Holiday Season 2017

Let us be the last to wish you Season’s Greetings and first to say Happy New Year 2018!
New Years marks a new beginning. New people to meet, new adventures to enjoy and new memories to create.
Sometimes people forget how much 365 days actually brings to their lives.
The past 365 days have been filled with many goodbyes but also many new beginnings.

This summer we bought our first home in Duluth, MN and sold our first home in Seattle, WA.
Theo (5) and Marit (3) said goodbye to their friends at Miss Janet’s preschool and
Theo started at Hartley Nature Preschool and Marit at Hidden Valley Preschool in Duluth.
The kids love the snow and sledding on the hill next to our house and hiking the trails at Tischer Creek behind or house.
Seth said goodbye to his job at Impact Capital and started a new job as a Stay-At-Home-Dad (SAHD).
Katie graduated from her cardiology fellowship and Masters of Public Health programs at the University of Washington
and started a new job as a non-invasive cardiologist at Essentia Health.

And if that wasn’t enough, we managed to keep traveling again this year discovering new and old places with family and friends.
Seth celebrated his 40th birthday with four college friends in an eight-bedroom mansion in the Dominican Republic.
There were ten adults and 11 kids ages 7 and younger and we all had a great time hanging out in the pool, hot tub and at the beach.
In March, Theo, Katie and Grandpa visited Uncle Dan in California and went to Disneyland for the first time.
Despite only being 4.5 years old, Theo was just tall enough (48”) to go on Splash Mountain and Hyperspace Mountain
(and now he is terrified and swears he will never ride another roller coaster again).
Then we went to Portland for a few days then took the train up to Seattle and
then Whistler where Theo learned to ski the bunny hills while Seth, Katie and Grandpa Pastorius' thighs burned on the long runs with deep snow.
Theo recently passed the "cone test" and can go on the chair lift and is eager to keep taking lessons this year at our local Chester Bowl ski hill.
Easter weekend we flew to Minnesota to meet our newest cousin, Josephine.
The summer was busy hiking in the Cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier before moving back to Minnesota.
For Labor Day weekend, we drove around the Olympic Peninsula with Bob and Kim Benziger and
saw gray whales spouting and 1000-year-old trees.
We moved to Duluth in September and drove up the North Shore to see the fall colors and visited Split Rock Lighthouse.
In October, our trip to Florida Keys was cut short due to damage from Hurricane Irma
but we enjoyed a long weekend in Naples, FL as well as a weekend in downtown Minneapolis, MN.
For Thanksgiving, we spent the weekend with family at the new Pastorius cabin on Balsam Lake, WI.
In December, we took a quick trip to Toronto to cheer on the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup (sadly they lost).
Then we enjoyed a relaxing white Christmas week in Chicago visiting family
and going to the Museum of Science and Industry, Kohl’s Children’s Museum, and the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

We are happy to be in good health and are sending our thoughts and prayers to our friends and relatives who are struggling with illnesses right now.
Wherever this blog finds you, take this moment to reflect on your past 365 days and let's hope for 365 more wonderful days!
Here’s wishing you the happiest New Year ever! Please come visit - we have lots of extra guest rooms for you to stay.

New Year’s Mad Libs

Pick and verb _________

Pick a noun ___________

This year I will learn to ____________ the ______________ . Good luck!

  (verb) (noun)

That's all folks!