Family Photos - 2007

December 2007 Wintery, Blustery, Snow filled Salutations to all, I hope this note finds everyone snug at home by a warm fire with a mug of their favorite beverage in hand. Thanks to Robert s ant-like summer time diligence re-siding and insulating large swaths of the homestead mighty comfortable ourselves. Our snuggest spot is by the wood stove with mugs of hot chocolate prepared with Lactaid and topped with Fluffy. Mmmm.

I currently feel very middle aged, not just because of the aches in my knees and hands, but because we as a family are firmly in the middle of things. This is a year of continuations. We continue to live in our on going renovation project home in Concord. Robert and I continue at our jobs and free-lance projects of multiple decades. The boys continue to grow and develop and attend the local elementary school. While it sounds kind of boring, it s also comforting and relaxing.

Zachary is turning 11 and is in his final year of elementary school  5th grade. He has started playing the flute and continues occasional practice on the recorder. He plays chess and soccer in the appropriate seasons. Hebrew school is also a twice weekly activity. He continues to enjoy scouting is a Weeblo and attended a week of overnight scout camp in July. He loves all things Pokemon and is dabbling in Japanese animation and a touch of gaming. He is tall (5 1 ) and strong (100+lbs) and golden with a big mop of hair, a shy smile, and a love of stories.

Jared is finding his way at 8 ½. He is in 3rd grade and giving his teachers a run for their money. After years of struggling, his reading improved hugely this summer. He too is attending twice weekly Hebrew School. He is a Wolf Scout and went away for two weeks this summer to Camp Avoda, a Jewish boys camp. He is a lover of comics; Tintin, Asterix, Bone, and traditional comic books. Our house is littered with his reading material. His favorite activities are going to zoos and aquariums. We had a great family road trip to the Mystic Seaport in CT at his request.

Last January Robert traveled to San Antonio TX for a work trip and Jennifer latched on for the ride. Robert ran grade school presentations with fellow USS Constitution Museum staff and Navy sailors, while Jen went shopping. Robert found out that Texan 4th graders have a very different definition for the War of Independence. Jennifer helped out with the Museum s public programs and we all drank and ate a lot! Never try and out drink a sailor. In early August the Kiihne men went on a camping road trip to western Mass and New York state. The camped out all for the purpose of visiting several museums!

In August we took a family vacation to Cape Cod for a week. We brought the bikes along and managed several rides to the beach. We have a firm family rule that ice-cream must be consumed every day of vacation  one we have no trouble following. Zachary got his fair share of fried food. Jared did shell collecting. We went shopping in Provincetown and built sand creatures (mermaid and octopus) on the National Seashore.

Robert continues on at the USS Constitution Museum. He was recently honored for 15 year of service, but is certain that it is an underestimation.

Jennifer continues at the Logan Company estimating costs for projects big and small. Naturally the Performing Arts Centers are her favorites and she is glad that quite a few come her way. My free-lance lighting design work went a little crazy in the fall, to the tune of 7 shows in 8 weeks. Work on a design happens over multiple weeks, so it was not uncommon during a single week to be working on the light plot for one show, installing lights for a second, and attending technical rehearsals for a third. This is in addition to a day job and occasionally visiting with the family. My big personal project for the year was knitting scarves. After learning to knit one stitch in March I boldly decided everyone was getting a scarf for the holidays. 9 months later with some 30 scarves completed I have put away my knitting needles with a sense of accomplishment.

Some essays I have been working.

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jen@jennifersimondesigner.com
jen@jennifersimondesigner.com