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Annual History of Jim Andris and Stephen Nichols

I just realized that I have been doing these holiday letters since 1972. That's 43 years of year-end news. I guess I can give it another 7 years, and then I will be 84 and can reassess. I'll concentrate on the big stories. As with previous years, many of the images (but not all of them) can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Our new rector, Fr. John Stratton, has been with us for the year. He is seen in the picture to the left with Bishop Wayne Smith of the Diocese of Missouri and our Deacon Harry Liep. Jeff Nall, at the pipe organ, is also now the choir director. Stephen and I couldn't be more pleased with this new direction for Trinity Episcopal Church. Rev. Stratton and his wife, Susie, just in their early thirties, with two children, Alice, and newborn Frank, have brought youth, spiritual reflection and community activism into our midst, and we love it. In his preaching, Jon, never fails to inspire us with his call to the purpose of being in solidarity with homeless, hungry or otherwise struggling people. This place of worship, Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Louis, really has brought this slightly cantankerous and skeptical senior a lot of community, amenable conversation, and opportunities to be of service for now almost thirty years, and I am grateful for it.

My husband, Stephen—I just had to get that off my chest—continues to have multiple evolving health challenges, but he also continues to be an inspiration to a lot of people, because he just keeps on keeping on. He's singing still in Trinity's choir (which is a joy to hear, now that we have Jeff Nall as organist and choir director), and I get him there. Stephen began again to take voice lessons with his teacher and former River City Pops director, Jeanette Myers. He has also had two recitals this year, and he does shine in them. Here is a link of his performance of He Shall Feel His Flock from The Messiah. His accompanist is Cy Yawitz.

This was also the first year Stephen and I have been able to file joint federal and state tax returns. Thanks, Obama. It saved us much money.

After talking for 15 years about taking piano lessons with our former organist, Helen Hendry, I finally began them in the spring. I was only able to take about three months of lessons before Helen needed to go to southwestern Missouri to stay with her son and daughter-in-law. But, in those three months, my playing was transformed more that it has ever been affected before. I am playing Bach and Beethoven now, and I am playing what is really written for the first time in my life.

This has been a big year for my genealogy research, which I have been doing for thirty years now. I set and achieved a goal of writing a history of my six German great great grandparents, and I have distributed it to Tom and Vicki and to a handful of my genealogy associates in Washington County. I realize that most of you would not have the time to read all 100 pages or so, but if you are interested, here is the link to it: http://jandris.ipage.com/jimpers/genealogy.overview.pdf. There is a clickable index, so you could skim it for interest. I also did research on Stephen's family, and we both took Ancestry DNA tests. I am about 60% Western European, another 20% Iberian/Italian/Greek, 10% English and only 3% malarkey (Irish). Surprising because mom's dad was half Irish.

Zander is growing up really fast. He is taking ballet lessons and has been in several performances now, and is doing so well that he is going to try out for classes with the Bolshoi Ballet next summer. Stephen doesn't travel well now, so we were lucky to have them visit us in May for a really fun, relaxing week-long visit. That is Rosanda with Steph and Zander.

Stephanie, Rosanda and Zander	At the Linnean House at MOBOT	Steph and Dawn pig out at Steve's Hotdogs on Magnolia

This summer we had LOTS of visitors and did interesting things. First, my seventh Andris cousin, Ghislaine Andris Rockwood, came with her husband to a conference in St. Louis that he attended, and we got to meet and compare extensively family trees as well as see some sights, such as the Missouri Botanical Gardens. As an additional treat, my brother Tom Andris was able to come from Marietta, Ohio to join us. Tom has taught French and travelled extensively in Belgium (where most of the Andris ancestors came from), France and Germany. Gigi is a native speaker of French, and she and Tom were able to have some conversations. A couple of weeks later, Stephen and I had a visit from Stephen's sister, Janice, and his sister-in-law, Jackie.

Gigi and Alan at the Linnean House	Seventh Andris Cousins: Jim and Ghislaine with Stephen

Brothers: Tom and Jim	Clockwise: Stephen, Jackie, Jim and Janice

This year was not without its losses and changes. Friends Anne Anderson and Barbara Barnum, both 90, passed on this year. They were good friends, and we will miss them. Also, Stephen and I dropped some activities from our calendar. We no longer have season tickets to the St. Louis Symphony, but now enjoy the Saturday night concerts in the comfort of our entertainment room. This makes possible Prokofiev and popcorn, Rachmaninov and recliners. I can recommend these things highly. In December we left the First Saturday Contract Bridge Club that we had been in since 1997.

But we still are keeping our Repertory Theater and Opera Theatre St. Louis subscriptions with friends for the time being. We've had Rep season tickets for many years. We usually assemble after the theatre for dinner at the Big Sky Cafe, and if we are lucky, George's favorite waiter, Phil, is there to serve us. Around the table left to right in the picture below are Rosanda, Lynn, Pat and George, and us, of course. Another monthly group except for summer is the Film and Fellowship Group at Trinity, that gets us out to see some good movies in the theatres. And we are continuing with Second Sunday Dinner Theatre. In fact, in October I directed three short plays.

Dinner at the Big Sky with Theatre Friends	Choir Practice at Trinity Episcopal St. Louis

We also invested in quite a bit of exterior home improvement this year. Both decks were repaired, and painted and there were three gutter repairs. It still remains to do a final roof and front facade repair/upgrade, and then the townhouse will be more marketable. We had quite a dry and late fall, and now it is still warm just before Christmas. But the leaves did finally turn beautifully, as you can see from the picture.

New furniture and paint	And a breakfast nook	Fall at the Ernst Jennsen Townhouse on Accomac

I suppose there is lots more to tell about this year, and I probably left out something important, but you've heard most of it before: trips to the park, ice cream at Ted Drewes, keeping in touch with my many good friends far and near, reading some good books, playing with Midas cat, who is now 14, seeing the Christmas Show at the Gardens, putting up lights in preparation for Christmas Eve. And hopefully a Happy New Year for all.