Friday, December 6, 2013

MMXIII Christmas Letter

                                           
What a great year! Not a lot of big news! Well, not exactly. A bunch of things happened yet we thankfully had what you might call a year where things just got better.  Hence, I’ll be brief so you can get back to eating your fruitcake.

Julie continues her academic pursuits becoming more involved at IU School of Nursing. Translated, that means she is working a lot more for the same paycheck. OK, she received a bit of an increase this year, but her first love and most important vocation continues to be spoiling grandchildren. We’re also happy to celebrate her five year survivor milestone on December 10th! Myself? I had a little adventure leasing one of the Modern Photo warehouses to the homeless who live outside all year. Enlightening? Frustrating? Political? Depressing? Uh, yes. I was so busy during the 2 ½ months I caught a case of walking pneumonia, but didn’t stop to see the doctor until the end of the ordeal. I survived and the homeless issue endures. Stay tuned. There is more to that story.

Kyle still lives in Brooklyn unless he is traveling around the country doing video productions for a number of networks. He put nearly a year of time and effort into producing a wonderful CBS show on the Army/Navy football game played in 1963, just two weeks after the JFK assassination. I’m still in the conspiracy camp. He is not. We also found him pictured in Sports Illustrated while working under the basket of the NCAA Basketball Championship game. Do I sound envious?

Joel & Jo are chasing 14-month old Liam around the house as I write. He is a non-stop re-creation of his father. I keep looking for signs of his mother’s calm demeanor, but his motor and strong will are set on MAX. Joel continues to help the growth of Pinterest while Jo continues to help her patients stifle cancer as a beloved oncologist at UCSF.

Brian, the newest taxpayer in the family, has triumphantly finished his medical training! This July, he joined an orthopedic group outside of St. Louis as their pain management physician. Brooke has been busy doing a facelift on the home they moved to in Ladue. When she finishes, she plans on having another set of twins. Just kidding Brookie. Meanwhile, Parker (6) is conquering kindergarten and exploring a career in either sales or publishing with his first entrepreneurial effort...selling a comic book he wrote. Twin sis, Finley, is the budding artist and MiMi’s (a.ka. Julie’s) best friend. They have a real bond. Harry, almost four, just has fun. He lives in the moment. He’s what I want to be. Too late? Maybe not.

Case in point, Julie & I promised each other, 40 years ago on our honeymoon as we were camping in Rocky Mountain National Park, to live in the mountains someday. Well, now we do near Asheville, North Carolina and we enjoy time there as often as possible. It is a beautiful place. So, if Julie and I are acting like Harry, we’re just living in the moment.

May all of you have your moment, too.

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