Our third annual Christmas Letter has arrived. And like most movie trilogies, this is the one that attempts to apologize for the mess that was the sequel by trying to get back to basics. But it’s probably not quite as good as the first. (Of course, we all know the exception to that rule is the OG Star Wars trilogy, Empire Strikes Back rules them all)
Boy this train is already off its tracks.
Here I am, sitting down in front of a computer, trying to put together a brief overview of this year. Mostly for me to look back and remember, but also for you, dear reader, to hopefully find something of note. You did after all click at least one link to get here, so you must be somewhat interested.
I also enlisted the help of the girls for this, by asking them for three things they are grateful for this year, which of course was like pulling teeth. One answered promptly, and in a proper bulleted list format. Another was overwhelmed by the question, eventually gave me two and asked me to come back later for the third. And the other just flat out ignored any attempts until I cornered her. I wonder if you guys can guess which was which…
The beautiful thing about writing a letter in this format though, is that you can read as little or as much as you want. Cause I’ll give you the rundown of stops this train will make. Links and all.
- We’ll start with Mariah, which of course means soccer
- We’ll then talk about Mikaela, which of course means gymnastics
- We’ll discuss Merida and her love for our new cat
- We’ll learn about said cat, Bear, and the hijinks that have ensued since he joined us
- We’ll touch on my gratitude for the ability to travel, both solo and as a family
- We’ll watch me get overly sentimental about the ever increasing speed of time passing us by
- And of course, we’ll end up at a conclusion (all those years of me writing essays in high school prepared us for this very moment)
However much or little you read, as always, I hope your holiday season is filled with joy. And food. It should always be filled with food.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
Your friends that forever refuse to move to Florida, The Andrades.
Mariah
She keeps getting taller!
Last year in middle school. Don’t remind me.
All soccer all the time, and it makes me so happy to see her chasing something she genuinely enjoys. She keeps working hard and getting better. It’s fun to watch.
When not soccer-ing or being with her friends, it has been fun actually getting to watch non-kid movies with her. Top Gun: Maverick was epic. She agrees.
Thankful for:
Family
A roof over her head
Her cats!
Mikaela
5th Grade Graduate!
Mikaela started middle school this year! Exciting times for all!
She continues to be passionate about gymnastics. Working hard on new skills. It’s awesome to see her dedication to it. And how much joy it brings her. Even when she’s struggling with a particular skill, she persists. I’m not sure I ever had that much dedication when I was a kid.
It’s also really fun to see her excel in math and science, probably because those are the subjects I gravitated towards in school (pun absolutely intended). National Geographic’s Science Advent Calendar has been a hit with her and it’s been fun for me watching her do all the experiments.
Thankful for:
Being able to continue gymnastics
Being able to hang out with friends and family
Being able to go on great vacations
Merida
Lake life!
Her first year in school without her sisters. Different bus. Different schedule. Definitely has been an adjustment for her, but little by little she is gaining confidence and getting the handle of it.
Her second year in travel soccer is going well. It’s always fun to see her play and how excited she is.
It’s also been a blast seeing how much she has come to love our new cat, Bear! Specially when she was really disappointed when we picked him over a different cat at the shelter. But now she looks for him as soon as she gets back from school. It’s really cute.
Thankful for:
Family
Friends
Bear!
Bear
Bear!
We did indeed get a new cat. Mariah was very insistent that Sophie needed a sibling. (I may kind of agree… don’t tell her that). A few facts about Bear:
- He’s a year younger than Sophie, but twice the size.
- He constantly flops down in the middle of the kitchen floor, demanding to be pet.
- He steals bagged, frozen chicken that is left on the counter to thaw, hides it in the basement, and makes you question your sanity because you KNOW you left chicken out for dinner but it’s no longer there. And when you kinda start to accept that maybe indeed the cat has decided to play hide and seek with raw poultry, you are perplexed when you look around the house but can’t find anything. It’s not until several hours later that you finally see him dragging said poultry out of a corner. At which point you triumphantly yell to any and all who will listen that indeed you were NOT crazy, you DID take out chicken, and this cat is RIDICULOUS.
So yeah, that’s Bear…
Travels
This year was a big one for travel. I am so thankful for all we got to do.
The Grand Canyon!
I got to go on one of the coolest trips I’ve ever done, by road-tripping across the southwest. And surprising no one, this introvert loved doing it solo. The Grand Canyon is absolutely breathtaking and I can’t wait to go back. The landscapes across Arizona and Nevada are amazing. And it’s gonna be tough to top kayaking on the Colorado river.
Chicago!
Also took the girls on a roadtrip to Chicago, with stops at various places on the way there and back. It was absolutely a blast to see and do so many cool things. The Museum of Science was amazing (Mikaela and I could have spent multiple days there). The skyline, the aquarium, the planetarium, the pizza! Chicago is a great city. Even stopped at Niagara Falls on the way back. It was a great end to the summer, though I could tell I may have overdone it… Not everyone was excited about ten days on the road. We might keep our next road trip a little shorter.
Emotions
This year really seems to have made an impact on how quickly time goes. Maybe it was that I saw a lot of my friends sending their firstborns off to college (I’m gonna be a mess). Or maybe it’s that Mariah goes off to high school next year (I’m already a mess). Or maybe it’s that every year the girls get more of their own lives as their sports, friends, etc demand more of their time (my Google Calendar is a mess).
All that to say that all the clichés are true. “Blink and you’ll miss it”, “Time goes by fast”, etc, have all been said to me time and time again by those much wiser than me. And I did in fact believe them. But turns out there is a difference between knowing something to be true, and DEEPLY knowing it. Really living through it. No amount of clichés prepare you for being in the middle of it.
Wrap It Up Already
Through it all though, I am grateful for all the fun we’ve had this year. All the little moments with friends and family. All the movies watched, all the food consumed.
I’m also grateful for all the stuff I’ve gotten to do. Celebrating my brothers 50th (he’s old). Chasing after the coveted Nine Pin Cider 26er status (shoutout to Brett and Sarah for putting up with me every two weeks). Being part of a team that helped ship two great games (MultiVersus and Gotham Knights). This has been a good year. God is good.
Wherever this letter finds you, I hope you have a great holiday season.
🎄🎄🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎄🎄