Christmas 2009

Friends & Family,

We are finding that the older we get, the more time seems to speed by and the truth of "time flies while you're having fun" has become a reality.

2009 was a year of bittersweet for our family. It was a time of growth, of learning new things about ourselves and about each other; it was a time of change, of testing and trial, a time of pulling away and coming together, a time of joy and sadness, and a time for realizing how blessed we truly are to be a family.

We took a fun-filled family vacation to San Diego in June and had a wonderful time with our friends and family there. We realize that this will probably be one of the last vacations we spend as a whole family, with Travis going off to college...that seems to change everything, including the dynamic of our family. It was a time that we will always treasure and the memories we made will be woven into our lives.

As Travis arrived home for Thanksgiving, the holidays have a whole new meaning, and a sense of overwhelming gratitude for family and the simplest of things that don't have much to do with turkey, trees or presents...but of spending time together and building lasting memories of that time together.

We hope that this year finds your family healthy, wealthy and wise - even if you only have enough for today, sometimes that is enough.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son..." May we all remember the ultimate gift that was given on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. We wish you all the peace and joy this season brings and wish you blessings in 2010.

Feliz Navidad!

Trey, alicia, Travis, Andrew, Bella & Paige

Travis (18):

It has been a big year for Travis, as he graduated high school and started college. He finished his Senior year at Sandia High School with honors in academics, football and golf and was very excited for high school to be O-V-E-R!

He worked all summer at Puerto del Sol Golf Course and even when he wasn't scheduled to work, he was at work; golf is certainly his passion!

Mid-August came and it was time to take him to NM State University in Las Cruces, NM, which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Albuquerque - far enough away to experience life on his own, but close enough to visit. I was a little concerned at the lack of "stuff" he packed, but he assured me that he had an entire bag of shoes on board - oh, he is just like me!

He quickly made friends and he and his roommate got their dorm room all decked out and their room is now being used for dorm tours; they have also started a dorm cleaning business to raise a little cash. Yes, that is right, my kid is a neat freak...there are better traits I would have liked to pass along to my child, rather than my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (and shoe festish)!

Travis is majoring in Biology with hopes of going onto CU in Denver and studying dentistry. We are proud of how focused he is in school and his effort of putting in the extra hours of studying to stay alive in his Junior level Chemistry class and advanced Math.

School wouldn't be complete without a sport, so Travis joined the NMSU Chiles, which is the rugby team. He spent many weekends travelling out of town to tournaments all over New Mexico and Arizona. We had the opportunity to see him play when he was playing UNM...he loves playing and certainly has the energy and speed to keep up. We are just fortunate that he has not broken anything...yet.

Andrew (16):

Andrew is a Sophomore at Sandia High School and is off to a great start. He is doing excellent in his classes and has nearly straight A's and is on the Honor Roll.

Andrew was on the JV football team this year and Trey and I were excited that, for the first time in 11 years, we would only have one game per week to attend. Then Andrew came home and informed us that he had also made special teams on the Varsity squad...so we were back to 2 games a week. He did, however get some valuable experience playing on Varsity and did earn a letter.

We are all anxiously waiting for Andrew to get his driver's license, even the car is patiently waiting out front; hopefully he will have that little piece of plastic by the first of the year.

Andrew continues to give us the gift of laughter with his off the cuff statements and his ever present snowboard hat and flannel shirt (even at the beach). He is still plucking away at the guitar and getting better every day and added an acoustic guitar to his repertoire this year. I can always tell what kind of mood he is in by which guitar he plays (electric when angry or energized and acoustic when sad or tired). It is definitely his stress relief...as it is the first thing he picks up when he walks in the door from school or practice.

He is a joy to have around and can always make me giggle out loud. I am proud that he marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn't give in to peer or parental pressure to be like everyone else.

Bella (12):

My beautiful girl is growing into a beautiful, smart young woman! When this happened, I don't know, but she literally blossomed when I wasn't watching.

After last year's girl drama in 5th grade, I was very nervous for Bella to start middle school, but surprisingly, there has not been any drama. However, boys have been discovered...and not to throw a football around with!

Bella is an excellent student and excels in every one of her classes and her teachers love her. She has embraced middle school and is doing very well. She particularly likes home ec and learning how to cook. She played on the school's volleyball team in the fall and really liked that and is interested in pursuing that on a higher level. She finished up with flute in the spring and is taking a little break to pursue other interests.

A big event for Bella this year was that she got her OWN room! When Travis left for college, we shifted everyone around and she now has her own room, totally redecorated in a 'Peace' theme. She also was able to negotiate a guinea pig, which she bought with her own money...the second rodent to become part of our household this year. She loves Willow and Willow squeals and whistles with happiness whenever Bella gets home from school.

Bella is a thoughtful young woman, who cares deeply about other people's feelings (except maybe her little sister's from time-to-time). She struggled the most (next to dear old mom) with Travis leaving home, but thanks to modern technology, she texts and emails him regularly to stay connected.

I say it every year, but Bella is my right hand and I would be lost without her! She has become my wardrobe consultant...she has a great sense of fashion and can't wait until our feet are the same size so she can wear some of my shoes. Uh-oh! In spite of her maturity, I love that she still loves to come and curl up in my lap and snuggle with me.

Paige (7):

Oh my beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed girl...Paige, too, is growing up quickly...too quickly! No longer a baby, she is becoming such a fun little young lady. She spent her summer at Sue Dotson's and couldn't wait for swim lessons to start so she could learn to dive. She has mastered diving forward and is working on her back flip off the diving board, which does nothing short of scare me to death! My baby girl is fearless (unless we are talking sitting on Santa's lap, of course)!

For her 7th birthday this summer, she managed to talk her daddy into getting her a hamster, so she picked out a cute little Russian White hamster, named Munchkin. I will never forget walking into her room and finding her playing with her Littlest Pet Shop toys, with little Munchkin running around in the 'amusement park.' Somehow the little thing has managed to survive, despite all the "love" it receives!

Paige loves to read, read, read and is reading well past a 4th grade reading level. She particularly likes Magic Treehouse books; she reads through these chapter books about 1 every other day. When Travis moved out and we shifted everyones rooms, her's didn't change and that was quickly brought to my attention. When I asked her what she wanted done to make it hers, she announced she wanted a library...so we made her one in her room. She and Bella spent the better part of a weekend cataloging the books - which, yes, you can "check out." And the best part is, there isn't a fine if they are returned late!

Paige is a lot of fun and she loves her family and friends. She is very tenderhearted and wants everyone to be happy. Like Andrew, she has her own sense of style which sometimes clashes with my own taste, but I am glad she doesn't care what other people think. Paige does not like to be told 'no' and will argue her point until she either gets her way or we get angry (hm, I wonder where she gets this)...I am sure that she is going to be an attorney someday. She is a strong, loving girl with a very definite idea of what she likes and doesn't like, and is starting to develop her own little sense of humor, which I love.

Trey:

Trey has had a busy year. With the market and economy changing, he has been committed to helping his clients through the ever-changing economic climate and meeting with them one-on-one to help them understand what has happened and how it affects them.

In June, he started studying for his Series 7 license, which will allow him to offer even broader financial services to his clients. He took a week-long class to assist him with the test and then sat for the exam in early November - and passed! We are all very proud of him and relieved that the days, nights and weekends of studying are done. First thing Paige said was, "Great job, daddy, can we play hide-n-seek now?" If only life were always that simple...

In late August, Trey and his business partners decided to relocate their offices, which was a major undertaking (he had been in his previous office for 14 years). They are finally all settled in and enjoying their beautiful new offices.

There have been, of course, several hunting trips, which have yielded quail, turkey, deer and pheasants for our dining pleasure; Trey enjoys these trips and the time he gets to spend with his uncles and his cousins. And let's not forget, Christmas in July when his long-awaited (5 years) Black Wildebeest trophy arrived from South Africa.

Now with so much free time, Trey is wondering what to do with it - I have several ideas of home improvement projects that need to be done... Most of all (ok, let's be realistic...next to hunting), he enjoys spending time with his family when not running kids here and there and spending quality time with his beautiful wife (that would be me and he told me to write that - ha ha).

alicia:

It has been an interesting year for me...one full of lessons learned. I left Sandia National Labs in April in order to pursue a sales position with a small practice; selling health, dental, vision and life insurance. I loved the job and met or exceeded my quotas every month, but the work environment was very stressful; I came to a point where I needed to re-assess the path I was on and where I was headed vs where I wanted to be.

At a time when the economy is in a slump and many are without work, I feel very blessed to have found a terrific job at REDW, The Rogoff Firm, which is a local accounting and tax firm. The spirit of the people and the place itself is so wonderful - full of integrity, kindness and calm; where work-life balance is encouraged and family comes first.

Other than job woes, this year has been a good one. It has been very bittersweet having Travis leave home, a real eye opener for me. And while I am thrilled at the opportunity he has to go to college, it is also a difficult realization for me that he is now an adult and is building his own life somewhere else and we are only a part of that life if invited to be. But I am grateful to see the positive changes I see in him.

There was a night several months ago that all the kids were gone and Trey and I were sitting outside looking at the yard. We looked at each other after 30 minutes of silence and said, "Now what?" We clearly need to get a life!