Christmas Letter, 2015
Greetings!
As we climb into the holiday season, I'm struck with the notion that the year 2015 has been a worthwhile hike for members of the Corrigan Conrad household. Hikes are good, really. Builds stamina. Brings you to new places. Grants higher perspective. Leads to paths surrounded with sunshine, scenery, companionship. Yet, sometimes the path is steeper than you're ready for. The rain makes for slippy footing, and seeking a new turn takes longer than you want it to. Despite the steeper times (or perhaps because of these times), I contend that we cannot help but embark on the hike, for the human heart strives to be necessary, purpose-filled, and stretched to new limits.
To paths both slippy and sunshine-y, here are just a few highlights of our hike this year:
School-time: We kicked off the 2015-2016 school year in style this fall. Ken marched right into full-day-every day Kindergarten. With 13 fellow classmates, he tells us that his favorite parts of school are lunch time, recess, and hearing the bell ring. His self-introduction to new friends is: “I’m Ken, and I’m into Lego’s and reading. Who are you?” Sam followed suit for the school year, proudly entering half-day-every-day pre-school. He’s discovering a new love for de-coder puzzles and reading at about the same pace as brother Ken. He recently asked Nanny Sarah how plants are built and grow. When Sarah gave him the 101 on DNA and photosynthesis, he tracked right along with the explanation and proceeded to re-teach the lesson at
Work-time: Due in a large part to the best Extension-of-Us-A-Member-of-Our-Family-Super-Care-Giver-Household-Manager-Nanny-Sarah, Adam and I link arms on our hike and bring home the bacon in our own ways. Adam’s entering his third year at United Health Care, and still enjoying the boss, the team, the business. And, after eight years at Target Corp, I watched the
company hike through three rounds of layoffs and a corporate restructure. I made the cut, but after a few phone calls with a few recruiters, I traded my Target red and khaki for some Optum orange. What does this mean, you ask? Optum and United Healthcare are two parts of the same company, United Health Group. While Adam works to “help people live healthier lives,” I work to “make the healthcare system better for everyone.” We’re learning more about the healthcare industry than we ever thought we would, enjoying a commute together to-and-from work. Change is good. And while being new to an organization presents its own steepness, the refreshed outlook and the job security lets us continue our hike with a skip in our step and a few dreams in our pockets.
Celebration-time: We rang in summer and fall this year with valuable celebrations. Summer found us on a few different lakes with family and friends. Ken Sam and Georgia launched into their love for swimming and boating. Ken even took his first back-of-the-boat tube ride. This, coupled with campfires and s’mores in Wisconsin, made for some priceless memories. Three birthdays, two friend weddings and one anniversary later, it’s slightly amazing to think that Ken is age six already, Sam five, Georgia three, and Adam and I have been married for seven years. Time flies when the hike stays interesting. We’re surrounded regularly with snippets such as: “Hey Sam, how fast can you say Kit-Kat?” And, “Dad, we built three snowmen today – and used ice-frickels for the noses!” Or, “Hey, Mom,” (with toy-stethoscope in hand), “Want me to take your heart?” Morsels like these keep the celebratory spirit of our hike alive and well.
Austria-time: (Not Australia. Austria.) In the spirit of cheerful giving, we welcomed 16-year-old Leonie into our home this November. She gives us a glimpse of life-at-sixteen, shows Ken, Sam and Georgia that the world is bigger than the United States, and introduces all of us to wonderful new German words like Sachertorte. (It’s a Christmas cake!) Leonie will be with us through June next year, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue swapping stories, experiences and traditions through 2016.
Father-time: On a slipperier note, Adam’s father passed away this December. He put in quite the hike, and we are all better people because we knew him and loved him. An example to all fathers everywhere: Grandpa Ken lived with an open mind and an accepting heart. As our hike continues, it’s my hope that we stay brave enough to model his love, and strong enough to carry his legacy. Grandpa Ken: While we trust that you’re happily re-united with your bride and enjoying sips of an eternal whiskey old-fashioned, we miss you. You are deeply loved and forever a part of us.
As our hike continues, prost (cheers!) to you and your family this blessed Christmas season. We wish you a hike with heart-stretching happenings – and a 2016 that is abundantly joyful.Happy holidays!
Adam, Molly, Ken, Sam, Georgia, and Leonie
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