Highlights of 2023

JANUARY: Consistent with Januaries past, Katie found every opportunity to decamp to warmer climates. While she headed south, Kyle headed north.

FEBRUARY: The difficult decision we had long been dreading shattered our hearts in 2023's singular terrible week. On February 7, we said goodbye to Pierce. With smiles forced through tears, this was our last picture together. The memories are far too great to be captured in one paragraph, so we added Pierce's obituary and a host of photos to our small corner of the internet. Buddy, you are deeply missed and forever loved.

MARCH: In the immediate aftermath of losing Pierce, Katie remarked she didn't know when she would be ready for another dog. About two weeks later, Kyle spotted her looking at puppies online. And before March was over, our family had a new member -- the somber quiet replaced with energy (and noise). Welcome home, Theodore Pierce Chamberlin!

The four photos above were taken on March 19, Teddy's first day with our family. By March 27, things generally looked more like this.

APRIL: April brought diverse destinations. In Paoli, Indiana, we bathed a gentle elephant and befriended lazy kangaroos. In Barcelona, Catalonia, we biked our way through traffic and ate our way through markets. The latter trip was originally scheduled for March 12, 2020 -- we were within 12 hours of heading to the airport -- and the pandemic delay crystalized our appreciation of travel opportunities.

MAY: Of course there is also much to be thankful for right here in Mishawaka. The older we get, the more we appreciate the simple joys of flowers and gardens. These peonies in our front yard were transplanted from Grandma Hull's yard, and her lovingly-tended bushes were split off from those grown by Kyle's great-grandmother. Their arrival each May is a reminder of many blessings.

JUNE: Our eighth anniversary trip ended on a better note than it began ...

JULY: A few days after Pierce's passing, we saw a story about Dog Mountain; our trip was planned before the show was over. In the pastoral mountains of Vermont, we memorialized Buddy alongside thousands of other loyal companions.

AUGUST: Despite Penn alumna* status, Katie is currently serving a term as board president of the Mishawaka Education Foundation. An August gala bolstered and celebrated MEF's support of public education in Mishawaka. [*Katie actually comes from good Mishawaka stock, as evidenced when her mom, Kyle's mom, and Kyle all participated in this fall's MHS band reunion, under the direction of Kyle's brother.]

SEPTEMBER: We finally remembered to step away from the festivities for a few photos of our Labor Day Extravaganza. (After several years of forgetting pictures entirely, capturing these mediocre images literally required a calendar reminder.) If you made it this far down the page, we would love to see you at the ninth edition on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

OCTOBER: A record number of trick-or-treaters at 824 Lincolnway East were greeted by a (somewhat suspicious) Teddy bear. Despite all the manic energy, our new guard dog is a surprisingly gentle eater.

NOVEMBER: November brought one of life's great pleasures: gathering with family and friends for delicious food. From a harvest meal to Thanksgiving dinner, we are blessed with abundance. [Despite the universal frowning, rest assured we had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Those are just their focused eating faces.]

DECEMBER: The next time you see Teddy, ask him why this year's Christmas tree requires a protective fence ...