Christmas 2018

Hello all!

It has been so crazy busy (home projects, grading papers, etc.) this year that I won’t be able to write my usual Christmas letter. Sorry.

Please be assured that we are happy and healthy, the girls are doing great, and that though our finances could be better we carry on. We wish happiness and prosperity for you and yours.

 Happy Christmas!

 

Love,

The Leebs

 

P.S. I have been informed that I am to write a full and proper letter and that the contents of my Christmas stocking are on the line; phrases like “lame” and “half-arsed” were used. Not by me!

P.S.S. Okay,… “arsed” was not used, but you get the idea. I don’t think even the Brits use “arse.”

So here goes:

We definitely have a fin de siècle vibe this year. Maybe “upcoming transition” or “impending calamity;” I can’t tell.  Jenn and I are both delighted at the prospect of Emily attending college and terrified by the thought of Emily going away. We seem to have lost all logical consistency. We will know soon if she’ll be staying at home to go to CSU Long Beach or UC Irvine, or if my eldest daughter will be lost to the wilds of UC Davis or CSU Sacramento.  I know it’s not like we are abandoning her on the side of the highway, but the feeling is remarkably similar. We are trying to enjoy every day with her.

One of our most memorable adventures of the past year was going to Abalone Cove with the Ryders. The sandstone cliffs were straight out of Two Years Before the Mast, we saw a pod of dolphins up close, and all the denizens of the tide pools. We finished off their California day with a trip to In-n-Out Burger. Very fun.

Both the girls attended the Winter Formal in January, Claire’s first chance at a high school fancy dance. They came home happy and tired. That’s all I know and probably all I want to know.

Claire brings me much joy by playing on a soccer team all year long. The only peculiarity of hers that gives me pause is her choice of position. If other players stumble or have a lapse of judgment, it’s lost in the hurly-burly, but goalie mistakes are highly visible and very memorable. She says she does not enjoy all the running that the field players must do, but then why does she compete on the cross-country team? Maybe that logical consistency thing is genetic.

We were invited to host a German exchange student for three weeks in March. Svenja is polite and charming and got some quintessential California experiences: Disneyland, Joshua Tree, Seal Beach and a gun show. She was unfailingly grateful and even cooked Spätzle for us. We were delighted to host her and hope to see her again either here or in Stuttgart.

During Spring Break, the family (minus Em) decided to car-camp a couple of days just outside of the Grand Canyon. Claire and Jenn hiked thirteen miles along the southern rim, but I feigned an injury. I mean I was recovering from a soccer mishap. No definitive ruling has been issued. Even if you are only able to ride the shuttle bus for a few hours, the Grand Canyon is worth it. I was expecting not to enjoy it because of the crowds and the sameness of the experience for everyone, but I was wrong. In an alternate version of this letter I went on at length. Ask me if you dare.

Emily was asked to Prom by a track teammate who ended up being more than just a prom date. Jake is stand-out polite and mature, and I know I am supposed to be suspicious of him, but I just can’t find it in me to doubt him. We have even become good friends with his parents, who are ridiculously generous and kind.

Only one of us got to Wisconsin this summer, but Claire was accompanied by her best friend Emily Kim. She earned the moniker, “Amelia Earhart Kim” for her inability to stay earthbound while tubing around the lake. They both said they enjoyed it very much, and we are hoping to get the whole Kim family to our cabin someday.

We all went to Hawaii during the summer with Jenn’s family. The highlight was snorkeling with the sea turtles. Jenn and I hiked up Diamondhead as all tourists must. I’m not sure why they all decided to go the same day we did, however.

In August both daughters and Jenn escaped to Big Bear for the cross country retreat. The girls were there to run and bond with their teammates, while Jenn was support staff, prepping and cooking. These are the days the girls will remember years after high school.

We had another fantastic year camping in Joshua Tree over Veterans’ Day weekend. For the last three years we had to interrupt our trip for cross country finals. We avoided that this year, only to have Claire’s soccer team make the playoffs and get a game scheduled at 8 am in Norco. Camping interrupted, again. Still a good problem to have. The rest of the weekend was filled with friends, laughter and Fireball.

My wife and I can put another notch on the grown-up belt as we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Lots of potatoes, deep fried turkey and green bean casserole for everyone. My second cousin, Jack Bergum, was able to make it too.

After that, the days started flying by in a blur.

Now I am done.

Merry Christmas,

 

The Leebs