December 2020

         As December comes to an end and everyone is looking to ending this very unique 2020, I asked the girls what they are thankful for in the past year.  They both stated they were happy we were able to keep most of our annual trips to certain places along with vacations to see family and friends.  While many of the trips weren’t the same, we still were able to see many of our family members at some point this year and for that we are thankful.   

 

                With no plans and the possibility of staying at home for Christmas like we did for Thanksgiving, we decided to pack up our things and go to skiing in Davis.  We left on Dec 23^rd and it rained a lot on Christmas Eve.  We spent the day relaxing, gathering the rented skis for the girls and watching mass on the iPad.  We woke up to snow on Christmas and opened presents, ate breakfast and then went to Timberline for the first of 3 days on the slopes.  Allison was quickly able to go down Dew Drop and Sarah enjoyed White Out and Winterset.  It was very cold so we enjoyed some breaks every few hours and were very impressed with the upgrades that have been done over the last year.  We had a nice Christmas dinner and everyone slept well after skiing hard all day.  We did it all again on day #2 with the only difference was us having Siranni’s pizza for dinner and I went to a local brewery to buy some beers to bring home, and have a draft beer and a quiet moment to myself.  On Sunday, we skied from 9AM until Noon and then packed up and were home by 8PM.  As with every trip we take, Deb did a fantastic job having everything we needed including bringing all of the food so we didn’t need to go to the grocery store.  The girls got the books they asked Santa for (Dogman and Babysitter’s Club), a Harry Potter Lego set, a Wubble Bubble ball and a squishy craft set.   

 

                The weekend before Christmas, I took the girls to Ohio for a short visit to see Vandervaarts & Grandma.  They built a new house in 2020 which has an “in-law’s” suite.  We arrived around 4:30 in the afternoon and had pizza, played charades and a game on the iPad called “Among Us.” While the girls played that game with their cousins, I enjoyed catching up with mom and Laura.  Their house us very nice and accommodates well having guests with the basement having a separate bedroom and bathroom.   

 

                This month I accepted a new job at Dealers Wholesale. After meeting with the leadership team at the company and seeing the culture, the size and the possibility to really add some value quickly, I decided this was the right thing to do for my family and my career. I’m excited to start in early January and my last day at Kauffman Engineering was Dec. 30^th.  I appreciated the short time at Kauffman and this opportunity is really an example that things can come up when you aren’t looking and least expect it.  I appreciate the guidance and advice from 2 of my favorite people, John Oblazney and Sonja McClelland over the last year as I’ve transitioned from Herff Jones, to Kauffman and now to Dealers Wholesale.   

                  

Sarah’s Things of the Month  

                Sarah continued to enjoy playing tennis at IRC and basketball at IBA.  Both of those lessons ended in December and she is looking forward to a new basketball league with her friends in January.  She enjoyed a virtual birthday party for Jonathan on Zoom in December. 

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month  

                 Allison continued her basketball lessons at IBA and practicing with her Jr. Trojan’s basketball team.  She has also started practicing volleyball and the games start in January.  

 

A few more items from this month: 

• One of our good friends, Liz, turned 40 this month and Deb participated in a driveway birthday celebration. 
• Beth celebrated turning 40 this month by hosting a driveway party of her own.  She had several friends that showed up so I enjoyed seeing several of her friends.  
• We went to see Santa at Sullivan’s with the Sniadeckis.  We had them over to our house for pizza afterwards.  The girls really enjoy this tradition as we all ride in the train as a family on the way to the North pole, but on the way back the kids get to ride it together and 4 adults sit in a small train car for 15 minutes on the way back.   
• Julie and Debbie found a unique way to celebrate their parent’s 45^th wedding anniversary by ordering them food delivered by Doordash and then hosting a Zoom with several friends and family.   
• I got a chance to catch up with Brad and Jeremy a few times this month.  We were together on a Zoom a few days before Christmas, I got to talk on the phone with Brad earlier in the month and also enjoyed watching some football at Jeremy’s earlier in December while getting a chance to see their new pool.  
• While I had the girls in Ohio, Deb had to work until 3PM that afternoon, so she got a chance to enjoy a girl’s night with some friends and a pedicure on Saturday morning.   
• We saw 2 impressive light shows in December.  One was at the state fairgrounds and has a drive-thru light show that coordinates with music on the radio.  Another was our first time to Newfields which was a walk-thru light show that we were lucky enough to see while it was snowing, which made it pretty cool.   
• New Year’s Eve was pretty low-key this year, where we stayed at home, watched some sports and everyone went to bed at 9PM and I stayed up until midnight watching a movie.