Our holiday/new year letter is here by the end of January, so it still counts! 2025 had some major highs and lows for our family. Seizures, job loss, hit and run car accident, and more on the one hand. Family reunion, Critical Role live shows, Stardew Valley concert, Gen Con, and more on the other hand.
Ashley’s side of the family had a family reunion in Utah in June, and we made a big trip out of it. We spent time staying with Ashley’s parents, enjoyed being back in Utah for a while, and the reunion itself was wonderful. The first one in ages where the stomach flu didn’t get passed around through the whole family.
Ashley and Josh fulfilled some major bucket list items by seeing two Critical Role live shows, as well as meeting the cast of Critical Role. For those who don’t know, they’re a major name in the Dungeons & Dragons world (and beyond) and it was all pretty incredible. One of the live shows was in Chicago in the spring so we made that our anniversary trip. Totally worth it.
Josh is doing great in his lead position at Omnicare. Work is often frustrating but he works hard and is good at what he does. Second shift is a complicated work time around the rest of the family’s schedule but we all go with it the best that we can. Ashley lost one of her jobs but was eventually able to find a new remote job that seems like it will work out well with the rest of her schedule/responsibilities, as a clinic manager (in training) at Olympus Health.
The twins are at a new elementary school because of redistricting, so they’ve had to get used to a new school again, but are unsurprisingly doing great and making lots of friends. They are still in their high-ability classes, joined ASL club in the spring, and are now part of the Math Bowl Team. This team invites the top math students in 4th and 5th grade to join, and they will be participating in a regional math competition in April. They love math these days, and often ask us to give them math problems to do for fun haha. They’re really excelling at school and we’re very proud of them!
Lauren and Jacob both did gymnastics again early in the year, and still always enjoy that. This fall Jacob did baseball again and whether he is playing or watching, it’s still his favorite sport. Lauren tried softball for the first time this fall, and enjoyed it quite a bit! But she may not continue with it. As always I am curious to see what they settle on and what they continue to do as they get older, whether it’s sports or anything else!
As always we’re grateful for the love we feel from friends and family. We’re especially grateful for the love and comfort we find in Christ. We don’t know what the future holds for us, but we have faith in each step we take. We love you all dearly, and wish you the best year available to you. ♥
