Regardless of your political bent, there’s no denying that 2017
was a screwy year, colored by polarization; global tensions, particularly regarding
North Korea and Russia; mass killings; racist activities; political turmoil;
and a president whose guiding principle seems to be self-aggrandizement.
Yet in so many ways 2017 has been a very good year for Donna
and me, filled with celebrations. In January we journeyed to Costa Rica to
celebrate our anniversary and Donna’s birthday, and in November I finally was
onboarded as a full-time employee at Constellation, where I had worked in the Communications
department as a contractor for three years.
In between these milestones, there were many happy days, most
of which were centered on family.
Our oldest child, Kate, was married in July to Steve Ritchie.
The previous month Kate and I completed the one-mile Chesapeake Bay swim. It
was wonderful swimming with Kate, who had trained hard for her first open-water
swim and crushed it. In the fall Kate, a music teacher in Howard County, and Steve
bought a house in Carroll County and have already done much to transform it into
their home.
Eileen, our middle child, is a research program director at
Johns Hopkins, developing strategies for providing services to children with
autism in mainstream classrooms. In September she celebrated her seventh wedding
anniversary with Andrew. We are lucky to have them live in the same town as us,
so we can see them, and their precious daughter Corinne, often. Getting to see Corinne
grow and develop, interacting with her, and marveling at the miracle she is,
has been a true blessing.
Our son Jack, a YouTube personality living in southern
California, became engaged to Erin Breslin last December. Jack has made several
trips back east this year, to our great delight, and we visited him and Erin
this past spring. Describing Jack as a “personality” is a disservice, as it
trivializes his enormous talent, work ethic and perfectionism that drives his success.
Aside from celebrations with our immediate family, Donna and
I enjoyed spending time with each other. We took a lot of day-trips and some
overnights, including to Long Beach Island in New Jersey after Kate’s wedding;
New York City, to meet up with Donna’s sister Barb and our friends Dave and Allen;
Bethany Beach, Delaware, to celebrate our friend Monica’s birthday; Detroit to
see Paul McCartney with Barb; the Catoctins in Maryland to fulfill our annual
ritual of hiking, orcharding and Irish restaurant patronizing; and numerous
visits to New Jersey to visit Donna’s mom and siblings.
Whatever 2018 brings, Donna and I wish you great things.
Happy New Year!
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