2021 Winter Newsletter: Salt Lake City
ELEVATED INSIDER
A new year. Is it just me, or did this past year feel like more than 12 months?
2020 was hard on everyone – some more than others. The distribution of two effective vaccines in America is showing a light at the end of the COVID tunnel, and they can’t come soon enough. These winter months are tough, especially on our kids. Since March, our kids have come up with creative ways of spending time with friends outdoors. But the short, cold days leave much to be desired. We are looking forward to a time when friends can come over and sit around our dinner table or stay up late for a sleepover. I don’t think we will ever take another party, sporting event or concert for granted again.
My daughter, Coraline, is in middle school (sixth grade) and my son, Michael is in elementary school (third grade). Remarkably, both schools stayed open with in-person instruction for the first half of the school year. I’ll admit, I didn’t think they could pull it off. I’m impressed and thankful for our teachers and staff and the processes and procedures they’ve implemented to keep everyone safe. Sure, our kids’ schools experienced a handful of cases throughout the year – and twice the quarantines affected our family – but two weeks of homeschooling is nothing after what we survived last spring. And it’s a small price to pay to keep everyone safe. The kids are back in school now and, in typical school-kid fashion, they’ve got their eye on the grand prize: summer. Just a few more months to go!
Oh, we are missing traveling! My wife, Erika, can’t wait to fly to a beach somewhere, someday (she may never leave if we ever get there!). Usually in January I’m getting ready to attend Red Sox Fantasy Camp in Florida. A week full of as much baseball and Red Sox as your heart can handle. It’s something I look forward to each year. As with most things these days, 2021 camp was cancelled and I’m not sure what to do with myself. When we can, our family sneaks down to St. George, Utah to get out of the bitter cold for a few days. We are fortunate to have a safe place to stay, just for our family. But we’re looking forward to traveling to a beach, game, resort, national park….family, soon.
The past year wasn’t all bad. We found new ways to spend time together. We shifted priorities to focus on what matters most. In many ways 2020 was an eye-opener, a reset button, and I think a lot of good habits and ideas will come out of all that we lived through. But don’t get me wrong – I am looking forward to safely sitting down, face to face with all of you eventually. Some things just can’t be replaced.
2021 has started out a bit bumpy to say the least. Let’s hope it’s not a sign of things to come. I hope this newsletter finds you and your families happy and healthy. And I hope you can all see that light at the end of the COVID tunnel.
