Greetings to friends and family: 2011 has been the year the kids got really big! Steven is very tall -- the tallest in the family, and Emily turned 13 going on 17. We are amazed to see these young adults sitting across the table in the seats our children used to occupy! During a 10-day August visit with her cousins in Redondo Beach, California, Emily took surfing lessons with cousin Elli and has become quite the “grom,”short for gromit, surfer lingo for avid young surfer. Steven, against his better judgement, has been foisted behind the steering wheel and is exercising his driving learner’s permit. Tony and I have to try really hard not to feel really old as the kids gain new skills and independence. Both kids have taken up photography and video creation fairly seriously and have produced some beautiful and impressive work. Mom and dad took up kayaking on Lake Newport a few steps from our house. Ping pong has also come into our lives thanks to a perfectly good table, complete with paddles and balls, that a neighbor put out on the curb on trash day! Tony set up a “stadium” with special lighting, in the garage for year-round play. Anne took a lovely 10-day trip to Southwest France in July with her mother, Jean Stenzel. The trip included attending a wedding party, scenic country drives, elegant bed & breakfasts, and lots of good meals throughout the region. Tony spent a sunny week in Maine with his sister Donna, a Manhattanite who graced us with several weekend visits over the year. Wrapping up 2011, Tony and I are grateful for still being employed. Tony rides his bike year-round to his software engineering job at Northrop Grumman. His bike odometer hit 5,000 miles at Thanksgiving! Anne is still a contractor at the State Department working on policy and support for American cultural centers overseas. She enjoys the chance to help our Embassies find the best options for good old-fashioned face-to-face engagement. The holidays will find us in sunny San Clemente, California at Jean’s beautiful home overlooking the pacific. We look forward to seeing Anne’s west coast brothers Peter and Chris and their families. While there we hope to enjoy Skype calls with all the rest of our family members who ring the east and southern borders of the U.S. Our family send you all best wishes for happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous 2012. |