Greetings classmates! It's been awhile since I've last "written" ... which means it's been awhile since any of you have bothered to send me anything to write about. I am happy to report that after much threatening on my behalf, some of you actually responded.

Let's start with Cathy Margles. Cathy wrote to let me know that she is having the best time being a mother. Cathy and her husband Dan are the proud parents of twin boys Zachary and Jacob. They both have big blue eyes, and Cathy and Dan are truly enjoying parenthood and everything that it has to offer. As if new twins are not enough to keep Cathy busy, she is also launching the Creative Cooking School franchise. The Creative Cooking School (creativecookingschool.com) will be opening up all over the country soon.

Deb Parker wrote to let me know she is still in Chicago with the same firm, although they've changed the name (formerly First National Bank of Chicago) several times since she attended Kellogg. She met up with some classmates for dinner at Carnival restaurant, courtesy of host Bob Knowling. Attending were Wayne Upshaw, Paula Currie, Chris Hargan, John and Diana McDevitt. Deb said they had a wonderful time chatting over several bottles of great wine chosen by Bob, a few martinis and fantastic Latin cuisine. They also marveled over how everyone looked relatively good after 12 years. Gee, Bob, guess my invite got lost in the mail?

Tim Angst sent me a brief note to let us know that he, Ann and the kids are in Northern California, where they continue to enjoy the lifestyle that living out west provides. He has been with LexisNexis for three-plus years and is responsible for all non-direct sales channels.

My favorite doctor, Dr. Jorge Del Castillo, wrote that he is still in the emergency department at the hospital and his consulting firm is growing every year. Jorge is hoping that this class will come together for a golf outing or happy hour someday soon. I second that thought. Jorge also let me know that Tim Smithe, aka Keith Richardson, has his hands in a couple of local bands. Tim, give us all a shout out and let us know where we can come see you.

Hugh Hamill is in his sixth year as owner/manager of Nuage Jewelers. With the state of the economy, the jewelry business is getting a bit dicey but Hugh continues to work on new customer contact channels and would always love to fulfill the jewelry needs of his EMP classmates. With respect to fellow classmates, Hugh informed that he saw Dave McConnaughey and that Dave is still the president of Federal Signal and is doing well. Hugh also had lunch with Jagdish Singh. Jagdish left Motorola last year and relocated to the Phoenix area to work for the state government. He also just became a first-time grandfather and his family is doing well. Thanks for the updates, Hugh.

I am so happy to report that I shamed Steve Jungmann into writing me with his latest update. Steve reports he's been back in the Chicagoland area for the past two years, overseeing the retail business for Solo Cup in Highland Park, Ill. Prior to Solo, he was the president of an artistic start-up venture called "Draw Joe Smoley Inc." Steve lives in downtown Libertyville, Ill., and renovated a 105-year-old house. He wrote that he still has two kids; one son is going to Indiana University in the fall and the second son is a freshman in high school. Steve ended by noting that, "Surprisingly, my wife is still with me, despite 10 moves in our 20 years of marriage and my unique personality."

As for me, all is well here in Leawood, Kansas. The kids are doing great and I still marvel at the concept of having a 16-, 12- and 2-year-old. They keep me busy, happy, frustrated and content. My husband Kelly is a saint who I am truly enjoying life with every day. We just wish you EMP-32 classmates would come visit already!