Christmas2005

Hello,

Our favorite time of the year once again! We love reflecting on the many joyous times of Christmases past and enjoying the blessings of the present. We hope that your blessings approach or exceed ours.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Here's what we've been up to in 2005:

Eric's company, Altruist Financial Advisors LLC, continues to grow exponentially. As of the end of 2005, he has about $27 million in assets under management.

Melissa continues as a part-time nurse at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.
Vacations: We spent two weeks at our family's cottage in NW Michigan on beautiful Crystal Lake. We also spent a week at our favorite summer camp, Camp Michigania.
Renovations: This was the summer (and fall and, sadly, winter) of construction. We did (or rather, are trying to complete) a significant renovation of our home. It is now larger, prettier on the outside, with much more storage space inside (especially in the kitchen). We did some landscaping as well, building a nice lawn in the large area near the road.
Entertainment: After years of using an old-style roof antenna with our TV, we finally got satellite TV service. It is a big improvement!
Cars: We replaced our two older cars (which had a combined total of about 400,000 miles on them) with a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and a 2006 Scion xB (which our daughter has named "Boxy"). Eric likes trying to maximize his gas mileage (in his Scion), which has ranged between 30 and 39 mpg.
Athletics: Our son Morgan participated in baseball, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Our daughter Lisette played soccer and softball and swam "competitively." Eric was an assistant baseball coach for the third year.
Scouting: Morgan continued his involvement with the Boy Scouts. Eric continues as an extremely enthusiastic Assistant Scoutmaster.
Navy: Eric finished twenty years of service in the Navy (the past fifteen in the reserves). He basically retired this year at the rank of Commander. Eric's looking forward to more time to dedicate to other priorities. Eric received his third award of the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. He also received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Good recent movies seen: Before Sunset.
Good books read: This year Eric read (I read a few of these to our children -- the rest were read in my car via "books on tape/CD"): Kidnapped (Stevenson), The Wizard of Oz (Baum), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain), Five Children and IT (Nesbitt), Life on the Mississippi (Twain), The Giver (Lowry), Animal Farm (Orwell), Around the World in 80 Days (Verne), Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury), The Diaries of Adam and Eve (Twain), Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky), Great Expectations (Dickens), The Fourth Hand (Irving), The DaVinci Code (Brown), What do You Care What Other People Think? (Feynman), Deception Point (Brown), Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track (Feynman), Until I Find You (Irving), Fischer Black and the Revolutionary Idea of Finance (Mehrling), The Teeth of the Tiger (Clancy).
Eric enjoyed the opportunity to play with a piglet at a fair this year — much squealing!
For the first time in about 35 years, Eric tasted some roasted chestnuts. They smelled somewhat like ham and were quite delicious.
We got cell phones for the first time (and use them once or twice a week or so). When you need one, it is awfully convenient!

Smile & Be Happy!

Eric & Melissa Haas

Eric's personal Home Page
Eric's Christmas Card Page

To send Eric an E-Mail, click here.

This page last updated 02/03/07