December 2012

Well, the baby’s due in February, so everything else is fluff. No it’s not a miracle; vasectomies and menopause are still fairly effective. We’re talking about Parker and Lindsey’s precious surprise, and we’re all so excited we’re about to pop!  But that is news for next year’s letter if you want to get persnickety about it.

So, with a proper peek at the past, we’ll start with Parker, who received his degree in Concrete Industry Management and was actually hired in his field, currently as a Redi-mix dispatcher.  “It is steady and fun”. Parker could be talking about his marriage as well, as he and Lindsey Duncan were wed this past August during a beautiful beach ceremony, and we are so happy that our families will be further joined with human fruit. We hope Manchester, Tennessee roots will continue to keep them nearby, as we are ever handy for grandbaby sitting duty.

Meanwhile Ian and Michelle continue to soak in the Arizona sun and area sounds. It is always good to see them, and we were all able to visit here and there and yonder this year, drawn together by a Tempe Easter weekend, Ian’s Webb reunion, Parker and Lindsey’s wedding and moe. at the Ryman.   Their lives are so full of fun and adventure an appendix is needed to list them, or maybe just a visit to their Facebook pages.  It’s past time for these offspring to start their own Christmas letters, dangit!

Meanwhile Priscilla and I hold hands and head into our future with all of the above, happy that our own folks are still hanging in there with us.  We’ve had a good year all in all, and are grateful for it.

We went to an art teachers conference in New York in February, then drove an all-nighter in March to make it to Austin for the SXSW premiere of “Beauty is Embarrassing”, a film about our friend Wayne White that will be on PBS in January.  Later that year we had a grand reunion of Mrs. Cabobble’s Caboose-ness as a result of it, thanks to Wayne and director Neil Berkeley.  Soon thereafter I asked some students to cut off my 8 years of hair with a six foot cross-cut saw as we finally officially withdrew from Iraq.  We burned that ill time hair in a big peaceful pyre.

In April, after years of correspondence, Don Hertzfeldt came to Webb to lead an animation workshop for my students.  It was a big deal for me to have this animation shaman shine for us, and I even think some students saw the light in a beautiful day.

The summer saw Priscilla shift away from years of special ed-ness to become a vice-principal of a middle school in Shelbyville.  It is nice to have the less stressed-out Priscilla back. It was also good that this was another reunion year for the Saipan gals.

Meanwhile I abandoned our Bonnaroo buds for the first time ever to take a 95 mile hike on the John Muir Trail with much younger and abler friends Joe and Ana. Although I blew out my boots, feet, knees, and back, it was worth every moan and groan.  I returned in time to take a bunch of kids to a drug free conference in Rhode Island, then hit Burning Man again as the school year started.  And no, that is not ironic.  There may be some irony in my participation in the Million Puppet March, but that’s another story.

In fall into winter we loop to the top of this letter to again talk about Parker and Lindsey’s lovely wedding, reunions and visits with friends and family.

We are fortunate to be here, to have each other, and to have the ability to sense this from time to time, if not always.

But hopefully always.

Love- Mike and Priscilla