| My
husband, Gary, daughter, Haley and I moved to Central Florida in
May 2000, not long after the death of my beloved father. It
was was not an easy transition for any of us but nearly eight
years later we are loving our new home and our new lives. Still,
there are days of longing for our family members that are now so
far from reach.
Since Gary and I married, we've moved five times, each new home
taking us farther and farther from family. My siblings have
become "empty-nesters". Their children have graduated high
school, gotten married and now have children of their own.
We have never even met most of our great-nieces and -nephews.
They are growing up not knowing who we are.
It is the desire for familiarity and closeness that prompted me
to create the Spiker Family Gathering Place. Certainly there
are others like me that feel strongly about keeping those family
ties in tact, even if it must be from a great distance.
(continued at right) |
|
The annual Spiker
Family Reunion (held each Memorial Day Weekend) seemed to be the
perfect time to debut the website. With a LOT of help from
my mother and siblings, the idea became a reality. As the
site continues to grow larger, the distance I've felt from the
family continues to grow smaller.
As we welcome the new year, it seems fitting to reflect on the
past (Links to previous editions of the Spiker Gazette are shown
below.) while we anticipate the endless possibilities of growth
and change in our futures. As always, we would love to share
in the exciting and the mundane events in your life.
Submit your thoughts, stories,
photos and announcements. It's all news to us.
If you're like me, traveling home isn't always possible.
But we can remain closer to family by returning to our "home" at
the Spiker Family Gathering Place. |
Submitted by Mike Spiker -- I thought you might like to see what I
got for my birthday this year. This is my second year of going to New
Mexico and hunting the elusive big elk. This trip is a birthday present to
myself before I get too old to climb the mountains and valleys needed to
find a truly large elk. I harvested this 6 x 7 700-pounder on the
last day of a 5 day hunt. (
Submitted by Bobbi Spiker-Conley -- I don't make New Years
Resolutions. But there are tasks that I resolve to routinely perform
at this time of year....replacing the batteries in my smoke detectors,
reorganizing all my important documents in preparation for the dreaded tax
season, and defrosting my chest freezer.