Dear Friends and Family,
2018 definitely flew by! I can hardly believe the year is almost over.
This year Korben and I decidedly feel more and more like natives and less like newbies in this beautiful state of Washington. Last Christmas our home was blanketed in a beautiful, white snow. We weren't actually home for Christmas, but were enjoying warmer weather at my parents' place in Texas. Korben and I cooked a turkey for the first time ever and it was a huge success (aka, nobody died)! We even flew Kepler down with us for Christmas so that he could meet my parents' puppy (Kepler's aunt?). My sister, Joni, and her husband, Greg were also visiting, as well as Greg's parents.
Despite missing the white Christmas back at home, Korben and I got our fair share of snow last winter. We had a few snow days in Auburn. There were quite a few snowshoeing trips up in the hills. Kepler loves the snow so we take him snowshoeing as well, however he doesn't have his own pair of snowshoes. Korben even got to go snow tubing for the first time this year! It was not your average snow tube hill. There were strobe lights, loud music, and a conveyor belt that pulled you back up to the top. It was a lot of fun, but I prefer "real" snow tubing-- the kind where you find a hill on some back road in the mountains and you don't stop until someone breaks their arm.
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| This picture is actually from July! We enjoy living in a place where you can visit the snow, not live in it. |
For Spring Break we flew to sunny Florida. We were long overdue for seeing much of Korben's family. Stefan and Aneta, Korben's brother and sister-in-law, showed us their beautiful farm. Their two kids, who seemed to have grown a lot since the last time we saw them, were also very energetic and wonderful hosts! Korben's dad and step-mom also live in Florida so we got to see them as well. Allen (Korben's dad) loves to spoil me with his yummy, gluten-free foods! Donna (Korben's step-mom) was in the hospital during our visit, but we did get to stop by and say hello. We are certainly glad she is out now and doing much better!
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| Korben entertaining his niece, Justyna |
We ended our Spring Break trip by stopping by and saying hello to Grandma Ann. Korben's mom and uncle were also visiting her. We took a river cruise near her home and had a lovely time. It was a rushed trip with so many people to see. We look forward to seeing everyone again for Christmas this year.
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| Uncle Robert, Grandma Ann, Debbie (Korben's mom), Korben, and me enjoying our cruise |
It seems as though 2018 was the year all my friends had babies! For my friends and family members who are ever-hopeful, Korben and I apparently didn't get the memo. There is no baby announcement from us this year (Mom, I can hear you complaining all the way in San Antonio...). We were especially happy to finally meet little Gabriella this year, my cousin Laura's new baby who I am claiming as my niece. Her daddy is trying very hard to get her to love cars (low-riders, in particular) but so far I have only seen her get super excited about ceiling fans.
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| A wonder-ful little Gabriella! |
To kick off the summer Korben and I took Kepler on his first camping trip. The weather was supposed to be rainy everywhere so Korben and I went the place it was least likely to rain: Yakima. We think Kepler had fun but it is hard to tell because he is such a grumpy dog. He pulled a muscle and was unable to move for two days when we returned home. Grapefruit, his tabby-cat sister, decided that she really loves her brother when he's broken and snuggled with him for two days, much to the astonishment of everyone, Kepler especially. It was short-lived. Once Kepler could move around again she treated him with the same exact disdain she had before.
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| The fear in Kepler's eyes is priceless. |
A highlight of my year was being able to see Les Miserables (the Broadway show, not the movie) with Korben. I had seen it once before with my dad when I was in high school. Korben is always suspicious of musicals but I knew he would like it. As always, I was right! I also had the privilege this year to see a former student of mine perform as Annie in the well-known musical of the same name! She is a quite talented young lady!
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| Visesia Fakatourfifita starred as Annie at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle this year. |
Korben's mom was able to visit us during the summer. We took a trip up to Mt. Baker, a first for Korben and I. It was gorgeous up there! There was still plenty of snow at the top of the mountain so we took along our snowshoes and went snowshoeing in shorts and T-shirts. There was one snowshoeing trail we took that was in the process of melting. In retrospect, we should have never gone on it but we had the right combination of adventure and naivety to get it done. It went around a large lake and somehow we managed to complete the trail without falling in it. The views were breathtaking, but thankfully the hike wasn't.
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| Kepler and Chico make very poor Iditarod dogs. |
Every few years my dad's side of the family has a big family reunion. I haven't been to one since I was in high school so I was excited to finally be able to go this year. Korben and I traveled to Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, not Switzerland) where Korben got to meet more Dickersons than he probably ever intended to. Lake Geneva is quite a nice area and if you are looking for a summer home and you have an annual salary of roughly 5 million, I'd recommend checking it out. I'm not sure if we were there seeking out wealthy long-lost relatives (they certainly weren't at the reunion!).We did visit Old World Wisconsin and I felt that the homes there were much more budget-friendly as long as you can survive without indoor plumbing.
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| Every good family reunion should include a round of mini-golf! |
This year marked the NAD (North American Division) Teacher's Convention in Chicago. My parents are also teachers in NAD and so is my cousin, Brady, so I always view the teacher meetings as mini-family reunions. It was good to visit with friends, coworkers, and previous teachers of mine I hadn't seen in a while. Korben also go to visit with some friends he hadn't seen in a long time. It was odd not having my sister (Joni) there as she often manages to sneak her way into these teacher meetings. Joni and Greg (her husband) did come and visit us a couple times this year in Seattle though, so I'll give her a pass.
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| Sharon, Jon (my parents), Brady & Aubrey, and I were talking in-between meetings. Or probably during meetings. |
We spent Thanksgiving this year at Joni and Greg's place in Loma Linda, California. My parents were also visiting with their two dogs. We got to spend a lot of time in the sunshine and got to go to the beach which was perfect since the rainy season back home was just getting started. Korben got to build a built-in book shelf around the fireplace at Joni and Greg's home. To some, that might sound like work, but to Korben it is "more exciting than sitting around watching football." It turned out really beautiful!
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| The built-in has since been painted and doors have been added to the cabinets on the bottom, but this picture shows Korben's contribution (minus the candles on the mantel). |
Korben and I are really starting to feel like native Washingtonians. Korben finally got to see Mt. St. Helens this summer, we picked wild blackberries (even Kepler found berries and ate some!), foraged for mushrooms (that was only exciting for one of us), hiked, camped, snowshoed, rode the gondolas at Crystal Mountain watched the Mariners play, and led tours of Seattle to visiting friends and family. Just about the only thing left to finish transformation is to paint our home Seahawks blue and green.
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| This picture was actually taken in OREGON, not Washington, but I still think it proves we are people of the PNW. |
I am teaching grades 3 and 4 this year at Northwest Christian School. They are a very lively bunch this year and they keep me on my toes! I'm also very involved at our church. My gardening skills could still use some work. If you're interested in kale for Christmas, just ask! That's the one thing I can grow really well (despite my best attempts at trying to kill it). I've also enjoyed hosting those of you who have been able to make the trip out here! I've found that as far as cousins are concerned, when one shows up, another one will soon appear.
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| Jen (my cousin) and her husband Dane were visiting when Lian (another cousin) unexpectedly appeared! |
Korben stays pretty busy at work. He enjoys working at Rover and misses how much programming he used to do before he started management. Kepler rarely goes into work with Korben anymore. He is a grumpy pup and doesn't like change or new people which doesn't bode well for a company that is growing quickly and hires lots of new faces. Korben still does woodworking in his free time (remember the built-in a few paragraphs back?). He also assisted me in helping my class make their auction project.
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| My students decorated the wooden discs that are all around the frame of the mirror. |
Korben is very into quantum computing right now. He loves to talk to me about all the exciting things he is doing in quantum computing but I don't think I'm quite understanding the "exciting" part of it. If you are into quantum computing, please, give Korben a call!
We wish you a very merry Christmas and happy new year!
Korben & Lori
Kepler, Grapefruit, and Brewster
