You’ll have to forgive the tardiness of our New Year’s greetings. I found it impossible to  reflect on 2024 in the midst of holiday preparations – including my new responsibilities as a kindergarten room parent – *while also* preparing the so-far-for-me-inevitable summer camp calendar spreadsheet. A good friend of mine recently reflected that these hectic elementary years may in fact be “the good old days,” and I’m doing my best to savor every “hug attack.”

For my 40th we took a two-week family vacation to Italy — my first return trip since I studied there 20 years ago. We rowed gondolas in Venice, hiked the Sentiero Azzurro Trail from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza in Cinque Terre, roamed my old hilly stomping grounds in Perugia between incredible meals, and saw the Colloseum, Forum, and Vatican in Rome. Sasha (5) most enjoyed the gelato, Theo (7) loved playing in the ocean with our friends’ dog, and both remember feeding the stray cats. In filling out his summer reading acrostic, Theo used the first M of summer for “Missed a train,” but I insisted he use the second M for “Made a train” – since we technically did both. In an effort to put off bedtime, Sasha will sometimes pack a small rolling suitcase for her babies, gather them into her arms and run around with her bag and babies talking hurriedly into her toy phone about how she is going to miss her flight (or train), “oh no, oh no,” – no idea where she got that.

Dan and I continue to manage to squeeze in some work, and work travel, between ski weekends, relishing contact naps with our new nephew, school plays, fencing tournaments, and family visits  — including some to visit my 98-year old grandma in OKC.

Wishing you and yours a happy, safe and healthy 2025.

See more pictures from our 2024 adventures here.