games, too.
Anyway, around ten or eleven o'clock came so everyone left. We stayed up, though. We saw the ball drop. It was neat. When the ball landed we didn't really have a party, we just said, "Happy New Year!" to each other and went to bed.
Our grandpa Howell made a surprise visit this month. He lives in Colorado. He was driving to Pennsylvania to go to a engine show and stopped by. It was a nice surprise, really. We played Dart ball and showed him Dad's space rock. Grandpa though it was really interesting. He was surprised at how heavy it was. We all had assumed that it was made of iron. Then we put a magnet to it. It was like putting a magnet up to a block of wood. It couldn't be iron, then, if a magnet didn't stick to it. Then, we took a wood file and rubbed it against the rock. I think we did more damage to the file than what we did to the rock. It was getting late, so he had to leave.
The Scout troop had their bushwhack and Christmas party this month. What we do is go on a bushwhack, or a hike. This year we hiked five miles at Clifton Gorge. It's this place that has a gorge dug by water. My favorite part was seeing the frozen waterfall. It was huge. I probably need to scan the picture for you to see. Then, after the bushwhack we head to Jerry Seigrist's place and party in the game room. We eat and have a five dollar gift exchange. I got a headlamp. I can't remember what Nick got. Anyway, we also watch movies and play Nintendo games. We can stay up as late as we want to. I stayed up until three. Then I decided to hit the hay, literally (We have to sleep in the barn.).
You know how Dad got "Tractor Fever" and bought himself a tractor. Well, he's on a "Truck Quest" now. He wants to get an old truck from the 40's and 50's and restore it. I have to admit, though, they do look nice when there all shined up. Anyway, since there isn't room in the barn for another truck and since he already got a tractor not to long ago, Dad thinks it should wait. Dad doesn't really want to wait, though. Dad has put some railings up on our truck to sort of make it look like an old truck.
We had our pastor over to eat at our house this month. Well, he's not our pastor, at least, not yet, anyway. He will be once we join the church. That's why we had him and his family over. Mom and Dad talked with him and stuff. We should be official members sometime soon.
Mark A. Howell