I've been putting this off long enough, it's time to just do it. I don't like writing these any more than you like reading them. So let's get it over with...
Maybe we spent way too much money this year. First, we got new carpet because the old carpet was probably as old as the house, maybe older – it's possible that the house was built around it. Connie had been saving up for a kitchen remodel, but this was a more immediate issue. Besides, she had saved enough for carpet but not for a kitchen, so might as well spend it. We also bought a new car – our first actual new car in 14 years. Our ginormous, beastly SUV finally died. I had been saving up for those 14 years for a car for myself hoping that mine would die first, or at least get in a wreck or something. Alas. The new car is pretty big – a VW Atlas – but it feels like a little sports car compared to that bus thing we had. And with all the new technology it practically drives itself, except for the fact that you have to drive it. Having all the new safety features in modern cars is like having a permanent backseat driver. It tells you when you've left your lane, when you're going too fast, when you're following too close, when someone's in your blind spot, when you've taken a wrong turn. Come to think of it, it would have been cheaper to just have my mother-in-law come live with us. (Just kidding, Margaret. We both know it wouldn't have been cheaper.) And to top it off, Connie dipped into her kitchen money again and took the three youngest to Disneyland early in the year. It was a nice vacation for me. Oh – and a new bedroom set. After 24+ years of marriage we finally were able to afford new bedroom furniture. The old stuff was pretty worn out – it's seen a lot of action. All we had to do was set aside $100 every month year. Easy peasy.
Probably I should talk about the kids. They're all holding their own. Calvin came back from college in the spring. Apparently being at college and going to college aren't technically the same thing and I should have been more specific. He was not invited back, so he's trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. Apparently continuous video game and YouTube streaming are the keys to figuring things out. Who knew?
Ever the overachiever, Felix is going to college while still in high school, courtesy of the Kennewick School District. The “Running Start” program lets students get a … head start? A leg up? A jump start? The words aren't coming to me. Anyway, the plan is to graduate high school with his Associate's degree. He also got his driver's license this year. He had such a hard time learning how to drive, always hitting curbs and barely stopping in time and other scary stuff. It was really frustrating for us and, frankly, kind of terrifying. “ARE YOU BLIND, FELIX?! Do you need glasses or something?” Well, didn't we feel bad when he failed the vision test at the DMV. So now Four-eyes Felix has nerd facial wear but doesn't hit curbs anymore.
And what about Quincy? He's still Quincy. What else can I say? He always seems to keep one step ahead of us in whatever amok he's running. Leon has graduated to middle school and has taken up the trumpet. He's actually coming along pretty well and so now we let him play it in the house. He's also a pretty good baseball player, but he's every bit as good of a cook, as he enjoys baking cookies and brownies and stuff that's actually edible. Dorothy is also growing up. She's in the 3rd grade class for gifted kids, so she has to take a bus to a different school (we have four kids in four different schools, none of which are the school just down the road). She made the Principal's honor roll, or whatever it's called, so she's even smart for a smart kid. And she turned 8 this year, so she chose to be baptized. Felix did the honors, mostly because I didn't want to get wet.
Can you believe that I became the President of the Board of Directors of the local Arc chapter? Me, in a leadership position? I didn't want the job, but turned out that everyone else wanted it less and I drew the short straw. Oh well, somebody's got to do it, and it is a very worth cause. Since I'm involved so deeply with The Arc, they sent me, all expenses paid, to The Arc of US National Convention in Washington DC and told me to bring Quincy. Connie tagged along, too. Quincy was really excited to go (and reminded us about it for months), but he was kind of disappointed when he saw what actually went on at a conference. So he spent most of his time with Connie checking out museums and having ice cream from the street vendors. Speaking of Connie, she's doing great as usual and is still subbing, although she's looking for something more permanent. I'm still at PNNL; I just celebrated my 15 th workaversary there (that's both easy and hard to believe at the same time). Finally, this year we took a family camping trip to the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon for several days. It's actually quite lovely and has an interesting history. Apparently the entire forest burnt completely to the ground during the first half of the 1900's, so it was all replanted from scratch, tree by tree, by thousands of volunteers. This explained why all the trees were about the same size, but you couldn't tell the place was a fixer-upper.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the Jacob Family!