The world will remember 2018 as the year American lost it's self-proclaimed right to moral exceptionalism by letting our fears and biases get the better of us. It is the year that we realized that plastics had fucked up our oceans, at least for the duration of a few human lifetimes. And 2018 is the year that we (and leaders and lobbyists of all except, coincidentally, the world's largest four oil producers) came to the unpleasant conclusion that our children will experience considerable hardship because of changes wrought by us humans to our home planet.
But 2018 was also a big year for hair. Vivian, Evan and Jo changed their hair multiple times.
Also, 2018 is the year the children grew up. Vivian purposefully, and Evan reluctantly. Vivian took control of her life. I can see glimpses of the adult she will grow up to be and I like what I see. Vivian and Evan used to be each other play friends. Now they occupy the same spaces and the same dinner table conversations but their lives are distinct. This has happening a bit sooner for Evan than he would like. He wrote in an English assignment at school that, like the character in the story, he was lonely because my sister doesn't like me and my cat is dead. So Jo and I hug Evan a bit longer and tighter. But he is beginning to test his wings too.
Like when he went to summer camp. For three weeks he lived amongst his friends and camp counsellors and didn't have any contact with us and had a great time. But I have a sneaky feeling that this was engineered by Vivian too. In the spring Vivian announced that she wanted to attend the three week session of Camp Champions in summer, and so we encouraged Evan to do the same. Turns out that Vivian wasn't interested in the leadership training, or bonding with girls, or sailing classes. She wanted to dance with her old school mate at the Friday evening dances. Luckily, or perhaps there was no luck involved, she succeeded.
It is good to have kids who are growing up. Jo and I went to California while the kids were in camp. We sometimes do our thing in the evenings and the kids get ready for bed and turn themselves in. We aren't empty nesters for sure, but this was the year that we got to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In spite of all this talk about going our different ways, we do continue to travel well as a family. In 2018 we had memorable trips with friends and family to Florida, Costa Rice, England, the east coast, and San Diego, with one more trip - to Utah - coming up. So Jo had a brilliant idea, as she often does. For a year, from July 2019 onwards, we're traveling. We envision going places that would be hard to visit over school breaks. We want Vivian and Evan to see more of the world but also to understand what it is like to grow up and live in places that we visit. And along the way, we hope to see you, our dear friends and family. Come visit us and share in our travels. First stop - southern Africa - Kruger National Park, the Okavango delta in flood, migration in the Serengeti, beaches of Zanzibar and Mauritius, and the snows of Kilimanjaro. And if all goes well, inshallah, we'll continue after Africa on to South America and perhaps I'll write our 2019 Christmas Letter from somewhere in Patagonia.
Warmest Christmas greetings and a very Happy New Year from our family to yours.
xoxo
Evan, Vivian, JoEllen & Me
But 2018 was also a big year for hair. Vivian, Evan and Jo changed their hair multiple times.
Also, 2018 is the year the children grew up. Vivian purposefully, and Evan reluctantly. Vivian took control of her life. I can see glimpses of the adult she will grow up to be and I like what I see. Vivian and Evan used to be each other play friends. Now they occupy the same spaces and the same dinner table conversations but their lives are distinct. This has happening a bit sooner for Evan than he would like. He wrote in an English assignment at school that, like the character in the story, he was lonely because my sister doesn't like me and my cat is dead. So Jo and I hug Evan a bit longer and tighter. But he is beginning to test his wings too.
Like when he went to summer camp. For three weeks he lived amongst his friends and camp counsellors and didn't have any contact with us and had a great time. But I have a sneaky feeling that this was engineered by Vivian too. In the spring Vivian announced that she wanted to attend the three week session of Camp Champions in summer, and so we encouraged Evan to do the same. Turns out that Vivian wasn't interested in the leadership training, or bonding with girls, or sailing classes. She wanted to dance with her old school mate at the Friday evening dances. Luckily, or perhaps there was no luck involved, she succeeded.
It is good to have kids who are growing up. Jo and I went to California while the kids were in camp. We sometimes do our thing in the evenings and the kids get ready for bed and turn themselves in. We aren't empty nesters for sure, but this was the year that we got to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In spite of all this talk about going our different ways, we do continue to travel well as a family. In 2018 we had memorable trips with friends and family to Florida, Costa Rice, England, the east coast, and San Diego, with one more trip - to Utah - coming up. So Jo had a brilliant idea, as she often does. For a year, from July 2019 onwards, we're traveling. We envision going places that would be hard to visit over school breaks. We want Vivian and Evan to see more of the world but also to understand what it is like to grow up and live in places that we visit. And along the way, we hope to see you, our dear friends and family. Come visit us and share in our travels. First stop - southern Africa - Kruger National Park, the Okavango delta in flood, migration in the Serengeti, beaches of Zanzibar and Mauritius, and the snows of Kilimanjaro. And if all goes well, inshallah, we'll continue after Africa on to South America and perhaps I'll write our 2019 Christmas Letter from somewhere in Patagonia.
Warmest Christmas greetings and a very Happy New Year from our family to yours.
xoxo
Evan, Vivian, JoEllen & Me
1 comment:
An interesting Read! Love your travel plans too! Wish you and your beautiful family a very Happy New Year from both of us!��❤️
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