2019 Annual Holiday Newsletter

Although I've taken an official break from this old and dusty blog, I thought I'd use it to sit down and reflect on the past year.  This year involved an emphasis on life and experiences. We tried to focus on what really matters to our family and how can we make changes to maximize those priorities.  

Earlier this year, we rearranged some real estate investments and bought a condo in Park City, Utah.  The plan is to try to spend as much time in the mountains during the summer and winter, and rent out the space when we are not using it.  We love who our family is when we get out of the hustle and bustle of city life and want our kids to experience nature and calm more often in their lives.  We are grateful that we have the flexibility to create that balance.

We enjoyed getting all FOUR Jordans on the ski slopes where Grace is now tearing up blue runs.  Palmer was such a proud big brother and patient as Grace maneuvered the new hills.  He even helped pole her out of some flatter spots.  In the summer, we basked in the glory of no mosquitos and tolerable summer temperatures while we hiked, ventured up to Glacier National Park and explored Montana.  While in Park City, the guys found new thrills on the mountain bike trails of Deer Valley.

Back in Texas, we are settled into our usual patterns.  Palmer is in third grade and a self-proclaimed lover of reading.  He's checked off all of the Harry Potter books and most of the books by author Rick Riordan, and is currently tackling the Texas Bluebonnet books for 2019.  He loves golfing with Rick on the weekends, plays on a baseball team, enjoys chess and other mind-challenging games, and loves snow skiing and mountain biking.  This summer, Palmer went to a ski jumping camp where the coaches were impressed with his determination and grit.

Grace graduated from her beloved preschool in the spring and is in a kinder program where she is flourishing with reading, writing, and math.  She loves ballet and tap with her friends, gymnastics, and will always sing every single word to any song at any time.  At home, Grace can be found playing with her baby dolls and dollhouse and is often heard bossing friends with imaginative play.  

We sold our beloved mid-century home remodel, and I've been busy remodeling a smaller flip home in a nearby Dallas neighborhood.  The home is a completely different style (think Texas ranch house) and has been a creative challenge for me while we try to determine what our next step is for more permanent residence.  The construction projects dominate most of my day, but I still fit in freelancing when the schedule allows, running the kids around to their daily activities, volunteering for school and neighborhood events, and playing on a tennis team.

Rick is busy making lists of all the things he wants to do before he is 40 (one year from now) and trying to find the balance of work and living a full life of experiences.  He loves getting out on the golf course regularly and has also found a new love for tennis where he subbed on a mixed doubles team this fall.  We were invited to one of his tennis team dinners and laughed that we brought down the average age of the group by a few decades.  

Rick and I got away to New York for a weekend with tennis friends to enjoy the US Open.  We loved the chance to see new sensation Coco Gauff play against reigning US Open Champion Naomi Osaka, and saw all the other current tennis "greats" - including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.  We are already trying to figure out how to make this weekend an annual tradition.

We are looking forward to hitting up opening day of the ski season in the mountains during Thanksgiving and dreaming up holiday menus to get us thru December's full calendar of fun.  We wish you a happy holiday season and best of intentions for the new year.

Love,

Bethany, Rick, Palmer, and Grace Jordan

Christmas 2018

In keeping with this year's theme of toning down the Christmas season and focusing on quality instead of quantity, we also put that same emphasis on Christmas week.  Samantha and I usually spend several days putting together a big production of a meal with numerous side events for the day of Christmas and surrounding days.  When we realized that Samantha wasn't flying in December 23rd, we scaled back our menu and planning a bit.

We also filled our pre-Christmas plans with early morning workouts in the drive way and reward trips to the specialty coffee shop afterwards.

The holiday turned out to be one of our most "relaxing" yet and we are uncertain if the kids are just getting older and easier or if we really nailed down the perfect menu that compliments both ease and good tasting food.

Good weather also blessed us and everyone enjoyed some back patio time with tunes/dancing and creek exploring.

Christmas Eve with matching plaid pants and four-yr-old candle holders...

 

Leaving notes for Santa (who surprised the kids with a Grace American girl doll, ski boots, and a Nintendo switch rental.)

Checking out the Christmas morning loot...

Samantha's annual Southern Living cake was perfection- it was a plain white cake (a tad on the sweet side), but an easier one to decorate than in years past.

The rest of Christmas week was spent with a new Mary Poppins movie, neighborhood Christmas fun,  outdoor puzzles, and lots of hand-holding with Aunt Samantha.

 

And on this "care-free" week of Christmas, I officially sign off from this blog.  The platform has served its purpose of memory keeping for our family and entertainment and updating for some of you.  We are moving to a new platform that will work in this next phase of life and I will continue to make updates to a new "thejordanjourneys" account on Instagram (that will once again be printed into books.)  Thank you for your support and for growing with us over the last 8 years.

-Bethany

December- The Last Month of 2018

For this year's Christmas season, I took a different approach than in year's past.  When the kids were younger, I made a list of things/events we wanted to tackle for that Christmas.  We raced thru as much as we could do and had a ball doing it.

This year, I decided to pick less events so that we could appreciate more and focus on the moment at hand instead of crossing off a long list.  The kids noticed and asked me from time to time, "When are we doing xx or when are we doing xx?"  I explained that we may not do those items this year, but we will try to do them one year in the future.  Overall, our season was more relaxing and as always, I hope it had more gratitude in the month.

We did the Woodrow Wilson HS production of the Nutcracker for the third year in a row.  This year, Grace joined her brother as a little mouse and loved being up on the stage.  Our babysitter, Anna, is a dancer in the show and encouraged Grace to join the cast.  Palmer was so proud to have his sister with him.

  

Both kiddos had special school programs.  Grace is the big gal on campus in the Pre-K class at Wilshire and got to finally have her big show in the sanctuary.  I'm pretty sure she was convinced everyone in the audience was there to see her.  She had a huge smile and a loud voice to match thru the entire program.  I asked Palmer if he would like to skip out of school a little early to see Grace's show, but he politely declined.  He didn't want to miss any of his class time.  ha

 

Meanwhile, Palmer was so proud to be chosen as a shepherd in the nativity scene at his own show.  He took his role very seriously (only one boy and one girl from each class were chosen to participate) and wouldn't tell me any details before the program.  "Mom, you are going to have to wait and see what happens."

Grace and I had a special date to see Elf, The Musical one evening.  We had fun dressing up and then snuck out at intermission without Grace ever knowing the difference.

We also adventured into a new sport, basketball.  Palmer is participating on a school team for the quick winter season and enjoys the camaraderie of his fellow classmates.  Most of the boys have been in the sport for three years, so there is some catching up to do in skill level, but we are having fun watching the games and getting to know new school families.

A little golf outing on a nice Sunday afternoon with friends.

Rick and I on one of our many December evenings on the party circuit:

Our playgroup participated in an annual sing-along and party for the residents of the Dickenson Center.  The kids are getting more confident and gracious every year about serving the elderly party guests and love the singing and bell ringing at the party.

Visiting Santa... we visited on an early Monday afternoon and got a lot of attention from the big man as there weren't many other kids there.  We were sad that Rick had to miss our visit, but glad for the low-key atmosphere.  Santa couldn't believe that Palmer wrote his list on the back of a homework sheet- and then mailed that list into the North Pole via an on-site mailbox.

"What lipstick? I don't know what you are talking about!"

Our neighbors are so special.  They love to have the kids over to make chocolate sodas.  I loved spying their little interactions from my perch next door.

Plaid forever.

 

We love December.

-Bethany