It’s that time of year… welcome to the Fuller’s 3rd Annual end-of-year recap (2007, 2008)! This year Julie and I were so busy leading up to Christmas break we didn’t even have time to send out regular greeting cards in the mail. So don’t feel snubbed if you didn’t get one from us since nobody did.
However, we did receive an array of cards and letters from friends and family and enjoyed them all. But even the best of those cards pale compared to the multimedia extravaganza you are about to experience: if it wasn’t for Avatar, surely the critics would be calling this post 2009’s trend setting, technological entertainment marvel. Probably. And now for our last post of the decade…
The year began quietly enough with January and February quickly rolling by with school, the girls playing basketball and some family visits from Omaha. My work with Point B transitioned from one client to another and Julie helped to put the finishing touches on another Bal Swan Children’s Center fundraising event. Julie and I welcomed a well earned ski weekend away in Breckenridge, CO leaving the girls to enjoy time at home with Aunt Kris and Grandma Cindy.
By March, the pace had started to pick-up. With the commencement of soccer practice, our 6-day-a-week soccer habit was reinstated. Between weekday practices and weekend games, it seemed like there was hardly time for anything else. Still, Julie and I found time to attend the Bal Swan Ball together while Julie continued her tireless support of PTA activities. At the end of the month, we jetted off to paradise to enjoy spring break at our favorite spots on Maui.
April and May continued with more soccer and I managed a few work trips to Hartford, CT. The girls hit the books and finished their school year ready for the summer holidays. Meanwhile, I became more and more engaged in extracurricular Point B activities. With a tough economy, it was all hands on deck to help drive the business. While a lot of work, I learned quite a bit about networking, consulting and it created opportunities for me to spend more time with a fantastic group of colleagues: I can’t say enough nice things about the great people I work with these days.
In June, I gathered a new soccer coaching credential, sacrificing a weekend in exchange for my USSF State E-License (following the NSCAA State Diploma I’d earned in March). Meanwhile, Julie and the girls began an action packed agenda of soccer camps and summer leagues, CARA Track at the high school, summer reading and math programs and near daily trips to the neighborhood swimming pool. We hit the road to spend Independence Day in Bismarck and made time for an early August weekend rendezvous in North Platte, NE with Julie’s family.
In between, Sam the Dog celebrated his 13th birthday (oh my!) and the whole family took part in supporting the Courage Classic, a multi-day charity cycling event which raises money for The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, CO. Each year, Point B sponsors a rider’s aid station at the top Vail Pass (elevation 10,662’). Julie played a major part helping with preparations this year’s station, covering my butt while I was away with client related travel. The girls had a great time greeting hundreds of riders as they finished the long climb up the pass.
In late August the girls also returned to classes at Aspen Creek K-8 School: Grace to Mrs. Dery’s 4th Grade class and Erin to Mrs. Kallsen’s 1st Grade class. Grace is showing a real talent for research, which dovetails nicely with her love for science and writing. Erin, meanwhile, has become a legitimate book worm and has been part of the advanced math group since early in the term. Late in the month, Grace celebrated her 9th birthday with an outing to Boulder’s Northern Colorado Fencers. She and her gang of musketeers learned formal techniques like lunge, parry and riposte followed by a traditional “spazz-out berserker” style battle commonly seen on the school playground. No one was injured, so we considered it a highly successful outing.
While September was pretty quiet, a clear hi-lite was seeing Jason Mraz play a sold out Red Rocks Amphitheater. The tickets were a late 11th anniversary gift Julie and I gave ourselves. The venue was cool, the music memorable and my date was a babe. Would could be better?
In October, Grace’s soccer team competed and earned the U10 Girls “Bronze” division championship at the annual Colorado Youth Soccer (CYS) Cup soccer tournament. Also, at the end of October Erin celebrated her 7th birthday at the local roller skating rink. Erin’s crew swarmed the concrete to display their mad skating skillz (ahem), then attacked the birthday cake with vigor. After more than a 25 year hiatus, Julie and I found our return to roller skating sort of like stepping into a time machine. Very little has changed aside from the emergence of in-line skates. Everything else from the music to organized games (skate limbo!) and snack bar was pretty much as we remembered it being in junior high school. Scary.
With November’s arrival, another festive holiday season kicked off by a Thanksgiving dinner attended by Denver-area family members Kris, Scott, Denise and Cindy as well as long time friends Raghu and Maruthi with their daughter Laya. For the second year in a row, we had vegetarians in attendance, but that didn’t stop me from tackling my first deep fried turkey out in the driveway. It was good, but not great. However, I learned a lot and I’m looking forward to my next fry attempt.
Which brings us to the end of the year. As I look back, perhaps I spent a little too much time working this year, but that’s life sometimes. I’m optimistic about the future and looking forward to a year that was better than the last (which wasn’t too bad).
And now a final holiday message from Grace and Erin (the aforementioned “multimedia extravaganza”):
Season’s Greetings including Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Muharram and Joyful Kwanzaa.
