Dear Friends and Family,
Spring and summer have come and gone, and cold weather is once again upon us. This past summer was a hot one, so that Sally and I found ourselves longing for the breezes of autumn more than once. But now that temperatures are back down under freezing, and we’ve seen our first snowflakes of the season in Connecticut, I find myself thinking back with longing to those last sweaty days of August and the longer days that now seem almost like memories from a former life.
2010 was a good year for our family—a year of growth and change but also of stability and love and general improvement. For me, the year’s highlights included getting a new job with my company’s System Operations department and finishing my third full season of triathlon, this time without a major illness or injury. Over the course of the season, I did two tough Olympic distance races and a host of shorter Sprints. I even won my age group once. As a family, we managed to take a camping trip over a long weekend, get out for maybe a half-dozen bike rides on some of Connecticut’s beautifully restored rail-trails, and travel down to Tennessee for a week with my mother. In the meantime, there’s been work and barbequing, and all the rest of the stuff that goes along with being a husband, father, and house-owner, the everyday things that make up a life. I’m slowly learning to cook, and I suppose, becoming more and more domesticated every single year. I confess that I’m kind of enjoying the process.
I think Sally’s been about ten times busier than me. Girl Scout leader, church and library volunteer, elementary school room mother, and even… refinisher of our new library. Yes, in late summer Sally said she wanted to turn our den into a library, complete with newly refinished window frames, hardwood accoutrements, and solid oak shelves. And she wanted to do all the work herself. What a project! But I’ve got to admit that now that the work is almost done, the room looks absolutely fantastic, and I’m super-proud of her. And yeah, oh by the way, Sally also ran the Fairfield Half-Marathon in just over two hours this past summer, and she started Hannah’s new Brownie Girl Scout Troop from scratch. Truth is that my wife is a seriously amazing woman, and I’m just lucky as heck to have her in my life.
The kids, of course, are great. Hannah’s seven and in second grade. She reads or draws everything in sight, and if that doesn’t work, she’ll sing to it or even dance on top of it. These days, she’s become an avid fan of mystery stories, especially the ABC Mysteries series and the various Scooby Doo cartoon movies. Emma is five and in kindergarten, and I thank God Almighty that she’s recently discovered Batman and comic books. Sometimes Emma will even sit down to watch football with me. I joke with Sally that after almost eight years of marriage and parenting, I now finally have someone to talk to!
And that’s the news from the Head family. I hope you and yours have a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Love,
Dan, Sally, Hannah, and Emma
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