Christmas Letter

I'm not as clever as David Sedaris yet I still have urge to write a Christmas Letter. Unfortunately you're not as likely to laugh reading mine.

So 2010 was quite a year. As most know, I was pretty blue at the start of it. The wind still knocked out of me from brother Warren's unexpected suicide in Nov 2009. But I did have a highlight the first week of 2010 when I got to meet baby niece Lilly-Mac (we are hoping she'll be eligible for government bail-outs later in life). Lillian McNamara Delano appeared Dec 2009 and has been growing ever since. Little Brother Brendan & awesome sister-in-law Kate tend to her whims at their house in Greenbrae.

While I was happy for them, I was even happier for myself - Marc & I conceived in early January. Unfortunately God smacks down the smug and I miscarried in March. Just to smite me, I learned about the death of two friends about that time as well. Could it get any worse? Yes! I had blabbed about the pregnancy to everyone at Warren's memorial only to miscarry a few weeks later. Nothing like being asked repeatedly for the due date when the baby was only a memory.

Yet, not to be dismayed, I took a job change. However the job wasn't a good fit and by April I had landed myself in the therapist's office. I have since learned that I am not quite equipped to handle two deaths in the family, a miscarriage, two deaths among my friends and an unhappy job change. Make note for future stressful times. I do not know how I would have managed had I not had Marc with me through this rough patch.

Life kept coming and, like a well written play, comic relief injected it self over the summer. Our first laugh came from David & Ashley's wedding in Kansas City, MO. Marc & I journeyed with Dad, Aunt Sally, Uncle Richard, Cousin Dania & her husband Chris to Mid-Continent International airport. We enjoyed the family time at Aunt Nancy's house before & after the wedding. The day of the wedding we were in town with the Cousin Nathan, Cousin Dania & Hubby Chris. Dania & Chris offered to let Cousin Nathan, Marc & I use their suite to get dressed for the wedding, as they were staying closer. When Marc when to change, he realized that I had left his pants at our hotel room. Whoops! A quick trip to the local Brooks Brothers and we were again on our way. Even with the store run, we were early to the wedding. We made the logical decision to not spend the extra 45 minutes waiting in the Church, but to find the closest Bar and get liquored up. We all found the service much more fun than the rest of the family.

Barely a month later the family again gathered, this time in Port Huron, MI. Mom & I traveled together to attend Grandmother Polly's internment. Thankfully we had brought our passports as I took wrong exit and we crossed a bridge over a canal to find ourselves in Canada. Whoops! After much begging and pleading one of the boarder guards gave in and stamped my passport. I did need proof of our trip! Other highlights on the trip was meeting Cousin Alie, meeting Luisa, Cousin David's now wife and taking a ride in the Cris Craft that impressed on my father the coolness of wooden boats.

Other summer highlights included a visit from Marc's mother & brother. Later Marc's Aunt Christine, husband Pete and cousins Livy & Alex showed up. Their visits resulted in multiple trips to Yosemite and even a mule ride. Great to get to know my future family better, even if they called eggplant aubergine.

Late in the summer our luck changed for the better. There was a shuffle in the teams at the office which almost moved me to DC. However instead, they made me a sweet offer to get me back in my old role. After a week of deliberation, I came to the conclusion that I'd rather be happy with what I'm doing than be doing a job that could be better for my career.

Not long after the job reversion, Marc & I got the house situation resolved. The house is ours and at actual market value. Yippee! That finalized while we were enjoying a weekend in Massachusetts. The other Cousin David was marrying his beautiful German bride, Luisa, on Cape Cod. Lovely service and very enjoyable wedding! This time we got liquored up at the wedding instead of before. We took a side trip on the way there to visit my Alma Mater, Smith. Boy has the campus changed! The students looked the same. The town was slightly larger yet still full of restaurants and shops geared to the college crowd.

Another stroke of luck came with getting pregnant and making it successfully through the first trimester. We finally had a due date we could share - May 15th. With the pregnancy and the house was settled, we were able to plan our wedding!

Thanksgiving arrived and we got Marc's mum to come back to attend, as we weren't going to be able to get to England for Christmas... or so we said. Once she arrived, we revealed the real plans: To get married at Dad's on Thanksgiving and fly off to Fiji for a two week honeymoon. The wedding went off beautifully. The sun cooperated and we were married on Dad's deck in Sausalito. Dad did the ceremony, Brendan held the rings & took photos, Kate was Matron of Honor and dog watcher, Mom & Mum were witnesses and Cathy did a reading. The service was short and perfect. I had always felt that Dad's deck was the perfect place to get married and it was. The meal was perfect - Turkey and all the trimmings.

Two weeks in Fiji with lots of sun & snorkeling - heaven after the long & turbulent year. We got home to find that Christmas was in full swing. Yet after living for weeks without To Do lists or work, getting in the Santa Swing was tough. We skip the tree and enjoyed Christmas Eve at Dad's - complete with Yorkshire pudding. Christmas Dad was at Kate & Brendan's place. Kate's family was in town and we are SO happy that her brother Chip has returned whole & unharmed from his time in Iraq.

I'm hoping we're back on an upswing for 2011. All my best to you & your family.

Jennifer