Christmas Letter 2020

Merry Christmas, 2020! 

What a year! I hope this letter finds you in good health and joyful spirits, able to safely enjoy your family this season. I had plans of sending out a real physical letter this year with my cards but I didn't remember my well intentioned plans until after my cards went out. I do love reading recaps of friends and family's years; please let me know how you are doing! I also love still doing a letter as a little time capsule of our year.

I am thankful to report that our family has been safe and healthy throughout 2020. It was a shock to us that school was cancelled from spring break until fall. The kids and I took it in stride and made the most of our days at home together. We had a good routine that included some learning, plenty of reading, and lots of outdoor time as a family. Playgrounds being closed for much of the spring forced us to explore lots of hiking and biking trails we had never done before. 

We had found quite a few fun traditions that hopefully we will look back on fondly once this is all over. We also did a ton of work outside in the yard this spring, rebuilding our side retaining walls with nothing but our own man power, replanting the whole front landscaping, and power washing everything! In years when spring is a busy time for me as a teacher, it was nice to invest that time back into our home.  

(life of an online teacher!)

This summer we managed to do plenty of social distancing from the middle of the lake on our boat. We took our boat out more than ever and loved sharing the time with friends and family. The girls turned into brave pros on their ski trainer and Michael finally got up on his very own wakeboard! I am still learning to help Scott with driving the trailer and the boat but I ended the season with a successful trailering of the boat so I was excited. :) We found a favorite spot at Lake Red Rock and hope to get back to lake Rathbun next summer. So much boating was an unexpected surprise to having much of our other activities cancelled for the summer. I am hoping it will be a consistent background to our children's summer memories. We only accidentally ended up at one floating Trump rally on the water- whoops! hehe 

The kids and I were excited to head back to school in the fall. We have all been in person since the first day. I had a two week period of my 8th grade students going to hybrid and it was not a big deal at all. I do have several students doing online band and it has been a learning experience to stay connected with them while they are at home. All this just goes to prove that in year 16 of teaching, there are still surprises and opportunities to keep learning. My job continues to provide me with much joy, especially getting to know my students and families. 

Micheal started 5th grade this year at Woodward Granger and is loving being back in the classroom. He is very social and is happy that his little desk pod is full of friends. He started band this year and is playing percussion. He continues to take piano lessons and we love his teacher. Hockey started back for him this fall as well and Scott volunteered to coach his team as parents are not allowed in the rink otherwise. He is a good helper for me at home and is very responsible this year with taking the bus home by himself and being home until I get home about 45 minutes later. He got a new apple watch to make phone calls from after one scary day when our internet went out so we are happy to avoid the cell phone debate for another year. 

Anna & Brynn started Kindergarten this year and they are also loving being back in the school. They had to be in the same class and sit at the same table due to contract tracing but so far it has only given their teacher a few issues. They are learning to read, write, and do all sorts of things in math. They love to do school work at home and Brynn even asked Santa for more learning books so she can do her homework at home. They like to play school and are very into drawing pictures with their crayons and markers. Just us girls have been enjoying our nights at home when the boys are at hockey practice. They are sweet and imaginative, but growing entirely too fast! 

Scott continues to work at State Farm on 86th street in Johnston. He has kept busy with the Johnston Chamber and a workout group of his friends this fall. We took a very nice trip to Colorado this summer  and were thankful my mom kept the kids while we were away. He has gone into the office every day since COVID started, aside from a day or two when he tried to work at home. I think much of our success at home during the pandemic has been that our regular routine had not been disrupted too much- we are used to Scott going to work and me being home with the kids. We are counting ourselves extremely fortunate and lucky. 

As far as family, we spent thanksgiving at home with zoom calls with both sides of our family. Christmas will be spent at home as well with our family, and we are looking forward to serving at church and staying cozy at home. We visited Moville two times this summer to spend time with mom and then to celebrate my nephew's birthday and it was so nice to see all my siblings. We spent a weekend in Muscatine over the 4th of July visiting Scott's family and hosted his sister's family over Labor day. Scott's dad's 80th birthday party got postponed to summer when hopefully we can all celebrate in person again. We did a birthday zoom call with Dave to celebrate on his day and it was really nice to be able to thank him for the wonderful influence he has been on our life. Things like generosity, work ethic, and belief in regular car maintenance are all lessons he has passed on to his family and we are thankful for those. 

The Cyclones have been a bright spot for our fall. We did not renew our season tickets but were able to attend two home games when they allowed fans thanks to my generous sister. We were there for two historic wins- beating OU and WVU making us the outright regular season Big 12 champs. Scott and I traveled to Dallas for the Big 12 championship game before Christmas and were excited to witness history even though the Cyclones lost to the Sooners in a last minute interception. We have postponed bowl games trips the last few years in hopes of that moment so we were thankful to be able to take the trip. Following Cyclone football is such a journey, but we are thankful for the fun the game has given us in this tough year. 

We are still thinking about my dad this time of year, as well as sweet baby Trace. It feels Trace's presence looms larger in our family this time of year with decorating his headstone, having his stocking out, and seeing his special ornaments hanging on the tree. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about either one of them. I feel lucky to have been loved by them and keep trying to make a life they would be proud of.

This year I also said goodbye to friend, coworker, and mentor in Dalene O'Brien whose job I inherited when she retired. Her memory still looms large in my life as well as I strive to keep her legacy alive and well, despite the challenges being a teacher this year brings. She will be missed. 

We hope to not have too many changes in the new year but rather get back to all the things we are missing so much: attending concerts, playing in musical groups, traveling as a family, eating at restaurants indoors, visiting the state fair, worshiping in person at church and Sunday school, and visiting loved ones. In a year of such upheaval and unrest in our country I pray for peace and healing for all of you and hope you are finding ways to take care of yourself so you can let your light shine brightly for others. 

Stay safe! Merry Christmas and happiest of new years!!