Good morning and merry Christmas to you! While all is still calm here (boys are still sleeping, lol), I just wanted to "officially" share the family photo we ended up with for our holiday cards this year:
And, for the sake of recording it, here, too, is the holiday letter we sent:
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Hi. Given that I just got a notification that the holiday cards I ordered a couple weeks ago finally shipped, I guess I should write my annual holiday letter now. If you’ve been reading my blog throughout the year, you already know all this. If you haven’t been reading, why not? ;)
Okay, okay. I suppose there’s something to be said for a year-end wrap up instead of just sending you to my blog, lol. Here goes…
MICAH has had a full year. He started it off by shaving his head, just for fun. We spent the spring trying to figure out a new treatment for his juvenile idiopathic arthritis…as he was having flare ups and weeks where he couldn’t put weight on one knee and was missing class because he didn’t want to walk across campus. After MRIs and x-rays and ultrasounds and doctor appointments and steroid injections and hours on the phone with the insurance company, we finally implemented a new plan with monthly infusion appointments…just in time for him to walk (with ease) across the stage at graduation. Yay!
A month later, he finished a 10K Spartan Race with friends (those really expensive drugs are miraculous); and, at the end of the summer, he turned 18. Having also spent the spring working on all of the college acceptance and admission paperwork, Micah then started at the University of Colorado (CU Boulder) in August.
He went in as a business major and switched to philosophy about a week into the semester. (He’s now pursuing a BA/MA program in philosophy.) He joined the CU Taekwondo Club and went to Chicago with them for a mock tournament. He’s been having a fabulous time experiencing college and providing us with plenty of entertaining stories. And, despite having declared his intention to grow out his hair for two years, he caved and shaved his head again a couple weeks ago, just in time for winter.
ASHER spent the spring figuring out that he didn’t want to pursue becoming a pilot and finalizing his paperwork to transfer to the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). He worked at the after school YMCA program during all that, learning that he enjoys working with kids. He also continued with the Karate West demonstration team.
Over the summer, he turned 21 and then started at UNC in August (just before Micah started at CU Boulder). He’s pursuing his BS in Sport and Exercise Science for his Physical Education K-12 teaching license and is enjoying his classes and direction. He also joined his college’s Taekwondo Club and competed in a local tournament in November. Given that UNC is only about 45 minutes away, Asher continues to come home on the weekends to participate in Karate West’s demo team.
NOAH is still working at a local bank here and living at home. He has plans to pursue a job in mechanical engineering (having graduated with his degree in that in May 2022) at some point. In the meantime, he’s enjoyed a concert down in Denver, spending time with friends at the Tour de Fat and Oktoberfest, and going shooting with co-workers (both archery and guns).
NATHAN continues to enjoy working at Snackpass and has flown to CA a couple of times this year (once in April and once in August) for work, attending conferences and experiencing San Francisco. He’s also been participating in the local EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) chapter here…volunteering at events and attending monthly meetings. In July, he went to Oshkosh, WI for the annual EAA AirVenture fly-in and convention and had a great time geeking out.
ME. I’ve been keeping busy. I flew out to Washington in January to help watch my nephews and also to help my mom with some paperwork. I spent the spring dealing with college stuff aplenty, sorting out Micah’s medical issues and celebrating Micah’s graduation. I flew to Washington again in July to meet up with college friends in Seattle and celebrate knowing each other for 30 years. Over the summer, I wasn’t able to attend my 30 year high school reunion but managed to coordinate and put together a digital reunion yearbook for everyone, gathering information and photos from a good number of my classmates; it was wonderful catching up with people! I’ve also continued with regular boot camp and climbing, have been doing some volunteering, and spent time helping both younger boys get launched at their colleges.
Along the way, there have also been road trips to Montana, Estes Park, Carhenge, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Breckenridge. We’ve tried karaoke, replaced our dishwasher and all the doorknobs and hinges in our house, done an awesome food tour in Old Town Fort Collins, tried out Top Golf, visited a Korean Festival and enjoyed our first Tuba Christmas.
We continue to be so very blessed and are incredibly appreciative for that and for all the people in our lives and the time we get together. Here’s to 2024 and the adventure and lessons it will bring!
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And, while I'm at it...here are a couple of the bloopers that I ended up with when I tried to get these guys to cooperate for the family photo:
Okay, will be back later. Off to enjoy time with these goofballs!
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 12:11PM ;)
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