What a Year...2005!

Welcome friends and family to the Bell Family Christmas Blog. We wish you all love and happiness during this holiday season. In this blog you will find information about our "going's on" from 2005. Please feel free to leave comments and share your own stories and memories of the year past.

We also are sharing photos from big moments in our lives. Unlike our traditional photo of the Bell boys, we will present all types of photos for your enjoyment and amusement. The truth is, the annual photo shoot with the boys was a royal pain in the neck! It would take countless hours (at least it seemed like hours) to shoot hundreds of photos (at least it seemed like hundreds) and usually Dad would get frustrated. Actually, the boys seemed to look forward to irritating Dad and Mom during the annual event with their funny expressions...

Well, here goes 2005:

We technically started the year in Maui, finishing a great trip with Chrysler. This was the first time Jeff, Josh and Jon went scuba diving. We also went on a submarine trip near Lahaina, and visited the old tree in the town square were Jeff had been with his family in 1983. Jeff then flew to Miami, Florida to the BCS National Championship game between USC and the University of Oklahoma. He met with his brother Greg, Aunt Carol, Cousin Andy, Gary and Amanda. What a great party and terrible game! The Sooners were routed. The good news is, after two consecutive national championship title game loses, we don't have to go to another this year (after a 7-4 record)!

Then in February, unlike our normal snowboard/ski vacation, Colleen asked that we go somewhere warm. So we went on a cruise. Here's the boat (right). We had a absolutely fantastic time and stopped in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jaimaca. We loved sun-bathing, swimming, eating, going to shows, and getting off the boat. In Cozumel we enjoyed the beach and drove around the island in a Jeep Wrangler. In the Grand Cayman we did some snorkeling. It was in Jamaica that we walked up the 500 foot waterfall. What an adventure. While this photo shows up smiling (below), this was a funny trip because Colleen realized that the Bell boys oftentimes go the more treacherous route just for the fun of it (which of course adds stress to an already nervous mother).

We then went to South Dakota for an absolutely great family vacation. We flew to Billings, Montana and drove to the Little Big Horn. Ironically, it was the 129th anniversary of the battle, so everyone was dressed up for a re-creation! We toured the grounds and learned a great deal. We then drove to Wyoming and stayed overnight in Sundance. The following morning we visited the Devil's Tower, and the famous Deadwood, South Dakota. You can link to a photo of Devil's Tower at http://hex.oucs.ox.ac.uk/~rejs/holidays/rockies2002/devilstower.jpg

We spent the week in South Dakota visiting Mt. Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument, the Badlands, and the Hot Springs. We road horses, and went on lots of hikes. True Americana!

Here we are at Mt. Rushmore (on the left) and here are the boys (or should we say "cowboys") dancing up a storm at the chuck wagon jamboree at the Custer State Park in South Dakota! We had a ball visiting a wildlife park, full of bears. This trip was reminiscent of thoe infamous family journeys of the 1970's where we would pack up and hit the road in the station wagon. It was a great trip because we spent so much time together.


So here is a great shot from Camp Jeep, which was held in August in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Joshua is doing a backflip on a bungee ride! This was a great year for Josh because he could drive the Jeeps! Yikes,that's right, he is 16 and driving! This was a great mixture of business and pleasure as the family enjoyed seeing Tony Hawk, Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz and the Jeep King of the Mountain Bike Race finals all on this trip!.

At Thanksgiving we went to Oklahoma City to visit Mama June, Carol, Gary, Andy and Amanda (yes, we started the year off with this group watching the Sooners get run over by USC). But this trip we watched the young OU football team beat Oklahoma State 42-14! We had a great time visiting and eating entirely too much!


Little Matthew is not so little anymore. He is nine, and has discoverd American Football! He played flag football in the fall, and travel soccer. He has started lacrosse, and is debating baseball. Is it clear that the child has a penchant for athletics?!? He also is a very smart and kind-hearted child. He enjoys Cub Scouts, where Colleen is the Den Mother, and his Xbox games (generally...you guessed, sports).


Jonathon had a breakout year as an actor. He was the lead in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," playing Ichabod Crane. He then starred in the Birmingham Community Theatre production of Grease. Here he is with his proud grandparents (left). He was also in "101 Dalmations," and will star again in January in Homer's Odyssey. Jon was voted "the best stand up comic" by his acting troupe, and we think that says a great deal about his intelligence and charisma!

Joshua had a wonderful year. Great academics at Brother Rice High School, but the real treat came in his first varsity soccer season. The Warriors went all the way to the State Championship game, losing a heart-breaker 0-1 to a team (that shall remain nameless) that they had beaten twice during the season. Joshua loved the experience, and is looking forward to his senior year. He is going to the dances, and this great photo shows his friend, Katie Rinkevich, with whom he went to Homecoming. Yes, for those who might remember, the Rinkevich family lived in London when we were there, and Josh and Katie have known eachother since they were nine!

Colleen had a very active year, serving as the den leader of Matthew's Cub Scouts. She also continued to be the leader in Familia, a women's bible study and fellowship activity at the church. She also chaired, for a second year in a row, the St. Hugo's annual Bookfair, which raised over $20,000 for the school. This was the second full year of eBay activity. Colleen and Jeff have found a great deal of enjoyment in "the perpetual garage sale" that eBay affords. It is a tremendous business experience. Visit "vendolomejor" to shop our junk, I mean valuable treasures and antiquities.

Jeff has continued to serve as the Vice President of Chrysler & Jeep. This next year will be an exciting one for the Company as the Jeep brand realizes its goals of expanding. Look for great things next year following the launch of the all new Jeep Commander, the first seven-passenger, three-row Jeep 4x4. For a sneak preview of the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot, you can visit http://www.jeep.com/jeep_life/news/jeep/patriot_compass.html

If you are interested in Jeff's other activities, you can google him "Jeff Bell Jeep" and "Jeff Bell Chrysler" both work very well. Therein, you can review his interest in gaming, branded entertainment and marketing.

We send our love to you, and hope that you are happy. Look for more posts on this site!

Jeff, Colleen, Joshua, Jonathon and Matthew Bell