Christmas 2022

 

Hi Everyone,

While we’ve all emerged from the Covid fog, it still feels like we’re a bit rough around the social edges, a little wary, figuring out how to interact without a digital filter. Practice works great though, and it’s been a relief to spend so much time with so many of you in person!

Tracy and I spent 2022 taking little trips to escape our empty house. We skied in frigid temperatures in Big Sky, saw wolves in Yellowstone, spent Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Memorial Day in San Diego, and part of October hoping the volcanos would erupt in Hawaii. I added on a girls’ hiking trip to Tennessee, Tahoe with friends, and a handful of tennis weekends. We don’t like the quiet, but we’re appreciating the flexibility. In 2023, we need to leave the country again!

 

The success of NASA’s Artemis mission was a huge win for Tracy. And this year, he earned his senior technical fellow designation at Lockheed, which means he is Head Wizard for all things composites. He’s also busy as a beekeeper, but no matter how much he pretends they are friends, he still gets stung a lot. One rainy day he joined me for pilates, promptly converted to yoga, and became a studio regular. We rarely take the same classes, but it’s fun to compare notes. I’m still enjoying the Customer Advocacy team at Workday - juggling (some) in-person work, life, tennis, and an excessive number of micro-injuries that seem to be a function of just not being dead yet. I need a new hobby that doesn’t require my knees.

 

I love having adult kids! They're independent, hang out together, and tell jokes that make me cringe and cry. 

Hadley is a sophomore at Colorado State studying botany, with a focus on genetics and horticulture. She brought 13 plants home with her for the summer and managed to keep them all alive. September was rough when her horse Ollie suddenly passed away, prompting her first break from eventing in a decade. She’s chosen freestyle skiing as her alternative dangerous (but slightly cheaper) sport, as well as IM dodgeball, volleyball, hiking, and running.  

 

I’m going to call Liam a junior at Oregon State, but we’re not super clear how long he’s going to be there. One class in electrical engineering was enough to send him running to the physics department, so that and mechanical engineering are the front runners for his focus. He’s become a gym rat, so I never have to lift, move, or open anything when he’s around. Over the summer, he worked at a café, and perfected his fry-up to go with his barista skills. 

 

In May, Skyler graduated from UCCS with a double major in philosophy and psychology and a minor in biochemistry, and then spent two weeks traipsing around Ireland. He’s hoping to start med school in the fall, and while he’s got some good leads, no solid news yet. This year, much to the delight of every teacher he’s ever had, he’s teaching middle school geology, and is shocked at the total lack of executive function in that age group (uh… yeah). Appropriately, he spends his spare time rock climbing. 

 

If you’re in the area (even if you live close), call or pop in. I still make too much for dinner most nights. Thank you for being part of our village both near and far. I am hopelessly addicted to all of you! We are blessed/lucky/grateful to have you in our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Love, the Colwells