Hughes NewsHughes NewsDECEMBER 2008 CHRISTMAS ISSUE

Birthday bashesNew careersLet’s put on a show! Personal parodies

Karingraduates!

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR FROM THE HUGHES HOUSEHOLD

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Ho ho ho and happy holidays from the Hughes household!

We are temporarily enjoying our once-nearly-empty nest teeming with togetherness as our children are back home with us again. Kevin began

the new year with some big changes. He and his long-time girlfriend parted ways, and he grew impatient with the insecurity of the volatile video game testing industry. He traded insecurity for Security—literally—as he made plans to pursue a career in law enforcement. He worked during the summer as a guard at California’s Great America and now works the graveyard shift with Silicon Valley Security and Patrol. In that role, he drives over 200 miles each night.

Karin completed her degree in Recreation & Leisure Studies at San Jose State University by satisfying her internship requirement at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO, keeping us updated on her

adventures by posting stories, photos, and video clips on her blog at karinhughes.wordpress.com. She staged a staff talent show for the

resort guests that included a surprise marriage proposal between two of the performers. In October, Karin drove back to California with side trips to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Arches and Yosemite National Parks. Diploma finally in hand, she landed a job as Director of the Primary Plus School on Hibiscus Lane. Their holiday pageant, which she emceed, was too cute for words!

Kaitlin is in her third year at Indiana University of Pennsyl-vania, and still trying to find her niche within the Music Department. She is currently classified as a piano major and voice minor, and she is active in three choirs (including a service choir that performs at nursing homes). Her studies this year include “Class Brass,” where she learned trumpet, french horn, trombone, and eu-phonium. During the summer, she worked again at her high school alma mater as vocal director for an original musical called Dream Street staged as part of the school’s PresRep youth theater program.Diane still works in the De-

velopment office at St. Martin of Tours School, where she is currently planning a couple of reunions and assembling marketing collateral to hand out during the school’s Open House in January. She and Doug went to Denver in Au-gust to visit with Karin at the

“Y”. They did some sightsee-ing, visited the Denver Mint, and drove up to a Visitor’s Center 12,000 feet above sea level. She and Doug also took in an Oakland A’s game with Doug’s colleagues from work.Doug, during his travels this

year, was privileged to enjoy enlightening and entertain-ing presentations by Arnold Schwartzenegger, Norm Mineta, Ari Fleisher, Graham Kerr (the Galloping Gourmet), David Pogue (NY Times tech pundit and parodist) and oth-ers during his travels for work. His favorite celebrity encoun-ter, however, was meeting Stan Boreson, who hosted a chil-dren’s TV program in Seattle during the sixties and first got him interested in writing song parodies (like the ones he pens for this newsletter every year).

Thank you for your gift of friendship this Christmas. May you be healthy, happy, and sur-rounded by those you love!

— The Hughes Family

HUGHES SONGBOOK

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HUGHES SONGBOOKMy Pay-For-It Things(Diane’s parody for 2008)Tune: My Favorite Things (from The Sound of Music)Diane has been volunteering for the past 15 years to help count the Sunday offering at our church. She’s seen weird things tossed in the collection—like these (really!)

Pain I suppose is all this that we’re gettin’A kited old check that’s illegibly written.Accounting is wacky, and I don’t believeSome of the things our parishioners leave.

Grocery receipts from the purse of some mommy,Dollar bills folded in shapes origami,“Angels in Pockets” and odd foreign change,In the collection, we find things so strange.

Rosary crosses and decorative buttonsVideo tokens (it’s better than nuttin’)Rare coins and spare coins, a mixed potpourri,

A check, misdirected, to PG&E!

Counting moneyCan be funny...What’s that lovely smell?Father Mark’s cookinghis heavenly sconesAnd now with the world—all’s well!

Guard, Great America(Kevin’s parody for 2008)Tune: God Bless America, by Irving BerlinKevin is pursuing a career in law enforcement, and, to that end, worked as a security guard—during the summer at Califor-nia’s Great America and currently at Silicon Valley Security & Patrol.

“Guard, Great America.”That’s what I wasIn the hot sunIt was not funBut a stepT’help me prepT’be a fuzz!

Guarding SpongeBob,Guarding Dora, andJimmy Neutron’sMighty dome:Guarding the charactahsWith heads of foam;In Great America,Where’er they roam.

Appiness(Doug’s parody for 2008)Tune: Happiness, from the musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie BrownDoug coined a new word to describe the feeling that comes from having an Apple iPhone loaded with cool appli-cations (even if they are a bit buggy).

Appiness is finding a new app,Perfect-for-you app, Yes, it’s sublime!Appiness is launching a missile!Things you can do, that don’t cost a dime!Appiness is playing the drum in the palm of your hand.And appiness is brandishing “The Brand.”

Appiness is two kinds of news feeds.Just what Doug Hughes needs: Perfect for me.Appiness is five “Magic 8 Ball”Apps, I can’t wait, all Because they are free!Appiness is seeing your phone playing videos,Because it glows a lot like Rudolph’s nose.Appiness means “boring” is leaving.Playtime’s delight time, true!’Cause appiness means many fun—yes many things—to doThey shoved right through.

Joy to the girl! Karin, Kaitlin and

Doug open the cool iPhones that

Uncle Bob gave them last Christmas.

HUGHES SONGBOOK

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HUGHES SONGBOOKRocky Mountain “Y”(Karin’s parody for 2008)Tune: Rocky Mountain High (John Denver)

She explored in the summer of her graduation year,Driving home to a place she’d never been before.For her “Rec & Leisure Studies,” an internship was here.You might say she found herself and so much more.When she first came to the mountains her love was far away;She was missed by her Dad and by her MomSo she journaled her adventures on her entertaining blogAt karinhughes, dot wordpress, dot com!

At the Colorado Rocky Mountain “Y”She’s hiked 200 miles — what a high!She dressed up like a cupcake to observe Fourth of July!Rocky Mountain “Y!”

She made a wish and caught a fish, and ran a talent show,Saw moose and deer and a herd of bighorn sheep.

And she heard a million bagpipes play and she felt a summer snow,And she hiked to waterfalls where trails are steep.Took Mom and Dad to Forever Plaid and toured the Denver MintPlayed Frisbee golf, and Skittles as it rained,A penny for an icebox? That trade gives you a hint:When you look at her, you can see how much she’s gained.

From the Colorado Rocky Mountain “Y”Where Rainbow Lodge meets rainbows in the sky.She made some friends, but good things end, And so she bid goodbye (to the) Rocky Mountain “Y”, in Colorado.

Shocking and I’ll Never Understand(Kaitlin’s parody for 2008)Tune: Walking In A Winter WonderlandKaitlin travels back and forth to Indiana, PA from San Jose several times each year. There’s no non-stop flight, and the trip takes just about the whole day.

Takin’ wing, home for ChristmasAnd the plane? I won’t miss this.A truly bad flight—I’m trapped in a plight—Shocking, and I’ll never understand.

Got delayed for refuelingOn the way, it was grueling.Their “snacks” are not food,They’re surly and rude,I think this bad experience was planned!

How I dread, oh I see red, when flyingFrom San Jose on to a dinky town.Give the airlines credit; they are “trying.”(My patience, that is! Thin, and wearing down!)

Later on, they’ll conspireAs they scheme to drive higherThe fares that are paidFor baggage that’s weighed,And yet my bottled water they have banned!Just after graduation, Karin drove to

Estes Park, Colorado, where she com-pleted her degree with a four-month internship at YMCA of the Rockies.

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KARIN’S COLLEGE GRADUATION... AND INTERNSHIP IN THE ROCKIES

Above, Karin gets congratulatory hugs from Kaitlin, Diane, Jason, Chame (who graduated in the same ceremony), and friends and family.

Driving to Colo-rado; dressing like a cupcake. Doug and Diane pay a visit. Karin preps for her first day on the job. Screen shot from Karin’s blog.

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BONUS PARODY

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TRAVELING; TROPHY I’m Dreaming of Some White CrystalsTune: I’m Dreaming of a White ChristmasDoug’s company, Lockheed Martin, successfully landed near the North Pole of Mars in the hopes of prov-ing the existence of water ice. But they discovered snow as well, falling from the Martian sky.

I’m dreaming of some white crystalsFalling when temperatures are low.For the Phoenix landerWhat could be granderThan finding H2O and snow?

By teaming, we’ve made flight history,Showing the world we know “How.”And one word best sums it up nowAs we all in unison say, “Wow!”

I’m extremely proud of white crystalsPhotographed by a craft we made.To find the white stuffIt takes “The Right Stuff,”Which Lockheed Martin has in spades.

I’m beaming ’cause some white crystalsLavished some frosting on our quest.Hip hooray for mission success!(Even Boeing is secretly impressed.)

Wish you were here. Doug received the video industry’s “Silver Telly Award” for scripting a 3-minute film. He visited his dad, Ken, on Father’s Day, toured one of Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing sites in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and saw the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

MILESTONES

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FAMILY FUN

Happy birthday to you! Above, clockwise from upper left: Diane is “fifty-wonderful”; her brother Bob (visiting from Singapore) turned the big 5-0; Kevin (whose T-shirt reads, “I’m only here because the server is down”) turns 26, and Kaitlin graduates from teens to twenties. Opposite page: Kaitlin at college enjoys a video game; Karin and Jason head off to a Halloween party; Diane serves salad at the parish festival; and Kevin and Doug survived the “Survivor” ride at Great America.

ENTERTAINMENT

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ENTERTAINMENT

It’s showtime! Karin was pulled out of the audience at a production of Forever Plaid. Doug sang a duet in My Way with Kama Belloni. Kaitlin worked as a vocal coach for a youth theater production of Annie!

Babes—in Texas & Hollywood. Doug acted in Best Little ‘Poorhouse’ in Texas. (Well, it rhymes with Poorhouse, anyway!) He is now produc-ing Babes in Hollywood, a tribute to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Lower right: Kaitlin’s French horn, from her “Class Brass” class.

PARTING SHOTSA Blessed and Happy Christmas, from our house to yours!

Kaitlin, Karin, Kevin,Diane and Doug