For all of our talk about not having a holiday letter, it’s hard to believe that this is the Fifth Annual installment of the Tinkleflick Holiday Letter which we know you have come to expect. Or, at least most of you have come to expect (Wendy apparently does not read the letter until at least one year later).
It’s been just over two years since we bought our house here in Gig Harbor, Washington; however, it feels like we are just finally settling in here. Don’t get the wrong impression…the people here have been very nice, we have met many friends and we feel very much a part of our nice, little community. It’s just that (for example) we only, just now, got around to unpacking the holiday lighting system from the old house and adapting it to the new one. We also believe that most items from the move have been located and the statute of limitations for blaming a “missing box” for lost stuff is now past.
Of all of us, Noah seems to be the most natural Northwesterner given that, despite freezing temperatures and just like his father, he refuses jackets because they make him “sweaty”. Noah is a happy First Grader at Harbor Heights Elementary and participates in, among other things, Adventure Guides, Chess Club, swimming lessons, rock climbing lessons and many, many, many, many more activities which require transportation.
Natalie continues to drive all of us crazy half the time and charm the pants off everyone the other half the time. All of the other parents at her school always tell us that she is so sweet and so cute…at least those who have not endured one of her random, signature tantrums. Natalie is in the threes class at the Gig Harbor Co-Operative Pre-School which, as the name suggests, is a parent-run co-operative minus (on most days) the communism. Wendy is on the Board, Ralph does the website and Natalie rules with an iron fist (hence the reference to communism).
Another year, another great trip for Wendy. This year, it was New York City. The girls partied like rock stars as the poor husbands dutifully looked after the homestead. Ralph celebrated his 40th in a slightly different way…he shared cake with, and was serenaded by, 20 Kindergarten kids in Noah’s class where he volunteers once a week!
The year started off rough for Ralph. Most of the entire first quarter was dedicated to taking (and then recovering from) the Washington State Bar Exam. Thankfully, that particular nightmare is over and was successful. Ralph finally set up his own law practice and works with small businesses and also handles estate planning matters. He’s also very involved in the community through Rotary, Adventure Guides and other activities. In addition to the law practice, Ralph also is spending more and more time teaching for the Western Washington Campus of the University of Phoenix, Tacoma Community College and Brandman University.
We’re looking forward to the transition from Fall to Winter. Our friends in Denver, Chicago, New York and places like that laugh at Seattle’s “Snow Emergency” of last year. A foot of snow practically shut down the city over the holidays. Unlike those other cities, we have only one snowplow and, now former, Seattle mayor Greg Nickels used it to plow the road from his house to City Hall! We are looking forward to celebrating our second anniversary as Washingtonians, making trips to California and generally watching the kids grow like weeds. We wish everyone a very safe and Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!