You're right, we need to do better at keeping in touch.  Gerald and I live in
the same town, and we still hardly see each other!  Great to hear from you.

I know it's got to be the hardest thing to leave for six months, especially with
the new baby when mama needs you the most.  Do you guys have any family in town
at least?  You're wife is probably involved with a network of military wifes at
least.  It's hard for me to leave for even a couple of days.  The week after
next I am in Dallas for a week of training, that'll be the longest I've been
away.

Well, my wife just went to the movies with my oldest, Sophie (she's four).  I'm
home with my two boys who are both napping, so I actually have a minute to
write.  I am about to make lunch for my neighbor who is from South Africa.  His
family just left for SA for two months, so I'll probably have him over often.
We're about to cook some Elgin sausage, remmeber where that is Paul?  I was in
Austin for work on Friday (drove there) and stopped to get some.  The road trip
was quite eventful: saw a few wreck and one car was even on fire.

You probably don't catch national weather Paul, but we just had a
once-in-a-century storm here in Houston (that's what they're calling it on the
news anyway).  Some places in the Houston area had 35" of rain in the last two
days!  We had about 20" in my area, no flooding though.  Gerald, how did you
fare?  So we've been declares a natural disaster area and all of that.


Other than that, not a whole lot going on.  Work is going well:  I got promoted
in Feb and am in line for another in August, so I can't complain - Frito-Lay is
a good stable company that treats it's employees well.  Let's see what else?
just got a new car that I am excited about.  I had a little Ford Focus 5spd for
my comuter car, but got tired of all of the shifting in traffic on the Beltway.
So I found a 1999 Buick Regal GSE with only 22k on it, in immaculate shape.  I
know, a Buick sounds kinda lame, but as far as Buicks go, this the only one I
would own.  It has leather, sunrfoor, sporty wheels, killer 220-watt stereo,
with a 240HP supercharged engine with room for 5 to boot!  I loaded up the
family and cargo to go to the Valley during Memorial Day, it even got 28 MPG!
Beats the hell out of the 14 or so in the Suburban, with gas prices these days.
Gerald, are you still in the market for a SUV?   I think you were interested in
the Toyota Sequoia or the Acura MDX?  You'd better just stick with the 5-series
Bimmer, I know I would if I were in your shoes!

OK, guys, gotta get to cookin those sausages.  Bieraugel, hang in the there out
at sea and keep us proud!

Ern






LT Bieraugel <BIERAUGEL@john-paul-jones.navy.mil>
06/08/2001 07:47 PM

To:   Ernie J Zavaleta/Frito-Lay/US@Frito-Lay, "Gerald Nemec (E-mail)"
      <Gerald.Nemec@enron.com>
cc:
Subject:  Dudes...

Ernie and Gerald, well dudes, we're doing just what we said we were not
going to do.  Fall out of touch again.  Here is the latest.  I am out on my
ship for six months now.  We left June 4th and we get back in November.
It's a bitch to be gone from the family for that long but it very busy so it
goes fast for me.  We had our fourth (and probably last) kid on May 13th.
Her name is Chloe Elizabeth.  She is perfect.  My two year old (Kate) was
very surprised when we brought her home.  Carson said he wanted a brother
and Kelly wants to hold her all the time.  You can check some pictures out
at www.geocities.com/pbieraugel.  Take it easy you guys and stay in touch.
Paul.