2000 Christmas letter from the Peck family
December 25, 2000

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Let it be proclaimed throughout the land “It’s time to share love with family and friends once again.” As Christmas draws near, we spread our cheer with our Christmas cards and letters. Be sure to view our photos on-line. And don’t dare miss the lengthy thesis about Randy on the back of this scroll.

Julia made some adjustments this year with Randy changing careers. Perhaps, her most notable achievement has been getting involved with graphic and web site design. She has joined the National Photoshop Users Group. She still functions as a good full-time mom, but manages to fit her career and fitness workouts around that. In early 2000, Julia worked full-time as a ski instructor at a local resort. She plans to return to that part-time this upcoming Winter. She continues to teach Martial Arts to children.

Julia continues to cross train and this year she competed in two half-Ironman triathlons (swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles, and run 13.1 miles). She ran a marathon in November, eclipsing her previous best time by more than 15 minutes. She organized multiple running events for a local running club (www.culpeper-roadrunners.com).

Caren is 15 and has become a beautiful young lady. She’s doing well in tenth grade. Caren was confirmed in the Catholic Church in the Spring. She won a cash award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars for an outstanding essay she wrote about freedom. She’s been driving for 7 months with a learner’s permit. She played soccer in the Spring with the JV team, leading that team to its best record ever. In the Fall, Caren played tennis for the varsity high school team and soccer for a travel team. She recently began soccer in an indoor league for the Winter. Caren enjoys hanging out with friends, going to parties and school sporting events, and chatting on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). She is doing volunteer work to complete her requirements for the bronze medal with the Congressional Award program.

Robbie is 13. He’s in eighth grade and doing well. This year Robbie was invited to speak twice in front of large groups to share his job-shadowing experience. The first occasion was an important meeting for Career Partners, Inc. The second occasion was the annual Culpeper Chamber banquet in front of about 300 adults. Robbie finished his second year of Junior Cotillion in the Spring. He played soccer in the Spring and Fall on a travel team. He began a new basketball season recently. No street hockey this year. Robbie enjoys hanging out with his friends, using the Internet (playing Everquest and using AIM), playing paintball, and riding his dirt bike (motorcycle).

Our golden retriever, Ginger, is now 6 years old. “Well fed”, but losing weight on a strict diet, per vet orders. She’s a great companion and a good watch dog (if you don’t know she doesn’t bite).

Some highlights of 2000 included a two week trip to Italy for Julia and Randy in May, a June beach vacation in North Carolina for the family and two friends, and a first-time trip to Mexico for Randy and Robbie in November. Plans for 2001 include a family ski trip to Colorado or Utah, a trip to France for Julia and Caren in early summer, a family cruise in mid summer, and a family beach vacation in late summer.

We hope that your Christmas season is filled with love and joy.
By sharing that joy with others less fortunate, you will be rewarded many fold.
Give us a jingle or send us an email to let us know how you are doing.

Love, 

Randy, Julia, Caren, & Robbie Peck

Randy's Thesis for 2000

Last year (1999) as I prepared to send out more than 350 Christmas cards and letters, Julia asked me if I felt the Christmas season was consuming me more and more each year, possibly because that is how she felt. I told her “No”; that I look forward to saying thank you to family and friends for being a part of my life. I look forward to receiving special Christmas cards and letters from people who take the time to share their experiences. You are not just someone on a list; you are someone who has made a positive difference in our lives. Thank you for caring about us.

2000 was another wonderful year for me, not because every day was perfect or what I wanted it to be, but because I now realize that every day I begin a new life and I have a choice to live that day as if it is my last. And after all, how many people in history have had the opportunity to welcome in a new millennium. I am grateful for every family member and every friend who touched me favorably in my life.

The most significant event for me this year was deepening of my faith. Ever since I was a boy, God has been the highest priority in my life, or at least I wanted that to be the case. I have relied on God for guidance and that has made a tremendous difference in my life. This year I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read more, to learn more, and to share more about God with others.

Mark Jarvis, a pastor I first met in June 2000, has taken a personal interest in helping me in various ways. Recently, he told me a person can share his faith by asking another person two questions. First, “What is your religion?” And second, “What are trusting to get you into the Kingdom of God (heaven)?” Intriguing! I have added a third question: “If you truly love God and God is a priority in your life, isn’t it reasonable to go to church at least once a week to give thanks and share your love with others?”

In 2000, I did some work as an anesthesiologist, but very part-time. I did six weeks of anesthesia as a sub from late June until September. My goal for 2001 is to keep my foot in the door by doing about one week of anesthesia every month, perhaps three weeks every three months. Soon, I hope to be giving anesthesia part-time for the sole joy of helping others, not because of what I get paid. Ultimately, I would like to share my skills as an anesthesiologist by training other people in third world countries to administer anesthesia.

My main occupation now is professional web design and marketing. Someone I work with at an Internet company told me that an Internet expert is someone who has been working with the Internet for at least a year. Well, my one year anniversary has just come. A few weeks ago, I took the plunge and reserved my own dedicated server with a nearby hosting company which has become a business partner. Now my company can personally host web sites it develops. I am particularly proud of two Internet achievements this year. First was the development of a personal and family web site (www.randypeck.com). The second was the recent launching of “Information for Virginia” (www.info4va.com), a directory of community web sites for Virginia, each with a common look and feel.

For recreation, I still like to bike and run. I make time to read a lot. I spend more time with the kids than I used to. Each Sunday morning, I spend 1-2 hours reviewing my written goals for the week, the month, the year, and my life. I think about whether my actions in the past week have been consistent with my goals. While I don’t always adhere to my goals, I continue to strive hard for them. One of my main goals for 2001 is to substantially improve communication and effectiveness for my extended family, primarily through the use of the Internet (e.g. quarterly family newsletters, development of more family web sites, and email).

Love,

Randy