Jannine Fairchild

Mailing Address:

4633 N Dalton Lane
Boise, ID 83704

Phone: 208 658-1837

Jannine Fairchild Barrus
nenebarrus@msn.com

Kids:

Six children and two grandchildren

I have had a wonderful time reading the bios of classmates and wish I could come to the reunion, but it is not possible. I would like to share a bit about me and my family and thank all of you who have worked so hard on the website and preparations.

First of all I would like to share that inside this old woman there is a young one asking, "what in the world happened and when." Time has flown by so quickly.

After graduation, I attended the U of I and then in August of 1967, I married Emery Barrus' older brother, Jim. We started a family right away and I chose to stay at home with my children. Craig and Ann were born while we were still in Moscow and Jennifer joined us in Mesa, AZ. We really enjoyed Arizona, but could not get used to the weather and being so far from family. We moved back to Idaho and Boise in 1975 where Ben was born the same week we purchased the home that we lived in for 20 years.

Jen, Ben, Ann, Steffany, Craig, and Kimberlyn

Steffany was born in 1977 and I thought our family was complete. I loved being a Mom and homemaker and considered myself a true domestic engineer. I made most of the kid's clothes, painted, wallpapered, landscaped, did tons of crafts, and ran a taxi service. All of the children are very musical and play the piano and sing. Ben and Stef were vocalists of the year their senior years in high school. Music was and is a big part of our lives.

In 1986, what I at the time thought was the biggest disaster of my life, turned out to be one of the biggest blessings. Kimberlyn was born and at first we called her MAC for "middle aged carelessness". She was also called the "oops" baby and the caboose, but now I just refer to her as my bonus baby. But a real disaster did happen and after 25 years of marriage and a great deal of soul searching, I could no long remain married to someone who was bi-polar and unwilling to face it. I have been single for 12 years now.

I work for the Bureau of Reclamation (within the Dept of Interior) in the Regional Office in Boise. I am the Office Manager for the Facility Operations and Maintenance division. For those who may not know, we take care of the dams on the rivers. Nobody likes us because there is not enough water to go around and so we are always the "bad guys." Fishermen, environmentalists, power plants, Native Americans, and farmers all view us as the enemy. Despite that, I really enjoy the work and find it fascinating. Southern Idaho would be a desert if it were not for the dams. I have helped survey Jackson Lake Dam and seen the breathtaking Tetons. I have helped take groups on tours of the dams of eastern Idaho and Yellowstone. I have been on detail at the Commissioner's Office in Washington DC and seen the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. I've given a presentation to a group of employees from all over the US at a conference in Page, AZ. I have had some wonderful experiences and learned a great deal.

BJ and Boden

My children and grandchildren fill my life. Craig is 37 and lives in Seattle with his Andrea. By his sophomore year in high school he had reached his full height of 6'71/2"--he sets up stage and sound equipment and is a gentle giant. Ann is married to Terry Moore and has just finished her master's degree in counseling. Jen got her degree in marketing and works for Countrywide Mortgage. Ben is finishing his master's degree in accounting and is married to Bridget. They are the parents of the joy's of my life...BJ (6) and Boden (3). Stef just married her sweetheart who is a contract worker in Afghanistan and we worry about him a lot. I just took my baby to college last month and I am feeling the effects of "empty nest" syndrome. I really miss her.

My life has been full and blessed and although I have a bad back (degenerative disk disease) and weigh more than I should, I don't have a lot to complain about. After all I have a nice home that I share with my Mom, a dog who is a pure bred cockadaucarainian (at least those are the three breeds we recognize), and three cats. Who could ask for more.

Best Wishes to all and thanks for the good memories of Moscow High School.

Jannine