I hope 2005 treated you well and you found satisfaction and enjoyment in your lives.
The following is a recap of the many memories that the Lapchis family shared this past year.
Enjoy!
-Dennis Lapchis
The Lapchis Family 2005 Recap.
After a late night of wonderful celebration with the Fleck, Miller, and Rice families, I started the 2005 year off with a refreshing New Year's day polar bear jump into a freezing Lake Padden, in Bellingham. Yeehaw!
As we prepared to leave Bellingham, Benny proceeded to projectile vomit, showing the first signs of the flu that the girls and I would eventually catch. Needless to say, it was a fun 2 hour ride homeÂ… thanks Kolya.
A quick visit from the white stuff gave us a fun snow day in the front yard.
Alli, Ben, and I took a trip out to the 20 acres and visited Grandpa Doug on a nice, warm, February day. We hiked through the woods, threw rocks in the pond, checked out the newly grown grassy meadow, and had a nice afternoon.
In early March, Mother Nature delivered the little chicks that Santa had promised. The kids had a blast getting everything prepared for their arrival, and eventually visiting the feed store and picking them out... Lucy did her best not to eat them.
In April, while Louise worked a weekend NICU shift, the kids and I headed east of the mountains to spend some enjoyable time with the Jones family, and partake in the Yakima Valley Spring Barrel Tasting. Great wines, great people, crazy weather, and great times. Hopefully, Louise will be able to join us next time!
With the little chicks growing bigger every day, I had to get busy building their chicken palace. With Grandpa Doug supplying most of the recycled materials, and construction oversight, we managed to put together a pretty nice coop, that included an additional storage area and a nice outdoor run.
Grandma Helen, who lives in Orinda, California and is cruising the internet in her 80's, was looking for some tech help. With the aid of some great technology, she and I are now able to communicate live online... I'm able to view her desktop and help her troubleshoot any issues that come up. Hopefully we'll be able to share some real time in '06, in addition to the virtual visits!
After enduring eight years of washing our kids' cloth diapers, we celebrated Ben's potty training with a huge sigh of relief. Thanks Ben!
The family was blessed with a new addition on April 1st. Clint and Tia are the proud parents of the kids new cousin, Emelia Jane... welcome to the wild and wacky world little girl!
I started June off with two back-to-back-all-nighters at KrekowJennings, working to resolve an exchange server failure and simultaneous backup server failure. Ugh! Not enjoyable or fun at all, but poop happens!
Here's a beautiful sunrise on a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's place at Hood Canal in early July.
And some rowboat fun later in the day.
Louise and I bit the bullet and decided topursuee the remodel of our home in West Seattle.
Grandma Sherry and Grandpa Mel made several visits to enjoy the sunshine, check on the remodel progress, and do some catching up.
In the summer, we also took some time to explore the 53 acres of old growth forest at the end of our street. It's a magical place, that stays hidden and tucked away from even those living in West Seattle.
Fifteen minutes from downtown Seattle, it is one of the city's hidden treasures.
In August, the family headed down to Alki Beach for a candlelight vigil in support of the troops and against the war in Iraq.
As Rev. Martin Luther King once said about the Vietnam War, "A time comes when silence is betrayal" .
A beautiful sunset over Puget Sound on a ferry trip home from work in September.
Our good neighbors, Mark and Margaret, took Alli to Deception Pass for a fun day of hiking and beachcombing.
In late September, I hooked up with my gradeschool bros and headed to Whistler, B.C. for some hiking, mountain biking, card playing, and scotch drinking. It was a great trip... looking forward to the next one.
Ben had fun imitating mama getting ready for a night out, but went a little heavy on the mascara. Oops!
Abbi enjoyed playing another season of soccer... and I had fun in the role as "Coach Dennis" and reliving all those soccer memories of my childhood. 
Our family had a great time hanging out with the Schuehle family throughout the year (school, soccer, Halloween, etc.).
Ben had his first sleep over at Grandpa Doug and Grandma Jennie's...
...time for Mama and Papa to hit the town!
For five bucks a month, Yahoo Music was a super addition to this music lover's digital library.
2005 left me once again disgusted and in disbelief with the corruption of the American political system and the direction that this nation is heading. Let's hope that in 2006 we'll get back on track!
KrekowJennings continued to be a great place to earn a living.
Working with Matt Robinson has been a great experience... I couldn't ask for a better teammate!
Alli learned how to ride a bike, write her name, blow bubbles,
and pursue the adventures and joys of life.
Baby chicks became fine feathered friends.
Grandpa Doug continued to support the family with his weekly childcare visits... and insightful discussions. Thank you!
Gold continued its generational bull march upward, as many tried to make sense of it all.
Horse Camp was a great experience and confidence builder for Abbi...
...and she's glowing as she tackles the challenges of third grade.
The three kids enjoyed some water play time with more lessons at Mounger Pool.
After my hernia and vasectomy operations, I started biking to work.
The family was once again entertained by the live music and fun of Dan Zanes and Friends.
Louise learned first hand what it's like to be a project manager, as she successfully spearheaded ourremodelingg project! Great Job Louise! We're almost done!
Louise and I continue to share a relationship that grows stronger and more solid each year.
I will leave you with the following words to think about in 2006... and beyond.
Author:Gary Snyder
Respect the elders
Teach the young
Cooperate with the pack
Play when you can
Hunt when you must
Rest in between
Share your affections
Voice your feelings
Leave your mark
Until next time, I wish you all the best and hope our paths cross sometime in 2006!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
