January 2018

Dear family and friends,

Happy New Year! As I write this, it is below freezing outside and there is still just a tiny dusting of snow on our car. Our garden faucets are dripping into interesting stalagmites, LOL. We are thankful for many things... our friends, family, and the comforts of our heated home. We hope you are warm and cozy as you read.

The big highlights of the year...

Allen & Kathy

Allen and Kathy bought their first home! And they are going full-on renovation. I believe at the moment they are sleeping in the dining room while they finish the floors in the bedroom. We can’t wait for the house warming party -- which I hope is in an outdoor month, because their yard is very nice (lots of mature trees). They also took a nice trip to Maine and New York this summer.

Megan

Meggy was hired for a new job within her company, Cigna. She was promoted to a quality assurance position. She also enjoyed a trip to LA and Vegas this year, and managed to avoid gambling away all her savings.

Andy

Andy, as you know, is quite the Astros fan, so baseball been berry berry good to him this year! He, Meggy, and Patty went to Cooperstown to see Jeff Bagwell inducted into the Hall of Fame, and coupled that with a trip to Boston where he researched some homes of our ancestors. He also enjoyed trips to Denver, Seattle, Costa Rica, and Canada, and crossed two more ballparks off his bucket list (now up to 13 out of 30).

Patty & Mike

Patty and Mike are still splitting time between Houston and Austin, and continue to be content in our jobs. We had a cool trip to Florida and Cuba this year. Our home was spared from Harvey, and we got to play in the Texas Hill Country snow! Mike went ziplining for the first time, and his Dad turned 90 this year! Patty crossed some music concerts off her bucket list (ZZ Top, Garth Brooks, and Green Day).

All in all, a very good year!

Love,
Allen, Kathy, Megan, Andy, Mike, and Patty