Happy Holidays 2013!
As
the kids have become older, it seems that each of us has moved toward
activities and accomplishments outside the immediate family. I have continued as a private teacher,
which allowed me to spend several weeks during the first few months of the year
in Aspen, Colorado, where the family for whom I work live during the ski
season. I feel very fortunate to
work with this fun and generous family; I always enjoy being with them. And the skiing was great!
At the
end of March, Peter, Katya, Matthew and I
used their house in Aspen for vacation.
Although the snow had begun to melt and the skiing conditions were not
optimal, we enjoyed a couple days on the slopes. However, we spent most of our time relaxing and enjoying the
scenery and tranquility.
Peter has been very active this
year in Boy Scouts and in the local community. He participated in intensive training to become a BSA leader
and is now an assistant scoutmaster with Matthew’s troop. He really enjoys working with the boys
and going hiking and camping with them.
Also, the many adults actively involved in the Troop 380 are a great
bunch of people. They are fun,
committed and generous volunteers, and Peter has a great time being with
them.
In addition, he became an elected
member of the village board of directors and has spearheaded the implementation
of a Neighborhood Watch as well as a website for sharing information. In the summer, along with our great
next-door neighbors, he organized a party for the village that was a great
success.
Katya was accepted to the
University of Hawai’i before the beginning of the year, but she was still
considering other schools. She and
I went to Florida for a week in February to visit Florida State University, but
mostly to spend time with my niece Kirsten at her place in Clearwater. We relaxed on the beach, did some
sightseeing in St. Petersburg and visited my Aunt Jean in Sanford. We hadn’t seen her for a few years, so
it was nice to spend some time with her again.
In the spring, Katya learned that
she was selected as a Rotary Exchange student and in April she learned that her
destination would be Japan. That
was her first choice! After graduating
in May from Bella Vista High School, she spent the summer relaxing as well as
planning and shopping for her year in Japan.
Although our family time seemed
limited this year, we did manage to do a few things together. One was participating in the annual Bay
to Breakers Race in San Francisco in May.
With Katya’s best friend Katie, five of us completed the course through
the city in our costumes. This
event is famous for people wearing costumes—or nothing at all!
Peter
and Matthew, who was the senior patrol leader for his Boy Scout troop during
the early part of the year, spent a lot of time, particularly weekends,
involved in scouting activities.
He went to summer camp for the last time. While he was there and Katya was visiting Paula and Andrew
in San Francisco, Peter and I went on a two-day backpacking trip in Desolation
Wilderness. We hadn’t been on an
outdoor adventure together, just the two of us, since before kids! It was special, even though the purpose
was not to have special time alone together but to scout out campsites for a
wilderness trip for the troop that Peter led in August.
I gave Peter and Matthew special
dispensation from participating in the annual Rodgers beach vacation for the
full week in July so that they could both attend the Boy Scout Jamboree held at
the BSA’s new site in southern West Virginia. Peter worked in the mountain biking area while Matthew
enjoyed a range of activities, including his first white water rafting trip.
They
joined us halfway through the weeklong beach vacation at Ocean City, MD. As always, it was low-key and fun. (The third and fourth generation of the
Rodgers clan are in this photo.) Katya
and I spent a few days before the beach visiting with Mom and Dad. Mom, whom we had all rushed home to in
January when she was hospitalized, was less responsive than when I had visited
in April, which was hard for both her and for Dad. Peter, Matthew, Katya and I spent a few days with them after
the beach before returning to Sacramento to make the final preparations for
Katya to move to Japan for 10 or 11 months and for Matthew to start his senior
year of high school.
Luckily,
we had everything packed a couple days in advance of Katya’s departure on Aug.
13 and had made Katya’s room ready for Sam, the Belgian exchange student who
would be living with us, who was supposed to arrive on Aug. 10. In early August, Mom, who had been
disabled for four years after her cerebral aneurism, started to become even less
responsive and unable to eat. I
was constantly in touch with my family in West Virginia, wanting to be there
but also wanting to spend time with Katya before she left, as well as greet our
new exchange student. I finally
flew home on Aug. 12, the day before Katya left for Japan and before Sam
arrived. (His original flight was
cancelled.) Mom passed away in the
afternoon on Aug. 13 with her family around her, singing hymns that she
loved. I stayed for another week
to be with my dad. Fortunately, he
is living in a wonderful assisted living facility where he gets lots of
attention, love and emotional support.
Matthew prepared for his Eagle
Scout service project over the summer and in early September, with the help of
many scouts and adults from his troop as well as others, constructed a nature
trail for the Sacramento Valley Conservancy at Camp Pollock along the American
River Parkway.
By then,
Sam, our exchange student, had settled in to our home and his life as a student
at Bella Vista. He has made a lot
of friends, joined us working out at Gold River Racquet Club, and made the cut
for the varsity basketball team. In
addition to being easy-going and a delight to have in our home, he is a
fantastic cook! His Belgian
waffles are like none we have ever had, and he can whip up the best crepes in a
flash. One day, he spent more time
in the kitchen than I ever have and created a superb meal for us.
The
America’s Cup races in San Francisco were a thrill for us. New Zealand was still ahead when we
went down for the day to see two of the races. That was the day it all changed, after which Oracle made a
phenomenal comeback from behind to keep the cup.
Our Halloween party at the end of
October was a lot of fun, although we missed Katya’s enthusiasm for her
favorite holiday. At least her
absence made it possible for someone else to win the prize for best costume for
a change! Peter and Matthew once
again came up with a good theme; Matthew was Tintin and Peter was Captain
Haddock.
In November, we hosted a potluck dinner at our house for the Rotary Exchange students and some Rotary members. What a feast! It was a beautiful day, and we were able to enjoy being in the back yard. It is a lot of fun to meet the young people from around the world. (Sam’s on the right.)
Sam
accompanied us to West Virginia for the Thanksgiving holiday, giving us a chance
to show him a different part of the United States as well as meet my
family. I know he really enjoyed
spending time with all of them and eating lots of good food, but the highlight
of the trip for him was surely a quick trip to Akron, Ohio, to see the
hometown, high school and house of his hero, LeBron James, of the Miami
Heat. We all had a wonderful time
together. My dad is doing well and
was able to get out and join us for all the festivities. His pool game is not as good as it used
to be, but he is still hard to beat.
We are having a quiet Christmas at
home this year. We are looking
forward to having our friends, the Tuffs family, from Pacific Grove visit us
for the New Year’s holiday. It has
been a few years since we have seen them.
The kids are growing up, and we are getting older!
We hope that you are enjoying the
holiday season. May the coming year
bring peace and joy to you and to the people of the world.
With much love,
Sherri, Peter, Katya and Matthew
11913 Sailor Creek
Court, Gold River, CA 95670 USA
sherribro3@pacbell.net
and peterbro3@gmail.com
916-989-5184 (home);
916-205-5184 (Sherri); 916-207-5184 (Peter)
