Johanna, Edison, Charlotte, & Reed’s 2024 Christmas Letter
My work is loving the world…mostly standing still and learning to be astonished…
which is mostly rejoicing…which is gratitude…a mouth with which to give shouts of joy.”
– Mary Oliver | lines from the poem: Messenger
It is easy to know intellectually that children grow up. It is quite another to be a mother and watch it unfold before your eyes - with all the challenges and beauty and milestones that come along with it. ‘Tis the season of my life to be the steadfast mother who seeks to let my children spread their wings and pursue their interests even though it can be nerve-wracking to transfer all of that over to them. I’ve seen my children have remarkable successes, experience failures, learn some things the hard way, and occasionally follow some of my advice (often also learned the hard way). They are growing into wonderful people. I am glad I am not alone in this endeavor. It helps tremendously to share these days with supportive friends and family, in particular my mother, Bonnie, while we laugh and cry and remark about what a miracle life is, and how fortunate we are to be living this life, despite all of its difficulties.
Edison is sixteen, has his license, is driving the Impreza from my mom, and is pretty much managing his day-to-day life as a thoughtful sophomore. This past summer, he got his first job at the Lake Forest Park Civic Club and every now and then his boss would text me to share how helpful he was. (happy sigh!) Edison is serious about his education and is taking three AP courses (Physics, World History, and Spanish), doing well at them and really learning how to study and take notes. The course schedule forced him to drop Orchestra for AP Spanish, so unfortunately, I think his formal musical training in the viola has come to an end. He volunteers for the town’s Youth Court and helps decide alternatives for traffic violations for teens. He also volunteered for three days as a counselor at Ridgecrest Elementary’s Fifth Grade Camp. That was a good fit for him and his former teachers shared what a great leader he was. Wrapping up last year, he had a successful freshman high school swim season, qualifying for state in the 500 Free by breaking the five-minute mark at the Districts swim meet. He also had an impressive Track & Field season, leading his team in the discus and making it to the District meet. He is dedicated to pursuing throwing. He and Charlotte went to Iron Woods Throwing Camp in Idaho over the summer to improve at throwing. Edison has also been doing private coaching this fall. He is diligent about the discus and shot put! Edison has gotten into a routine this fall of also lifting weights at the gym and doing laps at the pool. When he is not doing school work or athletics, Edison spends his time with his very sweet girlfriend, Sadie. The two are inseparable and take care of each other very well.
Charlotte is fourteen and has joined Edison and me at Shorecrest for her freshman year. She applies herself with much focus to her studies and takes a lot of pride in her school work. Two of my teacher colleagues have let me know how impressed they are with her carefully crafted assignments. A quick recap of her year: She joined the 8th Grade school basketball team in February – she is athletic and a fast learner! In lacrosse she played midi most of the season because of her running endurance and understanding of the field. Last spring, she had an amazing Track season, winning the 400-meter dash individually and the 4x400 relay with Ella, Harper, and Emilia at the Districts Meet. She is also a thower and competed in the discus, too. She attended Throw Camp with Edison and the two of them went to “All Comers” Track meets every Wednesday evening this past summer. She had a phenomenal summer swim season, capping off the 13-14 season with a 5th place finish at All City in the 50 Back and set a team record with her 200 Free Relay! She has really enjoyed her first season on the Shorecrest Girls High School Swim Team. Charlotte and the other new swimmers are having a blast. Charlotte worked really hard at practice and that translated to big time drops in her events – including qualifying for the State meet in both the 200 & 500 Free races and being on the 200 Medley and 400 Free relay teams that both finished 8th at the state meet! Charlotte has applied herself to trying new things this fall: joining Marketing Class, working in the student store, joining the DECA marketing club, Key Club (a Rotary service club), and attending a lot of other sports as a fan to cheer on her friends. She (and a few of her friends) are in my Intro to Leadership class this fall. She was part of a group who organized and emceed the Be The Change Assembly – it was so remarkable to see her have the courage to speak in front of the whole school!
Reed is eleven and in fifth grade. He has a lot of friends and plays football or soccer at recess. He had a ton of fun at Fifth Grade Camp with his school at Camp Orkila – he even got to do a high ropes course and zip line! Reed selected the cello as his instrument and is now practicing “plucking” before they are allowed to learn how to use the bow. Swimming continues to be his primary sport and he had an excellent showing at the All City swim meet this summer – setting two individual records this season (50 Breaststroke & 50 Back) and a relay record in the 200 Free! Math is his favorite subject and once a week he has a special math program with several other students and they do really interesting math challenges. He is a big snuggler, can keep up with his siblings on all fronts, looks up to Edison, has a great sense of humor, and enjoys computer games. Reed and I get to spend more time together now that his older siblings are often out doing things with friends. Our perfect “date nights” are: dinner at the mall food court (he gets pizza / I get Thai), an hour at the Dave & Buster’s Arcade, and some time wandering whatever shops he is interested in (hats, sneakers, Legos, and video games). I really enjoy our time together. He is funny and thoughtful, and does a remarkable job of sizing up just about every situation.
Johanna. This has been a year filled with some big personal challenges. I keep reminding myself that we, as humans, are built for hard things and that we will get through them. And that is true. And I do make it. But it isn’t easy. This has really expanded my empathy and has inspired in me a new focus on gratitude. Look at all the beauty and opportunity in this world! I tore my ACL skiing at the end of February which abruptly ended my ski season. I have worked hard to rehab the area around it to the point where I am able to do long (20-mile) day hikes, even with elevation gain. I am also able to swim just fine and continue to do that daily. I have a custom brace for skiing and that will be the true test of whether I can manage to have an active life without having surgery. I continue to support my father, who is confined to a wheel chair and has dementia due to Parkinson’s. He lives in a memory care facility that was just sold and we are anxiously awaiting news of what is next and if he will need to relocate. My friendships bring me so much joy! I have fellow mama friends who are so understanding of everything, neighborhood friends in Book Club, incredible hiking buddies, dedicated work colleagues, my swimming comrades at the pool, high school friends, and ski friends. Rivers and mountains are my happy places where I am able to re-energize my spirit on weekends. I really like to share adventures in those spaces with others but have also started embracing solo travel.
Travel highlights for me this year (without the kids) include: a giant winter skiing road trip with the Mitchells to Banff and BC Rockies (skiied at four resorts, hit the hot springs and visited Lake Louise); backcountry skiing and snowshoe with Heidi at Sun River, Oregon; solo Whistler ski trip for a week; Maui for a week with Jessica (waterfall hikes, snorkeling with giant turtles, an amazing day hiking Haleakala mountain and seeing the sunset over the clouds at 10,000’); time on the Hood Canal with Rachelle & Rebecca; hiking Spider Meadow in the Glacier Peak wilderness with Heidi; solo Mount Rainier hiking in the Summerland alpine; hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail near Mazama in the North Cascades for a solo mountain mess around; girls weekend at the cabin with Rachelle & Rebecca on the coldest August weekend in memory (entertaining ourselves by making ridiculous TikToks); fall hiking with Amy: Deception Pass, Peggy’s Pond/Cathedral Rock, and Lake Ingalls; hiking with both Jess and Amy in the Gothic Basin alpine; and finally a solo weekend getaway at Lake Quinault Lodge in the rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. I’m excited to head to Sun Valley for Winter Break skiing and also out to the ocean the first half of Winter Break. To me, being able to move and see and appreciate and explore brings me great joy and I intend to do that fully and as often as possible!
I’m glad that the kids and I traveled as much as we did the past few years. Travel will definitely slow down now that priority for time is going to athletics and seeing friends! But here is where we made our best memories this past year: skiing in Park City in January; an incredible Spring Break trip in a 20’ camper van (exploring Grand Canyon, boating on Lake Powell, hiking the slot Antelope Canyon, visiting Sedona and the Sonoran desert); a three-day rafting trip on the Grande Ronde in central Oregon; a getaway to San Francisco (the city, Muir Woods, Marin County beaches, and Stanford U.); a quick trip to Spokane including renting a boat for the day on the beautiful Priest Lake in Idaho; time at the cabin with Jess’s family including floating the river and walking into town for ice cream; the big summer vacation with the Hass Family to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (golf cart joyriding, renting a pontoon boat, and the Silverwood amusement park were highlights); the annual swim across Lake Washington; Labor Day with the Kurcinkas at the cabin; and finally, hiking the northwest side of Mount Rainier with the kids to an area called Spray Park.
Life is not a given. I am grateful each and every day that I am able to raise my kids; I get to work at a fine high school and am passionate about my job (that now directly impacts the high school experience of my own children); I am able to have great friends and family in my life; and I am able to travel and enjoy all the beauty of life. I’m so grateful that my kids and I are healthy, that they are doing well in school and turning into fine, caring young people. I strive to honor the gift of being alive by living each day to its fullest and living with purpose, including taking care of my friends and loved ones. I am honored to know you and have you in my life. I’m looking forward to a busy 2025 full of new experiences and learnings for each of us. Please keep us in your hearts, as we do the same with you.
All our love,
Johanna, Edison, Charlotte, and Reed
