You're back? We definitely thought we'd lose some folks after sending two half-dressed Santa cards in a row.
I'm also not going to beat around the bush. It's been a challenging year. Writing this blog post was an unpleasant task, to say the least, and I've angrily asked several times why we locked ourselves into this long format in the first place. But if you've taken the time to navigate here, I'm assuming you're here for the real update and not just the sparkly highlights.
As you know, we lost Terry in March. We have missed him through all the big and many of the small moments since. We are so grateful for our friends and family who have been there for us throughout the year. Mom is doing okay - but I'm sure she would appreciate a call or a note if you're so inclined.
We determined snowbird life wasn't for us (for now) and decided to move to New Jersey year-round. We packed up (or sold) all of our belongings and drove across the country in May. We're still figuring out where in NJ we will put down roots, so Ellen has been generous enough to let us stay with her in Colts Neck when we are not at our Barley Point bungalow. In September, Laura determined the work-from-home-desk-job-life wasn't for her, so she left her job in consulting to pursue something totally new... which is still TBD.
Despite the many challenges this year, there were also so many happy memories made as well - like the Branson trip with the entire Russell clan, Grandma Bev's 80th paired with a visit to Disney, seeing Adele in Vegas with Christine (thanks, Chris!), Shucked the Musical, trips to Madison and Portland, Glenda and Chris's Virginia wedding, Halloween frights in Haddonfield, a huge multi-family gathering in NYC for Thanksgiving, and lots and lots of beach time with Bea.
So far, 2024 planning has been minimal. Ellen had achilles surgery (and is recovering nicely) and there are bathroom renovations happening at Georgetown. Laura just passed her NJ Real Estate Salesperson exam and will begin inteviewing agencies and continuing to explore other opportunities. Jon has some exciting projects he's working on at Trek that are keeping him busy. We'll celebrate Marianne and Todd's wedding in January, hope to get some ski time with both the Baumanns and Hermans, and in March, Ma-He-Tu will be hosting the Terry Karl Memorial Fundraiser. That's as far out as we've planned so far. Please come visit us and/or Ellen at the beach this summer <3
All our love,
Laura, Jon, and Bea
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