FROM DIANE’S DESK

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful to you, our Shawnee Life community, for supporting this magazine. I hope you are able to take a moment to reflect on all that you are grateful for! Does your family go around the Thanksgiving table and share these thoughts like we do? I always love hearing what my 8-year-old son will say or what my sarcastic husband and father-in-law will say. I wanted to share one of our newest developments. Do you read any digital magazines? Would you like to have the option to read Shawnee Life Magazine digitally? Now you can! Simply visit ShawneeLife.com and register to get access to all of our past issues! We are also offering a special incentive for everyone that has registered at ShawneeLife.com by November 9th. Your name will be entered to win a pair of tickets to a concert by the Lima Symphony Orchestra. You may use them yourself, give them to someone you are thankful for or save them as the perfect holiday gift for that person that is impossible to shop for!

As always, remember to send your stories or article ideas to Diane@ShaweeLife.com! And, if you have any local businesses you love, let me know so I can ask them about advertising in the magazine!

MEET THE TRIBE

Diane Schoonover Publisher

Nick Schoonover

Pumpkin Spice Boy

Michael Ayers

Photographer

Georgianna Damschroder

Precious Pets

Julie Lundin Know Your Neighbor

Janine Douglass DISH-cussions

Paige Brinkman Amazing Achievers

Nicole Davis

Welcome Wagon & Mercy Matters

Tara Reynolds Bales

Talk of the Town Lifestyle

SHAWNEE LIFE Meet the FamilyOrndoff

by Julie Lundin

Meet Lance and Alexandria Orndoff of Shawnee. Lance and Alexandria built their house on Timberfield Drive and moved into their home in November 2020. They loved the building process because Lance’s best friend, David Peters, owner of Built Rite Builders, worked with them to bring their vision to life! The Orndoffs enjoy living in their neighborhood. Alexandria’s parents also live on Timberfield Drive, and they have family and friends close by, as well.

The couple met in 2011 and were engaged at an Ohio State football game in 2013 (with the Horseshoe in the background), then married and settled in Lima in 2015. Lance grew up in Elida and is a graduate of Temple Christian. Today he is a Licensed Representative at Tyler Sutton State Farm Insurance. Alexandria grew up in Spencerville and graduated from Spencerville High School. After graduation she attended The Ohio State University. Today Alexandria is the Director of Health Information Management (formerly known as Medical Records) with Ensemble Health Partners.

When not working, you will often find Lance and Alexandria riding Lance’s Harley…as long as the weather cooperates. Going to get dinner or dessert at local restaurants on the motorcycle is a great way for them to spend time together. Some of their favorite local restaurants are Beer Barrel, LaCharreada, The Met, Lock 16, and Lulu’s Diner. Both sets of parents, as well as several friends, also have Harleys, so Lance and Alexandria are often enjoying bike rides with them! Lance also loves to be outside working in the yard or detailing cars during his free time. They purchase a lot of their beautiful plants from Jen Spieles at Blooms, as well as Spieles Nursery. Alexandria loves to go shopping and finding a good deal. You can often find her at My Chic Boutique in Lima. She also enjoys going on walks and now living so close to her mom and other family, they often walk together in the neighborhood or Hermon Woods. Because they do not have children of their own, Lance and Alexandria enjoy going to their nieces’ and nephew’s sporting events and extra-curricular activities. In addition, they are both involved in their church. Lance sings on the praise team and Alexandria is involved with the nursery and children’s ministry. On Saturdays in the fall, you can often find them rooting on the Buckeyes! Of course having good food, friends and family over for the games always make them much more fun!

When vacationing, they love to go to the beach, a lake, or Pigeon Forge. “Lance grew up going to Pigeon Forge as a kid

with lots of families, so in the past couple of years we have started going back there at least once a year. We love that there is so much to do and there is also a lot of good food! Our favorite places to eat are Paula Deen’s, The Mill, and The Local Goat,” stated Alexandria. This year they also went to Wilmington, NC, Florida, and Norris Lake to visit and vacation with family that do not live locally.

With November being the start of the holiday season, Lance and Alexandria feel blessed to have such amazing families. On Thanksgiving they usually have lunch at Alexandria’s Aunt Cheryl’s house, then dinner at Lance’s grandma’s house with extended family. On Black Friday, Alexandria goes shopping with her mom, Aunt Cheryl, and cousin, Abby. For the past 15 years these ladies have hit the big box stores first, then go to the local shops. Once they are finished, they meet up with the men in the family for lunch at La Charreada.

In this season of giving thanks for what we have, Lance and Alexandria are thankful for their health, faith, and that they live in such an amazing country. As they said, “We feel blessed beyond measure for our family and friends that are near and dear to our hearts.”

Don and Diana Degen also live on Timbefield Drive and are Alexandria’s parents. They say the best thing about living in Timberfield Estates is that their daughter, Alexandria, and son-in-law, Lance, built a home across the street. Diana’s sister also lives right down the way in Wildbrook so they are close to everything, especially where they work. Don works as a Maintenance Supervisor at Randall Bearings, while Diana is the Branch Manager of the Shawnee branch of Premier Bank.

The Degens are both graduates of Spencerville High School and moved to Shawnee in 2016. They have been married for 41 years. Don enjoys OSU and Cincinnati Bengals football, riding his Harley, and he is a proud nine-year veteran of the United States Air Force. Diana enjoys walking outdoors and volunteering in the community. She also enjoys going riding on the Harley and watching OSU football, especially since both of their children are OSU graduates. They both also enjoy traveling to Wilmington, North Carolina to visit their son Alan, their daughter-in-law Sara and their three beautiful granddaughters.