Tuesday, December 20, 2016

2016 in Review


As 2016 comes to a close, we're truly thankful for the great family and friends that we have. Thank you for your visits, emails, and cards during the year! But in case we haven't been in touch or seen each other lately, here's a bit of an update on what's happening with us.

Anne (5th grade) claims that she will be playing World Cup soccer sometime in her future, just like Alex Morgan. We can't argue with such an ambitious goal, as it motivates her to work hard on the field and also have lots of fun. Anne was also in her school's Kids on Broadway musical production again. When she's not at school or playing soccer, she's normally found playing with her best friend Adie, who lives next door in storybook fashion.

Emma (8th grade) also plays soccer for the same club (Minneapolis United), but this winter is trying a new sport: slalom racing. She has several years of skiing under he belt, but it will be her first time skiing through gates and racing to the bottom of the hill as fast as she can. Kris is particularly excited to watch her and be a volunteer gate judge stationed on the hill, which will give him a great vantage point to see her come down. He grew up skiing and racing, so it's with great pride that Emma is now giving it a try. And a highlight for Emma this year: a trip to NYC with Katie, our traditional "becoming a teenager" trip.

Grace (11th grade) is yet another soccer player in our household, also playing for Minneapolis United. When she's not in a game or at practice, she can often be found at her job, working at Turtle Bread (a local bakery and restaurant).  We're pretty thrilled that she's working there, as it comes with some nice discounts for dining in, and free goods that she can bring home after her shift. We've been the lucky recipients of delicious wheat bread, pumpkin bars, and other goodies. Also, a highlight of Grace's year: a trip to London and Paris with Katie, whose turn it was to take the "anywhere in the world trip". (Sarah's was in 2012 to Sydney, Australia, with Kris; next, Kris goes with Emma in 2018, and so far the destination is anticipated to be the Swiss Alps for skiing).

Sarah (sophomore in college) is having a good year at Arizona State, and continues to enjoy all of the opportunities that a large state university provides. She also enjoys the warm weather, at least when it's not 120 in August (!). She's continuing on a path to be premed and also minor in art. And new to this year is being on the club soccer team. ASU is a Division I school, which is pretty serious soccer and not Sarah's cup of tea. But the club level is still pretty high quality soccer (tryouts, a coach, etc.), a big step above intramurals, and she got to travel to Colorado for a tournament in September. Sarah also has a great job working at an indoor climbing gym in Scottsdale, which has reignited her passion for climbing – something that she did a lot in elementary school and junior high, but less in high school.

Kris and Katie still work at their respective employers: Kris, a principal interaction designer at Honeywell, and Katie, an urgent care physician at Park Nicollet. This summer they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in Duluth and on the North Shore of Lake Superior, where they hiked and visited Grand Marais, a beautiful little town not far from the Canadian border (and home to one of their favorite restaurants, The Angry Trout). Other highlights include Kris's surprise gift to Katie for her birthday: a Vikings game at their new home field, U.S. Bank Stadium; seeing about 200 soccer games (okay, maybe that's a high estimate); enjoying one of the most beautiful summers in Minneapolis (not too hot, and little stifling humidity); and Kris taking the girls yet again to the Boundary Waters for canoeing (he's been going nearly every summer since 2001).

We hope your year was also filled with good activities and pleasant memories. We also hope that if you haven't seen us in a while, please stop by and visit if you're in the neighborhood – we'd love to see you! Take care and all the best to you,

Kris, Katie, Sarah, Grace, Emma, and Anne