Happy New Year!

 

On board the USS Hornet in Oakland, California, to celebrate Zack's birthday!

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to get back to my blog. I’ve missed it-for many reasons. It is my favorite way to stay in touch with friends and family (online)….knowing you can check in when you feel like it. It is also one of the only things I do that “stays done” and has always been a creative outlet for me, as I go, and also to look back on. 

So here, I go.

As I write this, we're winding up spending the holidays with the kids. It has become such a meaningful tradition to meet up in Palo Alto to celebrate: Christmas, Zack’s Birthday, and New Year’s, a blur of festivities!

Photo by Zack

We’ve rented the same house here for four years now. It’s so nice to return, a bit of consistency in the midst of so much change for us all. We love doing a whole lot of nothing but just “being together” during this time….hanging out, eating, playing games (outdoor ping pong & Codenames top the list!) etc….It’s crazy how fast the time goes! 

This year our host even let us bring Zack’s cat, Chika, which made things extra cozy.

We’ve really changed how we “do” Christmas these days. The emphasis has moved away from lots of gifts (although stockings still get filled) to drawing names and writing a special Christmas poem for the recipient along with a thoughtful gift for that person. The kids all agree the poems are the best part. They usually make us laugh (and they often make me cry….which makes them laugh!).

A quick update on each of us, since it has been so long:

Zack turned 31(!) on December 28th. He loves his job as an air traffic controller at SFO (San Fransico International Airport). He makes the most out of living in the heart of the city (the Lower Haight, for those of you who are familiar). He and Aidan share an apartment and can sometimes share a ride to work, since they both work at the tower. Zack's favorite part of the city is Golden Gate Park and he loves to spend his time off there running, bicycling, studying Japanese, etc... In November, he returned to Japan for the 3rd time, this time bringing Isabel along. He can speak the language very well and had so much fun introducing her to the culture. This year, he also climbed Half-Dome in Yosemite National Park. Incredible!

Aidan turned 28 in September. He loves city living and is happy working at SFO. He works in the weather department (a few floors below Zack) making sure the conditions are safe for planes to take off and land. He is able to live vehicle-free in the city so had gotten really good at taking the BART and getting around. He is an avid reader, really loving the classics and Russian literature. He and Eli are deep into the world of video game competitions and have met in different cities (and countries!) to compete. So cool!

Eli (24)  graduated in June from Western Washington University (at the top of his class) with his Master's Degree in Computer Science. He also earned minors in Physics, Communication, and Math. We were so happy to all come together to celebrate his amazing achievement! He has also recently been named the top player in Washington State (in the video game he and Aidan play) and is being sponsored to fly to tournaments to compete. He's figuring out his next step and we are cheering him on all the way!

Isabel (20), is deep into her studies of psychology at SDSU (San Diego State University). She amazes me with her "can do" attitude. Along with keeping up with her studies, she takes great care of herself, cooking new recipes and working out (she loves pickleball!). She has created her own small business of baby/house sitting, and she and Griffin are the sweetest together after four years. She spent the summer with me here in Holland and had so much fun exploring Japan with Zack. She is something else!

Photo by Zack

Of course, tiny little summaries don't do justice to the complexities of life-- but they are something. Most of all, I'm thankful that my kids are so close (to each other and to us) and that the distance (mile wise) doesn't have to stand in the way of how close we feel...and in fact, can make us value our time together in a way we might otherwise take for granted. 

Han & I have had a busy year here at the Mill. I shared an update on it here: https://www.ilovewindmills.com/post/new-year-new-improved-site

Photo by Zack

Personal highlights from the last year, included my Aunt Dodo coming to visit (at 91 years old!), along with Erin and Mark in May. Having them here was so special and felt like having my grandma and mom here, too. We were all blown away that she made it to the very top of the Mill for the complete tour! I truly don't think she stopped smiling the entire time she was here. She and Uncle Pat have always been there for our family and it was such a gift to be able to return the favor (even a little bit!).

Aunt Dodo & Han's mom, Rieky, attending church on Mother's Day

It was so special to all be together to celebrate Eli's graduation in June!

Although, Eli played it down, we were all bursting with pride.

Afterwards, the kids flew back with me to Alkmaar. Combining my worlds is truly the best.

We also had lots of special visitors throughout the spring/summer who flew all the way over from the US: including dear friends Kata & Tom, Therese & Jenna, Robin, Ross, Gina & Kevin, and Lieve & John.

Kata & Tom in the beautiful city of Hoorn

Isabel ended up spending eight weeks with us over the summer.

 We're going to make a Dutch girl out of her yet!

Another highlight of my year has been my deepening friendship with Joan and Tom who live in the windmill "down the canal". It's hard to articulate how meaningful this friendship has become. It has helped me to feel more myself in a "foreign country" and we've been able to support each other in ways that none of us could've see coming. Surprise friendships like this one, have to be one of life's biggest gifts! 

Our Airbnb's were fully booked till November, so we delayed our annual holiday. As luck would have it, we had great weather and low crowds on our three week trip to Italy. It was a bucket list trip, for sure.

I could write a whole blog post on each of these subjects. And there is so much more I could share...but this has been a lesson for me in not letting too much time go by. It makes it so overwhelming to even begin to know where to start. But, I did it. Here is my start. And my intention is to move forward in smaller gulps as I go.

Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me to get back to it. 

I needed the nudge. 

And I feel so much better for having started. 

xoxo