Happy New Year from Us to You

Dear family, friends and others,

For those of you keeping up with our clan’s currently favorite sitcom, the saluation comes courtesy of the “Express Christmas” episode of Modern Family.  As MF’s Claire Dunphy asked after receiving a letter from her mom started just so, who are “others?”  If you saw that show, you know.  If didn’t, don’t worry.  There are no “others.” And if there were, you aren’t one of them.

As you might have anticipated, Mr. Digital Media is casting the traditional holiday letter as a blog post. Don’t think less of me. This is the first such update I’ve issued in recent years, if only because, for the first time in years, I’m not caught up in prepping for early January’s giant Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.

Ms Sam

Here, in a format adapted to contemporary attention spans, are the major events of the past year in our own Modern Family:

Major milestone:  We reach the Silver Anniversary. On March 1, CB and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I’m not a fan of the natural law that makes time accelerate. A quarter century has slipped by since we took our vows in Minneapolis with the snow banked along the Twin Cities streets.  The shared experiences among those of you reading this have played no small part in keeping us together. A big part of marriage is what it becomes, and what it’s become in our case is a accretion of gratifying moments with family and friends.

Our big adventure to the Andes. In June, we traveled to Peru with three other couples. These are the same folks with whom we’ve raised our children.  With them, we’ve gone hither and yon, including trips to Italy, France and Spain with the kids.  We’re friends as families, as couples, as moms, as dads, as girls and as boys. We can break into any configuration and have a good fun.  In this case, we broke into the two groups, sans offspring: The “trekkers” and the “watchers and eaters.”  The four trekkers spent six days hiking the Salkantay trail, which took them from near Cusco up to 15,500 feet then down to Machu Picchu.  Meanwhile, the “WEs” climbed the gastronomic heights of Peru. You guess who belonged to which group.

Mr. P takes a leap of faith into the unknown. After three years, I left my job as a senior VP at a venture-funded startup in July.  I departed of my own accord for a multitude of reasons.  One of them: I’ve been working without respite for three decades. If I were a professor, you’d say I went on sabbatical.  I’m not, but I did take a break worthy of the term’s dictionary definition. (Look it up.) I feel as though I’ve reconnected with my family. I’m not only home for dinner I often make it too. Leaving on your own terms is a good thing.  So, don’t cry for me Argentina.  I’m exploring many exciting new possibilities as the next chapter. That’s not to say, if you know anyone who needs someone with my skills…

Ms. Sam studies in Spain. Our 21-year-old daughter spent last holiday season in Africa, courtesy of her godmother and our cherished friend who once gave me a birthday dinner to cry for (and I did). This September, she spent her fall quarter in Salamanca, Spain, studying Spanish culture.  Her mom and I cheered as she also used the occasion to take side trips to Grenada, Madrid and Bilbao and to other parts of Europe, namely Lisbon, London, Geneva and Brussels.  A foreign adventure does wonders for your confidence; knowing you can make it to a strange city and back again by your own wits provides you with a perspective and power not to be underestimated. Sam returned just before Christmas, a woman in full. By the way, she’s graduating early after her winter term at UC Santa Cruz.

Mr. Z

Mr. Z stars in football — for a while. Our 17-year-old son went out for his high school football team as a senior.  CB and I had our trepidations. He’d never played before. But he managed to start, and standout, as a wide receiver. But he inherited his mom’s athleticism.   He’s fast, wiry and sleek. His coach described him as “electric” in a preseason newspaper interview.  But four games into the regular season a diving first-down catch left him with a fractured left shoulder, ending his fledgling football career.  As injuries go, he got lucky. Recovery entailed a sling and physical therapy. We relished seeing Z engage in the camaraderie that grows out of young men bonding in defense of each other. He’s applying to colleges.

Mrs. C takes a big step toward a teaching career. For the past four years, CB has been teaching as part of a special program at a local elementary school for children struggling to read.  It’s a three-quarters-time job.  But, CB, bless her, makes this noble calling as a more-than-fulltime commitment. Although she graduated from college as a credentialed educator, one thing stood between her and bringing that early career choice to fruition in the sunshine state: California certification. In typical fashion, she put her nose to the grindstone, spending lots of time studying in the local library after long days of work. She passed the last of her required exams in December. Kids, talent is one thing.  Smarts another.  But it takes determination, too.

A few other quick notes:  Both kids are in stable, long-term relations.  And one of the joys of my fifty-somethings is being with the kids as couples… CB’s mom celebrated her 90th birthday, increasingly frail but still with us… At 82, my father has become infirm, and my mom is overwhelmed taking care of him… Getting old is not for the faint of heart…

Here’s to wishing you peace, comfort, and joy for the New Year.

Patrick, CB, Sam and Z