Ray Family Reunion: Next in 2012: December 2005

Thursday, December 29, 2005

The Ray of Sunshine

“The Ray of Sunshine”

Ray Family Christmas Letter 2005

This is the first time we have done a Christmas Letter, but with all that has happened this year, it seems fitting to start this tradition now. Last year, we had learned that we were going to be blessed with a little bundle of joy and so it began. I (Johnny) finished up school at UTA, doing horribly I might add.

Now, why would you tell them that? Christmas letters are supposed to be about sharing good news!

Jenny, you’ve got to share the real stuff, not just the warm and fuzzies. Speaking of warm and fuzzies, Mackenzie Scott Ray was born on May, 10th, 2005 at 5:32 PM, and really has been an angel of a child thus far. He doesn’t cry much and is very smart. To be honest, he is just so very much fun, I think we are being spoiled way more than he has been.

Which really is saying a lot, since he’s the first grandchild on both sides! He definitely won’t be hurting for gifts this Christmas!

Before the end of May, Mack was already a Texas Junior Ranger. The free stuff is just plain awesome. When he goes to a Ranger game, the Rangers are 4-0. Maybe they should give him free season tickets? I have been to 18 games this year, the most since 1993, and Jenny, despite giving birth to our first child, managed to make it to 12 games.

In the start of the New Year, I enrolled into the University of Phoenix. My GPA thus far is a 3.66, which I am very proud of, because it reminds me of the grades I got back when I was in High School (which weren’t as high, but still good in my mind).

Johnny’s now working on his teaching degree. He wants to be a high school algebra teacher. Not many people can do that…in fact, the usual response when people hear what he wants to teach is “Really? I suck at math!” or “I hate math!” Hey, somebody’s gotta teach it! Not only does Johnny love math, he’s good at it, too.

Blppp! Bbwaaa, bbwaa…

That’s right, Mackenzie, Johnny’s been tutoring his sister in her college algebra class. She’s struggled with this class so much but now she has a 99! That is impressive!

Financial Aid for school was a let down and money problems have been an issue. I have been laid off twice this year, with the second opening a door to become a stay at home dad and full time student. Jenny and I both felt that a family member raising the child would be much better than a stranger at a daycare, so it just seemed right at the time.

Ahee, hee, hee, mawoo, oo

Oh, yes, Mack just loves his daddy! They have lots of fun together during the day.

For the first time since the first week of our marriage, we have two cars. I aged a good 20 years just by looking at a mini-van, but we got it anyway. It’s a great car. We got rid of the Daewoo, and I am very grateful for that. We now have a 2003 Taurus (which we call the Toys “R” Us) and a 2005 Freestar (which we call the Free Bird), both Ford’s. Go figure.

My parents gave me the bestest birthday present ever, tickets to see U2. So in a matter of a little more than a month, Jenny and I managed to see Coldplay and U2. The Coldplay tickets were part of the presents I gave to Jenny for her birthday.

It’s weird…most new parents hardly ever get out of the house the first year, but not us. We’re almost as busy as we were before Mack came along (budget permitting). A big part of that is how eager the grandparents are to babysit. We are so blessed to have family living so close.

Speaking of which, family has moved down from Illinois, Jenny’s grandparents have now joined us in the Metroplex. Uncle Dan followed shortly. Jenny’s mother has had some health issues but has shown signs of improvement that has really encouraged us greatly. Jenny’s brother has a promising relationship with a single mom of two. Johnny’s brother is now engaged and will be married on March 11th, 2006. Johnny’s cousin was married on November 11th and some dear friends were married earlier in October. Johnny’s grandmother has had some health issues, which has been a constant concern, especially with her living in Oklahoma.

Also, Jenny’s father has had some health issues and has been going through a divorce, which has weighed on our family’s heart. Johnny’s sister has a niece who was in the hospital for a period of time and to see an infant in distress, well is just makes your heart heavy with sadness. But when God closes a door, he opens a window. But coming in through a window makes you look somewhat funny, but you got to do what you got to do. The little girl is just fine now, thankfully.

Should we be talking about all these other family member’s lives? Do you think we might be stepping on their Christmas letters?

Uhhh, no.

Look how long this letter is! And we haven’t talked about our trip to Jamaica, yet!

Well, you can do that.

OK, I’ll make it quick. I won the trip from a radio station (92.5 KZPS for you locals) the week before Mack was born. The great coincidence was that the song they played you had to call in on for the contest was the first song Johnny & I danced to, “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. It was an all-inclusive trip for 5 days in Montego Bay with a tour of Dunn’s River Falls. It was fabulous! We had to take it before August 12, so we waited till the last minute and went from August 8 to 12. We did take Mack with us, because he was free.

And now he can’t say we never took him anywhere!

Waaaa!

Just kidding!

All in all, it was a great year for the Ray family. As always, you have your ups and downs, but the mark of character is determined by how you respond to the challenges and I don’t think we would want it any other way. We love you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

With Love,
Jenny, Johnny and Mack Ray

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Interesting Facts:

HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT KNOWING THESE THINGS?
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...) the percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
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The youngest pope was 11 years old.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts – Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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"I am," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
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Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
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Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.
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Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on: hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight".
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar as lunar based, this period was called the honey month we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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AND FINALLY: At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow

Mackenzie Doesn't Like Green Beans - ART

UH... Mikey, he doesn't like it... Merry Christmas, Ya'll!

Some Mackenzie Art

I Love playing with a photo editor... pastels, watercolor, and fresco. Mackenzie is wearing my hat I wore down at Scarborough Faire (when I worked down there years ago). Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone.

Monday, December 12, 2005

What Flavor of Ice Cream am I?

Your Ice Cream Flavour is...Chocolate!

You are the all time favorite, chocolate! Turning white kids black since the 1800s. Staining carpets, car seats, and bed sheets for centuries. One thing is for sure, you will never go out of style. You can't go wrong with chocolate!

What is your Ice Cream Flavour?

Find out at Go Quiz

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Dylan Nicole

Here are some photos on the newest member of the Ray clan - Dylan Nicole

Newborns tend to look so squishy at first... red and scrunched up...

Grandpa Ray... sounds familiar. Grandpa Mernie, maybe?

Cozy bunch.

Mother and child... it's all worth in the end, isn't it? That's what Jenny said with Mack.

Friday, December 02, 2005

Some Humor to Lighten the Day

Joke #1:
Old Lady Driving on Highway Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH. He thinks to himself, this driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies -- two in the front seat and three in the back -- wide eyed and white as ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?" Ma'am," the officer replies, you weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers." Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly... Twenty-two miles an hour!" the old woman says a bit proudly. The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that 22" was the route number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error. But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask... Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven't muttered a single peep this whole time," the officer asks. Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 119."

Joke #2:
A rich millionaire throws a massive party for his 50th birthday. During this party, he grabs the microphone and announces to his guests that down in the garden of his mansion he has a swimming pool with two great white sharks in it."I will give anything of mine to the man who swims across that pool."So the party continues with no events in the pool until SUDDENLY, there is a great splash and all the guests of the party run to the pool to see what has happened.In the pool a man is swimming as hard as he can and fins come out of the water and jaws are snapping and this guy just keeps on going. The sharks are gaining on him and this guy reaches the end and gets out of the pool, tired and soaked. The millionaire grabs the microphone and says, "I am a man of my word. Anything of mine I will give: my Ferraris, my house, absolutely anything, for you are the bravest man I have ever seen. So sir what will it be?" The guy grabs the microphone and says, "Why don't we start with the name of the jerk who pushed me in!"

Joke #3:
Three engineers and three accountants were traveling by train to a conference. At the station, the three accountants each bought tickets and watched as the three engineers bought only one ticket.

"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asked an accountant.

"Watch and you'll see", answered an engineer.

They all boarded the train. The accountants took their respective seats, but the three engineers all crammed into a rest room and closed the door behind them. Shortly after the train departed, the conductor came around collecting tickets. He knocked on the restroom door and said, "Ticket, please".

The door opened just a crack and a single arm emerged with a ticket in hand. The conductor took it and moved on.

The accountants saw this and agreed it was a quite clever idea. So, after the conference, the accountants decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money (being clever with money, and all that). When they got to the station, they bought a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the engineers didn't buy a ticket at all. "How are you going to ride without a ticket"? said one perplexed accountant. "Watch and you'll see", answered an engineer.

When they boarded the train, the three accountants crammed into a restroom and the three engineers crammed into another one nearby. The train departed. Shortly afterward, one of the engineers left his restroom and walked over to the restroom where the accountants were hiding. He knocked on the door and said, "Ticket, please."

Joke #4:
A man and an ostrich walk into a restaurant. The waitress asks, "What will it be?"

The man replied "a burger and a coke." "And you?" "I'll have the same," the ostrich replies. They finish their meal and pay. "That will be $4.50," The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact amount. They do this every day till Fri. "The usual?" she asked. "No, today is Friday. I'll have steak and a coke." "Me too." says the ostrich. They finish and pay. "That will be $10.95" The man reached in and pulls out the exact amount again just like all week.

The waitress was dumb-founded. "How is it that you always have the exact amount?"

"Well," says the man. "I was cleaning my attic and I found a dusty lamp. I rubbed it and a genie appeared."

“Wow!” said the waitress. "What did you wish for?"

"I asked that when I needed to pay for something, the exact amount would appear in my pocket." "Amazing! Most people would ask for a million dollars. But what's with the ostrich?"

"Well," said the man. "I also asked for a chick with long legs."

Joke #5:
Cannibals capture three men. The men are told that they will be skinned and eaten and then their skin will be used to make canoes. Then they are each given a final request. The first man asks to be killed as quickly and painlessly as possible. His request is granted, and they poison him. The second man asks for paper and a pen so that he can write a farewell letter to his family. This request is granted, and after he writes his letter, they kill him saving his skin for their canoes. Now it is the third man's turn. He asks for a fork. The cannibals are confused, but it is his final request, so they give him a fork. As soon as he has the fork he begins stabbing himself all over and shouts, "To hell with your canoes!"

Joke #6:
Three buddies die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the pearly gates.

They are all asked, "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?"

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was the greatest doctor of my time, and a great family man."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow."

The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say... LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!!!!!"

Joke #7:
HOW YOU KNOW YOU'VE HAD TOO MUCH OF THE 1990'S:
1.) You tried to enter your password on the microwave.
2.) You now think of three espressos as "getting wasted."
3.) You haven't played solitaire with a real deck of cards in years.
4.) You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
5.) You e-mail your son in his room to tell him that dinner is ready, and he e-mails you back "What's for dinner?"
6.) Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
7.) You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven't spoken to your next door neighbor yet this year.
8.) You didn't give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one for your e-mail buddies via a web page.
9.) Your daughter just bought a C.D. of all the records your college roommate used to play.
10.) You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.
11.) You check your blow dryer to see if it's Y2K compliant.
12.) Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail Inbox, asking you to send her JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.
13.) You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

Joke #8:
Uncle Sam and Osama decided to settle the whole war with a dogfight. They would each have 5 years to breed the best fighting dog and whoever's dog won would dominate the world. Osama found the meanest Doberman females in the world and bred them with the meanest wolves. They selected only the biggest and strongest puppy from each litter. After 5 years, they came up with the biggest, meanest dog ever. When the day came for the big dogfight, Uncle Sam showed up with a strange looking animal. It was a 9-foot long Dachshund. When the cages were opened up, the Dachshund came out of it's cage and slowly waddled over toward Osama's dog. Osama's dog snarled and leaped out of it's cage and charged the American dog--but when it got close to the American dog, the Dachshund opened it's mouth and ate Osama's dog whole. Osama said, “We don't understand how this could have happened, we had our best people working for 5 years with the meanest dogs and the meanest wolves. “Uncle Sam said, “That’s nothing, we had our best plastic surgeons working for 5 years to make that alligator look like a weenie dog."

Joke #9:
There's a lot to be said about marital bliss...

A while back there was an opening in the CIA for an assassin. These highly classified positions are extremely difficult to fill, requiring an extensive background check, training, and testing before candidates are even considered for the position. After reviewing several applicants and completing all the checks and training, the field was narrowed to the three most promising candidates. The day came for the final test, which would determine which of equally qualified candidates, would get the job.

The final candidates consisted of two men and one woman. The men administering the test took the first candidate, a man, down a corridor to a closed door and handed him a gun saying, "We must be completely assured that you will complete your assignments and follow instructions regardless of the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your wife, seated in a chair. Take this gun and kill her." The man, looking completely shocked said, "You can't be serious! I could never kill my wife." The CIA man said, "Well, then, you're obviously not the man for the job. Take your wife and go home."

They brought the next candidate in, the other man, and repeated the instructions. This man took the gun, walked into the room and closed the door. However, after five minutes of silence, the door opened and the man handed the CIA tester the gun, saying, "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill my wife. I tried to pull the trigger but I just couldn't do it." The CIA man said, "Well, then, you're obviously not the man for the job. Take your wife and go home."

Then they brought the woman down the corridor to the closed door, handed her a gun, and said, "We must be completely assured that you will complete your assignments and follow instructions regardless of the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your husband, seated in a chair. Take this gun and kill him." The woman took the gun, walked into the room, and before the door closed all the way, the CIA men heard the gun start firing. One shot after another, for thirteen shots, the noise continued. Then all hell broke loose. For the next several minutes, the men heard screaming, cursing, furniture crashing and banging on the walls; then suddenly, silence. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said, "You guys didn't tell me the gun was loaded with blanks! I had to beat him to death with the chair!"