2020 Annual Holiday Newsletter

My, oh my! How little any of us knew this time last year when I reflected upon 2019.  Here we are, deep into 2020 and I come to this moment of contemplation with gratitude, peace, and an itch to move on with life.

For some time, we've been talking about having an adventure period in Park City, Utah. We've been feeling the urge to experience year-round nature and slow down our life.  

First, the spring of quarantining in Dallas forced us to stop and smell the roses.  Yes, life of an uncertain future was stressful.  But, it was also a chance for our family to be present, pause and reprioritize what we wanted out of life.  When everything is stripped away, what is left?  Many of us found out the real answers and also realized that spring in Texas is an incredible time that we had always been too busy to notice.

Second, the life of working remotely and virtual schooling opened up opportunities for us to branch out of Texas and stretch out in Park City, Utah.

Here we are in snowy Park City five months later after the most gorgeous summer and fall (with all the colors!) where we hiked, rafted, biked, stargazed, and overall slowed our pace of life.  The kids are now in person at school, making new friends and enjoying new experiences along the way.  

Palmer is eager for the Park City All Mountain ski team to begin and loves mountain biking, skateboarding, and golf.  He has a goal of reading 115 chapter books by the end of the year and is on target to mark that goal.  He is also loving an after school STEM program that gives him opportunities to dabble in inventions and engineer projects.

Grace is a social butterfly and rules the roost in her kindergarten class.  Her best playmate lives across the street and is also in her class, so the two girls spend most hours of the day together.  Grace loves to crank up music in her bedroom while playing with her dollhouse, dolls, or drawing.  Grace is doing tap and jazz dance and also loves her STEM program.  She loves to keep up with her brother and dad on the mountain bike and ski trails.

Rick (gratefully) hasn't missed a beat while working during Covid.  He moved his operation out of the office and paused traveling and spends his days downstairs in his office with his top half of his self dressed for Zoom calls.  Rick's personal pride is the fact that he only wore shorts for 8 months straight (despite a trip to Yellowstone in the snow) and brags that there will likely never be another time in his life where he can achieve such a feat. Rick is loving the mountain bike trails right out our driveway and loves to climb a few runs whenever he gets a spare minute in the evenings and on the weekends.  He has put together a backcountry ski outfit and is scheduled to take an avalanche safety course soon so that he can explore the world of backcountry skiing.

I've been helping everyone find their place here and making friends thru a local hiking group.  In September, we trained for a 16 mile and 5300 vertical climb hike and it was a great bonding experience with twelve new friends.  We are now transitioning from the hiking season to a winter of snowshoeing and skiing. I joined a local club for beginner cross country skiers where I hope to meet more people and learn a new hobby.  I also empty the dishwasher 1-2 times a day and cook more meals for this family than I have ever cooked in my life.  Luckily, I enjoy the domestic time.  As I have more confidence about the kids staying in school despite Covid, I will pursue work outside the home again.

We have also loved a new center of the universe and enjoyed fun weekend trips within driving distances from Park City like Zion and Bryce Canyon National Park and visits to Jackson, Wyoming and surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton.  The drivable options from here are endless and we love the exploration of new surroundings.

When things become normal-ish, we would love to see visitors.  We had several fun visits this summer and we look forward to being your tour guides in our favorite mountain town one day again soon.

Here's to the reflections and adventures 2020 brought and oh the fun we hope to have in a reopened society in 2021...

Bethany, Rick, Palmer, and Grace