Okay, okay. I concede defeat. After receiving a number of
complaints as to the brevity of our 2013 update, I have vowed to do better this
year. Those of you who liked the short notes – my apologies. Those of you who
asked for more – be careful what you wish for :-)
January found us
all in San Francisco. We were there for about 10 days which we spent visiting
the Napa Valley, gazing upward at redwoods, checking out universities (Stanford
is amazingly gorgeous), and tripping off to Berkley. Highlights included Dan
and Josh doing their imitation of the Pier 39 Sea Lions as we walked down the
street, tasting lots of new cuisines, and that moment when Josh looked up from
the point we were standing and saying, "You know, I think this is right about
the place where Starfleet Academy was built." Noah visited with friends
who had a very special Christmas card on their mantel – a pop-up of the
Getting home from San Fran turned out to be the hardest part
of the whole trip, especially for Larry and Miriam. We all left on Friday. Most
of us were back in place by Saturday, but Lar & Miri ended up stranded in
San Fran … then briefly in Vegas … then Chicago, where they finally threw in
the towel and decided to drive the rest of the way. It took them two
hair-raising days but they finally made it, safe and sound and only slightly
smelly.
February found us
all trekking to Ann Arbor for Dan's senior recital. We could have lived without
the major snowstorm that delayed the planned departure of the Boston crew (yes,
they DROVE it - all in one day!), but everyone made it safe and sound. Dan's
performance rocked the packed house, and the reception that followed was filled
with laughter and treats that echoed his travels in Europe. Ann Arbor is a
lovely city. We had a great time exploring the downtown area. (Zana
particularly loved the fairy doors set into many of the stores – nice touch,
folks!) We finally made it to the famous Zingerman's deli and store and had a
lovely time checking out the displays at the Natural History Museum. Best of
all, of course, was the chance to all be together, even for just a day.
April brought us
Passover, Easter, and a trek to NYC (where we saw Aladdin on Broadway) and then up to Boston. We hunted for Easter
eggs and feasted at Josh & Rachel's place, then filled the van with Noah's
stuff, shoved half of it in Josh & Rachel's basement (blessing!!!), then
brought Noah and the rest home. That freshman year FLEW!
May's highlight
was Dan's graduation! For what was probably the last time, we made the journey
to Ann Arbor. Even better, Jana and her friend Monika hadplanned to be in the
States that week, so they joined us for the grad weekend! We watched Dan and
his lady love Gen march across the stage at the Music/Theater/Dance
department's ceremony, visited the AA botanical gardens, toured downtown, filed
into the famous Michigan Big House for the university-wide ceremony (my
favorite moment: the university President, who was retiring, taking a selfie of
herself with the rows of grads behind her), and visited the Henry Ford museum.
Quite the interesting assortment – old cars, the Weenie Mobile, Presidential
limos (including the ones Kennedy and Reagan were riding in when they were
shot), and the chair Abraham Lincoln was seated in when he was assassinated.
Following graduation, Dan and his longtime roomie Connor set
off on a Ryan Air exploration of Europe. They saw Warsaw, Krakow, Brussels,
Barcelona, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oslo, and probably more. Rumor has it they also
tasted beer in many of these locations. They don't tell me these things.
Larry's annual Victoria Day weekend trek to NYC was
accompanied by all the usual traditions – a trip toTasty Dumpling, tickets to
whatever play was available at the half-price booth, walking tours (this time,
Brooklyn) and all the street food their little hearts desired.
May also found Josh and Rachel touring the Maritimes. In a
wild extra-long weekend, they hit most of the sites – a stop in beautiful
Bangor, then up to New Brunswick (Magnetic Hill), Prince Edward Island (Green
Gables!!!!!!), and Nova Scotia (the Halifax Citadel, donairs, Peggy's Cove, and
the Maritime Museum). They even stayed in a women's dorm at Lar's alma mater,
Dalhousie University.
Dan came home for a few days in June before setting out on his epic drive from Ann Arbor to
California. He visited many friends and family en route, but after ten days (three of which were spent visiting Gen at an opera camp in the Ozarks), he arrived in Palo Alto to begin his grad program at Stanford. This time next year, he'll be all trained and qualified to teach French to high school kids. Students of the world, take cover!
Noah returned to Boston at the end of June. He changed
majors (isn't that required in freshman year?) and needed to pick up a couple
of classes. After two months at home as my go-fer, I think he was quite happy
to return to solo dorm life.
And in a truly awesome twist, he ended up working closely with one of
Northeastern's most distinguished professors, former Massachusetts governor
Mike Dukakis.
The Fourth of July
weekend saw us driving to Maine for a visit with Uncle Ron and Aunt Mindy.
Josh, Rachel, and Noah came up from Boston and joined us for a long weekend
spent feasting on lobster, visiting family, and playing Dodge the Iceberg at
the beach (that ocean water is COLD!).
August was an
interesting month. The first half was spent quietly at home. Then things got
real. There was a trip to Boston to see Josh & Rachel and bring Noah home;
a trip to the Great White North for the annual Beach Day festivities; a trip to
Erie, PA (Chris only) for a biannual writing retreat; Noah worked as a camp
counselor for a week; and trips up to Morrisburg, Ontario to deliver Miri to
her beloved Upper Canada Village Time Travellers camp and bring her back home.
Total count: 2400 miles on the car in
just over 2 weeks. It was an immense
relief when Labo(u)r Day rolled around and we got to stay home!
It was back to the regular routine in September. The line-up: grade three for Suzannah, grade 8 for Miri (last year of
middle school, baby!), second year of undergrad for Noah, second year of PhD
work for Rachel, and the penultimate semester of his second Master's degree for
Josh. (We think he's on the non-stop school track.) The girls had a four-day
weekend in September so we zipped to Toronto to visit friends, watch the pandas
at the zoo, and eat our weight in poutine. 
October means
Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving, which we spent in Boston, devouring a feast
prepared by Josh and Rachel. (Maple marinated grilled turkey and Tim Horton
Doughnuts bread pudding, anyone?). Uncle Ron and Aunt Mindy drove down from
Maine to celebrate with us (and Noah, and Rachel's mom, who came in from
Philly). The house was full to overflowing with hugs and laughter.
In November we
were thankful that Dan and Gen could spend American Thanksgiving with us. We were also thankful for pie. 
Which brings us to December. It was, as always, a combination of moments of panic ("There's only HOW MANY days until Christmas?") with moments of deep peace and joy. Hanukkah brought all our favorite traditions: latkes, candles, and gifts of towels. (Don't ask.) Dan celebrated Christmas in California with Gen and her family, but Noah, Josh, and Rachel were all here to help as we baked cookies, manipulated Elves on and off shelves, and set up a trap for Santa. It was a lovely way to end a truly blessed year. Larry's Adventures With Skin Cancer have not caused any more trouble, Chris continues to fool publishers into paying her to write books, and all the kids are happy, healthy, and thriving. We're entering 2015 with hopes for continued discoveries, opportunities, and time with each other and with friends. We hope that 2014 treated you gently and lovingly, and that our paths will cross in the upcoming year, either in person or via phone, email, or Facebook. (So many options!)
Blessings on you and yours. Thank you for being part of our lives. 2015, here we come!
