My mother was an Australian war bride and my father was a US serviceman stationed in Australia during WWII. At birth I became an American citizen through my father and an Australian citizen through my mother. My mother and I came to America when I was a baby. I was raised in the United States and didn’t return to Australia so I never thought that I might still have dual citizenship but I do. I can even get an Australian passport if I want to jump through those bureaucratic hurdles.
Does this change anything in my life? No, not really, but it feels very satisfying to reaffirm that part of my identity.
HEATHSMITH NEWS
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2011 School Photos!
Ellery
Grade 1Heath
KindergartenSydney
Preschool
December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas from Stephany and Dennis!
No newsletter this year but we send our best wishes for the holiday season
December 20, 2011
Merry Christmas from Devon and Jeremy, Heath, Brooks and Sasha
November 20, 2011
Heath wins silver at his first Dive Competition!
In Devon's words: "Heath had his first dive meet today. He had a great time! He got a silver medal that he has been wearing all day. He worked and trained so hard and we are very proud of him! And his Ami flew all the way out here from RI to watch his meet... thanks Ami! Way to go Heath!!!"
November 15, 2011
Sasha Starts Preschool at Beals Elementary!
November 5, 2011
Ellery is Seven!
October 28, 2011
Sasha Gets Helper Legs at Shriners Hospital
For more details about Sasha's exciting visit to Shriners
see Devon's blog post on One Stitch at a Time
October 19, 2011
Sasha is Three!
October 21, 2011
Stephany ends up in ER with a severe kidney infection and dehydration!
October 13, 2011
OH NO! Brooks breaks his clavicle!
He was playing around and fell of the couch. Poor Brooks Woodrow!
Prognosis is good and at his age it should be a speedy recovery.
September 22, 2011 - October 1, 2011
Stephany flies to Omaha to visit the Toomeys and celebrate Brooks' third birthday!
September 23, 2011
Brooks is Three!
September 19, 2011
Brooks Starts Playschool at Lifetime Fitness!
September 6, 2011
Ellery and Sydney Head Back To School!
Ellery starts first grade at River Grove Elementary
Sydney returns for her last year of preschool at Village Montessori
September 6, 2011 - September 19, 2011
Stephany loves those Redwoods!
Dennis and Stephany make a circle down the Oregon coast to the beautiful Redwoods in Northern California, over to Vacaville to replace an RV shade, across to Reno to donate money and then home.
September 1, 2011
Another Soccer Generation Begins!
Go Ellery!
Ellery begins her first season of soccer. Here is a team photo from 1981 with her Aunt Devon and Aunt Joanna when Devon was also six and playing soccer for her first season. The second team photo is also from 1981 and shows her Dad Aden and Uncle Colin and Uncle Josh with their coach, her Grandpa Dennis Heath!
August 29, 2011
Oregon State Fair
This year Aden and Dennis were working so Kim met Stephany at the fair with the girls. Along with the usual visits to the animals and rides and fair food the girls got awesome face paintings. After that we rode the tram to the end of the fairgrounds and looked for pig judging for Ellery and Kim (Kim used to show 4-H pigs when she was a girl which probably explains some of Ellery's fascination with the event). No luck there but we did watch some horse events so the girls were happy.
August 26, 2011
Four Parks Day
This was a fun day with Ellery and Sydney. Dennis was working but Stephany and the girls had a four park day adventure. First we took Max and Zoey to the dog park; then we went to the new Johnston Park to check out their modern play equipment (consensus: old park play structures are more fun!); next we went to Wes Bennett park to play in the splash fountain and have lunch; the grand finale was the Riverfront Park Splash Fountain.
August 25, 2011
Enchanted Forest
Ellery and Sydney really wanted to go the Enchanted Forest again this year. The girls had a great exploring all the exhibits and rides and Dennis and Stephany definitely enjoyed the shade of all the trees!
August 23, 2011
Heath Starts Kindergarten!
He will be attending Mt. Calvary Lutheran School in Omaha. In an effort to boost enrollment, the school offered free tuition — a $3,130 value — to new students who enroll in kindergarten through seventh grade for the 2011-12 school year. What a great deal although Heath would have thought it was great to be going to kindergarten no matter what the cost!
August 15, 2011 - August 18, 2011
South Beach State Park
We got luck with the weather and had a sunny, warm camping adventure here this year. Well, except maybe when Dennis got pooped on by a sea gull! Sydney was a trooper with her little bike and training wheels on a long bike ride through the park trails and then down the jetty to the pier. We're looking forward to next year when she will be on a bigger bike and have the training wheels off. Then we can really bike!
August 8, 2011 - August 11, 2011
Fort Stevens State Park
Camping at Fort Stevens State Park this year was a lot of fun. The weather was warm and we had time to explore the park thoroughly. Stephany didn't even get everybody lost on the bike rides this year!
July 29, 2011 - August6, 2011
The Toomeys Revisit The Tetons!
Devon and Jeremy and the boys along with Jeremy's parents, Dennis and Lorilee, go back to the Jackson Hole area for vacation again this year. Their good friends, Bill and Vern, and their two boys also shared the vacation. For more details and pictures of the trip see Devon's blog entry at http://onestitchatatimetoomey.blogspot.com/2011/08/jackson-hole-trip.html
July 26, 2011
GOOD-BYE 503-585-4718!After many years we are getting rid of our land line. We really don't need it anymore when we both have cell phones. You can find our cell phone numbers in the address book.
July 13, 2011 - July 19, 2011
Dennis flies to Omaha to visit the Toomeys!
Omaha was under a excessive heat warning with daytime temperatures in the high 90's and nighttime temperatures in the high 70's. Those temperatures coupled with the high humidity brought the heat index up above 105 degrees! Devon had several events she and the boys were going to take Dennis to but they were cancelled due to the weather and in one case the flooded Missouri and a bumper crop of giant mosquitoes. This trip everyone just took it easy and tried to stay cool.
July 22, 2011
Colin plays a solo on his guitar for friends Marc and Juli's weddingNice job, Colin!
Eric Linauer
January 12, 1977 - July 10, 2011
July 8, 2011
Marion County Fair
This year Dennis had to work so Stephany took Ellery and Sydney to the fair. We all had fun doing our favorite things like the petting zoo, seeing the cows, goats, pigs and horses, checking out the exhibits, going on the rides and eating fair food. This year it was especially fun because the weather was in the high 70's and perfect for going to the fair!
June 21, 2011 - June 24, 2011
Honeyman State Park
As well as the usual camping activities of swimming, dune climbing, playing on the playground, campfires and smores, Ellery and Sydney had fun meeting new friends and learning to kayak on this trip.
June 15, 2011
Ellery Graduates from Lake Grove Elementary Kindergarten!
June 12, 2011 - June 15, 2001
Camping at William M Tugman State Park
Dennis and Stephany kayak on Eel lake and then spend time exploring the area including the beautiful rhododendrons at Shore Acres State Park, the towns of Coos Bay, Charlton and Bandon and several windy beaches!
June 6, 2011
Heath Is Five!
A great birthday party with an awesome dinosaur cake by Mom and hot weather for a fun outdoor water party!
June 2, 2011 - June 8, 2011
Stephany flies to Omaha to visit the Toomeys and celebrate Heath's 5th birthday!
A great visit with trips to the Children's Museum's Dinosaur Exhibit and the Omaha Zoo as well as a fun birthday party for Heath. Mt Hood was a beautiful welcome beacon on my return flight.
May 25, 2011
Sydney Is Four!
The party and the presents were great but it looks like next year she won't choose purple cupcakes instead of cake!
Alan Libin Has Open Heart Surgery!
May 22, 2011
Alan has been discharged home today.May 14, 2011
Alan went into Providence Hospital on May 13 for routine surgery to have a defibrillator put in. Later that night his blood pressure plummeted and they had to drain blood out of his heart. It continued to bleed and the next day they did emergency open heart surgery to mend the hole that had been made in his heart when they put the defibrillator in. As of May 20 he is still in the hospital recovering from this medical error.
April 15 2011
Sasha get his new wheelchair!
The whole family drives up to Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis for the occasion. In Devon's words,
"Sasha
April 11 2011
Welcome Annaliese Selah Linauer!
Annaliese joins brother Hezekiah and parents Eric and Emily Anderson Linauer
April 7 2011
George Grabenhorst has a new job
After eight years with Rushing Real Estate George is moving to Re/Max Equity Group Inc. to be their Principal Broker/ Branch Manager.
George is Stephany's brother.
March 31, 2011
Another Family Win!
Devon and Jeremy win $100 in a drawing at a medical auxiliary HOA dinner!
March 21 - March 24, 2011
Spring Break Camping at South Beach
Taking advantage of a break in the rain we took our granddaughters Ellery and Sydney camping at South Beach State Park during Spring Break.
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As usual a good time was had by all - including our dogs Max and Zoey!
March 13, 2011
February 11, 2011
Rollie Heath Inducted Into American Cribbage Congress Hall of Fame!
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| Rollie and supporters at the ACC Tournament of Champions on February 11, 2011 | ||||
The Cribbage Hall of Fame is comprised of people who have made important contributions to the game of cribbage. According to the March 2011 Cribbage World magazine,
"The election of Rollie Heath (Keizer OR) to the ACC’s Hall of Fame was announced at the BOD meeting in Reno. An accomplished cribbage player, Rollie easily met all the mandatory and optional requirements for election. Among Rollie’s cribbage achievements are the following: Life Master (´) rating with 12,735 lifetime MRPs and seventeen tournament wins, including the 2007 JPW/ACC Open; Silver Award in Grass Roots play with 2,929 GRPs; ten internet tournament victories with 1,071 IRPs; director of many weekend tournaments since 1990, including Grand National 24 in Lincoln City OR; certified ACC judge; past member of the BOD; and much more.
Rollie is an especially soft touch for sponsorships, always buying a handful of raffle tickets and donating items for “24-hand tables.” He volunteers whenever possible and currently hosts a weekly Grass Roots club. He was a high school teacher for thirty-one years and at one time was scouted by Major League baseball for his pitching prowess.
Rollie will be inducted into the HOF at the awards banquet held in conjunction with Grand National 30, on October 1, 2011."
Way to go, Rollie!
February 5, 2111 - February
12, 2011
Stephany flies to Omaha to visit the
Toomey's
...and returns to a great welcome home!
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February 6, 2011
Homeownership still a major part of American Dream
Homeownership still a major part of American Dream
A article from the Statesman Journal written by Stephany's brother, George Grabenhorst
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