Denver Drav Christmas, 2014

Christmas season 2014 has been delightfully disorganized for the Denver Dravenstotts. Daniel crawled underneath the Christmas tree to retrieve a toy and knocked the grandfather clock into that fine pine, which promptly swooned onto the floor, spilling lights, ornaments and baubles everywhere.We thought the cat would be the culprit, but Rex was merely confused by the melee. I burned two pounds of almonds over the weekend and set off the fire alarm, requiring use of the ceiling fan and open windows on a chilly December day. The following Christmas letter was drafted early in the month, but somehow escaped printing and inclusion with the family card, so with my apologies, I offer you a belated Christmas letter:

We traveled far and wide this summer, doing our best to beat up Rob's new car. From Jules and Ann’s 45^th anniversary celebration in Montana to baptisms in Boston, roller coasters in Ohio and water polo tournaments in Albuquerque we roamed, zoomed and feted. We trekked from Little Bighorn to the Grand Canyon, and Rob’s reconstructed knee led us up mountain and down dale until the kids groaned “not another hike!”  We don’t know how many more years we have before they flatly refuse to drive 18+ hours with us in the car . . . .

Our hall closet spills forth swim towels, water polo and basket balls, baseball bats and track shoes. The whirlwind of kid activity pushes us to the brink of sanity while supposedly keeping us young.  (Or we’re just too busy to stop and think about our age!) We thrive on games, tournaments and practices with neighbors and teammates, though an extra hand / driver / personal jet would be appreciated.

To our surprise and delight, Aden and William both enjoy middle school, where William powers through 6^th grade and Aden, who is in 8^th grade, will register for high school in a few short months. The shock of her pending freshmanhood gives me grey hairs – which I can’t pull out because I need all the follicles I can get.  Aden also enjoys  her youth group, and her leader, Kallie, has taken up temporary residence in our basement. We adore Kallie, and hope that proximity to our craziness doesn’t permanently deter her from family life. Daniel loves third grade, reading (especially Harry Potter), piano and art projects, baking  and playdates with friends. 

Rob enjoys his job with Dish and will work through the holidays on a government – sponsored auction. He’s also busy maintaining our website and learning about the latest technologies. I work part-time at SwimLabs swim school and started a Masters in Grocery Shopping --- oops, I meant Writing, from Regis. I spend more time in the grocery store than in the library and I hear that only gets worse . . . but I’m perfecting a sprint writing technique that will hopefully get me through the teen years.

We send love and gratitude for your presence in our lives, and wish you all the light of the holiday season.

Laura    Rob                  Aden         William                   Daniel