Rick's note: I've gotten quite a few e-mails about my family's Christmas letter this year, asking if I was ever going to post it on the blog. I really hadn't even thought of doing so, but I suppose it does make a fitting Suburban Man. Here it is...
Merry Christmas from the Kaempfers
It’s been a fun year for the Kaempfers. We’ve done it all.
*In March the whole family drove down to Atlanta to visit Rick’s Uncle Manny & Aunt Jill. On the ride home Johnny got sick, and Sean had a #2 emergency.
*In June Bridget and Sean flew to Oregon for Bridget’s family reunion. Before they even boarded the plane at O’Hare, Tommy broke his arm.
*In August the entire family spent a weekend at Ellen & Paul’s summer house in Michigan. The boys discovered the joy of tubing, a tolerance of dogs, and the thrill of pyromania.
*In November Bridget had an opportunity to travel on business to San Francisco (one of our favorite food towns). She got the stomach flu the first night.
*In April Sean stopped talking for a few moments and the family had a little bit of quiet time.
*In June Rick took the boys to the Shedd Aquarium, and they discovered together how little the aquatic world interested them.
*After Tommy broke his arm, the family got to visit the hospital, the orthopedic surgeon, the pediatrician, AND the rehabilitation center.
*In July Rick took Tommy and Johnny to the Cubs game, and they left in the fifth inning of a 9-1 loss.
*In September, Sean started pre-school. After Sean threw the digital camera on the ground that night, the family realized that if you concentrate really hard you can remember what somebody looked like at a momentous time. Pictures are overrated.
*Johnny’s 3rd grade teacher is an Army Reservist. Johnny’s approach to homework? Don’t ask, don’t tell.
*In October Bridget’s company was sold. Her fourteen hour work days during the transition helped her appreciate the American work ethic.
*In December, the Kaempfer family is looking forward to an exciting 2007.
- Rick’s first novel “$everance” comes out in April. It’s available for pre-order now at http://www.encpress.com/SEV.html. If you have a book club and would like him to appear, he would happy to do so. Just give him a call or e-mail him: amishrick@yahoo.com.
- Bridget’s free time will be filled with Cub Scouts & Pokémon.
- Tommy will have another piano recital this year, and he (cough) “can’t wait.”
- Johnny has new cleats, so he’ll be playing soccer again this year whether he wants to or not.
- Sean is planning on providing a running commentary of every second of every day for everyone within earshot.
*If you want to follow along with the Kaempfer family travails this year, check out Rick’s daily blog at http://rickkaempfer.blogspot.com. He shares waaaaay too much personal information.
For those of you who are returning gifts this week, check out (My First Time). Suburban Man returned a gift for the very first time last year, and this column recounts that experience.
Remember, if you missed any previous Suburban Man columns, you can read all of them here: http://suburbanmanarchive.blogspot.com
