December 2018

NOTE:  you can click photos to enlarge them.  Wow!

To our family and friends,

We hope this letter finds you and your family happy, healthy and enjoying the holiday season! Continuing the Neader tradition, here is the 2018 Year in Review.

A major highlight this year was our five week trip to Europe. We were able to meet Ashlyn’s and Cameron’s host families in Austria and Turkey, and see the areas that they lived in, during their recent year-long student exchanges. We also spent time exploring parts of England, Wales and Greece. It was an amazing experience, with so many wonderful memories.

Sadly, in November, Laurie’s mom passed away (obit here). She was an amazing woman who could do anything she set her mind to. It’s been a tough year and a half, with losing 3 of our parents, but it helps to know that they all lived long, fulfulling lives.

In December, we added a new member to our family, Lucía Cabañas. Lucía is 16 years old and is from Spain. She is here via the Rotary Youth Exchange program and will live with us for about 3.5 months. We will also be hosting another student, from Ecuador, next Spring.

Now for a little summary about what each of us is up to:

Cameron turned 21 years old this year! After our family trip to Europe this summer, when the rest of the family headed back to Wisconsin, he stayed in Europe for another 6 weeks. First, he flew to Denmark to see some of his Danish friends and host families.  Then he flew to Madrid, Spain, where he met up with a friend from La Crosse and they rented an apartment for a month in central Madrid. He also spent some time in Morocco and Paris, France, before returning home. Cameron is currently a Junior at UW-La Crosse, with a goal to graduate with a major in Communications and minors in International Business and Economics. Cameron is still working at a local grocery store, Festival Foods, and has risen the ranks to ‘Customer Service Representative’. He is doing very well in school, and is successfully balancing school, work and the occasional night on the town. In any remaining free time, he still enjoys playing piano, composing songs and singing.

Ashlyn is officially an adult, turning 18 years old this year. She graduated from Central High School in May with a 4.0 GPA. Instead of going right to college, Ashlyn decided to reapply through the Rotary Club to go on another year-long international student exchange. She was accepted, and was assigned to the city of Surat, in Gujarat, India. Ashlyn is really enjoying the people, food and culture so far. She will return home around June 2019, then she plans to attend UW-La Crosse, to pursue a teaching degree. Ashlyn has a blog for her exchange experiences, at https://ashlyn.neader.com/.

Macy is 15 years old and is a Sophomore at Central High School. Macy applied to go on a year-long student exchange through Rotary, and was accepted! She will find out her country assignment in early 2019, and will leave for her country sometime in July/August. Macy continues to be involved in all things band, including Marching Band, Show Choir Band, Jazz Band and Concert Band. As a percussionist, she plays many instruments, but her favorite is the marimba. She enjoys participating in Honor Band and Solo/Ensemble events, too, when possible.

Scott and Laurie continue to stay very busy; Scott, with his QTH.com web hosting business, and Laurie, managing the Neader house. In August, Scott helped organize, then attended, his 35 year high school reunion. He also was involved in a web hosting focus group in Houston, Texas. Also in August, Laurie and Scott celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary, with Scott surprising Laurie with a limo ride, fancy dinner and a stay at a bed & breakfast located in a historic ‘castle’ home in La Crosse. Scott and Laurie still enjoy visiting regional wineries, although not many new ones were discovered this year, with the year being so busy. Scott still participates in his ham radio hobby, and was happy to complete several antenna repair projects this fall. Laurie continues to be an avid book reader, especially enjoying audio books while driving and working around the house. She is also very glad to be done with student exchange paperwork for a while.

Well, that’s the 2018 year-in-review. Until next year… Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Scott, Laurie, Cameron, Ashlyn & Macy Neader