To say that our lives have been eventful doesn’t begin to capture it - we’ve had a lot of change in our lives! Each of our headline stories could fill a letter entirely on its own, but here are the highlights:
August 2, 2006
Derricos Celebrate 20 Years of Wedded Bliss
Jay and Cindy celebrated their 20th anniversary with a trip to Hawaii, visiting the big island, Kauai, and Oahu. We had a wonderful time, and again enjoyed the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. The highlights were our visit to the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii, and the helicopter ride on Kauai. 
Derricos Celebrate 20 Years of Wedded Bliss
Jay and Cindy celebrated their 20th anniversary with a trip to Hawaii, visiting the big island, Kauai, and Oahu. We had a wonderful time, and again enjoyed the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. The highlights were our visit to the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii, and the helicopter ride on Kauai. 
September 9, 2006
Triathlete Sidetracked by Bicycle Accident Cindy was hit by a car, resulting in a broken knee and ankle. She continues the slow healing process, and is hopeful for a complete recovery in 2008.
Fall 2006
Kegan Joins the Marching Band and Learns to Keep in Step
Kegan has been in the band since the 6th grade, but he joined the marching band at Salinas High last Fall, and enjoyed it very much. To see him march, we’d all head out to the football games, and Cindy would get wheeled out onto the field in her wheel chair to see the show. The upside was that we always had a front row seat for the bands performances! The band made a trip to Hawaii in Spring 2007. He was sad to leave this group when we moved to Camarillo, but quickly found a home in the band at Camarillo High School.
Kegan Joins the Marching Band and Learns to Keep in Step
Kegan has been in the band since the 6th grade, but he joined the marching band at Salinas High last Fall, and enjoyed it very much. To see him march, we’d all head out to the football games, and Cindy would get wheeled out onto the field in her wheel chair to see the show. The upside was that we always had a front row seat for the bands performances! The band made a trip to Hawaii in Spring 2007. He was sad to leave this group when we moved to Camarillo, but quickly found a home in the band at Camarillo High School.
October 31, 2006
Duck Tape Costume Starts New Fashion Trend
Kegan made his own costume at Halloween last year. He told Jay all he needed to finish the costume was some duck tape. A quick trip to Ace Hardware and the costume was complete. Kegan has been wearing his homemade duck tape baseball cap ever since. It is one of the best conversation starters we’ve ever seen. He’s been asked to make some to sell, but he doesn’t want his novelty to become blasé. Shortly before that, he earned the nickname "Chuck Norris" in his youth group – so we’ve had fun with his meteoric rise from obscurity to being the talk of the town. :-)
May 2007
Family Reunited After 42 Years
In May, Cindy’s mom and sisters experienced a pleasant surprise; one that they’d hoped would happen for many years. Cindy has a brother who was adopted at birth. Though she’s known about him for many years, they’d never had the chance to meet. When her brother, Ron Carleton, learned that he was adopted this year, he initiated a search to find his long lost family members – and he found us. Once an only child, Ron now has a full family of siblings and nieces and nephews. This "reunion" has been a great blessing to our family. We all met together in Des Moines, Iowa in July and had a great time getting to know Ron and his wife Gina, and their children.
Duck Tape Costume Starts New Fashion Trend
Kegan made his own costume at Halloween last year. He told Jay all he needed to finish the costume was some duck tape. A quick trip to Ace Hardware and the costume was complete. Kegan has been wearing his homemade duck tape baseball cap ever since. It is one of the best conversation starters we’ve ever seen. He’s been asked to make some to sell, but he doesn’t want his novelty to become blasé. Shortly before that, he earned the nickname "Chuck Norris" in his youth group – so we’ve had fun with his meteoric rise from obscurity to being the talk of the town. :-)May 2007
Family Reunited After 42 Years
In May, Cindy’s mom and sisters experienced a pleasant surprise; one that they’d hoped would happen for many years. Cindy has a brother who was adopted at birth. Though she’s known about him for many years, they’d never had the chance to meet. When her brother, Ron Carleton, learned that he was adopted this year, he initiated a search to find his long lost family members – and he found us. Once an only child, Ron now has a full family of siblings and nieces and nephews. This "reunion" has been a great blessing to our family. We all met together in Des Moines, Iowa in July and had a great time getting to know Ron and his wife Gina, and their children.
June 2007
California Family experiences Rocky Mountain High
In June we took a vacation to visit friends and family in New Mexico and Colorado. It was so great to see Cindy’s Uncle Mike and Aunt Kerry, and to share some of childhood memories of Albuquerque and my grandparents with the kids. After leaving Albuquerque, we went to Durango, Colorado to visit a number of friends who moved there a year earlier to start a new church. Durango, like so much of Colorado, is a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the sights and getting to spend time with friends. We headed North from there and spent some time with friends in Colorado Springs, and went to Estes Park for the 4th of July. For Jay and Cindy it was memorable. For the kids, it was too long! It poured rain before the show, and we’d walked from our hotel. We took refuge in a grocery store and bought some rain ponchos, then went out to watch the show over the lake in a crisp, clear sky – and it lasted longer than any show we’d ever seen. :-)
California Family experiences Rocky Mountain High
In June we took a vacation to visit friends and family in New Mexico and Colorado. It was so great to see Cindy’s Uncle Mike and Aunt Kerry, and to share some of childhood memories of Albuquerque and my grandparents with the kids. After leaving Albuquerque, we went to Durango, Colorado to visit a number of friends who moved there a year earlier to start a new church. Durango, like so much of Colorado, is a beautiful place, and we enjoyed the sights and getting to spend time with friends. We headed North from there and spent some time with friends in Colorado Springs, and went to Estes Park for the 4th of July. For Jay and Cindy it was memorable. For the kids, it was too long! It poured rain before the show, and we’d walked from our hotel. We took refuge in a grocery store and bought some rain ponchos, then went out to watch the show over the lake in a crisp, clear sky – and it lasted longer than any show we’d ever seen. :-)
Pictures: 1) Kids at the Cliff Dwellings 2) Chip's Hummer Tour 3) Courtney with Aunt Kerry and her llama at the Zoo
July 2007
Group of Teens Changes the World for one Tijuana Family
Kegan went on a mission trip to Mexico with the youth group to build a home for one grateful family south of Tijuana. He enjoyed the experience and getting to spend quality time with his friends.
Group of Teens Changes the World for one Tijuana Family
Kegan went on a mission trip to Mexico with the youth group to build a home for one grateful family south of Tijuana. He enjoyed the experience and getting to spend quality time with his friends.
July 2007
Jr. High Camp Exceeds Expectations
Courtney has been attending Summer Camp for three years, but this year was her first year of Jr. High Camp, an experience she expected would be significantly more exciting and fun than previous years. It appears to have lived up to its reputation. Courtney enjoyed a really fun time with her friends again at Camp Hammer.
Jr. High Camp Exceeds Expectations
Courtney has been attending Summer Camp for three years, but this year was her first year of Jr. High Camp, an experience she expected would be significantly more exciting and fun than previous years. It appears to have lived up to its reputation. Courtney enjoyed a really fun time with her friends again at Camp Hammer.
July 2007
Hatch Girls Attend Family Reunion
For the first time, Jay, Cindy and her sisters all attended the annual Linstrom/Hatch family reunion together in Ames, Iowa. The company was excellent, the park beautiful, and the desserts – delicious! :-) It was great fun to see familiar faces, and meet some new ones.
Hatch Girls Attend Family Reunion
For the first time, Jay, Cindy and her sisters all attended the annual Linstrom/Hatch family reunion together in Ames, Iowa. The company was excellent, the park beautiful, and the desserts – delicious! :-) It was great fun to see familiar faces, and meet some new ones.
August 2007
Pastors Go Back to School at CSU Channel Islands
We made the decision back in January to leave our pastoral roles at Salinas Valley Community
Church and return to higher education. It was a tough decision and a bittersweet experience to leave a community that has meant so much to us. This decision set in motion a number of changes for us. After an extensive Southern California job search, Cindy accepted the position of Director of Housing and Residential Education at CSU Channel Islands. Shortly after we arrived, Jay also began working at CSUCI as a Career Counselor. CSUCI is in Camarillo and is the newest of the 23 campuses in the CSU system, just celebrating its fifth anniversary this year.
Pastors Go Back to School at CSU Channel Islands
We made the decision back in January to leave our pastoral roles at Salinas Valley Community
Church and return to higher education. It was a tough decision and a bittersweet experience to leave a community that has meant so much to us. This decision set in motion a number of changes for us. After an extensive Southern California job search, Cindy accepted the position of Director of Housing and Residential Education at CSU Channel Islands. Shortly after we arrived, Jay also began working at CSUCI as a Career Counselor. CSUCI is in Camarillo and is the newest of the 23 campuses in the CSU system, just celebrating its fifth anniversary this year.August 2007
Camarillo, California Becomes Home Sweet Home
Camarillo is a beautiful town between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, a couple of miles from the ocean. Because we made the move quickly from Salinas to Camarillo, we chose to live in student housing until we could get acquainted with the community and rent our home in Salinas. We stayed in a nice 4 bedroom apartment with a beautiful view of the cilantro fields and the ocean until October, when we moved to the faculty and staff housing area of the campus. We love our new home – the neighborhood is beautiful with great hiking trails in and around the foothills which border the campus.
Camarillo, California Becomes Home Sweet Home
Camarillo is a beautiful town between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, a couple of miles from the ocean. Because we made the move quickly from Salinas to Camarillo, we chose to live in student housing until we could get acquainted with the community and rent our home in Salinas. We stayed in a nice 4 bedroom apartment with a beautiful view of the cilantro fields and the ocean until October, when we moved to the faculty and staff housing area of the campus. We love our new home – the neighborhood is beautiful with great hiking trails in and around the foothills which border the campus.
November 2007
Weekend Birthday Bash Takes Camarillo By Storm
Courtney invited a few of her Salinas friends down for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. They all lent their moral support when she got her ears pierced and got her hair cut. We enjoyed a great "girls" weekend during their visit. We’re sure she talks to them on the phone now more than when we lived in Salinas – and we’re grateful for the positive power of these friendships in her life.
Weekend Birthday Bash Takes Camarillo By Storm
Courtney invited a few of her Salinas friends down for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. They all lent their moral support when she got her ears pierced and got her hair cut. We enjoyed a great "girls" weekend during their visit. We’re sure she talks to them on the phone now more than when we lived in Salinas – and we’re grateful for the positive power of these friendships in her life.
December 21, 2007
Derricos Confirm It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
December was a special month for our family because of our community projects. Courtney organized a can drive for one of her classes as a part of her school’s holiday project, and her class won for highest participation. Kegan and Jay served with other colleagues at CSUCI at the food bank preparing holiday food packages for local families. Cindy’s staff agreed together that rather than exchange gifts they’d instead use the money to adopt a local family with four children who needed Christmas gifts and food. It was so much fun seeing the staff get excited about this project - we spent the bigger portion of our Christmas party together Friday morning wrapping up the gifts. A few of us made the delivery after work on Friday, and seeing what a big difference our small, but spirited contributions were going to make in this family’s life was very humbling and encouraging. It was the perfect way to kick off our Christmas vacation.
Derricos Confirm It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
December was a special month for our family because of our community projects. Courtney organized a can drive for one of her classes as a part of her school’s holiday project, and her class won for highest participation. Kegan and Jay served with other colleagues at CSUCI at the food bank preparing holiday food packages for local families. Cindy’s staff agreed together that rather than exchange gifts they’d instead use the money to adopt a local family with four children who needed Christmas gifts and food. It was so much fun seeing the staff get excited about this project - we spent the bigger portion of our Christmas party together Friday morning wrapping up the gifts. A few of us made the delivery after work on Friday, and seeing what a big difference our small, but spirited contributions were going to make in this family’s life was very humbling and encouraging. It was the perfect way to kick off our Christmas vacation.
December 25, 2007
In Closing...
As you can probably surmise if you made it all the way to the end, our transitions have been head-spinning and the number and magnitude of our adjustments have been challenging. Still, we are enjoying our new home, our new jobs, and the kids are enjoying their new schools. We are grateful to be together and to have many friends who have supported and encouraged us through these changes.
We are struck this year by the Virgin Mary’s contemplation of her life and circumstances in the Christmas story. At the time of Jesus’ birth, and throughout his life, the Bible says that Mary took stock of special moments and "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart". We hope to take a lesson from her to do more "treasuring up" of the many experiences of our lives, being grateful at the wonder of God’s gift to us of life and love.
We hope that you and yours are enjoying a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year brings you many untarnishable treasures.
Jay, Cindy, Kegan and Courtney
