Christmas Letter 2024
Here it is… Christmas once again!
What a year 2024 was for our family. A year of transitions and the start of a new chapter. It was, once again, a year filled to the brim with activity! We’ve chronicled our family adventures on Facebook for the past several years as a means of recording/scrapbooking for Eli someday (we print the year’s posts and pictures in a family album) and keeping in touch with family and friends. Most of you keep up with us this way, but here’s the year in review!
Last year, at this time, we were living with my in-laws and our new home in OP was framed, but didn’t have drywall, electrical wiring, or plumbing yet.
Jamie was recovering from two hip replacements in August and November of 2023. Early 2024 brought the discovery of an additional herniated disc in his lower back that was pinching a nerve and causing continued pain after the hip surgeries. He ended up having two back surgeries, one in February 2024 and the other in April when the disc re-herniated. We thank God that by the time our new home was finished and it was time to move, he was well on his way to a full recovery and pain free. Our amazing friends and family pitched in and we hired movers to help with the big, heavy stuff. On June 1st, the house was ready for us, minus some painting and the final inspection. We rounded up the troops and moved all of our furniture and appliances to 5565 Chestnut Ridge Road. .
However, we continued to sleep and eat at Dick and Cheryl Holden’s home for another month while we waited for the final inspection. Eli wrapped up a fantastic year of 5th grade at Ellicott Elementary and Jamie and I celebrated 26 years of marriage with a simple dinner for two that we grilled on our porch. That last month was the hardest month…We were so close to living in our new home, but we couldn’t legally sleep there or officially move in. Finally, on July 2nd, the town inspector showed up unexpectedly in the afternoon and gave us the thumbs up! That night we set up our beds and slept in our new house…After 13 months of living with Dick and Cheryl Holden, we were finally going “home!”
For the record, living with my in-laws went more smoothly than any of us had imagined it could. We were so fortunate that Dick and Cheryl were willing and able to host us (our big golden doodle, Obi, included) so graciously. The shared meals, football games in the living room, laughter, and dancing around each other in the kitchen or the one full bathroom in the house, created memories we will cherish. It wasn’t always easy, but it honestly wasn’t that hard, and we are glad that we had that time together. It was especially dear to see Eli interacting with his grandparents and becoming a part of their daily lives. So many blessings!
July and August were spent unpacking boxes in between trips to Matamoras to see my family, directing our week-long FANA Colombian Culture Camp, Eli’s swim team and tennis lessons, and our annual camping/hiking trip to the Adirondacks. Eli also was part of a summer rock band program and played drum set, keyboard, and was the lead singer for two bands. He had a blast!
In September, Eli started 6th grade at the Orchard Park Middle School, where he has been excelling in his classes and thoroughly enjoying his involvement in the music department. The increased accountability and homework sometimes frustrate him, but on the whole he seems very happy. We feel very fortunate that he’s working with such a fabulous team of educators. We are very impressed with what we’ve seen and heard so far from his teachers. Eli continues to study piano and percussion privately, and sing non-stop! At school, he is in chorus, band, jazz lab, and select choir (B Sharps) and was just selected for All County Chorus.
He also joined the Boy Scouts this year and has been learning so much! It is a very active troop and he’s really enjoying the activities as well as the company of the other boys. We love the responsibility and life skills it is teaching him! Plus, it is providing a special opportunity for Jamie to spend quality time with Eli doing things he truly enjoys, as well. Jamie was an Eagle Scout, himself, so this experience is bringing back many memories. He and Eli have been having fun together on this new adventure.
Jamie and I spent a long weekend in October hiking three high peaks together in the Adirondacks and celebrating my 49th birthday.
Then, in November, he directed his last musical for Lindbergh Elementary, Lion King, Kids! The elementary musicals in his district have become increasingly difficult to produce with many complications and barriers. It seemed that the end was inevitable. However, it was a very difficult and emotional decision with much stress involved. His show closed just before Thanksgiving break, the same week that I was auditioning students for the Ellicott Elementary musical, and Eli was also performing in Moana, Jr. at the middle school. It was a marathon week, for sure!
We followed up with another annual Turkey Trot and then hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner at our home with the Holden family and our neighbor, Greg. Plans to go visit my family over the break were canceled due to a snowstorm that swept in Thanksgiving night! We made a short snowy trip, instead, to a local tree farm and brought home our first real Christmas tree! A new tradition begins!
December brought the NYSSMA conference in Rochester, where I presented several sessions with my friend and fellow music teacher, Julie Furlong, and my colleagues from Orchard Park. The same weekend, Eli did some winter camping with the Boy Scouts at Scouthaven where the boys cooked a full Thanksgiving meal outside, over fire pits, for family members! We also hosted a surprise 80th Birthday party for my mother-in-law, Cheryl, and caught up with some family we hadn’t seen in a while. In typical WNY-style, we had another snowstorm and two more snow days, and then it was suddenly Christmas!
This year, we decided to try something new and instead of traveling to Matamoras for Christmas Eve with my family, we celebrated the holiday in our new home and attended Christmas Eve service with our church community. We had a quiet, cozy Christmas Day and tomorrow we will head out to celebrate with the Kleins and Webers. We are looking forward to spending some time with them before the New Year.
We hope to make 2025 a year of settling in and slowing down. We absolutely love being in our new home and wake every morning with joyful hearts and gratitude on our lips. The house is truly all that we hoped for and more than we imagined we would ever have. From summer to late October, the porch was the most lived in “room” in the house. The boys got me a porch swing/bed for Mother’s Day and it became my favorite place in the world! The sunset views from the porch just delighted us every single evening. Now, in the winter weather, we occasionally venture out for a fire in the porch fireplace, but we are so glad we filled the house with tall windows that let in so much light and give us a sunrise view from our bedroom and a sunset view from the living room- Such a gift of natural beauty!
We absolutely love coming home and just want to spend more time enjoying the space together and making it our own. We welcome visitors, so don’t hesitate to reach out and stop by for a fireside chat or drink on the porch. We would love to see you!
May God bless you and your families in the New Year. We are incredibly grateful for our family and friends. What a treasure it is to be a part of these beautiful circles of caring, supportive people from so many different chapters of our lives. We love you.
Merry Christmas!
The Holdens
Comments
Post a Comment
Please feel free to leave us a comment. We love to hear from you!