Family Update

7 Posts in 7 Days part 5 (!!!! I made it to 5!!!!)

Since It's been nearly two years since I wrote here with any regularity, I can get away with an easy post for Family Friday!  I just have to list everything about everybody and I'm done. So:

Roger and I still live in the same wonderful no-longer-new house, with our dog Joe, who is definitely showing signs of age.  When he finally leaves us we don't intend to replace him, since not having a dog will greatly simplify our ability to go here and there and see family and friends.  And we are hoping to be able to travel at least a little more, maybe a short trip once a quarter.  All that in addition to visiting Arwen's and Branwen's families on random weekends.

Arwen and Bryan still live in the same place, and still have four children.  But Camilla is almost 7 1/2, and in second grade at a local Catholic school.  Blaise just turned five, and will be starting all-day kindergarten in the fall. Linus and Ambrose are approaching three (!!!) and, after tonsillectomies last summer are now healthy and thriving and growing.  And all boy, as I had demonstrated to me on a recent visit. They are both climbers, and if you're watching one you have to take your eye off the other.  Which they know...

Branwen and Larry also live in the same place, but since I know I had to update my blog header when I started posting again, you may not know that they now also have four children.  Daniel will be eight in June, and is in the same second-grade class as Camilla.  Matthew is 5 1/2, and in kindergarten.  Lauren is 3 1/2, and Leah is 18 months.  It is a very different experience for Branwen to have only girls at home in the daytime!

Miriel married the amazing "Doctor-Doctor John"  (MD/PhD) last June, and they now live in Minnesota, where John is in the first year of his internship/residency at Mayo Clinic.  He hasn't fully settled on what medical area he wants to practice in, but whatever he chooses he'll be great at.  Meanwhile, Miriel earned her Master's in Political Science, and her PhD program has her on "hold," since she's so far away from Texas.  She's working part time in religious education at their parish, to maximize her ability to be free when John has time off.

Brandon also got married last October, to the awesome and creative Heather.  He will be leaving the Coast Guard this spring to take a similar job with the Forest Service, so that they can stay in the tiny town on an island in the Inside Passage, which has been Heather's hometown since she was six.  We hear they have a surprise for us next fall. ;-D  I've always wanted to travel to Alaska!

Tirienne has led a busy life in the past couple of years, working as a pastry chef, traveling to India to work with the Sisters of Charity, switching jobs to be a receptionist at a law firm, and, to our delight, getting engaged to Jeff!  Their wedding will be in May, at the same church Arwen and her family attend.  Three of my six within 2 hours' drive is not too shabby.

(I would love to feel sorry for myself, having to deal with three weddings in 11 months, but a college friend of Branwen's and three of her siblings are all getting married in 2014.  I already sent their mom a message of sympathy!  ;-D )

Kelson is still in the Coast Guard, stationed in Duluth, and is putting in his time to get money for college.  We will see what school he finally ends up attending!  You may have notice that I didn't mention Lucas the cat earlier.  That is because he has always been Kelson's cat, and as of last June he went to live with Kelson, who finally had a place to live where a cat was welcome.  I sort of miss Lucas, but I do not miss his scrabbles with Joe, or cleaning the litter box.

And that wraps up what I currently have to say about our family.  If you have any questions, I'll answer them in the comments if I can.  And if you read yesterday's comments, you'll know exactly how old I am!