2011 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas to all!

Well, this has been another pretty crazy fall and winter in our household, so I'm late to the Christmas Letter party, and writing on a deadline.  Ah, stress.

We've had a fun year, traveling to Utah for the 4th of July to spend time with Gary's family, traveling to Mackinaw City to spend time with my family, as well as having my parents and my sister & her family visit in August for a luau birthday party for Madi.  Gary also took a solo trip to Utah for the Elk hunt and to spend time with family.

Each picture on this year's Christmas card represents a personal highlight in 2011.  Clockwise, from the top...

Laura (sitting on a bridge during a hike in Northern Minnesota):

A busy year!  I tried to find more time to blog, but with limited success.  There are an unbelievable number of draft posts still awaiting completion in my inbox!

Success after the rapids!

Once again, I participated in Wahoo Adventures Pedal & Paddle - a 3 day biking and kayaking adventure in June - and again had a fabulous time.  It is one of the highlights of my year.  I spent a lot of time training for it, and was in really good shape.  I had begun serious training toward cycling my first Century (100 mile ride), and could easily complete a 62 mile ride.  I had some great adventures on that bike this summer! At the end of June, however, I injured my knee while cycling and wasn't able to do much of anything other than physical therapy and a bit of kayaking.  I never did get back on the bike before winter hit.

Some other health problems sidelined me during September - November, so now I'm slowly getting back into shape, and wishing that it wasn't such a brown winter - my xc skis are infinitely more enjoyable than the Nordic Track.  (At the risk of being mocked, I'll admit that I pray for snow daily.) All in all, I completed 940+ miles of activities (hiking, running, skiing, cycling, rowing) this year... and still don't look like someone who exercises.  Sigh.  Outside of my athletic activity - As the year began, I spent a lot of time involved in the Young Womens program at church as the president.  I truly love those wonderful girls.  I was released as Young Womens President in July, and called as the Relief Society Education Counselor.  I truly enjoy teaching, so it is a wonderful calling.  I also continue as chief family taxi driver, and have driven over 25,000 miles in the past 18 months (not including family vacations).

Madi (kayaking with Mom):

Madi is in the fourth grade this year, and is experiencing the growing pains that come with increased responsibility, both at home and at school.  She is becoming expert at dashing out the door at the very last minute and running to catch the bus, which she hasn't missed... yet.  She's had her struggles this year medically, but testing has proven that she does not have epilepsy, and with some lifestyle and medication changes we've managed to minimize the (momentary) blackouts and help her focus better.  She's independent when it comes to her social life, and calls and schedules her own playdates - which is wonderful for me.

Madi continues to reject the girly-girl life, and loves to live in yoga pants and t-shirts, play video games, listen to Elvis, and download an untold number of apps onto her iPod.  She and I also ran our first 5K in May; we're not sure either of us want to repeat that.  She's active in Girl Scouts, loves to read, wants desperately to cross country ski (no snow), loves to kayak with me, finally learned how to ride a bike, and has discovered a new sport - fencing!  Believe me, you haven't lived as a parent until you see your untrained child handed a sabre and called to battle.



Cookie:  The newest member of our household!

We adopted Cookie from a rescue organization the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  She hasn't been with us long, but has fit in perfectly from the first day.  She's an adorably goofy looking 5 year old Chihuahua/Schipperke mix.  She is very well behaved, and has endeared herself to me by her lack of chewing and almost non-existent barking.  She's mellow, but LOVES to run... and she's fast.  Don't let the little dog label fool you!  No one in this family can keep up with her, but thankfully, she would rather be by your side than running away.  She loves runs at the off-leash dog park and green beans.

Sarah (watching the high school Homecoming parade):

Sarah has become a sports fan this year. She's graduated from watching the family play Wii games to rooting for her favorite sports teams - the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, and the White Bear Lake Bears. Turns out that she loves going to the high school football games, so it looks like that's going to become a dad/daughter tradition.

One of the biggest events in Sarah's year was the purchase of her iPad.  It has truly changed her life.  She had been using one at school for classes, and buying one for home has greatly increased her independence.  Now instead of waking me up at 5 am to ask me the weather forecast, whether the Twins/Vikings/Bears won... she can check them herself! It's amazing how much she can do for herself electronically - she's a master at finding, downloading, and playing new apps, and creating mind-boggling wish lists.

Sarah is in eighth grade, and loved participating in her middle school's magazine drive (thank you to all who helped!).   She continues her obsessions with the color purple, Care Bears, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Alvin and the Chipmunks.  Her new expression of frustration is "Oh, sweet biscuits!", which invariably brings a smile to all around her.

Gary (on his new bike): 

Gary travelled for work (with 3M) quite a bit, with 64 hotel nights this year, meaning that he will actually need to file income tax for the two states (NY and OH) in which he spends most of his time. You know that you travel too much when the manager at the local Subway restaurant knows you and is surprised to learn you're not a local.  His projects are going well, and he's definitely in demand.

A high point for Gary was getting his Trek 2.3 road bike.  He's really gotten into cycling this year. He's got quite the bicycle selection now; both mountain and road bikes at home, a hybrid bike he keeps in Buffalo, NY for his trips out there, and a loaner road bike for trips to Ohio.  He tries to get out of work as early as possible when travelling so that he can get in a ride.  Occasionally we'll ride together, but most times when he's home he either rides with his friend Joe or solo.  We did do a family ride this year, the Saint Paul Classic, with Joe and his family.  It was Madi's first organized ride, and she did a fantastic job.  She hung with (injured) me, and Gary and Joe blasted out the longer distance.  All in all, Gary rode 1569 miles this year.  His plan for next year is to complete a century ride (100 mile) in one day.

During the rest of his free time, Gary's engineering skills didn't go to waste - he competed in our ward's Pinewood Derby and Raingutter Regattas - placing Second and First respectively in his categories.  His home handyman side rejoiced in the new lawn mower, in-ground sprinkling system, and new snowblower that we purchased this year, since that made it easier to outsource the mowing (Madi), watering (automatic), and snow removal (Laura).  More time to bike!

Gary went to Utah for the Elk hunt with the guys from his family. The night before, the mountain got 8" of snow, so there wasn't elk or a deer to be seen, just a lot of hunters in a winter wonderland. Gary's dad had an injured shoulder, so he stayed in camp with Gary as the designated Jeep driver. Needless to say, Gary had a blast driving the 1976 CJ5 in all that snow, and spending time with the guys.

Marbles (the rabbit):

Not much to say about Marbles, except she continues to live with us and chew the furniture whenever she gets the chance.  She's almost as big as the dog, which makes for some interesting chases around the family room.  This year Madi finally learned how to pick her up and hold her, so (before the dog arrived) it wasn't uncommon to find them snuggled together.  Since the arrival of the dog, Marbles (aka "Bun Bun") spends a lot of time sleeping and/or looking grumpy.

Goldie & Nemo (not pictured above):

A glaring omission on my part to leave them off the Christmas card - Sarah's beloved goldfish are definitely part of the family.  The longevity of these $2 Walmart goldfish is quite impressive... they are 2 1/2 years old, and threatening to outgrow their 10 gallon tank.  Goldfish have been known to live 17 years, and I think these might just be long-timers around here.