2005

December 2005

Dear Friends and Family,

I know it has been a long time since anyone has heard from Darryn or me. Whenever I talk to my mother, she always asks what’s been going on and I say, “nothing much.” But truthfully, lots goes on – we just get wrapped up in daily life and don’t know or forget what to say and spend our time looking forward to what’s next. So, what’s been going on?

This spring we had the honor of celebrating Darryn’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary with a garden party in our back yard. Over thirty family and friends converged on Charlotte, and because many arrived in the Methodist Church van from Newberry, our neighbors wondered if we were having a revival meeting. We did feel the spirit, I think, of Carolyn and Rudy’s sense of family and quiet love for each other. My sister, Susie, gave birth to Benjamin Joseph Prenner in January and we have enjoyed having a child vicariously as Ben’s godparents. Now that she has a grandchild, Mom has stopped pestering me about it. As it is, Spot remains our only full-time, true child. We have almost as many pictures of him as Susie and Danny have of Ben, and he is almost as photogenic. Cats make up the other part of our family, though they are too independent to admit it. In true jellical cat fashion, a number of cats come and go as they please at our place. 2005 added a few to the brood, including Ellie, who was born a few days after we found her mother, Lowes (pronounced Low – es), wandering around outside our favorite home and garden store.

Since being named a national Outstanding Young Educator in 2003, I have been busy and overbooked, just the way I like it. I still love teaching eighth graders full-time at Piedmont Open Middle here in Charlotte, but I also travel on weekends and in the summer throughout North Carolina doing workshops for teachers. I’ve started writing some, consulting some, and presenting at big national conferences, including next year’s ASCD conference in Chicago. Earlier this year I put my art background to use and made a video about using art to improve reading comprehension, which is set to release nationally this coming spring. The professionalism of the video’s production team made me feel like a movie star for several days.

Darryn continues to impact on Charlotte’s cityscape with his most recent building, Central Piedmont Community College’s new bookstore, and is studying for the last two of the nine exams that will allow him to be fully registered. We find that, after over ten years in Charlotte, we are leaving our mark on the city – me through the students I have taught and Darryn though his buildings.

We hope 2006 brings you happiness in everything you do.

Love to all, Jen

Pictures from top to bottom
= On a trip back from the beach, we discovered the World’s Largest Frying Pan in Rose Hill, NC. As you can see, Spot was extremely pleased to have his picture taken it. = Darryn pours the champagne for his parents, Rudy and Carolyn Bouknight, at their 50th wedding anniversary party at our house in Charlotte. = Jen's sister, Susie, holds newly-arrived Ben in January 2005. = Ellie crawled in Jen’s cereal bowl right after she finished. = Darryn’s latest project, the CPCC Bookstore, is located at the corner of Elizabeth and Independence near Charlotte’s downtown area. = Spot is definitely not an outside dog, but every once in a while, he likes to roll in the grass out back.

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