April notes…

It was good to hear from Renee (F '93) O this morning. She and her husband live in Pella, Iowa. Renee is a stay-at-home mom, taking care of their son, Jacob Paul. who was born on February 17. As you can see in the photo, he is a happy four month old! It was good to hear from you, Renee.



In other news…

Another bit of great news from Kim (C '97) W whose husband just released a new CD. Kim is rightfully proud of her husband's success! Aaron's album was released the same day as George Straight's new album and outsold it during the first two days of release in the state of Texas!

Congratulations, Katie and Adam!

I just got home from another wonderful, God-honoring wedding of a couple who met and began dating while students at Tacoma Baptist. A big congratulations to Katie (S '05) and Adam ('06) G who were married tonight at Central Lutheran Church. Of the 12 members of the wedding party (including the bride and groom), 10 of them were TBS kids including Mike and Angie (H '95) G, Andy H ('03), Brian H (TBS junior), and Chris G ('98)! Adam's best man was Andy E from the class of '06. Katie's sister Candace ('02) was her maid of honor, and her cousin Dara (G '98) F was her matron of honor. Adam's brother, David, attended TBS, but graduated from Life Christian. There were too many alumni there to name them all. It was a great night and I want to wish the happy couple a wonderful life of serving the Lord together. I know that is their desire.

It's been a long, long time!

Sorry for the long delay in updating the news, but my other job responsibilities include teaching, and I'm afraid that has become the priority as first semester ended and two yearbook deadlines passed. Now I have a little bit of a breather before the next rush of tests, grades, and deadlines.

But I digress. I have heard from many alumni in the past couple of months and will try over the next few posts to catch you up on what's happening.

Congratulations to Ben P ('99), who was chosen by the Milgard School of Business at the UW-Tacoma as one of three 2008 Business Leaders of the Year. You can read a little about Ben and his partner, Marc R ('99) by clicking on the following link: http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/business/events/bla/current_honorees.cfm


Graduates Dawn (V '98) and Aaron ('98) M welcomed Lincoln Rodney M. into their family on March 5, 2008. He weighed in at 6 lbs 11 oz and is 20.5 inches long. Dawn and Aaron wrote, "We praise God for the blessing of Lincoln. Our prayer is for him to '...be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' (Joshua 1:9) Our Lord is so good and faithful!" Congratulations to all three of you!



In more recent happenings, it was fun to see Johanna (T '95)W who is a stay-at-home mom and sells Tastefully Simple products through home sales as a hobby/job. I got to touch base with her at a party hosted by Amy (V '95 ) R. Both Amy and Johanna have 6-year-old daughters and toddler boys. It was fun to get to see them as adults, but remember them as cheerleaders cheering on the Crusaders! Feel free to contact me if you would like to get in touch with Johanna. It's great to help our alumni in their business pursuits!



On March 8, the gym was filled with wonderful people and items up for bid at the annual auction. (The auction is always the second Saturday of March. Keep that in mind for 2009!) Of course, it's always great to see many alumni and parents of alumni who support the mission of TBS through their attendance and purchase of many auction items. It was a nice surprise to see Virginia L ('03) who graduated from Grove City College in Pennsylvania last spring. She is teaching English at Bethel High School and also coaches water polo at Stadium High School in Tacoma. It's always fun to see Virginia who seems to love what she is doing. Her sister Cecelia ('02) is working on a graduate degree in Florida, and brother Peter ('05) is a junior at Grove City.

Alumni updates

Among the alumni who sent Christmas wishes and news were Dawn (V '98)and Aaron ('98)M. They made the happy announcement that they will become first-time parents in the new year. Congratulations!



Just before Christmas, Kim (C '97)W and her husband, Aaron, welcomed baby Jack into their family. Jack joins older brother Jake.



Christmas greetings came from Tammy (F '92) S and her husband Russ. Looks like they enjoyed a little of Europe this past summer. Russ is a high school music teacher in the Spokane area, and Tammy is a stay-at-home mom who also gives private music lessons. Here they are shown with their one-year-old, Brianna Claire.

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to a new year! It's almost the end of the semester and half-way through the school year! We are back in the routine now and it is time for a much-delayed post.

I'm sure you can remember your school days when you actually had two weeks off at Christmas and spring and summer vacations, too. All too soon, the real world set in and you had to choose when to take your vacation time!

It was good to hear from several alumni at Christmas. Julie (M '90) P. and her husband, Scott, live in Federal Way with their son, Justin, who is almost 3. Julie and Scott are expecting a second child in June. Julie is involved in ministry at church and enjoys being a stay-at-home mom.



As the blog writer, I have the privilege of sharing a Christmas photo of my grandkids. Of course, all are the children of TBS alumni. Kaelyn and Cooper (children of Amy [V '95])R. share the spotlight with Philip and Levin (sons of Jason V. '92) while enjoying Christmas morning at Grandma's house!



I also had notes from Tara (G.'00) and Ryan B., Kimberly (C. '97) and Aaron W., Katie S. '95, Dawn (V. '98) and Aaron ('98) M., and Christina (A.'02)K. When I remember, I will bring the photos they sent to post here for you all to see! Thanks to all of them for keeping in touch.

Please feel free to send your comments and photos to ann.vangilder@southsoundchristian.org. or leave a comment here. I'd love to hear from you, too!

Congratulations, Mr. Galle

Congratulations to former TBS high school principal John Galle, who was named Sumner Chief of Police this week. You can check out the article announcing his appointment here. Congratulations, Mr. Galle!

Another happy family!

Erin (D '99) and Josh R are still living in Wilmington, NC. Their daughter, Dina will be two on November 29th and her little sister, Nicole is 8 months old. The family will be traveling to the Pacific Northwest for Christmas.

Thanks for your note, Erin!

Calling all '96 grads…

I got an email from Kara (H '96)V this morning. Kara and her husband live in the Tri-Cities and have two children. Ethan is 3 1/2 and Danaya will be a year old on December 6.




If you'd like to get in touch with Kara, email me and I will send you her email address.

It was good to hear from you, Kara!

Welcome, Jack!

I just checked in with Kim (C '97) W. She and her husband welcomed a second son to the family on November 5. Baby Jack weighed in at 6lb. 8oz. and was 19 1/4 inches long. Mom, Dad, and brother Jake are all doing well. Congratulations!

Do you remember tolo?

Do you remember helping to plan or attending the junior class-sponsored fall party? In years past, it was called tolo. More recently, it has been called EFKAT (Event Formerly Known as Tolo). Whether girls ask guys, guys ask girls or groups of kids come together, it is a night of fun, food and costumes. From the simple to the ornate, creativity abouts. The theme on Friday, November 2 was "Happy Holidays." Among the holidays represented were Veteran's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparent's Day, and, of course, Valentine's Day. In the photo below, Joelle I (daughter of former TBS Spanish teacher Connie I) and Clete J (brother of TBS grads Preston '05 and Rader '07) wait for their turn to head through the buffet line. The fundraiser was a great success!



What are your best memories of a TBS Tolo?