Christmas 1980
Our Dearest Family and Friends,
Well, we made it to Ritzville and are settling in just fine! Patrick Sr. is enjoying his new position at the plant, and we’ve met so many lovely couples in the area with children our age. Speaking of the children, we were initially worried they wouldn’t take the transition to the cold winters so well, but they adore the snow! Jeb and some of his school friends have taken up skiing, which has piqued the interest of all the children, and now they all want to traipse around like their big brother and wear his ski boots! They have all asked Santa Claus for a pair of downhill skis, though I’m still not sure the little ones are quite ready for such an adventurous sport! Jeb will be turning 11 this spring and is proving to be quite the man of the house when his father is at work. He loves caring for the animals and will occasionally help me with the younger children, though I’m sure he’d much rather be outside exploring.
Christopher just joined the Boy Scouts this past fall and is working on earning merit badges. He still follows Jeb everywhere like he did in Borger, only now he’s found some friends of his own and has gotten off his poor big brother’s back! Alan wants to join the boy scouts next year so he can be just like Christopher, so Christopher is starting to understand a little of what he’s been putting poor Jeb through following him around all these years! Patrick Jr. is still a sweetheart-always playing with the dogs and sneaking them scraps from the kitchen table. He’s just like his father with his love of animals. His favorite dog is Rufus, our sheep dog. The two of them are seemingly joined at the hip these days. Ever since Rufus realized that Patrick enjoyed playing in the mud as much as he did, they were fast friends!
The girls are doing well, also. They are running and talking and starting to get a bit more adventurous than they were in Borger. The other day I caught Ella outside in the yard in just her nightgown and slippers! There was snow falling and it must have been 20 degrees out, but there was Ella, scooping up snow with her hands! The girls’ third birthday is right around the corner, so here’s to hoping the “terrible twos” end on a soft note! I will say that even with two of them, two year old girls have been a lot easier to manage than any of the boys were! Whitney is the perfect little lady- always helping me with the laundry and having tea parties with her dolls. Ella, though not a total tomboy, would much prefer to open the drawers to all the dressers and snoop in everyone’s bedrooms!
I am enjoying life in the North as well. It was certainly hard leaving behind so many friends and family members, but surprisingly enough I really do love this place. We hope to be home for a short visit sometime this summer when the boys are out of school. Until then, your cards and letters bring me joy and help close the gap between us, and I cherish each of them, so please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year,
Patrick, Velma, Jeb, Christopher, Alan, Patrick Junior, Ella and Whitney Frink
Christmas 1984
Our Dearest Family and Friends,
The holiday season once again finds us missing you and Texas. The good news is that this year Patrick’s brother Eric and family will be traveling to Washington to see us. The children can’t wait to see their cousins and there isn’t a day that goes by they don’t ask me “when are Lawrence and Mikey coming to visit?”
1984 was good to us; Patrick received another promotion at the plant and is supervising 25 employees now. He even has his own secretary now, which saves me from having to take care of many of his errands for him. I’m also happy to report that all the children are finally in school full time, so I have the house to myself most days now. I can’t tell you how relaxing it is to be able to watch my soaps without having to stop because one of the girls got into something she wasn’t supposed to! Still I miss the children terribly during the day, but I’ve been going out more so I don’t get too lonely. Several of our neighbors’ wives stay home as well, and we’ve taken to getting together to play cards and just visit while the kids are at school.
Speaking of the children, they’re all thriving. I thought having two teenage boys in the house would be much more difficult than it has been, but so far, so good. Jeb is doing well with his studies and made the honor roll again. He is planning a run for class president after the New Year, and I think he has a great shot at winning! He’s definitely got his father’s charisma and leadership skills. Christopher is doing well in school also, though his hobby is sports. He was on the baseball team again this fall and is still pitching extremely well for his age. The varsity coaches have threatened more than a few times to steal him away from his team. This winter he is playing hockey on the school’s team as well, and is picking that sport up quite quickly. To think, it was only four short years ago that the only ice he’d ever seen was floating in his Pepsi!
Alan and Patrick Jr. are getting along quite well these days. They followed in Christopher’s footsteps and became boy scouts. They’re now in the same troop and sharing many of the same activities. Patrick and I are pleased at how well this has brought them together, because sharing a room before this could sometimes get very ugly! Both boys are good students, though Alan has been scolded by his teacher Mrs. Farnham for being the class clown. Same old Alan!
Whitney and Ella are enjoying first grade and both doing quite well. They are in separate classes again this year; I guess that’s par for the course with twins around here. It’s probably for the best, since when you put the two together they become very distracted. It’s also helped them to develop some new friendships, but they still are inseparable at lunch and recess. Whitney’s teacher, Mrs. Crowley, has nothing but complements to say about her. She says Whitney is her star pupil and quite the teacher’s helper- always offering to pass out papers and assist in any way she can. Ella on the other hand is still a bit of a troublemaker. She’s had to miss a recess or two to sit in time out, but she’s a good student, and someday all that curiosity will take her far!
Things on the farm are going great. In addition to the chickens, we now have two horses, five cows and a half dozen sheep. This spring we’ll be getting some goats, and Patrick wants to dig a duck pond out front, which the children can’t wait for. If I had a dollar for every time Patrick Jr. has asked me if the ground has thawed yet to start the digging, I’d be a rich woman!
Have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, New Year,
Patrick, Velma, Jeb, Christopher, Alan, Patrick Junior, Ella and Whitney Frink
Christmas 1989
Our Dearest Family and Friends,
We hope this letter finds you safe and well and gearing up for the holiday season! It’s been a big year here in Washington. Patrick Sr. is doing wonderfully at the plant and has even begun consulting with clients on the side for some extra money. This of course all goes towards Jeb’s college education. He is doing extremely well at Gonzaga, and having a great time out on his own. We all miss him, but we’re so proud of him. He graduates next year and is off to medical school to become an anesthesiologist. Can you even imagine? Our Jeb- a doctor!
Christopher started college at Central Washington University (CWU) this fall and is majoring in business. He’s not too far from Ritzville and has made it back on weekends to visit a few times, but he’s got a job on campus and a very sweet new girlfriend (Eliza) he’d prefer to spend his weekends with. Patrick and I know all about college sweethearts, so we completely understand his choices! Alan is now in his senior year in high school and hoping to attend college back in Texas with his cousin Mikey. He’s made honor roll again this semester, and is playing basketball for the varsity team. Patrick and I have made it to most of his home games so far and are extremely impressed with his skills!
Patrick Jr. has taken a shining to chemistry, just like his father. I think he may eventually end up at the plant alongside his dear old dad. The two of them are so similar its frightening sometimes. Even down to the food they eat. They both absolutely love the potato leek soup recipe that Janice sent me this summer (thanks, Janice!) and would rather be outside in the garden than watching television. Unfortunately, the garden is already nowhere to be seen underneath all that snow! We must have about three feet already!
The girls are doing well, too. Whitney has been taking ice skating lessons since first grade and continues to love the sport. Her next recital is in February and she’s been so busy practicing out on the pond I feel like I never see her. She’s quite talented, and it amazes me to see her do all those axles and twirls. I can barely stand on skates, and she can spin in the air and land seamlessly on the ice as if she’d just taken another step on the pavement! Ella is just as much of a wild child as ever, and like her brothers enjoys spending time with the animals on the farm. She has been taking equestrian lessons for several years now and placed in several local competitions. This summer she finally got her own horse, Lila, and the two are pretty much inseparable. The girls start middle school in the fall, so I’m starting to feel my age creep up on me!
We hope everyone is doing well this year and in good health. It was great to see Tom and Nancy this past Thanksgiving. They are doing well with their new ranch and are about to become first time grandparents in February. Everyone else in my family has been well, as has everyone in Patrick’s. We’ll be back to Borger this summer without a doubt, and can’t wait to see everyone then! It’s been too long!
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and love, peace and happiness, in the New Year,
Patrick, Velma, Jeb, Christopher, Alan, Patrick Junior, Ella and Whitney Frink
Christmas 1994
To Our Dearest Friends and Family,
Well, it’s that time of year again- time for the Frink family Christmas letter! We hope everyone had a wonderful 1994 and is ready for 1995. The past year has brought many changes for us as a family, and we have so much to tell you! First of all, Patrick has parted ways with the plant, branching out onto his own with his own fertilizer company, Frink Fertilizers. He is doing quite well for a first year business owner, though things slow down a bit in the winter when the growing season ends. We’re all optimistic that his 13 years with CF will benefit him in this new venture. He has quite a thick rolodex full of contacts from his side consulting, and has earned a reputation in the farming community as an honest and knowledgeable businessman. The only downside is that I don’t see him as much, but he assures me that things will be back to normal soon enough. Most nights its just me and the girls at dinner- provided they’re not at an extracurricular activity or out with friends.
Jeb is in his last year of medical school and plans to stay in Seattle once he graduates. He really loves the city and the people, and has met a lovely young lady named Rebecca, whom I hope is “the one”. She is also a medical school student and has a nice big family just like ours. Christopher is finished with college and back in Ritzville with his new bride Jennifer. He started working for his father at the fertilizer company this summer, and is quickly learning the ropes. Its good to have him local again, and he and Jennifer are looking to buy a house nearby sometime in the next year. Jennifer is a wonderful young lady and works as a medical assistant at a pediatricians office in Davenport.
Alan has finished studying construction and has started doing home inspections. He is living in Coeur D’Alene for now and is home every weekend for Sunday dinner. He shares an apartment with three high school friends and is having a great time being a bachelor. We’ll see how long that lasts! Patrick Jr. will be finished with college in about a year and plans to also come back home to work for his dad at the fertilizer company when he’s done. He’ll probably live with us again for a while if his sisters will have him. Right now I’m not too sure how well that would go over!
Ella and Whitney are now in their junior year of high school, and for twins they could not be more different. Whitney has been seeing the same young man, Jeremy for a year now, and they remind me of me and Patrick when we first met. I think they’ll end up marrying after graduation if things continue at present speed. They just seem really right for each other. As a mom I feel so blessed that all of my children have picked such wonderful partners. I wouldn’t change any of them if I could! Whitney is still skating despite her knee injury last year. Her coach says she’s recovered remarkably well, but she’s still not at 100%. I can tell it upsets her, but she’s been a real trooper about it. Ella has become very involved with the school and writes for the school paper. She hopes to make editor for her senior year, which is likely to happen, as all the kids at the paper look up to her and come to her with questions. She’s also been doing quite well with her French studies, and hopes to attend college at McGill in Montreal after graduation. I’d hate for her to move so far away, but I managed when Alan left, and Ella is a tough cookie. If any of my kids can make it in another country, it will be Ella!
I’ve been doing great as well. I have been substitute teaching at the local elementary school for six years now, and am enjoying that tremendously. It’s so much fun to be around small children again. I’m hoping my kids will start giving me some grandchildren sometime soon- though most of them have to get married still! I know Chris and Jennifer are looking to start a family soon, so cross your fingers! This giant house has gotten way too quiet in the past few years!
Missing you all and wishing you warmth, peace and happiness in the new year!
Merry Christmas,
Velma, Ella, Whitney & Patrick Frink