2009 in review

It's been another busy year in the Layon family. Thanks for tuning in and reading our update, and we hope you are doing well!

As the girls grow up, life just keeps getting busier. The first part of 2009 began with Sarah and Grace having winter training for soccer on weekends. Kris and Emma also did a bit of downhill skiing, and Emma gained a lot of confidence on the hill and rope tow. And in late January, Emma and Kris flew down to Arizona for a few days in the sun with Grandpa Steve and Grandma Cherie (above). Sarah and Grace are old enough to fly down themselves in the summer, so this was a great way for Emma to have her own trip to see them.

Spring is soccer season for us, and everyone's teams did quite well (Emma, Grace, and Sarah all play). Sarah's team eventually qualified for two state tournaments, one in the summer and one in the fall. Pictured here is Sarah's team at the summer tournament.

The highlight of the year, however, was our 2-1/2 week roadtrip to Arizona and California. It was amazing! The entire experience was fabulous, from driving over 5,000 miles and getting a sense of how large our country is, to visiting family and friends. Stops along the way included visiting Katie's father Steve and wife Cherie in Phoenix, visiting Katie's brother Erik and wife Ana Paula (and cousins Matt, Steve, and Carrie) in San Diego, and seeing friends Robert and Katrina Young in Carlsbad (former neighbors in Ohio from 1999-2001, during Katie's medical residency). Picture here are our girls with their cousins Matt, Steve, and Carrie; for some photos blogged during the trip, visit the entries here in the August 2009 archive.

Since that trip, life has reverted back to school, work, and -- yes -- soccer. And for the first time in several years, there have been a few changes with work. Katie's was most significant: moving from emergency medicine to urgent care, which means no more night shifts after working them for 11 years! Other changes include less acute cases and working in a different system, moving from Fairview to Park Nicollet. And Kris also had a small change: he started a new design business. He is now designing applications for the iPhone, and his first one, ArtAlphabet, went on sale in Apple's iTunes Store in October. He is also collaborating with a University of Minnesota physician on some medical reference applications. (his full time job is still designing web sites at the U)

Finally, this year's report wouldn't be complete without mentioning that we observed our 15th wedding anniversary! (on July 16) We are celebrating by taking a trip to Mexico in February. And other marriage-related news this year were the two important weddings in our family: Kris's mother Sharon and new husband Neil (married in June) and brother Chad and new wife Kristi (married in September). The latter wedding explains Kris's tux in our holiday card photo (above).

We wish everyone well at the end of 2009, and a safe and happy new year in 2010!

Sincerely,

Kris & Katie (and Sarah, Grace, Emma, and Anne)