Christmas Greetings 2013!
We enjoy receiving annual update
letters this time of year so we decided to give it a try ourselves.
Please do not expect any Pulitzer-prized
documentary but hopefully you will enjoy our ramblings which are presented not
in any particular order.
The Tracey Family enjoys its
annual tradition of gathering-of-the-troops for a family reunion and in doing
such we hold these gala events across the country in an effort to visit sights
where a family member lives. As spread-out as we are, our annual treks have
taken us (at least once) to
Toledo,
OH;
Sacramento,
CA;
Colorado Springs,
CO; Disney World,
Ft. Lauderdale,
FL; and
San
Antonio, TX.
This year (2013) however, we deviated from
this tradition slightly so we could attend Mom Tracey’s 90
th
Birthday / Family Reunion, in
Connecticut.
The “family reunion” in this instance was all
seven of MomT’s children and as many of her relatives/grandchildren/friends
that could attend. Some traveled as far away as
Point Lay, Alaska,
(look it up on a map, you will be impressed), and as near as already there
(zero travel). In addition to MomT celebrating 90 years, what was super-special
about this event was that this was the first time in too-many decades that all
of the seven siblings (Traceski Tribe) were in the same place at the same time
– and we did not kill one another (ha)!
We hope that you enjoy this photo of what the seven of us looked like
approximately 60 years ago.
We thought
that this was a better picture than one showing what we all look like today -
oldie but goodie vs. old but not as good!
Another significant
event this year was MSgt Sandra K. Mitchell’s retirement from the USAF as a
Signals Intelligence Analyst Training Manager for the Air Force Intelligence,
Surveillance, Reconnaissance Agency at Lackland AFB, TX, (whew). After 21.5
years her chance to stay at home with her four kids finally arrived - this made
us very excited for Sandy and her family.
Sandy
offered us the opportunity to participate in her retirement ceremony and she
asked if I would wear my “old” USAF uniform. I told her that I didn’t have my
old uniform; therefore I was not going to wear one to her retirement. Having
said that, Patty and I felt like kids as we secretly drove to Travis AFB to be
fitted in a new uniform for me. On the morning of her retirement, we had great
pleasure surprising
Sandy
with me in full uniform!
Unfortunately life is not always
kind or predictable. The Bible tells us
that in our lives we will have tribulations: “These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.” (John 16:33) For Patty and I this was our first
year without her mom (Doris) and also without a great friend and Air Force
buddy, Mike Weibel. Doris
lived to the ripe age of 94 years, which is a grand feat itself. Mike, however, left this world way too soon,
way too young and he, like Doris, left voids
in our lives. Both of their memories remain
with us and are part of our daily being!
Many of you know that Patty and I
moved to Sacramento
over seven years ago to care for her mom after her dad passed away. Now,
following the passing of Doris, we are planning to move back to Florida early next year
(2014). God willing, our new residence will be in the Villages, FL, sometimes
referred to as “Disneyland for Adults”, and any
of you that follow Patty’s Facebook postings know all you need to know about “The
Villages”. We have a few obstacles to overcome in the meantime so stay tuned
for further updates!
OK, that’s enough for now and we
hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting it all
together. We’ll leave you with our Red
Sox self-portrait in recognition of the BOSOX winning the 2013 World Series.
In closing we wish you a
Merry Christmas
and a happy, healthy 2014!
The Tracey Family enjoys its
annual tradition of gathering-of-the-troops for a family reunion and in doing
such we hold these gala events across the country in an effort to visit sights
where a family member lives. As spread-out as we are, our annual treks have
taken us (at least once) to 
Another significant
event this year was MSgt Sandra K. Mitchell’s retirement from the USAF as a
Signals Intelligence Analyst Training Manager for the Air Force Intelligence,
Surveillance, Reconnaissance Agency at Lackland AFB, TX, (whew). After 21.5
years her chance to stay at home with her four kids finally arrived - this made
us very excited for Sandy and her family. 
