EMP-36

Greetings, EMP-36 classmates! We look forward to seeing each of you at the 2007 EMP-36 10-year Reunion! We will try and plan some EMP-36-specific gatherings, as we did for our fifth reunion. If any classmates want to take the lead with organizing, please let us know.

The Iowa contingent of EMP-36,  Doug Guendel, Mark Bader and Bill Weyers, met for a planned annual golf outing in Des Moines, Iowa, last October. Bill and Doug clearly have been spending some free time on the golf course and Mark has agreed to take more lessons!

	John EMP-36 and Sharon Clouse with Dave EMP-36 and Wendy Karpel watching the Northwestern game on Dec. 30
	Karen Kalbacher Stevens EMP-36 with new son JJ

We  received a nice update from Mari Lyn Bushnell whose product design consultancy, ABODE Design & Marketing, will celebrate its third anniversary in March. Mari Lyn writes: "ABODE stands for A Beautiful Objects Design Enterprise and we focus on home decor product design: drapery finials, cabinet hardware, lighting and other decorative home products. My husband Cade is still taking an early adopter approach to technology in farming and won the Conservation Farm Family of the Year Award for the state of Illinois in 2004. Grace is 14 and a freshman, and Ross is 11 and in fifth grade. They are both growing up way too fast and we are enjoying the people they are becoming. I've stayed in touch with all but one of my study group members and hope to reconnect with Jim Schmitt this year.  The rest of "Group B," Bob Aspell, Charlie Benz, Doug Guendel and Doug Manoogian, are doing great and I enjoy staying in touch with them through e-mail and Christmas cards.

John and Sharon Clouse spent four days over the New Year's Eve weekend with Wendy and Dave Karpel at their beautiful new home in Colorado. Since December 1996, John and Sharon have been spending New Year's Eve holidays with the Karpels and Jachims (Paul and Gretchen). They have traded off spending the holidays at their respective homes in North Carolina, Colorado and New Jersey.

Finally, my husband Matt and I adopted a little baby boy from Korea in October. John James Jee Stevens, whom we call "JJ," was born May 4 and we brought him home from Korea on Oct. 24. We are thoroughly enjoying our new roles as parents, and after 14 weeks we cannot even imagine life without him!