2022 Update:

2017 Update:

Update 2012:
I'm working about one day a week in an orthopedic surgery center, when I feel like it, or when I'm available. My parents just moved to Westhaven Community Center (E Free Church Home)--after 65 yrs on the farm. It's a busy time in our lives, and we have to have the farm sold by the end of the year, for my parents to benefit financially, and get their life simpler. Then I have my life to deal with...which I love. My daughter has 2 boys, ages 9 & 7 , and a boyfriend, and they live near us in San Diego. My son & wife are in SC with a 3 yr old and a newborn (who came 1 mo early) but they also came for a family reunion (all 8 of them) to see my Mom and Dad, and it was fantastic. My sister, Mary Buechler Page came to Boone also, then after 10 days in Boone, I flew to VA, which is where I am now....enjoying a break from taking care of my parents affairs.

I go back to Boone for 5 days this Friday...then back to my "quiet life in San Diego" I'm a volunteer nurse on a disaster team for the San Diego American Red Cross, just helped with a conference on "Access and Functional Needs Clients--the behaviour, mental and physical needs during a disaster"...pertains to not only the disabled, but also the handicapped, the elderly, the autistic children, adults, and anyone outside of the "normal person" The psychotic, the criminals, the homeless...all of which show up at the evacuation centers and present different needs. The information that we put together is amazing...we did a lot of brainstorming and networking. I'm proud of our SDARC..they are very organized...we learned a lot from 2 major fires! We will be able to open 20 evacuation centers in the time of disaster...more organized than LA. Our command center looks like NASA, and is only one of 4 in the country...pretty impressive. Which also reminds me that I have found out that most people are not prepared for a disaster, and it's not a matter of if there is one, it is true that there will be other disasters, everyone just needs to be prepared for when it does affect them...really! See www.sdarc.org for guides on how to be prepared when maybe your home might burn down, or you have to evacuate within 45 minutes, and you need to figure out what you really should take. Our close friends both lost everything (homes, cars, all personal property) because they both were not home...everyone needs to take pictures, actually video of everything you own, even what's in the drawers, because it is really hard to itemize all that "stuff" when you want to replace it. And it is all just "stuff"...you can live without your "stuff" if you have your life.And your family is still alive. Sorry to be so philosophical, but it really wasn't fun to take care of people that had lost their home in the fires for a second time....very devastated people. I have also worked at several disasters,(besides our 2 fires) and have been involved in saving lives..that's what I know how to do. I'm certified in advanced cardiac life support...so even teaching people how to know the symptoms of a stroke can save many people from an early death. S-T-R, tongue. If someone is acting weird, Have them Smile (if it's not symetrical...911), Talk- have them say a simple sentence, and Raise their arms, if aren't equal, call 911, and recently added, have them stick out their tongue...if it goes to one side, another stroke sign. This stroke can be reversed if treated within 3-4-1/2 hours ...by the pt going to a stroke center at a hospital that can do a cat scan and if it is a stroke, give the fibrinolytic medication to dissolve the clot. The EMT's know which hospitals are equipped.

Back to the bio stuff.....

Bud is still retired and loving it (after 35 yrs of being on call medical sales for pacemakers and implantable defibrillators) We have this lovely 1956 Chevy BelAir Convertible, Sherwood Green and India Ivory...we just took it on a 6,100 mile road trip from San Diego to SC, then to Orlando FL to attend the Western National Classic Chevy Convention. The car ran very well...we did alot of cleaning.. since we drove thru rain several times. We won 3 awards..& attended another huge Sat nite car show at Kissimmee Old Town. It was so much fun....and we took along with us our new black bear-faced Pomeranian, Fozzy Bear. He traveled very well...& kept us entertained. We ate our way across America from Cracker Barrell to Cracker Barrell...aren't any in CA. Foaay Bear and Bud also went to Boone with me...as he was "pet therapy" for my Mom and Dad...they wanted to keep him...sorry, he's mine!

Bud and I still stay very active..hiking the hills and mountains nearby...also the Grand Canyon and Brice Canyon last September, after hiking and horse back riding at Park City, UT. We also enjoyed 2 wks at our resort in Cancun.(actually south of Cancun) at Hacienda Tres Rios (3 rivers run under a 330 acre ecological park.) It's quite the place! We entertained my son and his wife, took out a yacht for his birthday, and raced on jet skis. We have been blessed with health and opportunities. And we have fun with our family. Bud's son just got married in October, also a rep for medical sales. Our granddaughter started college at Wash U. to be a vet. Bud's daughter and family are living north of us in Arroyo Grande, CA (near San Luis Obispo...Cal Tech, or north of Santa Barbara.) She's a very busy speech pathologist, with her own large practice. Their children are very busy with school, typical soccer, baseball, & basketball stuff. Our Boy Scout Volunteering gets us involved every 2 yr at a very large campout...40,000 boys & girls, ages 12-16 all in tents for about 2 wks.(we are not their leaders, baby sitters!!)...Bud us usually at the Merit Badge Midway, and I'm a nurse at a "Mash unit" for about 2,000 kids and adults....We are either at the US Nat'l Jambo in West VA (Bechtel Summit, new this 2013) or at The World Scout Jamboree whereever they are held: England, Thailand, Australia, Norway, Korea, Sweden, & Chile, for the last 7...I went to the last 2, Bud to the lst 6 of them...missing Sweden in 2011---the cost was going to be too high for our budget..as we donate our time, and pay to get there! Locally with scouts we do hiking and back packing, and Eagle Scout Board of Review.

I still love being a nurse & it helps every day...whether taking care of my parents, my family or friends. My parents are healthy & enjoying their life in Boone...just moved from their farm to Westhaven (E Free Church Home--very nice place, sompletely rebuilt recently) I did private duty nursing for 2 months last yr for a total hip patient, age 75, friend of a friend, and I was teaching OT and PT, besides being serving meals & doing their laundry. That was fun, & alot of work...more than I usually do...it was FT for 9 wks, only Sundays off.

My life with Bud is always fun..we are blessed with good health and family nearby (except Boone,VA, & SC)..... so time to shut this down, get some rest and start another fun day here in VA ...get a massage, and enjoy my family. Probably ride a quad thru the woods, they have part of the Appalachian Trail behind us on my sis' land...why not? This place is so cool..high up in the Blue Ridge Mts....can see DC from here...and we're going to Arlington tomorrow..so might see some Cherry Blossoms, it's that time of year. By Saturday we will be back to Boone...yeah!! I still love being in Iowa..it's my roots, and that's so important to everything. Especially as we get older, and have to be in our parents' lives more often. Have a great week!

Best wishes,
Barb

Update 2009:
I read my bio & thought that I really should update it. Bud & I are enjoying our retirement. At present we are touring the USA in our '03 Corvette. We're traveling in a caravan with 13 other Vettes from San Diego. We have traveled the Historic Route 66 for 4 days...it was incredible. The people and the history alone were worth all the stops. We talked to everyone responsible for the inspiration of the Disney movie "Cars", and saw the quaint little towns where the film was done. We're headed to the Corvette Convention in Bowling Green, KY, and will be swallowed up in the middle of about 3,000 other Vettes. By Labor Day we will leave our classic car buddies to travel east & see my sister, Mary, & family in Virginia, and to see my son, Patrick, wife, Angela, & new grandson, Parker, in South Carolina. From there we head to Boone for a 3-4 day visit, then head back to San Diego.

I gave up trying to find a few days to work .... but keeps us pretty busy with traveling and other hobbies. We have one more trip(to Lake Tahoe) this year, then no more trips till January. Our love of classic cars keeps us pretty busy. They are the reason we also own a Vette now. We each own a '55, '56, or '57 Chevy, also.

My Mom & Dad, Art & Martha Buechler, are still living on the farm north of Boone. We have been back several times this last year...since Dad had a total knee surgery, and we all decided to have a little family reunion in July. It was so much fun to do some work on the farm...Dad always has something we can do. We rented a special Catapillar Bucket machine, & buzz saw, and trimmed all the trees around the house. The kids loved riding on the tractor with their Grandpa, and helped haul all the branches to the timber.

Bud and I both have one child each living in San Diego: my Jennifer has 2 boys ages 7 & 4, & Bud's son, Kevin, has a daughter that is 16. We see them pretty often. Bud's daughter, Karyn & hubby Brian live 5 hrs north, & have 3 busy kids...we see them about 4 times a year...we love to take our '56 Chevy to Pismo Beach Classic car show each year. Last June about 1,100 cars attended. They close down all the streets of the beach town so everyone has an assigned parking spot...it's almost like a State Fair for 3 days, & gorgeous scenery & weather. My son, Patrick,& wife, Angela, and 4 mo old Parker are living in South Carolina, & we try to visit them as often as we can....we've been there 2x since April. We sure love finding discount tickets thru Priceline to travel.

Our other love is staying active..either hiking, walking, camping, or gardening...we love doing things outdoors. And it seems like there is always something to do in San Diego. We enjoy the concerts, the car shows, the car cruises, and going places with our local friends. We also plan vacations together...like to Cancun, Hawaii, or the Mediterranean.

Our "Bucket List" is always growing. We love to have visitors in San Diego...so if anyone happens to be coming our way, please call and see if we're home, & we'll show you around, or at least help you decide what to see & do.(email:bsfosdick@aol.com, or 619-933-5099). The "locals" always know the ways to save money on entertainment and food! Time for me to close...gotta join in the festivities here at our resort in Nashville. At least we are squeezing in a trip to the Grand Ole Opry while attending the Corvette function. Hope to see more classmates at the next planned get together!! Take care!

Love, Barb & Bud Fosdick

ps...we couldn't get near Dallas at all while coming across the southwest in our caravan, & are taking the rest of the trip at one day at a time...hopefully we can spend some time in Iowa to see friends from Waterloo, Ames and DesMoines...I'll call ahead as we get closer. At this point we plan to be in SC Sept 11-13, then on to Iowa.

Update 2007:
Greetings from Barb (Buechler) & Bud Fosdick....Here goes...just a little has changed. I donated 15" of my hair to Locks of Love in New Orleans (4 mo before Katrina), so I have a very short hairccut...love it!

Both of us retired...Having fun traveling...alot...Cancun, cruises from San Diego to Mexico ports, Thailand, Philadelphia(hospital & touring x2), New England, Florida (Key West,too),MS, Utah, D.C., St Martin, Hawaii...this part of retirement we can handle. I had elective foot surgery that caused a severe case of RSD 4 yrs ago, but I am finally in remission, after a 5-da ICU experience in Philadelphia--Ketamine (anesthetic) infusion . I was a happy drunk, but the pain disappeared miraculously within 6 hrs of the med....and I've been painfree since 2am 5-15-07...thank you, God! RSD patients don't die from RSD, they die from suicide...the pain is that bad! (RSD: reflex sympathetic dystophy,chronic regional pain syndrome...www.rsdHope.org...OK?) God saved my life also a year ago..had emergency surgery for a gangrenous gallbladder, pncreatitis, non infectious hepatitis ....& 8 wks of no fun!! Weight loss is good! Life is so good, NOW!

Have remodeled our 6 yr old home back to the Mission period (1910).. w/ furniture. art (plain air) & Bauer pottery (pre-cursor to Fiestaware) . Our other hobby-classic cars..'56 Chevy Belair Convert...car shows, cruising etc. Looking for a '56 Nomad & a corvette w/ A/C....anybody?? Our Other big joy...Venture Crew, Boy Scouts...leaving for World Scout Jamboree in London for 4 wks...be back mid August with lots of stories, after helping 40,000 boys & girls from 110 countries have a life-changing experience! We travel the world with scouting, also. And I still work as a nurse...there.

We have four kids..40,35,31, & 28..all married, (2 live here, 1 is 5 hr away, other in SC) 6 grandkids..lots of fun. My sis, Mary '73, is in VA, & my bro, Mark '70 is in MD...see 'em once a year.

Bud will come for the reunion...& see all those other spouses that wish they were elsewhere...they need funny nametags, too. He'll enjoy the food! I'm staying for 2 wks..have people to see, places to go.etc...& spend quality time with Art & Martha B, my parents..out on the farm North of Boone. I still love the farm!! Sat. brunch (9-15) we hope will happen for us girls..OK?

This has been TMI..that's it...I'll try to find a pix....no luck!..C U soon!

Hugs and warm smiles...Barb Buechler Fosdick