Christmas Letter 2025

Beloved friends and family,

We raised a kid all the way to age 18! AND he graduated from high school!

In June, we celebrated our (and Philip’s) accomplishment with a houseful of grandparents, aunties, and cousins. In August, we dropped him off at the University of Washington to begin his studies in political science and public policy. In September, I brought him to one of my work functions so he could meet our new governor. Philip was excited, but worried about what he would say to the governor. I assured him that this was more of a photo-op sort of thing, and not a chatting kind of thing. When it was his turn for a photo, he shook the governor’s hand and said, “I’m a Husky, too!”

We are grateful that Philip is close enough for us to visit, and so glad we can FaceTime, text, and exchange memes on Instagram. Every now and then, I remind him that I went off to school with nothing but a calling card that only worked on nights and weekends. He politely nods, even though that sentence doesn’t make any sense anymore.

Matt and I had gotten used to having another driver in the house, and since Philip has been away at school, we have spent most of our time driving Charlie around. She is an active 10th grader with lots of activities, choir, and so much theater. Since our last Christmas letter, Charlie has trod the boards as a minister, a seagull, a judge, a knight, and perhaps most improbably of all, in last year’s spring play, she played a teenage character named Charlie!

In April, having not seen the sun for months, I was itching for high temperatures and a pool with a swim-up bar. So, for the first time in 18 years, Matt and I got on a plane and took a trip together without the kids. We flew to Las Vegas on Thursday night, and less than 24-hours later, Charlie broke her leg doing a jump-and-turn move at play practice. So, I sat by the pool in my bathing suit and sun hat and sipped some kind of wonderful fruity drink as I consented to Charlie’s CT Scan over the phone.

Charlie had planned to get her driver’s license the moment she was of legal age. Unfortunately, the broken leg delayed that plan, though her friends helpfully suggested she just learn to drive with her left foot. Now she has recovered, finished the classroom part of driver’s ed, and is working on her 50 hours of road time. She is an absolute stickler for traffic law, never passing up an opportunity to let her parents know when they may have bent one.

I did wish Charlie hadn’t picked a time we were out of state to break her leg, but we were deeply moved by the village that stepped in. Our friends took her to urgent care, helped her navigate the system, brought her home, and set up a pain-medication schedule. The next day, Charlie’s friends and their parents stopped by to check on her and bring treats. We had left a list of emergency numbers on a white board in the kitchen. By the time we got home, the list was much longer as other parents had added their names and numbers too.

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and the community to support you through the rough times.