The Chapman family has had quite an interesting 2020, as it has for just about everyone on the planet in this pandemic and politician plagued year. We are past due with some updates and highlights for our friends and family. It is our hope the occassion of your reading this finds you healthy and prosperous, and hopeful for a better 2021.

For our family, 2020 started right in the middle of a transition from one career to another for Tim. He retired from the Air Force on 1 Nov 2019. American Airlines hired him and he began training to fly the Airbus A320 (at American that also means the 319 and 321), finishing training just after Christmas 2019. The new year launched with him as the most junior pilot on reserve duty at LAX.

We were still living in a suburb of San Antonio, so Tim commuted before each stretch of reserve duty or trip. This resulted in more time away from the family. However, by April he was able to get a specific schedule (not reserve) and life was a little better.

That was to be short-lived as the coronavirus pandemic and government response crippled the airline industry. All of the major passenger carriers, American included, soon had a glut of pilots and flights and a dearth of passengers and were hemorrhaging money. Tim was able to take a partially-paid leave of absence from American for a couple of months to ease the increasingly difficult commute to Los Angeles.

A couple of weeks before training started at American, Tim interviewed with FedEx Express. We found out a couple of weeks later that he had been hired but was in a hiring pool awaiting training, as the peak package season was approaching and there was a little softness in FedEx’s business. At first we were thinking that the wait would be a couple of months, but in May we received an invitation to training at FedEx, starting in July. Given the industry-wide difficulties and impending furloughs, this was especially good timing and a brilliant opportunity.

After experiencing the commuter life first-hand, we decided to move to be near Tim’s new domicile of Memphis. We were able to purchase a house in Hernando, MS in August and the family moved at the end of September. We have found a church that has embraced us and the family is settling in nicely.

Zack is planning to attend college in the fall. He has been accepted at

Zack is planning to attend college in the all. Mississippi State has accepted him although the college admission process isn’t completely finished. He is on track to become an Eagle Scout this spring.

Sammy is attending a Christian school in Southaven and was able to make the baseball team. He is busy with practice and workouts, and eating to support all of this activity. He recently got his learners permit and has been driving more frequently.

We are schooling Nate and Ben through a hybrid home-school and classical school with two day a week attendance. The boys are excited to be making new friends and have been making the transition well.

Christa is making new friends and keeping up with old ones, and keeping us all fed, clothed, and some semblance of feminine order despite being outnumbered 5 to 1. With more drivers emerging the mom taxi service frequency is slightly diminished but grocery shopping for 3 teenage sons is basically a full-time job.