As I look back, I realize that some things have happened that I wish could be erased. Good things happened too. All in all, I would say this has been an unusual and eventful year.
Deaths
Children should not have to hear about death or tragedy, but in 2009, our family heard about several deaths and attended four different funerals/memorials. (In 2008, we had already attended the funerals of Valerie Gendernalik and Cliff Kruse, so we've actually attended 6 funerals in an 18 month period.)
In early February, Marty Martino, the coach and friend of our dear friends, T.J. and Hannah Johnson, died suddenly after a massive heart attack.
In early summer, a longtime skating friend, Derek Cass, passed away. Later in the summer, I heard of the death of my dear friend, Paul Steiner's mother, and also about the death of our friend, Bruce Hurd's father. Additionally, Bruce's family was in a horrible car accident on their way to bury Bruce's father's ashes after Bruce's brother fell asleep at the wheel.
I also heard of the death of Mark Cordell, a friend of both Dan and mine from our young days of marriage. Mark died of a sudden heart attack in January of 2009. We knew Mark before we began dating, so thinking about his death made us very sad and was a shock.
Then, in early November (or late October), Lou Schlom, the husband of the girls' longtime singles coach, Janet Champion, died unexpectantly.
Tragedy then struck when young Haley Gans, a young skating friend, who was only 14 years old died in a skiing accident in Breckenridge just before Thanksgiving.
Not many children attend six funerals/memorials in an 18 month periold.. It's really time for us to go to a wedding or baby shower instead, in my opinion...
Facebook!
One wonderful thing that happened in 2009 was that my friend Marion got me hooked into Facebook. Through Facebook, I've reunited with so many friends from the past and have made new friends. It is amazing how connected everyone is through today's technology!
I've also created Facebook Fan pages to promote my Figure Skating About.com writing and I've made a fan page for Rebekah and Joel! Why not?
Worlds!
A highlight of 2009 was going to the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles as a family. (We planned the trip with my best friend, Marion Ennis Curtis.) At Worlds, I also saw friends and family, and reunited with many skating friends. We also went to Disneyland! My friend Marion gave me a quilt at Worlds that celebrated our over 40 years of friendship!
30 Years of Marriage!
Dan and I celebrated 30 years of marriage on April 7, 2009. So much has happened in 30 years and we sometimes we are amazed that the time has gone by so fast. We celebrated our anniversary with the children at Red Robin and ate hamburgers!
Summer at the Beach!
Another highlight of 2009 was going to Long Beach in the summer and spending quality time as a family in the water and on the beach! It was also good to see family and friends on that trip.
Injury Didn't Stop Skating's Progress
Rebekah broke her foot during the summer, which set the kids back a bit in their training, but Rebekah and Joel still medaled at 2010 Midwesterns and skated great at Junior Nationals. Annabelle passed some skating tests. Joel passed his intermediate freeskating test and Annabelle passed her Juvenile Pair and Juvenile freesskating and her intermediate moves in the field. Before her injury, Rebekah also passed her Intermediate pair test. Rebekah and Joel also passed their intermediate free dance test.
School
Another highlight was of the year was the kids started Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Most kids hate school, but my kids love it since it is only once a week! Rebekah started the American School of Correspondence and Joel continued to earn almost all A's and B's in the same program. Annnabelle's reading and writing and math skills get better everyday!
Music
Joel began keyboard and guitar lessons with Sal Mancini. The girls continue their piano studies with Susie Essing. They took part in their 2nd recital in May.
Hiking, Skiing, the Zoo, and Museums
Another highlight was of the year was the kids started Mountain Vista Homeschool Academy. Most kids hate school, but my kids love it since it is only once a week! Rebekah started the American School of Correspondence and Joel continued to earn almost all A's and B's in the same program. Annnabelle's reading and writing and math skills get better everyday!
Music
Joel began keyboard and guitar lessons with Sal Mancini. The girls continue their piano studies with Susie Essing. They took part in their 2nd recital in May.
Hiking, Skiing, the Zoo, and Museums
We also spent time outdoors and did lots of hiking and skiing in 2009. Right now, we don't feel like going downhill skiing because of Haley Gans's tragic skiing accident, but have already enjoyed cross country skiing together in 2009 and hope to do more in 2010. We took the time to visit many museums and learned together as a family: the Museum of Natural History, the Denver Aquarium, the Long Beach Aquarium, Bent's Fort, Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, The Fine Arts Center, The Money Museum, The Meteor Crater, Glen Eyrie, and Seven Falls.
2009 Ended With the Flu
As I write this, I am suffering from a horrible flu. I have the feeling it is the dreaded Swine Flu. I hope to be better soon. It's no fun to end 2009 being sick!
Hoping for a Good 2010
We do hope 2010 will be a good year. Dan's father has not been well. We hope his health improves. Also we hope that the children will make progress in their skating and their studies.
Happy 2010!
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