ALL AROUND LUFKIN
Janice Ann Rowe

We celebrated Mary Margaret Rowe Stevens' birthday on the Sunday before Christmas. Her birthday is December 26 but we were able to get the family together and had a fish fry for the celebration. Those attending were: Mary Margaret, Michael Stevens and his friend Ashley Hodges, Ernie and Barbara Rowe, Chad and Mandy Rowe, Justin Rowe and his friend Megan, Liz Cobb, Julie and Rocky Morris, Tamesha Jumper and Bill Vernon. A good time was had by all.

Milton Hickman called on Christmas Eve and surprised me with "Christmas Eve Gift!" His mother, Rennie Mae Hickman, always called and would surprise us first.

Saturday before Christmas I was out wandering and met

Buford and Melissa Abeldt at Hobby Lobby. They were finished with their Christmas with family.

Janice and Henry McCullough had Christmas early when they could get their family together and spent Christmas Day by themselves. Henry volunteers and is the Monday Popcorn man at Memorial Health Systems of East Texas. He makes that good smell go all over the hospital. He said that the piano was being played during the holidays in the lobby.

Free Press photo by Marcella Herndon Ms. Cathy Kettering and Ms. Christie Stephens TEEM Grant Pre-K 3 classroom had a "special visitor" from the North Pole on Thursday, December 20th. Santa Claus brought each child a toy, visited with them, and each child shared their Christmas list. The children had a special music time and milk and cookies with Santa."

The Regions Bank tellers at the Loop have kept me in the state quarters. I just have about 5 more to go in 2008 to complete the sets. The tellers at Gaslight Regions' got me the four gold dollars with the presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. I have been saving them for my grandchildren. Madison is the 4th one that I just got.

Lisa Haglund was in The Very Thing with Jennifer Jeffrey and her fiancé Dr. Darin Bell. They were in from Alaska for Christmas.

Tamesha and Bill Vernon celebrated Christmas Day with

Billie Cardwell at Castle Pines.

Christmas Eve found us going to the 10:45 a.m. cinema at the Lufkin Mall to see "Charlie Wilson's War". The theatre was "filled" with Ernest, Julie Jumper-Morris, Tamesha Jumper, Bill Vernon, Janice and Henry McCullough, Rick and Joyce Pezdirtz, me and one other person. It was like a private showing. We had seen the History Channel Documentary "The True Story of Charlie Wilson", featuring the real people, and knew much of what we were going to see in the movie. We were glad that we had seen the documentary first. Joyce Pezdirtz had taped the documentary and we might have to borrow it and watch it again. We all recommend the movie even if it is R rated. We overlooked the bad words and saw the good that Charlie Wilson did and truly was a patriot for our country. We are pleased that he is from our part of East Texas.

Rick Pezdirtz told me that Joe and Sarah Murray's daughters were interns for Charlie Wilson in Washington D.C. Missy Murray Coward was a summer intern and Kate Murray Langston was working for Charlie when he retired in 1996 and then she worked for Jim Turner. She met her husband Keith Langston, who is an attorney with the Nix Patterson & Roach Law firm in Longview, when she was in D.C. The Murray's were invited to Charlie's 60 th birthday party on top of the Kennedy Center and met the belly dancer.

Luther DeBerry at 93 has a new computer that Thomas and Nancy Moore gave him for Christmas. Grandson Harmon Moore installed it.

Alisha Burrow, manager for the Lufkin Convention & Visitor's Bureau, announced the new website for Lufkin. Find it at: visitlufkin.com. It will make you proud to be from Lufkin.

Martha and Ray Carswell were in the Woodlands to babysit with granddaughter Abby while Jon, Jill and Emma went to see the "Nutcracker" before Christmas. They ate Christmas Eve with Sarah Austin and Michael and were on their way to be with the grandchildren for Christmas.

Joe and Mary Byrd were in Cummings, Georgia for Joe's 92 nd birthday with his family, Joe and Sandy Byrd, Bill and Beth Byrd, Susan Byrd Merrill, grandchildren and great grandchildren Kelly and Ben Blount, Jessie and Benjamin; Ashley and Stephen Holmes with Candler, Emma and Ellie. Mary had her son, Pete Birmingham, in Lufkin for Christmas before he returns to a new job in Hawaii.

Cile and Tenney Braden celebrated the weekend before Christmas with family at the home of grandson and wife, Brad and Rosie Ellison, and great-granddaughter, Abby in Keller, TX. The Braden's daughter, Susan & Dale Ellison, grandson, Drew Ellison from Longview; daughter Ginny and Neil Bowman, Scott and Matt Bowman from Pearland; niece Linda Robinson from Alvin, all were there. Brad and Rosie have a new home and the group had promised last year to all gathered there. Rosie's parents live in Longview also and they were coming Christmas Eve. All had a great time.

The Dillahunty family gathered at the home of Lynne and Terry Haney for Christmas. Kelly Haney set the tables for her brothers Taylor and Patrick, Oscar and Jean Dillahunty, Ann and Curt Mackey with Matthew and Mark.

Beverly Slaughter sent an email that the Relay Survivor Dinner for 2008 will be April 17 at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center. Mark your calendar. The Angelina County Relay for Life 2008 Carnival for a Cure Kick Off Rally will be Tuesday, January 8 from 5:30 to 7 :00 p.m. at the Behannon's Warehouse (on 4th street behind Studio 319). Everyone is invited. Come and find out what the relay is all about.

Bob and Tony Brown were in Katy with Tana and Greg Weiss and grandsons, Grayson and Griffin after Christmas and then it was on to Brady to visit Tony's folks and family.

We were sorry to read about the storm coming through on Robinhood and the tree falling on Jim West's nephew Rick West's car. Rick and Christine were traveling from New York to California with their two daughters where he has been reassigned to Monterrey. He is a chaplain in the Army and had just returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq. Their furniture had been shipped and they were pulling a trailer and had stopped to visit Jim and Mary Jane when the storm blew through and a tree from

Daisy Wadsworth's yard blew onto the car. All went well and they were able to be in California with family for Christmas. They did have some trying moments when the cat went missing. Mary Jane will have to tell you details.

Annon Card had his daughter Carol Hill and her children George Lord and Annie Hill here for Christmas.

Happy Birthday: James Thomas, Ivaline Parrott, Jim West, Mike Miller, Scott Rich, Katie Anderson, Wayne Haglund, Dan Jumper, Tina Alexander Sellers, Judy Dunn, Hannah Harris, Dorothy Dee Allen, Phyllis Royle, Betty Warren, Howard Daniel, Mary Duncan, Madeline Largent, Josie Spivey, Ernest Bartlett, Diedra Harrison.

Happy Anniversary: Ray and Barbara Polk, Oscar and Jean Dillahunty, Charlie and Shari Jumper, Mary and Doug Russell, Cherri and Clinton Teutsch.

Sara Beth and Charles Teutsch celebrated their 45 th wedding anniversary with a party given on December 22 by their children Clint and Cherri Teutsch, Shannon and Randy Anderson and Stuart Teutsch at Clint and Cherri's house. Some 20 couples attended and saw a DVD that Shannon had made of early pictures of Sara Beth and Charles adding family photos of the children all to Elvis Presley music. Grandchildren attending were: Carianne, Calianne, Carolanne Teutsch and Clayton Beers. Some wedding party attendants at the party were: Mary Margaret Durham, Nancy Moore, Darcey Faircloth and Jerry Moore. Charles Coleman called that he would not be able to attend. John Waak was the best man and he and Jo Ann were in California and not able to attend. Thomas Moore gave his sister Sara Beth away and was at the party.

Woodie Hicks was in Houston with daughter Kendall Nidoh and grandsons Matthew and Andrew for Christmas.

We had a wonderful Christmas with Julie and Rocky here and had phone calls from the children out of state. Santa Claus was good to us. Ernest left Christmas Day to go back to the hunting lease with Ern, Terry and Taylor Haney, Alan Moore and Brian Moore to bring home our trailer. The

Jumpers and Herdes gave Ernest a digital camera for Christmas so we will see what type photographer he is on his return home. I got a wireless router for my laptop so I am really "over equipped for my ability".

Let me hear about your Christmas. Catch you around town. Janice Ann

Email: roweja@suddenlink.net