I think I've sent out my last NY card of the year. Prior to 2012 I did Christmas cards, and LOTS of them. I typed a letter (usually humorous and not too bragging) on the computer, printed it out on holiday stationery and included the best recent photo of our family. Everything changed eight years ago when my husband died on December 4. I no longer had the heart or energy to work on Christmas cards, although friends and family continued to send them to me. It seemed like an appropriate time to give up the tradition entirely. But I wasn't ready to do that. The perfect compromise was to use my (then) work break to send a New Year's version; they would have up to date pictures and would only go to those who had sent me holiday cards. I have relaxed that rule a bit to include my parents, my brother's family and John. At however many dollars PER card though, I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars plus stamps, hence my choice to limit the numbers. I was very excited about my 2020 card, since I'd gone on so many trips that I didn't even mention several of them. :) My mom gave me a strange look after reading my "Travel" paragraph, then smirked, "Margaret, didn't you forget something?"
Scotland was the big splashy trip, and Hawaii (Maui) was the most recent of 2019; however, during that year, I had also visited New York and Montreal (April), the Texas Hill country and Austin (May), and Iowa (August). In 2020 it wasn't at all difficult to remember where I'd been. ;) I did make it to Ohio and New York in March at the beginning of the pandemic, but not back to New York in May for my grandson's birth, which I would have missed anyway. (he was eight days early)
I can only share the cover of this year's tri-fold since the rest of it is filled with pictures of my daughters, their partners and my darling grandson! 2020 has been full of "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it" whereas the world of 2021 seems to be "You can't cross a bridge that hasn't even been built yet."
It's not the same as being there, but I love FaceTiming with this little charmer. He has such personality and sparkle! My mom and I (and my son-in-law's mom and sister) are starting to suspect that Grandson may have inherited a hint of his mom's dimple. As my dad said, "His cheeks are too fat to tell at the moment." HAHA, so true.
When I posted this picture on Instagram with the caption "Wannabe barista," Ashley replied with this scathing review: "Worst. Barista. Ever. Mean as a snake, and then drinks all the frothed milk. 0/10 stars, would not recommend." We have a collection of videos of Mari viciously attacking, growling and hissing at Ashley, so the antipathy is definitely mutual!
