Sunday, November 26, 2006

Winter Family Quiz Draft

Winter Family Quiz December 2006
For this issue of the Winter Family Christmas Letter, we decided to do something different. This year’s version is a quiz. See how much you know (or can guess) about what happened with us this year!

1. Kim and Gerry logged many miles this fall by
A.) Joining the traveling circus; B.) Going on a romantic getaway; C.) Driving the band carpool twice daily; D.) Didn’t drive at all (the truck does not have over 100,000 miles!)
Answer? C. We got to take Kelsey & Holly plus two of their friends to morning and afternoon practice plus to and from the games. Somehow the carpool didn’t seem very equal.
2. Tim began karate lessons in January, and he has earned what color belt?
A.) Yellow; B.) Purple; C.) Black; D.) Orange
Answer? B. Tim earned his purple belt on December 2. We are also impressed with his incredible physical shape – he even has a six pack!!
3. Gerry met Kelsey’s new boyfriend when
A.) His students’ announced that Steven didn’t want to flirt with anyone but Mr. Winter’s daughter; B.) In the principal’s office; C.) On their first date; D.) In his nightmares
Answer? Believe it or not, A. Yes, poor Steven is in Gerry’s chemistry class.
4. In a surprise move,
A.) Gerry started liking onions; B.) Kim stopped spending money on stamps and scrapbook paper; C.) Kelsey and Holly learned to share; D.) Tim didn’t break anything
Answer? Trick question! You know none of that could be true! None of these things happened, and don’t expect them to happen next year either.
5. Which of the following themes was discarded for this year’s letter?
A.) Reusing the dog-writes-letter idea; B.) Reusing the form letter idea; C.) Reusing the newspaper idea; D.) No Christmas letter this year
Answer? All but the last one. Skip our Christmas letter? Not a chance. We even delude ourselves into thinking people like reading this stuff as much as we enjoy writing it. We almost did C but couldn’t find the right format and thought it was too boring. Sadly for everyone else, we came up with this quiz idea though. Sorry! Any suggestions for next year? How about write it in pig Latin? At-whay o-day ou-yay ink-thay? Maybe not.
6. The whole family is very proud of Gerry this year for
A.) he discovered his own element; B.) he graduated with honors with his Masters of Education in Science; C.) learned how to grow more hair; D.) ran a marathon
Answer? B! Gerry actually finished his program at Our Lady of the Lake University in August of this year but will walk the stage on December 16, 2006.
7. During the next year, Kim is
A.) going to stop talking; B.) learn to spend less; C.) plan a prom; D.) pursue a masters degree specializing in teaching Autistic students.
Answer? Actually C and D. She is one of the sponsors of the Class of 2008 (Kelsey’s graduating class) and is planning prom for about 1,000 students. She also has been accepted to Our Lady of the Lake University and will start school in January (the same week that she celebrates her 38th birthday!). She is in a grant program and plans on transferring to a middle or elementary school after Kelsey graduates.
8. The Winter Family zoo includes
A.) 3 cats, 2 dogs, 2 ferrets; B.) 2 dogs, a rabbit & pig; C.) Animals? Who has time with this many kids? D.) none.
Answer? A. We did lose one of our dogs this year; Sharla passed away in early November. We did get another dog so that Bonkers would stop being depressed. The new dog, Taffy, is about 6 years old and a yellow lab. Bonkers is now acting much younger than his 12 years.
9. Tim plans to become famous by
A.) replacing Jet Li in karate movies; B.) finding the cure for baldness; C.) seeing how crazy he can drive his parents crazy with refusing to cut his hair; D.) filming a skateboarding montage and posting on youtube.com.
Answer? While C is a really good choice, the answer is D. Montage was actually his word when he was describing his project. What are they teaching kids in school?
10. Holly’s future plans include
A.) attending the Air Force Academy and then joining the FBI; B.) join the circus; C.) play bass in a rock band; D.) get a job with Apple so she can get a really cool Ipod
Answer? A. Kim isn’t really thrilled with the idea, but is trying to come to terms with the idea of Holly joining the military.
11. Kelsey’s career plans include
A.) graduating in 2008 from high school; B.) writing a novel; C.) joining the foreign legion; D.) cosmetology school
Answer? A, we hope. She doesn’t have many plans for the future, and will probably go to junior college for a bit to figure it out. She did think about D for a bit, until we explained that she would be cutting hair. She also toyed with the idea of the secret service, but was concerned that it wasn’t very secret with them attending the school’s job and career fair.

How did you do? Get them all right? Did you need a lifeline? 50-50? Ask the audience? Why not just phone a friend?
We love you all and hope this letter finds you happy and healthy!
Love,