2009 Year in Review
[Reprinted from the Christmas Letter]
As 2009 draws to a close, we offer this note to our friends and family as a retrospective on the wonder of the year. It airs grievances, displays feats of strength and offers a feast of tales of the last 365 or so days. Throughout the year, Brent remained busy at work and Kathleen became even more integral to the YMCA and the school board in her volunteer positions, but she really wants a job. Anna and Ben have enjoyed pre-school and Jack has really taken to the piano and has merged it with his other great interest by learning the John Williams’ classic “March of the Imperials” from Star Wars. A couple of relatives experienced some medical troubles but have both received a positive prognosis which of course causes us to feel blessed.
The year began with our Baby New Year celebrating her 2nd birthday. This birthday made a big impact on her for whenever she now hears the word “party”, she assumes the party will celebrate her and that all parties become her “birthday party”. Immediately following Anna’s party, we had a whopper for Kathleen’s 40th. Planning begun near the end of the summer of 2008 and cumulated in a complete surprise as three of Kathleen’s brothers and two of her good out-of-town friends flew in to join with around 20 other friends at one of her favorite restaurants.
Around this time, Jack began playing basketball at the local YMCA, reminding Brent of his time playing youth hoops. Ben decided to imitate Evel Knievel on his bike and nearly careened off a 40 foot cliff into a ravine in the neighborhood. All ended well, however, as Ben leapt off the bike in the nick of time, merely slamming into a concrete abutment instead. Heaven called Brent’s Aunt Mary; while he lost a dear family member, the funeral provided a welcome opportunity for him to reconnect with others.
Having survived the ravine, Ben celebrated his 3rd birthday by accusing the party go-ers of stealing his presents (when, in fact,they brought presents)
and hiding in the pea gravel under the playground equipment. Golf ball-sized hail hammered the family station wagon but failed to total it; it still gets people around town.
The summer heat began to bear down on Central Texas, so of course Jack’s Cub Scout troop declared the 100 degree temperature of June a perfect time to camp outdoors. Jack and Brent had a great time as Jack learned archery, marksmanship, and earned his swimmer’s certificate. We celebrated the 4th of July as we usually do, with good friends in North Austin, but the summer drought dampened the usually enthusiastic pyrotechnic display. The family spent much of the rest of the summer in Austin avoiding the heat by hitting the favorite watering holes (swimming or otherwise) and other various summer activities.
August brought escape from the heat when the family headed out to Albuquerque New Mexico to visit Kathleen’s family and then drove up to Breckenridge Colorado and visited Brent’s old stomping grounds. Brent’s Montana relatives joined them for a week of Rocky Mountain activities.
September brought Brent’s 43rd birthday, spent with a night out with friends. Anna began pre-school, and began to really talk. And talk. And talk. All that talking drove Kathleen and Brent out of town to Vermont for a week of cycling on the back roads – Grandpa Gordon and Grandma Jane came to town to watch the kids. Wonders of wonders, they want to do it again.
Jack celebrated his 8th in October by inviting fellow Padawans over for a
night at Master Brent’s Jedi Training Academy. November brought potty-training to Anna and a fun Thanksgiving Week down in Corpus Cristi with family friends. December presented a new kitty to the family and an anticipation of 2010.
We hope that the past year brought as many blessing to your families as to ours.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Posted at 02:59PM Jan 28, 2010 by schnee in General |