2018 Holiday Greetings from the Bryant Family
Anyone who knows our family will not be surprised to learn that it was a contentious election season in our household. We survived and are greatly relieved that the relentless stream of ads, mailings, and phone calls have ceased. Ben voted for the first time. Sam canvassed for a friend of the family running for re-election to the state house.
Sam was very enthusiastic about his fall political science classes at USF and is doing quite well. He works out daily at the gym and creates conditioning plans and videos for others. He and a friend spent several months this summer helping to renovate a condo near campus that we bought for the boys. Sam’s efforts ripping up old carpet, painting, and laying flooring resulted in a great-looking, comfortable home, plus he’s got some useful new skills. Sam lives there with a roommate and Ben will take it over next year.
Also at USF, Ben is working through the basic coursework for his biomedical engineering program. He is playing sousaphone for the marching band which will appear this month at the Gasparilla Bowl game. He switched to baritone for the pep band that plays for basketball games. After his freshman year in the dorms, Ben moved into an apartment with 3 friends from the marching band. He joined a larger group of friends from the band on a Birthright trip to Israel in May and found this a transformative experience. Despite his busy academic and band activities, he has assumed a leadership role in Phi Mu Alpha, his music fraternity.
Ben isn’t the only one who travelled this year. Sam drove to Charleston with some high school friends to attend a fourth friend’s graduation from the Citadel. Dave had fun at Bike Week in Daytona and attended polygraph conferences in Sarasota and Orlando. Judy visited her Aunt Eva and cousins from Arizona, New York, and California in Tempe. Our family trip included several highlights. There were a couple days in North Carolina at the farm of an old friend of Dave’s from Tampa PD where Sam befriended what was reputed to be an ornery donkey and we enjoyed war stories from other TPD alumni who were also there. We visited Dave’s Mom as well as cousins and friends in Webster, NY. Ben (who was taking summer courses) flew up long enough to attend the Bryant Family Reunion in southern New York. There were more good stories, great food, a wonderfully cold night, and activities that included shooting potatoes from a compressor-powered PVC-pipe gun. Ranger had a terrific time on this trip, mostly because he spent all of his time with us.
Judy was honored with another teaching award from USF. In addition to a plaque and handshake from the President of USF, it came with a check. More significantly, Judy was elected as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in recognition of her distinguished career as a researcher and teacher. Dave lectured on polygraph and interrogation at three universities this year including one in Wyoming via Skype. He testified in federal court as an expert witness for the second time and in state court again. Last May, Dave retired from his law enforcement career. He still does police applicant screening for an academy and one local agency but is no longer sworn. He summarized his feelings in a long Facebook post which got lots of nice responses.
Fall 2018 has seen a major transition for Judy and Dave with both boys moving into their own places. We are not quite empty nesters, though, because we see them often and Ranger keeps our parenting skills honed.