JANUARY: After a busy week of preparation for a benefit concert, we had some time to catch our breath with some winter activities: movies, concerts, and ice skating. [Shameless Plug: For those in the South Bend area, please consider joining us at the next concert we are producing this February.]
FEBRUARY: Katie's work colleague took a gamble on getting married in Minneapolis in February. His bold move was rewarded with unseasonably mild weather. And the temperature on the dance floor was even warmer, with one of the best wedding bands we have seen leading the way.
MARCH: In a show of unity with his red setter brethren, Pierce donned the full regalia to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
APRIL: Katie (formally) joined the old person club. Our own roaring twenties are now sorely -- all puns intended -- in the rear-view mirror. Aches and pains are real, ya'll.
MAY: Katie's Christmas present from Kyle was delivered a few months late, but it was worth the wait. We enjoyed the leisurely pace, beautiful scenery, and first-class museums of Sweden during a long weekend in Stockholm.
May Bonus Content: Katie isn't the only one getting old around here, as Pierce celebrated his ninth birthday (in style).
JUNE: June was Katie's turn to give a surprise gift. In celebration of our second anniversary, we brewed our own beer, a raspberry wheat, in Saugatuck, Michigan. Naturally, we used the label as an opportunity to honor the master of our house.
JULY: We celebrated Kyle's birthday with a weekend in the Berkshires. The birthday boy got to choose the agenda. So, in two nights, we saw two Boston Symphony concerts at Tanglewood, hiked in the rain to this off-the-beaten-path waterfall, and checked four new states off our list: Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
AUGUST: Katie met the world's most amusing street performer.
SEPTEMBER: While this space is usually filled with lighthearted asides and dog pictures, this fall brought several major changes to our little corner of the world. On September 24, Kyle's Grandma Hull was reunited with Grandpa Hull and the Lord. We are fortunate to have this beautiful video, created by Kyle's father Ed, to help us remember a life well lived.
Grandma Hull was a regular presence in Kyle's life for his first 33 years; he grew up just one block from her house, and Grandma and Grandpa cared for him before and after school. Katie came to love Grandma as well, giving her rides home from church and marveling at her ability to still put away a lumberjack-sized lunch at age 98. We were fortunate to spend a great deal of time with Grandma, and things are not quite the same without her. However, the grief surrounding her passing was tempered by the manner in which it unfolded.
Grandma was an independent farm girl; she hated the idea of being cared for and was staunchly opposed to any talk of assisted living. While she was still in good health at age 98, ailing eyes were making it difficult to care for her home in the matter she desired. On a Saturday evening, after 'feeling a bit weak' that day (a/k/a a heart attack), Grandma was admitted to the hospital. After learning the hospital kitchen was closed for the day, she consumed a McDonald's cheeseburger. Our family spent Sunday at her bedside, sharing a few last conversations, and she was gone by that night -- on her own terms, with only one night in the hospital. She was ready to go home!
OCTOBER: Just a few hours before Grandma was admitted to the hospital, Kyle accepted a new job. (Oh, and our basement flooded with sewage two days before that. It was a bit of a week.) Since October, he has been transitioning into a new role as general counsel with Gurley Leep Automotive Group. He is also continuing to provide services to Bradley Company, where he has served as in-house counsel since 2011. For the moment, Kyle is happy to know whether he is coming or going, but he is excited about the long-term opportunities with two community-minded local organizations.
Enough seriousness -- we now return to our regularly-scheduled content of dog pictures. Pierce is quick, but he couldn't outrun this vicious shark on Halloween.
NOVEMBER: The illusion of a promising football season was shattered in a cold and wet November. But good friends (and age) can soften even the worst on-field performances. Also, please let Kyle know if you run across a curious little monkey.
DECEMBER: As we approached our third Christmas as a family, we celebrated with a quick picture at the location where the wheels of our marriage were set in motion.