December 25, 2009

A Holiday Greeting from Reid's Family ~

This has been a year of many beginnings. By far the most exciting was college. I lived in the dorms, ate myself 20 pounds heavier, enjoyed my classes and learned as much socially as academically. I landed three sweet jobs during the school year, as a stitcher for the SOU theater department, a ski school instructor and a race coach for MARA. I learned valuable lessons around time management in both work and school and received a lot of great mentoring to help me through my mistakes. I celebrated two years with the love of my life, Emily, and worked as a host over the summer at the Ashland  Bistro Cafe. Right now, I'm taking a break from school and just having fun with life. Next year, I am looking forward to returning to the University as well as traveling to Japan. I hope everyone has had as good a year as mine, and I wish you even better for the future. ~ Reid


Looking back at the year,  I had a great soccer season, fun with friends, rocked hula hooping, goofed with Bella (our pup), loved being at EarthTeach, played with my brother and sister and was the youngest fastest runner in the Ashland 4th of July race! Lately, I have been waking up to frost clinging to the windows of my room and wondering when snow will fall on Ashland. I’m also thinking about turning ten in January. Double digits. Cool! ~ Ginny

Spiraling into memories of this past year - of clear Friday’s at EarthTeach, a clumsy puppy growing up, snow flakes framed against a dark sky, gliding down slopes at Mt. Ashland, the smell of spring on the breeze, an adventure to Hawaii, a 40 mile journey with just me and my feet, 8th grade graduation, music camp - a scottish accent & a pack of wild fiddlers, hot summer air, cold pools, dirty bare feet, the forest, howling at the moon, pie, meteor showers, the smell of a violin shop, my family, my brother, love-sorrow-joy, autumn again, the start of high school, nervousness, feisty English teachers, a soccer ball-sweaty jerseys-long bus rides-team, home alone, turn-on-the-radio-and-sing-really-loud-nights, the moon, scary movies, a hand to hold, mashed potatoes,  the smell of a book store, laughing till you pee, mad dancing, this moment right now and a chance to be thankful. ~ Sarah Gracie



This year I took my first holiday in twenty years and went to the Yucatan Peninsula.  For me, it was a place where, as Neruda would say “...every day on the balcony of the sea - wings open, fire is born and everything is blue again like morning.” The sand was white, the water - truly turquoise, and my heart was rested and filled. One never knows for sure when having a full heart will come in handy later in the year.... ~ M