ChristmasCard

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May this 2010 Christmas

season be your family's most meaningful ever! From our family to yours have a

Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year!

Dear Family & Friends,

This online Christmas greeting replaces our traditional snail-mail paper version.

Please share page with you family.

Ahhhh, our first snow (all 1" of it) and there is Christmas in the air! Barb and I get such a kick out of our KY grocery shoppers the day before any forecasted "winter event." Our local news stations, here on the perimeter of the true snow belt, all over hype a snowfall. Right now we have less than an inch on the ground and nothing on the roads, but yesterday people were buying at Kroger like a terrible "nor-easter" was coming and they would be locked in for months. It is a comical thing to see this collective anxiety happen. To highlight the shelf-cleaning panic-buying nature of our area, in this huge Kroger, I was fortunate to snatch up the last container of pimento cheese spread (our favorite). None-the-less the first few flakes of snow do announce the oncoming of winter. They also announce the arrival of the Advent season and the ending of the calendar year.

Sometimes you receive these letters and the only focus is on family events. In a moment I will indeed give you a brief update, but before I do, please allow me to draw a little attention to the second item being that of the Advent. The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in His first Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in His Second Advent. The Christian churches all over the world focus the 4 Sundays before Christmas on simple but beautiful concepts about our Lord's coming. It is good for all of us to remember themes like hope, peace, joy and love. Because of the reason for the season, I hope that this year you have experienced hope, peace, joy and love and wish you and yours a full measure.

Barb and I have had a blessed year. Oh not one without challenge, but one that we are thankful to have experienced together. Barb had an April surgery for a suspicious removal that turned out to be fine and we are thankful for her strong recovery. Barb still serves as Home-Bound Director at First Church and has had a busy year calling on her folks. The work brings about some sadness, some humor but also a lot of love and care. We both joined a couple of small groups and it is neat meeting each week and really sharing life with others. At church, we officially said goodbye to our senior pastor of 38 years, LD Campbell, and welcomed our new pastor Greg Marksberry. Before the transition, we were fortunate to have served on a short term mission trip with LD at Haus Edelweiss near Baden, Austria. This mission was two weeks long and our supportive role was intense, enjoyable and rewarding. Before we started there, we took a few days to explore parts of Slovakia, where my family comes from. Both experiences created lifelong memories. In addition, we had a great year of often visiting with our kids and being involved with the grandkids and their activities.

All three of our sons and their wives have

made improvements to their homes. Brian

and Bridgett have finished off the inside of

their garage and it looks great. A finished

basement is now on the agenda. Mike

and Heather's family BIG event of late was

a new sleeping arrangement. David and

Joey got a new daddy-built bunk bed, and

Marissa went from a twin to a full, so all

were very excited. The other BIG family

news is that Mike and Heather are

excitedly anticipating the arrival of their

5th in May. And if that weren't enough,

they also have purchased a new home to

be finished off for an eventual move to

Michigan near Lapeer. Eric and Witni

welcomed into our family our newest

addition, Emil Regan Sztanyo born on

September 8th. He is a real cutie (picture

links below) and Barb and I have recently

began a Tuesday baby sitting for the little

fella. It is a precious time although its amazing how a little baby can wear you out.

My father, Emil, has now a unique distinction. He and his backseat R/O (Radar Observer) from WWII are the oldest living night-fighter crew. Because of learning this, we had planned a summer time visit to the Air Force museum at Dayton, OH but we had to postpone it because of health reasons. My dear mom, Iris, has had a full year. She is currently in treatment for a 3rd distinct type of cancer in this very year. The first two cancer types have been treated completely successful and we anticipate the 3rd will be as well. God has really blessed her (and us) through all of this. After full recovery and return to normal, we hope to once again plan that visit to the Air Force museum to get some precious pictures, hear some great war stories, and reunite these old warriors with their unique plane flown in Europe.

Barb's mom, Wilma, went on a trip to Phoenix last year with her sister Hilda and is now planning another this January. Its a great way to break up the long winters on the farm.

Most of you know that I have been involved in a search for a flying job for a extended period of time. That search has taken me to China twice, and more recently to Africa, where I did receive an offer. However, a wonderful Christmas gift came a little early in that I just landed a job offer for a company here in the states. This company flies freedom's defenders (our US military) and I am scheduled for a class date in January. Many people have offered well wishes and prayers for me along this drawn out search, and I appreciate each and every one of you for that. Thank you.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas give you hope,

The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

Merry Christmas from Florence!

From the Kentucky Sztanyo’s

Our Lord” the same yesterday, today and forever!” Heb 13:8

Photo albums & more following card

Until next year!

Barb's Workplace:

Mark's Activity:

Family Nov 2010 - Back row, Mark Mike, Eric, Brian & Barb,

Front row; Marissa,Heather with Halley, Witni with Emil, Bridgett with Joey, and David.

For those who can't get enought and need ....just a little more!

2010 Offerings

Every year we learn a little something new and wish to try something a little different. This year we will include links to online photo albums and you can look at as few or as many as you wish. Hope you find something you enjoy.

Photo Albums: