MFCB - Miller Family Christmas Blog 2006
We know you've been aimlessly searching the internet for entertaining content ever since the MFCB 2005 and judging by some of your email jokes sent over the past year--coming up a bit short. But there's no need to fear, the MFCB (Not Underdog) is here & Your MFCB Supporter-Jack Strap is back to recount the Miller Family's 2006 trials & tribulations & triumphs & matriculations. When you last heard from Our Heroes (that's us, the Millers) about a year ago: Mindy the Cat had just passed away and Glenn was unemployed & mired in some gut-wrenching drama regarding his parents (who really appear to be doing much better now a year later).
So 2006 got off to a bit of a rocky start, but there was plenty of really good things (family, friends, activities/events, cheese steaks) to provide needed support. Mindy the Cat was really missed, especially by Karen & Glenn who had her for 20 years. But they were surprised a few months later when Brittany & Andrew (who really didn't pay alot of attention to Min) asked to get another cat. So they picked out a kitten & named her Lola (although we don't let her drink champaign that tastes just like cherry cola--reference The Kinks) who appears to have been sent by Mindy from Heaven, as like her, Lola luvs to cuddle-up in your lap, run & leap like Michael Jordan in his prime, get into mischief, sometimes annoy Comet the Dog, and find various spots to cat-nap.
Next on the agenda was for Glenn to find a job well in advance of his R&H severance package running out and this was accomplished in March after a pretty intense job search (note looking for a good job is a full-time job) including embracing networking (Thanks to all who helped along the way). The networking trail to his new position at Penske Truck Leasing (PTL) was pretty interesting. Paul "Bank'in" Bowers, Tom "Freebs" Frebel & Bill "Little Big" Horn-berger (who he had been referred to by Magnum Mike Mathias) all recommended talking to Randy Simcox at Tray-Pak. Randy in turn helpfully referred him to Jim Gallagher at Lentz Milling. Jim recommended that he call Jack Gallagher (no relation) at PTL who was in his Golf Foursome (which also included Glenn's good friend "Old School" Bruce Deckman--it's a small world). Jack is well connected at PTL & evidently got GM's resume into the right people's hands as he was called in to interview (including an intense, "confrontational" interview with the Corp. Controller) and ultimately accepted a position as Operating Tax Manager (working for a good guy by the famous name of Richard Harris) for the $4 Billion enterprise jointly owned by G.E. (70%) and Penske Corp (30%).
Enough about Glenn because (FU) Frankly, I'm a little tired of him and there are much more entertaining Millers in this Family. Let's start with Brittany (or Britty as she's referred to by Dad who she spent her 18th Birthday with at Dorney Park). I am proud to announce that she just got her 1st semester grades from Albright and scored two A's and two A-'s, which is an awesome start. Her Major is Elementary Ed and Karen also "hooked her up" to volunteer at Wilson where she's getting valuable classroom experience in her Major while earning community service hours needed for her Shirk Scholarship (another accomplishment for her parents to be proud). I'm kind of going backwards here as she 1st graduated from Wilson in June with the ceremony at the Sovereign Center. Britty also spent another ice cream season working at Behringers, taught swimming lessons to kids at Wilson, and tutored a few kids. She has been dating Jimi for 18 months now.
Andrew is now a Teen, turning 13 this year and continuing to do very well in school without needing a lot of parental oversight. He has also moved beyond being just a drummer & has become a percussionist while earning a County Music Scholarship and playing in the Wilson Junior High Band, Summer Band at Muhlenburg, and the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO). A thrill for him (and the entire Miller Family) was seeing the Blue Man Group perform--very entertaining. The boy wonder also continues to interface well with all-electronic and is an insatiable reader. He now admits he has a girlfriend--Amanda.
Karen is the absolute super-glue that holds the Miller Family together. Hopefully the entire family appreciates this and will actually express this appreciation more regularly in the coming year. She continues her "outside the home" work role as a part-time 1st grade Reading Assistant at West Wyomissing, and has expanded that to provide 1-on-1 instruction to kids in various schools in the Wilson District. She has also logged a lot of miles walking this year with Glenn or her neighborhood friends. Speaking of walking, Comet's legs aren't what they used to be (he's over 10 years old, which makes him the oldest in the Miller Family in dog-years), but he still follows Karen around the house until she tires him out. Comet is still smart enough to take full advantage of the family tradition of giving him a treat whenever he comes in from out back and when his family members return from being out.
I would be remiss if I didn't finish this (yes, I am going to finish this) by noting the acronymical world of Glenn's extracurricular activities/events including HHI (Hills Hoops Inc), the TCFL (Tri-County Fantasy Football League), LRP (Lunch Run Program which continues on with him getting a job right down the street from R&H), LEP (Lunch Eat Program with various former collegues at R&H), the 3P (Poletti Pool Party), the Penn State Road Trip (PSRT?) which resulted in yet another victory this year, and our ACS Relay for Life (RfL) Team (who raised a lot of money for a worthy cause & were also Volleyball Champions for the 2nd straight year) led by Diane & Steve "Swoop" Poletti (note that Swoop was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's strong-willed & determined to beat it like Diane did with her breast cancer). Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap has been there as Glenn's alter-ego in reporting on many of these activities/events over the years.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007 FROM THE MILLER FAMILY CHRISTMAS BLOG (MFCB).
So 2006 got off to a bit of a rocky start, but there was plenty of really good things (family, friends, activities/events, cheese steaks) to provide needed support. Mindy the Cat was really missed, especially by Karen & Glenn who had her for 20 years. But they were surprised a few months later when Brittany & Andrew (who really didn't pay alot of attention to Min) asked to get another cat. So they picked out a kitten & named her Lola (although we don't let her drink champaign that tastes just like cherry cola--reference The Kinks) who appears to have been sent by Mindy from Heaven, as like her, Lola luvs to cuddle-up in your lap, run & leap like Michael Jordan in his prime, get into mischief, sometimes annoy Comet the Dog, and find various spots to cat-nap.
Next on the agenda was for Glenn to find a job well in advance of his R&H severance package running out and this was accomplished in March after a pretty intense job search (note looking for a good job is a full-time job) including embracing networking (Thanks to all who helped along the way). The networking trail to his new position at Penske Truck Leasing (PTL) was pretty interesting. Paul "Bank'in" Bowers, Tom "Freebs" Frebel & Bill "Little Big" Horn-berger (who he had been referred to by Magnum Mike Mathias) all recommended talking to Randy Simcox at Tray-Pak. Randy in turn helpfully referred him to Jim Gallagher at Lentz Milling. Jim recommended that he call Jack Gallagher (no relation) at PTL who was in his Golf Foursome (which also included Glenn's good friend "Old School" Bruce Deckman--it's a small world). Jack is well connected at PTL & evidently got GM's resume into the right people's hands as he was called in to interview (including an intense, "confrontational" interview with the Corp. Controller) and ultimately accepted a position as Operating Tax Manager (working for a good guy by the famous name of Richard Harris) for the $4 Billion enterprise jointly owned by G.E. (70%) and Penske Corp (30%).
Enough about Glenn because (FU) Frankly, I'm a little tired of him and there are much more entertaining Millers in this Family. Let's start with Brittany (or Britty as she's referred to by Dad who she spent her 18th Birthday with at Dorney Park). I am proud to announce that she just got her 1st semester grades from Albright and scored two A's and two A-'s, which is an awesome start. Her Major is Elementary Ed and Karen also "hooked her up" to volunteer at Wilson where she's getting valuable classroom experience in her Major while earning community service hours needed for her Shirk Scholarship (another accomplishment for her parents to be proud). I'm kind of going backwards here as she 1st graduated from Wilson in June with the ceremony at the Sovereign Center. Britty also spent another ice cream season working at Behringers, taught swimming lessons to kids at Wilson, and tutored a few kids. She has been dating Jimi for 18 months now.
Andrew is now a Teen, turning 13 this year and continuing to do very well in school without needing a lot of parental oversight. He has also moved beyond being just a drummer & has become a percussionist while earning a County Music Scholarship and playing in the Wilson Junior High Band, Summer Band at Muhlenburg, and the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra (RSYO). A thrill for him (and the entire Miller Family) was seeing the Blue Man Group perform--very entertaining. The boy wonder also continues to interface well with all-electronic and is an insatiable reader. He now admits he has a girlfriend--Amanda.
Karen is the absolute super-glue that holds the Miller Family together. Hopefully the entire family appreciates this and will actually express this appreciation more regularly in the coming year. She continues her "outside the home" work role as a part-time 1st grade Reading Assistant at West Wyomissing, and has expanded that to provide 1-on-1 instruction to kids in various schools in the Wilson District. She has also logged a lot of miles walking this year with Glenn or her neighborhood friends. Speaking of walking, Comet's legs aren't what they used to be (he's over 10 years old, which makes him the oldest in the Miller Family in dog-years), but he still follows Karen around the house until she tires him out. Comet is still smart enough to take full advantage of the family tradition of giving him a treat whenever he comes in from out back and when his family members return from being out.
I would be remiss if I didn't finish this (yes, I am going to finish this) by noting the acronymical world of Glenn's extracurricular activities/events including HHI (Hills Hoops Inc), the TCFL (Tri-County Fantasy Football League), LRP (Lunch Run Program which continues on with him getting a job right down the street from R&H), LEP (Lunch Eat Program with various former collegues at R&H), the 3P (Poletti Pool Party), the Penn State Road Trip (PSRT?) which resulted in yet another victory this year, and our ACS Relay for Life (RfL) Team (who raised a lot of money for a worthy cause & were also Volleyball Champions for the 2nd straight year) led by Diane & Steve "Swoop" Poletti (note that Swoop was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's strong-willed & determined to beat it like Diane did with her breast cancer). Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap has been there as Glenn's alter-ego in reporting on many of these activities/events over the years.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007 FROM THE MILLER FAMILY CHRISTMAS BLOG (MFCB).
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