Well, here we are again getting ready to send out our Christmas cards and confronting the need to look back over the year.  It’s been a busy year, so here we go:

Noah

 

 

 

 

Noah started high school this year (yes, you read that correctly, High School!).  In addition to starting his own computer consulting company, Meatball Computing Company, Noah is interested in video games, video games, video games, video games and Star Wars.  In January, Noah turns 15 and starts driver training!  Yikes!

Natalie

 

 

 

 

Natalie turns 12 this month and has made a successful transition from elementary school (where she received a Presidential Education Award) to middle school (where she earned a 4.0 in her first trimester!)  Natalie still is playing soccer but she switched from club soccer back to the recreation league where, as a member of the Pancakes, she is having a great time.

Ralph and Wendy

 

 

 

 

We no longer have little kids so Ralph and Wendy are finding other ways to keep busy.  Wendy still works full time at Heritage Distilling Company and Ralph has embarked on a new career path as a professor of business law at Pacific Lutheran University.

Washington, D.C. and Orlando

 

 

 

 

Noah finished up his middle school career with a bang or, more correctly, with a lot of time on airplanes!  Noah, along with Wendy, went on the middle school trip to Washington, D.C. and he also competed in Orlando in the national Technology Student Association where he took 10th place in the nation in the flight category!

Going Solar

 

 

 

 

We joined about a million other people in central Oregon for the solar eclipse.  It was an amazing experience; however, it took us about 8 hours to get home from Salem, Oregon (a three hour drive without traffic).

Sebastian

 

 

 

 

We hosted another foreign exchange student staying with us this year (he just moved to the second family after Thanksgiving).  Sebastian is from Poland and we had a great time with him while he was with us.

Deck the Home Improvement

 

 

 

 

Last year’s never ending project (last year that dragged into this year) was the master bathroom and this year, the next most urgent deferred maintenance project, was the deck.  The deck had become so dangerous that the workers on the bathroom project were scared by it!

In Memoriam

 

 

 

 

We sadly lost two members of our family this year.  First, was the remarkably hearty beta fish, Harambe, who joined us from the Harbor Heights Elementary Halloween party (where Natalie won him in a game).  In addition, we recently lost our dog of about five years, Jake.  We were kind of surprised that Jake made it as long as he did and his time finally ran out.  There is currently an internal debate regarding Jake’s replacement and, so far, Ralph’s vehement objection is winning the day.  You will know for sure next year if there are pictures of another dog in this letter.

That’s a wrap for 2017.  We’ll see you next year!