It is with great disappointment that I will be missing the 30th reunion of the group. I don't have to write a note to let you all know how important my time with the "NG" was. I have done that to individuals as well as having articles printed in the past 2 M & R Gazzettes that were done in conjunction with past reunions. Instead I will catch you up on my life and my family.
In February of 1997 the Heller family relocated to the San Diego area and we just love living down here. Life is what you make of it and we thought everything was fine in the San Fernando Valley were we had lived since 1975 until we moved out. The quality of life is so much better one can't even imagine.
The reason for the move was that I had taken a sales job with a small software company and the offices are in Carlsbad, CA. but that is not the whole story. From 1990 thur mid 1997 I owned and operated a mail & parcel center in the west end of the San Fernando Valley. Although the store was independently owned it was much along the lines of a MailBox Etc type store. We used a software program in the business to calculate shipping cost among other features in the program.
Through attending seminars in the industry as well as trade shows and conventions I became freinds with the owner of the company that produced the software. He approched me with the idea of being a salesperson for the company. In Oct of the same year I took a part time position and went full time with the company in Feb of '98. At that time my territory was everything west of the Mississippi. I did a bit of traveling but not the extensive schedule I do now that is precluding me from attending this reunion (I will be in Atlanta this weekend).
I guess I do my job well for in Aug of '97 my territory was expanded the included the whole nation and my immediate boss was in charge of large chain accounts. At the end of June of this year Jack, my boss was let go and I am the only person doing sales for the company. Gee, I love my job. I wonder how many of you can say that. I would hope the number is large, but based on national statistics I am not sure.
Dale and I will be celebrating or 24th wedding anniversary in Feb. and life is getting better daily. The kids are older now and we find ourselves with a lot more free time to do with each other.
Dale slipped into life here in San Diego very easily as 3 weeks after we moved and tried to settle in she got a job at a law office in La Jolla. Her office is one block from the beach. Nice work if you can get it. She loves her work and her job so that made the transition very easy.
The two of us are very excited about some of the new activities we have gotten ourselves involved with and as you can guess it definately involves performing. Although we have been square dancers on and off for many years, when we moved down to San Diego we once again started dancing in an effort to meet new friends. We happened upon a very nice group of people and then were invited to join a specific dance troop called the Heritage Dancers (look up our group on the web, http://www.heritagedance.com
The Heritage Dancers is a group of dancers who have traced the roots of square dancing all the way back to colonial times. We perform the dances in the time period for that particular dance and in authentic costuming. Dale is busy sewing away all the time to make our costumes. If you visit the web site you will see what I speak of. We have been with the the group for a year and performed at a number of Jamboree's, Street Fairs and State Conventions. The 3rd weekend in October we will be traveling to Yuba City, CA for another state convention and the really exciting news is that in June of '99 we have been invited to perform in Austria at the Performing Arts Festival. Needless to say we are all a buzz about traveling abroad.
We are almost done, just hang in there for it is hard to summerize 30 years. Among other things we both have done, Dale has and currently does sing with Sweet Adalines and I kept my hat in the ring in terms of performing while owning a mobil DJ company for 12 years as well as having a Sunday night show on KOLA radio for a short time. KOLA had an oldies format and broadcasted from the Redlands and covered the entire Inland Empire, parts of San Diego and could be heard in the San Fernando Valley.
Cheryl (18) our older daughter is currently attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in San Diego and loves it. She is majoring in Visual Presentation which encompasses window displays and in-store display layout. She will most likely attend the San Francisco campus her second year.
Melissa (16) is a junior and Rancho Bernardo High School. She just got her drivers license and purchased her first (used) car. We all remember those days. Don't have to say much about her, for if any of you have teen age girls you know what is happening in Melissa's life.
So that is it...I truely wish I could be with all of you for this wonderful event. Althought I will be in Atlanta I will certainly have my thoughts towards all of you hugging, talking, laughing and singing as you get together on the 30th anniversary. I sure hope that there will be a video available to borrow, rent or buy as it would be so much fun to review it. I am sure there will be pleanty of cameras and I hope those pictures will be shared on the NG web site.
Thanks to all of those on the committee for making this a reality. Thanks to all of you who have written or emailed as it has stirred many a happy feeling in my heart. With much love and admoration for all of you.
Love,
Henry