PAYNE PARTICULARS 2007

Each year I put off the writing of Christmas greetings until school is out. This year I didn't make it before the holiday flurry started! I hope this belated holiday greeting and Payne Family update finds you resting and relaxing after the big day! This year I am going totally digital - no snail mail cards!

2007 was a good one for the Paynes. Cliff is still living in Manhattan and although he is working many hours each week, he seems to be enjoying himself. He finds time to see the sights of New York and spend time with his girlfriend Claire. Betsy and her boyfriend Olav moved to Brooklyn this fall and although she has a 30 minute commute back into Manhattan to work, they are enjoying the more "suburban" feel of that borough. We all visited over Labor Day weekend and had a blast. DJ and a friend flew in from Phoenix and joined us. We hit great restaurants, helped Betsy and Olav move, drank beer at the oldest pub in Manhattan, and sang karaoke in the East Village. Visiting the Big Apple is getting to be a habit and we love it!

Sailing continues to call to us. We sailed our Freedom 28 here at Lake Grapevine many weekends, but we also sailed (once again) to Catalina Island on a chartered 46' Jeanneau. Betsy, Olav, and her girlfriends from Los Angeles joined us for the first half of the week and Karen & Mark Derkach (with their wonderful children, Olivia and Carson) sailed with us the second half. Mid week we joined up with some of our Lake Pleasant Sailing Club friends. It is always our favorite sailing trip!

In the spring Doug started a clandestine hunt for the "perfect sailboat." He quietly searched the YachtWorld listings every night looking for his dream boat. He then proceeded to drag me to see a few of the top contenders. We looked at sailboats on Lake Superior, in Galveston Bay, Houston, Maryland, Virginia, and in New Orleans. After several failed purchase attempts, we finally found one that seems to have our name on it. (Well, we are still deciding on the actual name!) We finally take possession after New Year's. Doug and his brother Chris will sail it from Corpus Christi to Houston in early January. We will keep our "new" SeaMaster 46 at the Lakewood Yacht Club and try to make the 4-hour drive down there as often as possible. In the near future we hope to actually live aboard and sail for months at a time. There is plenty of room, with a "guest" cabin and two heads, so make your reservations soon!

Thanksgiving brought us all back to our beloved desert. We "took the bird" at our house in Tempe, (Where DJ holds down the fort with his roommate and our "grand dog" Samson.) hiked, golfed, went to the ASU game and visited with friends. It was a true southwestern holiday. I, for one, really miss the desert and can't wait to get back there for part of the year when we aren't sailing the high seas!

My mom is currently in Missoula, Montana at my sister's house. She lived with us from January until June and then spent time in Lake Geneva this summer. In early December she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. She will remain in Montana for a while longer. I head up there next week to visit her for a few days.

Doug still is working hard for Tatum, managing the Dallas/Ft Worth practice. He seems to enjoy the business atmosphere here. There is a lot of action! I love my teaching job in Highland Park. Once again this year I am blessed to have a great group of 21 fourth graders. We have lots of technology and I have a five minute drive to my school. I have also made a few friends in our neighborhood because I organized a BUNCO group. Slowly but surely I am becoming more acclimated to Dallas. We still cannot believe we actually live in Texas, but you just never know where life will take you!

Our little Bichon Beau keeps us company. We are training him to be a sea dog, and so far he is tolerating his sailing adventures. Doug actually pets him once a day and says he is almost a perfect dog!

As we close out 2007, we remember all our friends and family. Our best to all of you! Happy New Year!!

God Bless!

Deedy and Doug

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. (Agnes M. Pharo)

Do you want to buy a sailboat? Our Freedom is FOR SALE. Check it out here.