Well, it’s our Fourth Annual Holiday letter. The year has been filled with challenges, growth, and travel (mostly for work so don’t get your hopes up for a travelogue). And at this rate, this letter may be commemorating the President’s Day holiday.
January: Santa made a very special visit to our home in the North New Year’s Eve, as we were just returning from an extended week-long visit to Wisconsin. Along with all the other ridiculous amounts of loot, Santa brought Punkin a fire truck and Peanut a doll. Less than two weeks later, Punkin celebrated his third birthday at Red Robin. Each year his birthday seems closer and closer to Christmas. Here he is sporting two of his favorite gifts: his own umbrella (poor kid doesn’t realize we only get 7.5 inches of rain a year), and an annual registration for the Tumblebus. It’s an old school bus with some limited gymnastic equipment on-board that comes to day care once a week. The kids are all excited to wear their Tumblebus shirts … like a little gang of pre-schoolers. Peanut’s menu expanded to include carrots, pear, asparagus, potato, peas (yuck!), yogurt (yum!) and green beans, and with all that energy she finally crawled! El Jefe traveled once or twice a week to Las Vegas, and added a fun-filled overnight in Ely. i shoveled snow on the weekends with her helper, Punkin, as her only form of exercise.
February: Looking back, we only took 8 photos this month. El Jefe got the flu, and was so miserable he actually went to the doctor who told him, “Yep, you’ve got the flu.” It slowed him down to the point where he only made two trips to Las Vegas the entire month! We celebrated our tenth anniversary one day late (El Jefe was over-nighting in Las Vegas, but made up for it) with a wonderful dinner at the Rapscallion Seafood House while Punkin’s teacher Ms. R held down the fort with the kids. El Jefe’s mom came up for a visit, bum knee and all, while i went to Tucson, AZ for a couple days for my final year of participation in the Pathfinders Awards of Excellence Program (as a National Committee member, not a recipient). When i returned, i got the flu, too. It was debilitating, and thankfully neither of the kids got it. Punkin got a flu shot (“in his knee” as he tells the story) at his three year well-check. Our pediatrician was out of infant vaccine, but thankfully Peanut never succumbed. She showed Grandma that she could hold her own bottle and pulled herself up this month.
March: Grandma left early in the month, but inspired us to actually enjoy the trails surrounding our neighborhood with Peanut in the stroller and Punkin on a tricycle. El Jefe did two overnights and four day trips to Las Vegas this month. i did one day trip to present Pathfinder Awards to the Southern staff. Peanut ate peaches, broccoli, cauliflower, and mango, while she experienced hot dogs at school. i turned 43 on the day our (former) property manager started eviction processes on the tenant in our home in the South. After several starts at eviction in less than six months of being in our home, this one was final. i cried when i saw the inspection report. There were no holes in the walls, but the house had essentially become a three bedroom kennel. Peanut got her first shoes this month, and we were able to enjoy coloring eggs and an Easter egg hunt in our North home.
April: El Jefe did two overnights and seven day trips to Las Vegas this month. Punkin dressed himself, and Peanut gained five new teeth this month. Despite all the misery of so many new teeth, she was able to concentrate hard enough to learn to climb up the stairs. We all traveled to the South to check on the house, hire a new property manager, and spend a little time with my parents, Paw Paw and Nonna. On April 24th, we experienced our first earthquake. El Jefe was experienced from his days of living in California, but every time there was an earthquake in the South, we had been out of town. Two days later, El Jefe turned 47.
May: El Jefe did one overnight and five day trips to Las Vegas this month, while i did one overnight in Phoenix, AZ for the Quality Summit. After one day of practice, Punkin learned to ride his “big boy bike” (with training wheels) ... the bad part about our neighborhood trail system is there are lots of kids, including the ones who questioned why Punkin was on a tricycle. Talk about peer pressure. Both Punkin and Peanut “graduated” to the next room at day care (mind you, tuition is based on age, so there were no financial benefits). Punkin participated in the Hop-a-Thon for MDA, hopped 92 times in two minutes, and raised a total of $259.00. i and El Jefe opted for the “per hop” pledge … what were we thinking? Within an eight day period, El Jefe’s daughter Yes graduated from Arch-Bishop Spalding High School in Maryland and El Jefe’s daughter Peanut turned one year old. We all ventured out to Maryland, including El Jefe’s Dad and wife, and El Jefe’s Mom and husbandl, to celebrate Yes’s graduation and hang out with El Jefe’s brother, wife, and their daughter in Baltimore. Punkin’s quote of the month was, “The bone in your head is called a knuckle-head.” My parents, Paw Paw and Nonna, joined us in the North to celebrate Peanut’s first birthday. Peanut took her first steps to Paw Paw the day after. We got a new tenant in our home in the South just in time for Memorial Day.
June: El Jefe made five day trips to Las Vegas including one where he returned the rented hospital-grade pump (my ball and chain) on the State plane. He also did one over-nighter. i went to Southern California for four days, participating as a Quality Auditor in our Irvine and San Diego offices. Peanut walked alone, and we discovered she had an ear infection at her one-year well-check … we never knew as she is such a good sleeper. Appalled by the price of gas, i purchased a bicycle trailer to haul the kids to daycare (five miles one way) and another half-mile to my office. Like the January snow shoveling, it was my only form of exercise. At the end of the month, we all went to Punkin’s flip-flop buddy, Josie’s 3 ½ year birthday party at Jump Man Jump. Peanut was overwhelmed by sinking in the corral of balls, i got a floor burn on her elbow, El Jefe got one on his knee, and Punkin had a blast!
July: Yes started, and eventually survived Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. We are so proud of her for being able to live without her cell phone and having 9 pm curfew (seriously, we are very proud of her). We landscaped our back yard the old fashioned way (we hired someone to do it) and our basic installation was complete by the 4th of July. We all stayed up past our bedtimes to enjoy fireworks at Star Spangled Sparks. We then continued our work in progress by planting a lilac bush and frequented Moana Nursery on the weekends as we vowed to do all the trees and bushes ourselves. The month featured some record-breaking poor air quality from the hundreds of fires in California, but i sucked it up (literally) and biked to work with the kids in tow a day or two a week. Punkin went to his first movie in the theater (Kung Fu Panda) as a field trip, and Ms. R babysat while Pam and El Jefe enjoyed dinner at a local brew pub (my only criteria for choice of restaurant was lack of a kid’s menu.) El Jefe made nine day trips to Las Vegas this month. Nonna and Paw Paw stopped in for a couple days on their way to Oregon. It was very special as we were all together to celebrate Nonna’s 73rd birthday at our home in the North.
August: Paw Paw and Nonna spent the weekend with us on their way back home from their Oregon timeshare adventure. Peanut got three molars this month. Just like her mom, she tends to grow teeth in bulk. El Jefe did an overnighter and four day trips to Las Vegas while i did two. Peanut had her first of four Parent and Me swimming lessons, so we all went to practice the next day at Sparks Marina. Swimming lessons are so popular that we could not get both kids into classes until October. Punkin started treatment for a Planter’s wart, which he called his Planet blister, consisting of DuoFilm and duct tape. We ended the month by attending the Best of the West Rib Cook-off. Just like her dad, Peanut loves beans!
September: It took fourteen months, but i finally realized i liked living in the North. We all went to the Great Reno Balloon Race, including the Glow Show and Dawn Patrol. This required getting the kids up at 4 am and layering sweatshirts over their pajamas. Once the sun came up, we watched the mass ascension as balloons filled the sky and enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Peanut fell asleep on the way to her swimming lesson. El Jefe did two over-nighters in Las Vegas and three day trips, while i spent nearly a week in our Folsom office for their Quality Audit. We had our first non-family visitor since we moved to Reno, our friend Cathy who we have known since the South, who was working in our North office and got stranded as hurricane Ike caused havoc to her home and family in the Houston area. Punkin painted his toenails (unsupervised) a lovely shade of pink, and we adopted Putty, a 1½ year-old medium-hair tabby from the Humane Society. She is an awesome cat, very social with all of our family, incredibly tolerant of the kids, and holds her own with our dog, Jenny.
October: Both Punkin and Peanut had Saturday swimming lessons this month. Since I am a Pisces, this is mandatory. We all participated in Race for the Cure; it was Peanut’s second and Punkin’s fifth events, which is amazing when you consider their ages are just 1½ and 3 at the time of this letter. The following weekend, we all participated in the Walk for Juvenile Diabetes. Peanut got her face painted, and Punkin most enjoyed the picnic lunch of Qdoba burritos after the walk. El Jefe had four day trips to Las Vegas and one overnighter, while i spent four days in Las Vegas for their Quality Audit. Amazingly enough, i also had a day trip to Las Vegas that wasn’t for work! i attended a baby shower for my friend Amy. The month was filled with all things Halloween, especially pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns. My parents, Paw Paw and Nonna, visited just in time for Halloween, and Nonna accompanied both Punkin and Peanut on their first adventure of Trick-or-Treating.
November: With Nonna and Paw Paw still visiting, we all enjoyed our first Nevada Day parade in Carson City, especially Paw Paw who stayed warm and dry in the car. The following day we all discovered the Animal Ark, a sanctuary just north of town for native and not so native wildlife including cheetahs, and tigers, and bears (oh my!). El Jefe made two day trips to Las Vegas, i had two overnighters in Las Vegas, and El Jefe made a day trip (looong day trip) to Elko. On Election Day, El Jefe encountered some black ice on his early morning commute to Carson City (not flying that day); crash-tested both the guardrail and concrete barrier rail, experienced air-bag deployments first-hand, and totaled his 2001 Jeep Cherokee. He was miraculously unscathed, and the only thing wounded was his pride. Four days later, we bought a Subaru Outback, so now we really look like Northerners. The next evening, we all had dinner at the home of John and Linda Narigon, North transplants from Iowa, and met with Sandra, Donna, Barb, Manu, what’s her name, and Tammy, totaling ten current or former engineers with the Iowa DOT. (Only Sandra’s kids have any hope at a different career path, as her husband is the only non-engineer among us). On the morning of November 17th, my mom, Nonna, died very suddenly and unexpectedly, having suffered two heart attacks in a few short hours. My middle sister and i flew to Las Vegas that afternoon. El Jefe, Punkin, and Peanut joined us the following day, making the drive from the North, while my eldest sister flew in from Atlanta. My dad, Paw Paw, is holding up remarkably well after losing the love of his life after 51 years of marriage. He gained 4 pounds in the short week we were there, so we know we at least supplied some comfort food. Paw Paw spent Thanksgiving in Los Angeles with my middle sister and her family. We had a quiet Thanksgiving, just the four of us, at our home in the North. Punkin finally got the pumpkin pie he has been talking about since October.
December: El Jefe had two day trips and an overnighter in Las Vegas, while i had three overnight trips to Las Vegas. We’ve stayed with Paw Paw, although he rarely sees us because we work such ridiculous hours. One trip, the only evidence of El Jefe was an empty Foster’s left in the kitchen. i had a bender with some of my co-workers, while El Jefe braved Applebee’s alone with both Punkin and Peanut. Ms. R babysat for my Christmas party, memorable as we actually stayed out (and awake) until 2 am. i was very proud of the fuzzy handcuffs i got as a white elephant gift; Punkin seems to be enjoying them, too. Peanut has transitioned to Suite 200, and because she is 18 months old, we finally got a tuition break! Ms. R babysat again for the NDOT Construction Christmas party, held at Nevada’s oldest hotel, the Gold Hill Hotel in Virginia City. For the first time since January 8, 2005, El Jefe and I spent an entire night alone together without the kids (Thank you, Ms. R!). We got a silver tip variety of Christmas tree (half price! because we waited until the 19th); it is very reminiscent of the ones El Jefe’s family would cut down in the woods in Wisconsin. For the first time ever, we were able to use a Christmas tree skirt Nonna had made because the trunk was narrow enough to fit through the hole. It is very sweet, featuring a teddy bear family of four. How did she know that is how our immediate family would be comprised? Paw Paw drove up North with his dog, Gabby, on the 21st; El Jefe took a week off because he was in a “use it or lose it” situation with his vacation time at work; and my middle sister and her family came over the hill on the 23rd so we could all spend Christmas together in our home here in the North. While i slaved away at work, everyone enjoyed a day of ice skating at the Rink on the River. Actually, Peanut was not too thrilled, completed only one lap, and then refused to allow her skates to be removed (she’s all about shoes, and ice skates are very special shoes!). Santa brought Punkin an electric train, but Punkin was most excited by the candy canes being hauled in one of the freight cars. We also discovered Peanut is a candy cane junkie (it must be genetic), and are looking for a toddler detox program for her habit. We had a beautiful Christmas snow, opened gifts from those near, and far, and even passed, and enjoyed the madness of five kids (one of which is 84 and doesn’t believe in Santa), four very hard-working adults, two dogs, and a cat. El Jefe and Punkin had a two-hour “Parent teach your child to ski” lesson at North Star, while my middle sister and her family snowboarded and skied in the best conditions the Sierras have seen in many, many years. Peanut accompanied me at work to complete a submittal due the 26th. Peanut left plenty of evidence of her day at work between goldfish and cheerios ground into the carpet, and a veritable rainbow of highlighters on every surface that was not covered by piles of papers. We all went sledding on Saturday, and i drove back to Las Vegas with Paw Paw and Gabby on Sunday for two days of work down South. New Year’s Eve was spent here in the North, in our home, and the four of us were asleep by 9 pm.
It has been a very trying year, with lots of travel, schedule juggling (i typically works Saturdays and El Jefe works Sundays), and the gamut of challenges we face at work due to the economic meltdown we are all experiencing. We are working harder than ever, and are so grateful to remain employed. But in the end, the greatest gift of all is the love we share with our dear friends and family.
With that, it’s time for a Foster’s. We send you all our love and wishes for a prosperous new year.
January: Santa made a very special visit to our home in the North New Year’s Eve, as we were just returning from an extended week-long visit to Wisconsin. Along with all the other ridiculous amounts of loot, Santa brought Punkin a fire truck and Peanut a doll. Less than two weeks later, Punkin celebrated his third birthday at Red Robin. Each year his birthday seems closer and closer to Christmas. Here he is sporting two of his favorite gifts: his own umbrella (poor kid doesn’t realize we only get 7.5 inches of rain a year), and an annual registration for the Tumblebus. It’s an old school bus with some limited gymnastic equipment on-board that comes to day care once a week. The kids are all excited to wear their Tumblebus shirts … like a little gang of pre-schoolers. Peanut’s menu expanded to include carrots, pear, asparagus, potato, peas (yuck!), yogurt (yum!) and green beans, and with all that energy she finally crawled! El Jefe traveled once or twice a week to Las Vegas, and added a fun-filled overnight in Ely. i shoveled snow on the weekends with her helper, Punkin, as her only form of exercise.
February: Looking back, we only took 8 photos this month. El Jefe got the flu, and was so miserable he actually went to the doctor who told him, “Yep, you’ve got the flu.” It slowed him down to the point where he only made two trips to Las Vegas the entire month! We celebrated our tenth anniversary one day late (El Jefe was over-nighting in Las Vegas, but made up for it) with a wonderful dinner at the Rapscallion Seafood House while Punkin’s teacher Ms. R held down the fort with the kids. El Jefe’s mom came up for a visit, bum knee and all, while i went to Tucson, AZ for a couple days for my final year of participation in the Pathfinders Awards of Excellence Program (as a National Committee member, not a recipient). When i returned, i got the flu, too. It was debilitating, and thankfully neither of the kids got it. Punkin got a flu shot (“in his knee” as he tells the story) at his three year well-check. Our pediatrician was out of infant vaccine, but thankfully Peanut never succumbed. She showed Grandma that she could hold her own bottle and pulled herself up this month.
March: Grandma left early in the month, but inspired us to actually enjoy the trails surrounding our neighborhood with Peanut in the stroller and Punkin on a tricycle. El Jefe did two overnights and four day trips to Las Vegas this month. i did one day trip to present Pathfinder Awards to the Southern staff. Peanut ate peaches, broccoli, cauliflower, and mango, while she experienced hot dogs at school. i turned 43 on the day our (former) property manager started eviction processes on the tenant in our home in the South. After several starts at eviction in less than six months of being in our home, this one was final. i cried when i saw the inspection report. There were no holes in the walls, but the house had essentially become a three bedroom kennel. Peanut got her first shoes this month, and we were able to enjoy coloring eggs and an Easter egg hunt in our North home.
April: El Jefe did two overnights and seven day trips to Las Vegas this month. Punkin dressed himself, and Peanut gained five new teeth this month. Despite all the misery of so many new teeth, she was able to concentrate hard enough to learn to climb up the stairs. We all traveled to the South to check on the house, hire a new property manager, and spend a little time with my parents, Paw Paw and Nonna. On April 24th, we experienced our first earthquake. El Jefe was experienced from his days of living in California, but every time there was an earthquake in the South, we had been out of town. Two days later, El Jefe turned 47.
May: El Jefe did one overnight and five day trips to Las Vegas this month, while i did one overnight in Phoenix, AZ for the Quality Summit. After one day of practice, Punkin learned to ride his “big boy bike” (with training wheels) ... the bad part about our neighborhood trail system is there are lots of kids, including the ones who questioned why Punkin was on a tricycle. Talk about peer pressure. Both Punkin and Peanut “graduated” to the next room at day care (mind you, tuition is based on age, so there were no financial benefits). Punkin participated in the Hop-a-Thon for MDA, hopped 92 times in two minutes, and raised a total of $259.00. i and El Jefe opted for the “per hop” pledge … what were we thinking? Within an eight day period, El Jefe’s daughter Yes graduated from Arch-Bishop Spalding High School in Maryland and El Jefe’s daughter Peanut turned one year old. We all ventured out to Maryland, including El Jefe’s Dad and wife, and El Jefe’s Mom and husbandl, to celebrate Yes’s graduation and hang out with El Jefe’s brother, wife, and their daughter in Baltimore. Punkin’s quote of the month was, “The bone in your head is called a knuckle-head.” My parents, Paw Paw and Nonna, joined us in the North to celebrate Peanut’s first birthday. Peanut took her first steps to Paw Paw the day after. We got a new tenant in our home in the South just in time for Memorial Day.
June: El Jefe made five day trips to Las Vegas including one where he returned the rented hospital-grade pump (my ball and chain) on the State plane. He also did one over-nighter. i went to Southern California for four days, participating as a Quality Auditor in our Irvine and San Diego offices. Peanut walked alone, and we discovered she had an ear infection at her one-year well-check … we never knew as she is such a good sleeper. Appalled by the price of gas, i purchased a bicycle trailer to haul the kids to daycare (five miles one way) and another half-mile to my office. Like the January snow shoveling, it was my only form of exercise. At the end of the month, we all went to Punkin’s flip-flop buddy, Josie’s 3 ½ year birthday party at Jump Man Jump. Peanut was overwhelmed by sinking in the corral of balls, i got a floor burn on her elbow, El Jefe got one on his knee, and Punkin had a blast!
July: Yes started, and eventually survived Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. We are so proud of her for being able to live without her cell phone and having 9 pm curfew (seriously, we are very proud of her). We landscaped our back yard the old fashioned way (we hired someone to do it) and our basic installation was complete by the 4th of July. We all stayed up past our bedtimes to enjoy fireworks at Star Spangled Sparks. We then continued our work in progress by planting a lilac bush and frequented Moana Nursery on the weekends as we vowed to do all the trees and bushes ourselves. The month featured some record-breaking poor air quality from the hundreds of fires in California, but i sucked it up (literally) and biked to work with the kids in tow a day or two a week. Punkin went to his first movie in the theater (Kung Fu Panda) as a field trip, and Ms. R babysat while Pam and El Jefe enjoyed dinner at a local brew pub (my only criteria for choice of restaurant was lack of a kid’s menu.) El Jefe made nine day trips to Las Vegas this month. Nonna and Paw Paw stopped in for a couple days on their way to Oregon. It was very special as we were all together to celebrate Nonna’s 73rd birthday at our home in the North.
August: Paw Paw and Nonna spent the weekend with us on their way back home from their Oregon timeshare adventure. Peanut got three molars this month. Just like her mom, she tends to grow teeth in bulk. El Jefe did an overnighter and four day trips to Las Vegas while i did two. Peanut had her first of four Parent and Me swimming lessons, so we all went to practice the next day at Sparks Marina. Swimming lessons are so popular that we could not get both kids into classes until October. Punkin started treatment for a Planter’s wart, which he called his Planet blister, consisting of DuoFilm and duct tape. We ended the month by attending the Best of the West Rib Cook-off. Just like her dad, Peanut loves beans!
September: It took fourteen months, but i finally realized i liked living in the North. We all went to the Great Reno Balloon Race, including the Glow Show and Dawn Patrol. This required getting the kids up at 4 am and layering sweatshirts over their pajamas. Once the sun came up, we watched the mass ascension as balloons filled the sky and enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Peanut fell asleep on the way to her swimming lesson. El Jefe did two over-nighters in Las Vegas and three day trips, while i spent nearly a week in our Folsom office for their Quality Audit. We had our first non-family visitor since we moved to Reno, our friend Cathy who we have known since the South, who was working in our North office and got stranded as hurricane Ike caused havoc to her home and family in the Houston area. Punkin painted his toenails (unsupervised) a lovely shade of pink, and we adopted Putty, a 1½ year-old medium-hair tabby from the Humane Society. She is an awesome cat, very social with all of our family, incredibly tolerant of the kids, and holds her own with our dog, Jenny.
October: Both Punkin and Peanut had Saturday swimming lessons this month. Since I am a Pisces, this is mandatory. We all participated in Race for the Cure; it was Peanut’s second and Punkin’s fifth events, which is amazing when you consider their ages are just 1½ and 3 at the time of this letter. The following weekend, we all participated in the Walk for Juvenile Diabetes. Peanut got her face painted, and Punkin most enjoyed the picnic lunch of Qdoba burritos after the walk. El Jefe had four day trips to Las Vegas and one overnighter, while i spent four days in Las Vegas for their Quality Audit. Amazingly enough, i also had a day trip to Las Vegas that wasn’t for work! i attended a baby shower for my friend Amy. The month was filled with all things Halloween, especially pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns. My parents, Paw Paw and Nonna, visited just in time for Halloween, and Nonna accompanied both Punkin and Peanut on their first adventure of Trick-or-Treating.
November: With Nonna and Paw Paw still visiting, we all enjoyed our first Nevada Day parade in Carson City, especially Paw Paw who stayed warm and dry in the car. The following day we all discovered the Animal Ark, a sanctuary just north of town for native and not so native wildlife including cheetahs, and tigers, and bears (oh my!). El Jefe made two day trips to Las Vegas, i had two overnighters in Las Vegas, and El Jefe made a day trip (looong day trip) to Elko. On Election Day, El Jefe encountered some black ice on his early morning commute to Carson City (not flying that day); crash-tested both the guardrail and concrete barrier rail, experienced air-bag deployments first-hand, and totaled his 2001 Jeep Cherokee. He was miraculously unscathed, and the only thing wounded was his pride. Four days later, we bought a Subaru Outback, so now we really look like Northerners. The next evening, we all had dinner at the home of John and Linda Narigon, North transplants from Iowa, and met with Sandra, Donna, Barb, Manu, what’s her name, and Tammy, totaling ten current or former engineers with the Iowa DOT. (Only Sandra’s kids have any hope at a different career path, as her husband is the only non-engineer among us). On the morning of November 17th, my mom, Nonna, died very suddenly and unexpectedly, having suffered two heart attacks in a few short hours. My middle sister and i flew to Las Vegas that afternoon. El Jefe, Punkin, and Peanut joined us the following day, making the drive from the North, while my eldest sister flew in from Atlanta. My dad, Paw Paw, is holding up remarkably well after losing the love of his life after 51 years of marriage. He gained 4 pounds in the short week we were there, so we know we at least supplied some comfort food. Paw Paw spent Thanksgiving in Los Angeles with my middle sister and her family. We had a quiet Thanksgiving, just the four of us, at our home in the North. Punkin finally got the pumpkin pie he has been talking about since October.
December: El Jefe had two day trips and an overnighter in Las Vegas, while i had three overnight trips to Las Vegas. We’ve stayed with Paw Paw, although he rarely sees us because we work such ridiculous hours. One trip, the only evidence of El Jefe was an empty Foster’s left in the kitchen. i had a bender with some of my co-workers, while El Jefe braved Applebee’s alone with both Punkin and Peanut. Ms. R babysat for my Christmas party, memorable as we actually stayed out (and awake) until 2 am. i was very proud of the fuzzy handcuffs i got as a white elephant gift; Punkin seems to be enjoying them, too. Peanut has transitioned to Suite 200, and because she is 18 months old, we finally got a tuition break! Ms. R babysat again for the NDOT Construction Christmas party, held at Nevada’s oldest hotel, the Gold Hill Hotel in Virginia City. For the first time since January 8, 2005, El Jefe and I spent an entire night alone together without the kids (Thank you, Ms. R!). We got a silver tip variety of Christmas tree (half price! because we waited until the 19th); it is very reminiscent of the ones El Jefe’s family would cut down in the woods in Wisconsin. For the first time ever, we were able to use a Christmas tree skirt Nonna had made because the trunk was narrow enough to fit through the hole. It is very sweet, featuring a teddy bear family of four. How did she know that is how our immediate family would be comprised? Paw Paw drove up North with his dog, Gabby, on the 21st; El Jefe took a week off because he was in a “use it or lose it” situation with his vacation time at work; and my middle sister and her family came over the hill on the 23rd so we could all spend Christmas together in our home here in the North. While i slaved away at work, everyone enjoyed a day of ice skating at the Rink on the River. Actually, Peanut was not too thrilled, completed only one lap, and then refused to allow her skates to be removed (she’s all about shoes, and ice skates are very special shoes!). Santa brought Punkin an electric train, but Punkin was most excited by the candy canes being hauled in one of the freight cars. We also discovered Peanut is a candy cane junkie (it must be genetic), and are looking for a toddler detox program for her habit. We had a beautiful Christmas snow, opened gifts from those near, and far, and even passed, and enjoyed the madness of five kids (one of which is 84 and doesn’t believe in Santa), four very hard-working adults, two dogs, and a cat. El Jefe and Punkin had a two-hour “Parent teach your child to ski” lesson at North Star, while my middle sister and her family snowboarded and skied in the best conditions the Sierras have seen in many, many years. Peanut accompanied me at work to complete a submittal due the 26th. Peanut left plenty of evidence of her day at work between goldfish and cheerios ground into the carpet, and a veritable rainbow of highlighters on every surface that was not covered by piles of papers. We all went sledding on Saturday, and i drove back to Las Vegas with Paw Paw and Gabby on Sunday for two days of work down South. New Year’s Eve was spent here in the North, in our home, and the four of us were asleep by 9 pm.
It has been a very trying year, with lots of travel, schedule juggling (i typically works Saturdays and El Jefe works Sundays), and the gamut of challenges we face at work due to the economic meltdown we are all experiencing. We are working harder than ever, and are so grateful to remain employed. But in the end, the greatest gift of all is the love we share with our dear friends and family.
With that, it’s time for a Foster’s. We send you all our love and wishes for a prosperous new year.
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