Quick, give us one word to describe your 2010.
Ours? Change.
An item for each month, with links, natch.
Jan. 4: Carey begins her second career at ACE USA, a bigwig insurance firm on Wall Street. She frets about selling out to The Man, but quickly finds the private sector highly values her military service and is soon managing the litigation of multimillion dollar claims.
Feb. 26: Our humble little burg makes the front page of The New York Times thanks to its large hill, perfect for sledding. It’s fun the first couple times, but half a dozen snow days later, we’re both very thankful we have flexible jobs (and kind bosses) to see us through the month.
March 7: Rob exec produces the AP’s second annual live webcast of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The highlight? George Clooney revealing the flask he carried inside his tuxedo jacket.
April 25: Rob’s college friend Kipp and his wife Ester throw a wedding party in Greenfield, Mass., for friends and family who weren’t in Mongolia when they tied the knot a year ago in the Peace Corps. It’s our first 24-hour getaway without kids since Dec. 2006.
May 5: Our beautiful baby girl somehow turns five. Greta celebrates with a rainy party under the pavilion at Tulip Springs Park. We marvel every day at how our bald 15-month-old now has hair the color of corn silk past her shoulders; how unfailingly polite she is around adults not related to her; and how she really might mean it when she says she’s going to be a veterinarian when she grows up.
June 25: Holy crap, Batman! Lincoln David Merrill turns three. He follows his sister’s lead and invites friends to Tulip Springs for a birthday brunch. His mother continues her annual tradition of waxing poetic when her children blow out candles.
July 25: Thumbing our collective noses at the mercury in the thermometer, we drive down to D.C. for a weekend of memories – quality time with Carey’s Aunt Kathy, a visit with some of the friends we left behind in 2007, and a pilgrimage to the Natural History Museum, where the Hope Diamond competes with the T-Rex for best exhibit in our kids’ eyes.
Aug. 7: Fulfilling our New Jersey destiny, we fill an empty weekend with a trip to Seven President’s Beach. Rob captures some of the best images of the summer as the kids frolic in the surf and sand.
Sept. 7: On the heels of our end-of-summer vacation in Syracuse, Rodman and South Lake, Greta begins her, minimum, 17-year educational odyssey. She’s a kindergartner in Mrs. Mendez’s class at Marshall School, just a few blocks from our house. Her favorite subject? Recess. Her proudest accomplishment so far? She’s never moved off green on the daily behavior chart.
Oct. 10: We celebrate 11 years of wedded bliss with a trip to Portsmouth, N.H., and a visit with our friends the Reids. Apple picking and beach exploring fill our days as Rob begins to dream of a second consecutive World Series championship for the Yankees.
Nov. 25: Rob licks his postseason baseball wounds all the way until Thanksgiving, when Carey fills the house with so many neighborhood friends and so much food that he can’t think of anything besides how small his house his and how much food we wasted. But even those thoughts are swept away by Carey’s roasted brussels sprouts, new to the menu this year.
Dec. 25: The Merrills enjoy their fourth Christmas morning in South Orange, N.J., blessed by our relationships with all the wonderful people in our lives – like you!
Merry Christmas you guys! So good to hear you're doing well and digging out. We have some snow here in Denver, too, and it's supposed to get cold tomorrow. We've had some nice 60 degree days, and as you know, we'll have more in the coming weeks. So there. And sunshine. Lots of sun. The kids are beautiful! Hope your new year brings you everything you need and most of what you want. Good luck in England with the Prince.
ReplyDeleteEric Curry