2009 in Review

 Potpie in Scotland in 2003

December was a beautiful month tinged with sorrow in our house. We had a wonderful trip to Vienna to visit my family. I enjoyed returning to my high school home (my parents had moved to another country within days of my high school graduation). I particularly appreciated the opportunity to see some of the teachers who made high school such a wonderful experience for me, and to see my two youngest siblings thriving under the same teachers’ tutelage.

We were packing up to leave our last day in Vienna when we received word that Mike’s grandpa, “Potpie” as he was called by his grandchildren, had died unexpectedly after a fall. It was a shock to the entire family since Potpie was one of those people who seem practically immortal – he had flown across the Atlantic to visit us when Emma was born, and he was preparing for a trip to Panama this month. It is somehow fitting – if painful – that this man who looked like and had the generosity and kindness of Santa Claus should leave this world shortly before Christmas. I’m all the more grateful that we had chosen to focus on giving this month, since that was definitely a theme of Potpie’s life.

My goals for the month were very easy. I knew we would survive the flight and jetlag, however sleep-deprived we might become. All things considered, the trip went well. We enjoyed Emma’s wonderment at the Hofburg Palace and the magic of a proper Christmas market. I finished Lily’s stocking Christmas Eve, and organized the hall closet yesterday after remembering that it was a monthly goal. We especially enjoyed the holiday lights in Vienna (much more extravagant than in our home town), and Mike took care of the kids this morning while I slept for THREE extra hours!

As for my annual goals, I found places to keep some odds and ends and got rid of some other odds and ends. Emma is potty trained. Johnny eats more solid food, but there is still room for improvement in that department. I largely ignored my baking with a rolling pin goal; I’ve decided to set that aside until my children are a little older. Or until I decide to get really motivated. It was too cold this month to take the kids out much, but they did go out a couple times, and I think I did a better job overall taking them outdoors this year than last. We’ve had our ups and downs with sleeping through the night. The kids are doing better now than they were a week ago, but there’s plenty of room for improvement there, too.

Goals for January and 2010? They’ll have to wait for tomorrow.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

MaryAnne Kochenderfer

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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.