Christmas, 2003
Once again it is that time of year. Tis the season when we should be curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire sharing warm toddies with someone we love.
But not me! I am running around like a crazy woman. Christmas is less than a week away and I am just starting my holiday letter. The tree is half dressed. The shopping is barely underway. And the Christmas cookies just aren’t happening. I am so far behind; people are starting to lap me!
Just when I am ready to announce that we are going to defer Christmas until March or April; Allison plops down next to me on the couch. She has a huge smile on her face and paper fresh off the printer. She is so excited that she can barely sit still. “Mom, this is my list for Santa!” As she babbles on about the things that she “absolutely, positively, really, really needs,” I sit back and realize that everything I ‘really, really’ need for Christmas is right here.
Allison has had a huge growth spurt (hopefully not her last!) and is beginning to look, and act, like a young lady. She is almost as tall as me and it is sometimes hard to remember that she is not 10 yet. She is playing basketball and fast-pitch softball, both on very competitive teams. She seems to love doing both and so far (knock on wood) has been able to do both and scouts and school.
Bill is a high school sophomore who has a freshly printed driving permit. (This is fair warning if you plan to be in the DC area anytime in the next several years!) He is doing quite well in school, even if he doesn’t particularly like some of the classes. He has started thinking about “what he wants to be when he grows up” but hasn’t really found a career that thrills him. Originally he was thinking about being a doctor, since he has seen so many in his life, but I think the thought of four years of med school after college isn’t thrilling him. If you have any career suggestions give him a call.
Jim is in the midst of finishing college applications. We toured several east coast schools over Easter break, including: Villanova, Drexel, Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western & Virginia Tech. I know that there are lots of other schools out there, but I didn’t want my baby to be too far away, so I limited the search area. Frankly, I expected that he would like Villanova, but he liked Drexel better. Then we drove to Pittsburgh and he fell in love with Carnegie Mellon. I don’t know whether it was the cute co-ed that gave us the tour or the unique combination of geeks and artists that appealed more. What ever the case, CMU is his first choice. The only down side is that CMU’s cost per year is about $41,000! Jon keeps saying that it is like ‘driving a new ragtop Z3 over a cliff each year!’ Virginia Tech and Drexel are also on his short list.
Nanny is still putting up with us. She does, what I am sure seems like, a hundred loads of laundry each week, much of it stinky hockey gear. She has also been doing a lot of dishes since the boys are busy with hockey and school. Not bad for being almost 79 and blind in one eye.
Jon is still the Jon we know and love. Evidently he became jealous of all the homework the kids were bringing home, so he decided to go back to school. He has started working on his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, with a concentration in robotics. He has been mentoring high school students in a nation-wide robotics competition for the past three years and really enjoys it. I think the kids are starting to get good at this stuff and he is worried about falling behind them.
As for me, I am still working as consultant. It is an interesting business and I work with a lot of great people. But, it sure cuts into the time I have to do all my “other duties” like Christmas shopping, cleaning, and cooking. Fortunately, I have taken the rest of the year off to concentrate on the “really, really” important things in life.
So, if your holiday plans allow, take a moment and stop in. We can admire my half-dressed tree as we sip hot toddies and enjoy the true spirit of the holidays.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!