Class of 2005, we have a lot of news this issue. It seems like everyone is so busy. Yet again there are new degrees, marriages, new jobs, babies, moves, but no extreme couponers, which honestly surprises me. I thought for sure we would have one class member who clips a ton of coupons for impressive savings. My hope was that our class extreme couponer would pass along some practical saving advice to the rest of us so we can start saving for our 10-year reunion next year! Can you believe it? Those 10 years flew by in the blink of an eye. I’m a little excited to see you all again, if you can’t tell. So let it come as no surprise if our next few columns mention reunion weekend 2015. You turned to this page not to be bombarded with reunion information, but to see what our friends have been doing, so let us get on with the updates.

MaameYaa Boafo earned a Master of Fine Art in acting from Rutgers University in 2009. She married Jeremiah Abiah, and they are living in New York City. You will currently see her starring on the hit webseries An African City and this fall she will be performing Off Broadway in LIFT by Walter Mosley. You also may spot her in national commercials. Jillian (Kotmair) Bright along with husband Andrew and daughter Juliette welcomed twin girls, Alexandria Marie and Josephine Lily, on March 14, 2014. Cassie Dukes and husband John Tagliamburis are preparing to welcome a baby in early December. Danielle (Rodman) Giannandrea and husband Frank purchased a new home in Frederick, which was featured in a nationally-airing Remax commercial. Jennifer Harmon got married, her new last name is Nachtrieb. In addition to being a newlywed, she started a new job as the coordinator of the Community Research Center, Fairbanks North Star Borough in Alaska. Recently, her job brought her to the Pittsburgh for a conference where she was able to catch up with former roommate Rachael (Lubkin) Zeminski. Sarah Hoover is in a Master of Business Administration program for international relations at Southern New Hampshire University. Melanie Howell reports life is sweet. In December, she became engaged to John D. Grantham, whom she dated for the past 10 years. They are getting married at the Cloisters Castle in Pikesville, Maryland, this October and look forward to spending the rest of their lives together. Kristen (Heisey) Leiter welcomed a baby girl, Katherine, into her family on June 4, 2014. Georgette (Sirak) Prichard’s husband received a promotion last August and they have since purchased a house. They are living in Spring Lake, North Carolina near Fort Bragg with three very loveable dogs who make life interesting. Sadly, her cat Smudge aka Fatty Fat Cat, who lived with her and Sarah (Robinson) Rathbun in their off-campus apartment senior year passed away. He was 16 years old. Sarah (Robinson) Rathbun and her family moved from Nashville to San Francisco in June. Tiffany Still married David Grant on Oct. 13, 2013. Charlene Vestermark was accepted for a gastroenterology fellowship at the National Capital Consortium Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, which begins in August. Janelle (Stevens) Weddle claims it’s not newsworthy but celebrated 10 years of marriage with Jeremiah on July 17, 2014. I say she’s wrong. Congratulations, Janelle and Jeremiah!  Nate Wood-Wilson married Ashley Nick ’08 on June 21, 2014 in Knoxville, Md.

And now a special note of thanks from Jennifer (Dunn) Brown:

“I was humbled by the love and support I received from my Hood girls when my mom passed in February. Whether it was a note on Facebook, a card in the mail, a phone call, a donation to the American Cancer Society, or a show of support at the funeral, I was truly grateful to know I had so many people thinking about me and praying for my family. I’m beyond grateful for my Hood family.”

As always, if you have news to share in the next issue of the Hood magazine, please send it to me via email at lhughan@gmail.com or via Facebook.

Wow, what a year 2013 was for the class of 2005. Quite a few classmates welcomed new babies last year. Many member of our class started new jobs. Some earned master’s degrees and some were married. The trend of big life changes continues for 2014.

• Danielle Allen went to Japan last summer and climbed Mt. Fuji! She did the two-day climb, starting on Aug. 28, slept in a hut and finished the climb to watch the sunrise from the summit on Aug. 29. Danielle also, changed jobs in January 2013; she is now a management analyst for Strategy and Future Requirements, which is a Department of the Navy job for the Naval District in DC.
  

  Danielle Allen climbed Mt. Fuji in August.

• Tracey Carter received a promotion over the summer and is now the web content editor for Frederick County Public Libraries. She also graduated from Florida State University on Dec. 13, with a master’s in library and information sciences and a certificate in leadership and management.
• Ashley Cook Monn welcomed a daughter, McKenzie Blythe Monn, on Oct. 16. She was 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches long. McKenzie joins big brothers Jared, 7 and Tyler, 4, and big sister Kylie, 2.
• Kelsey Gage Staggers returned to Shamin Hotels in Richmond, Va., where she is the regional director of operations, managing a portfolio of mid to upper scale select service hotels.
• In August, Danielle Kahler earned a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Georgia. After graduation, Danielle moved to Richmond, Va., where she is the manager of a Things Remembered. She also is a part time tour guide at Agecroft Hall, a Tudor manor house that was moved from England in 1926.
• In May 2013, Heather Mannix earned a master’s degree in global environmental policy from the School of International Studies at American University in Washington D.C.
• Rainey Sokol Chase, moved to Bath, Maine in the fall and she began a new career with Rodan + Fields Dermatologists, growing its new antiaging skin care company across the country. Rainey’s email is raineychase@gmail.com and her website is raineychase.myrandf.com. If you are interested in hearing about what she does or Rodan + Fields, she would be happy to connect with you.
• Together with her husband, Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour welcomed a son, William Alfred Balfour V, on Jan. 24, 2013, in Portland, Maine.
  

  William “Liam” Alfred Balfour V

Congratulations, Danielle, Tracey, Kelsey, Danielle and Rainey on your new jobs. Congratulations, Tracey, Danielle and Heather on your master’s degrees. Congratulations, Ashley and Jennifer on your newest family members. And if I could give awards, Danielle Allen, you would absolutely win for coolest news and possibly first in our class to climb a mountain.

Thank you all for your great news submissions. I enjoy learning what is new with you and helping you highlight your milestones with our fellow classmates. This issue we have some moves, a career update, a marriage and a handful of new Hood babies.
Remember you always can send me your updates via email at lhughan@gmail.com or connect with me through Facebook.
Jordana Francis Chettiparampil will open her own optometry practice in July, Elite Family Vision in Sugarland, Texas. Jocylyn Berte Dunnavant and her husband welcomed a daughter, Josephine Mae, on June 13, 2013. They also just bought their first apartment in New York this year. Evelyn Holcomb Gosnell is working as the director of equipping ministries at Black Rock Church of the Brethren. She also moved to Westminster, Md. Jessica Holthaus married Matt Badour on April 20, in Gulf Shores, Ala., joined by family and friends. Kristen Heisey Leiter, Jessica Alberici Allen and Heather Mannix were bridesmaids; Danielle Kahler and Mary Greer also were in attendance. The couple spent their honeymoon on the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. They currently reside in Lithia Springs, Ga. Leslie Beck Hughan welcomed a son, Dexter Richard Hughan, on May 27 at 4:41 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. Dexter joins Virginia who is 3. Sarah Robinson Rathbun welcomed a second daughter, Lucy Anne, May 1 at 9:45 a.m. Lucy weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. They are so in love. Amanda Hagen Richmond, her husband and daughter Mikayla welcomed Carter Dionte Richmond into their family on March 20. He weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. Patricia Stevenson is buying her first house in Bowie, Md. Joanna Grauel Zeisser welcomed a daughter, Elizabeth Anne, on Feb. 19. She weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces.