
This year's card has no fancy greeting, no "happy holidays" as I just wasn't feeling it but still there is joy and I am blessed. I certainly did not want to presume that everyone I would send a card to had things as well as my family. I tried to keep things pretty matter of fact... it's just a list of what happened without much commentary on the card. I decided to include a bit more commentary on my blog version!
2020 started with Teri & Jim in Berlin, Germany celebrating the New Year together. Jim had planned the trip months in advanced, and it may have been one of the best christmas gifts I ever got. While in Berlin, we watched a lot of international news and an interesting story about a bunch of sick people in China came up. I even said something to Jim about it because he was teaching a class on plagues that semester!
Jessi purchased her first home in Virginia in January where she is stationed as a helicopter pilot. It is 1/2 mile away from the beach and only a couple of miles from the base she has to work at. It's an older home that was flipped, so lots of new paint but lots of projects to work on as well. I went to stay with her in May to help with her yard work.
Since mid-March, Jim & Teri have both been teaching virtually in Wisconsin. Jim moved out of his place in Rochester to save money. We had planned to buy Jim a home in Rochester over the summer but everything was put on hold indefinitely. He has no idea when he will need to be back in Rochester to teach in person.
Monika got a job in April as an online content manager at Song of the Morning Yoga Retreat Center in northern Michigan. This was the place she had an internship a couple of summers ago. They offered her a job in part because of the pandemic, knowing everything would go on line. She is not only in charge of their social media content but she is having to create a lot of videos, photos and graphics. She has learned how to do live streaming on Youtube, make an online store and help with fundraising. It has been an amazing opportunity for her.
Both Teri & Jim spent the summer in California with their moms, spending a week camping on the beach at Emma Wood in Ventura. Both lost their mothers within weeks of each other at the end of the summer. Jim's mother passed first, in mid August and my mom left over Labor Day weekend. While we both spent much of the summer sorting and cleaning and basically preparing for their passing, it was still a very somber time that we are still dealing with. While I miss my mother dearly, I am relieved her struggle with cancer is over.
After spending a year taking care of her grandmother, Erika has decided to care for the elderly professionally. Erika moved back to Wisconsin in August, changed her career, and purchased her first home, a condo in Fitchburg. It has been an exciting time for her to find a life calling and a renewed excitement in her career. She loves to tell me about her clients and how she does yoga, cooks or shops with them.
In November Balt turned 10, Jessi turned 26 and Erika turned 30! Earlier in the year, Monika actually had her 6th birthday this February and turned 24. It's been a year like no other. Although we mourn so many losses, we have spent the year keeping safe, taking care of each other, and staying connected. Family zooms and facetime are more regular occurrences.

On the back of the "real" card I included a photo of Balt and only mentioned his birthday in the text (not all the stuff I typed in bold above). It had been Monika's "real" birthday and she had wanted me to mention that-- oh well. I didn't even write Merry Christmas or Happy New Year! Instead, I wrote a quote I found and love, "Change only happens in the present moment. The past is already done. The future is just energy and intention." It is my intention that 2021 will bring only hope, happiness and good health!