Merry Christmas, friends!
Will (17 years old, junior) has begun preparing for college. He’s considering quite a few schools and a number of majors, so we’re on a mission to learn as much as possible about all of the above before he begins to apply. He continues to enjoy playing chess, the cello, and both club and varsity soccer – he’s been named a captain for the soon-to-start high school season – and he’s taken his disc golf to the next level by qualifying for the 2024 PGDA Amateur World Championships.
Hallie (14 years old, freshman) has started to find her way in high school. Though she isn’t a big “joiner,” she’s made friends in choir and has enjoyed attending a few home football games. She spends at least a portion of every afternoon/evening at the dance studio, where she takes hip hop, jazz, and many hours of ballet. She’s thrilled to be dancing her first pointe roles in The Nutcracker Ballet this December and demi-soloist role in her ballet academy’s production of Cinderella come spring.
Tom continues cleverly creating in his Mad Science Laboratory; this year’s highlights include a custom light belt and cowboy hat, and he outfitted the entire high school soccer team’s fan base with custom 3D-printed noisemakers. I took a break from writing this fall (somehow managing to completely fill this gap with volunteer work), but am hoping to find my way back to that passion and part-time job this spring.
After a months-long break during PliĆ© and Popeye’s kitten phase, we started fostering kittens again. Popeye is a fan…PliĆ©, not so much.
This holiday season, we wish you love, light, and everything bright.
Thanks to Fig-Mint Photography for our fabulous pics this year!
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My job isn't particularly stressful, especially when I plan ahead and stay organized. But it's always there. I always have posts to write and share, photos to take and edit, videos to upload and download, and deadlines looming. Two years ago, I - for the first time since I started writing this blog more than a decade ago - took a planned "vacation" between Christmas and New Year's. It was glorious, and as a result, doing so became as much of a tradition as driving around town to look at Christmas lights with cookies and hot chocolate in hand. Thanks for understanding that I'll be "out of the office" for the next week, and please, come back and join me again in 2024.
With love, Erin