Dear family:

I sat down a couple of hours ago to type this letter and made the mistake of checking my email first. I have now used up most of my available time but am determined to write even a brief note to all of you as it will likely be a few weeks before I have the chance again.

First, a few health updates from my last letter. Peter is healing well from his fractured clavicle and has been given permission from the doctor to resume soccer. This was fortunate since he had resumed playing anyway. He did test positive for exercise-induced asthma, which means he is supposed to use an inhaler before significant exertion. I’m glad for the diagnosis because it explains symptoms that we had been trying to ignore before. David’s father’s tests came out clear, and when I saw him on my way down to North Carolina two weeks ago he was looking fine. We were very sorry to receive news that Gail’s father died shortly after my last letter, although it was a release for him. That provided the excuse to put in a short visit with my brother and his family in New Jersey one evening, a rather typical Feaver event in which we made reservations at one restaurant, only to show up at another one by mistake.

While in North Carolina I received garbled word about a health situation with my own father. The phone at our beach house was not operating most of the week, so it wasn’t until I got home that I learned the full story. Dad had been having difficulty breathing, and was referred to a hospital in Honolulu. Because of the cessation of commercial flights, he was taken by helicopter to Honolulu, where he was given a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. He is back in Kona now, taking some medication to relieve the symptoms, and they are continuing with their plans to arrive here this Thursday.

We are in something of a panic because the house next door is not ready for them. I was naive about how much time it takes to get things done, and the contractor keeps discovering hidden more things "that really need to be taken care of". Fortunately Mom and Dad are very flexible, and we will do our best to get them settled as quickly as possible. It has been very heartwarming to receive offers of furniture. I comfort myself that they began their married life in a tent, so this is at least an improvement on that!

Of course, given their pending arrival, and the school year commencing, you may be questioning why I was in North Carolina. Once again three other families from church joined with us in renting a beach house (think mansion) on the Outer Banks. We have to go at this time because it is the first week of Off Season, and the rates are one-third the cost of summer rentals. The water is still warm enough for swimming, and the whole atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. The beach, that is. In the house we have about 13 children and 8 adults, most of them under the age of 8. Part of the reason it is cheap then is because it is hurricane season. We did have strong winds and "no swimming" orders on the first couple of days, but the rest of the time was wonderful. The only down side to this vacation plan is that David can’t leave the Lehigh students at this time in the semester and Peter is in school, so he and Peter stayed at home and reveled in the quiet of our absence.

On the way home the van’s transmission gave out. We had been headed for Baltimore to go to church with Daniel and see his new apartment. Somewhere between D.C. and Baltimore I had to get off the road. The tow truck driver would only take two passengers, so I had a real dilemma because I had four kids with me (Stephen had taken along a friend for the week). Fortunately, Daniel’s roommate drove down to the Wendy’s where I left the three older boys, and Ben and I were towed home. David then drove down and picked them up at Daniel’s apartment. So I missed seeing Daniel but at lest the others had a brief visit. They were most envious of his numerous computers.

We are trying to get our school year going in earnest, now that vacation is officially over. Ben is very keen on doing school, too, which is a major challenge since he needs full attention. I just bought a harmonica for him, which he loves to play. Master’s Academy is a big part of our week now, too. I am teaching the American Revolution for the next few weeks, and the more I research it, the more Loyalist I become!

Soccer games and practices also figure prominently in the schedule. Peter scored a goal this week – a nice comeback gesture. Ben’s games feature the most injuries, and the players trample each other continually. Stephen’s team was thrilled to experience their first tie game this season. The weather is getting nippy, but soccer provides a healthy impetus to get outside for a few hours anyway. I always have the perhaps specious notion that I have benefitted from their exercise!