Holiday greetings from the Rosner family!
Most of our family explored different parts of the US or world during this year. Ronda just returned from a week-long business trip to southwestern Germany where their approach to a greener way of living stood in sharp relief to the US attitude. She also traveled to western India in February to meet with a software vendor, where she observed absolute poverty situated next to luxury hotels. The tastes, smells, sounds and sights of the Indian culture were unforgettable. As for family trips, Ronda and Sonia drove up to Ronda’s parents’ place in Susanville, CA during Spring Break, while the entire family congregated in July for a second memorable Susanville visit.
Sonia began her sophomore year at UC San Diego this fall and majored in Biochemistry. This was a year of new experiences and sights for Sonia. Last summer she worked at UC Davis in a physical chemistry lab and rented a room in a house just off campus. She started a Research Assistant job at the Salk Institute neuroscience lab on campus this fall. The big highlight for 2006 was her 10-day Birthright tour of Israel earlier this month. This included seeing the Golan Heights, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and floating in the Dead Sea. And, as the photo shows, you can legally drink alcohol at age 18 in Israel!
Ari held down the same part-time position at the Santa Barbara investment company this year and worked through the summer, as he continued to earn high marks in his classes. He started his senior year at UCSB this fall and definitely expects to graduate with a BS in Math and move *somewhere* in 2007. Ari, who turned 21 last April, had travel experiences as well by driving with friends to Portland at spring break and visiting Colorado in the summer.
Jeff and Ronda continue to work at Agilent, now at the same site in Santa Clara. Ronda supports the finance needs of the Molecular Diagnostics business, which is developing blood tests to identify the early stages of cardiac disease. Retirement age of 55 looms for us in the next year, but not actual retirement for some time yet! Jeff is learning to play clarinet in preparation…
Enjoy health, peace, and love during the coming year.