The Hazard Chronicles

Quick family update: We all seem to be doing pretty okay. Our family has fully embraced the "weekend warrior" mentality and we are out doing something active as much as we can. Right now that happens to be a lot of skiing, but the activities are seasonal. Usually we do stuff as a whole family, but that changes from time to time as well depending on what other people have going on. We also find ourselves visiting our Wallace house at least on a monthly basis, but sometimes more, and it continues to feel like a refreshing getaway every time. It's nice that it is so close, and yet, nestled in a quaint little ski town, still feels so far away from "normal life." 

As our family gets older, kids are each becoming more involved in their own things. It's fun to watch them all as they develop their interests and grow into their individual personalities. More and more I feel like we are a group of young adults who live together, and I think that is really cool. 

Logan: Climbing, skiing, regular dates with Rachel, lots of family vacations. Day-to-day I work at a great place where I feel valued by both patients and co-workers, as well as dental colleagues in the greater community.  This next year I am really looking forward to professional development that will come from advanced courses in the summer. I find myself doing specialty work on an ever increasing basis, and it is an engaging challenge to keep myself up to date with the latest technologies and techniques. I also do the audio/visual stuff and run the website for a local dental study club that I am a part of, and that has been kind of a fun learning experience. Besides work, I spend a lot of time in my home gym and on my climbing wall. I very intentionally took the year off from really difficult sport climbing to focus on some other goals that I had been wanting to reach- some silly skatepark stunts on rollerblades and finally becoming proficient..ish on a skateboard. I've always done these activities on a pretty low level, but putting significant time into both of them this last year has been both fun and rewarding. Honestly, I feel like I am living a version of life that is better than anything I ever could have imagined, and I'm just sort of riding this wave.

Rachel: This year I really came into my own when it comes to skiing. I am confident in most conditions, and I feel like I have created a style for myself.  The most surprising thing about this year was my foray into wheeled sports. I have found great enjoyment in roller blading on generally flat trails, and I am now the proud owner of a skateboard. I never would have seen that coming! I have really enjoyed work this year. I interpreted two plays (A Christmas Story, and Sound of Music), I have worked more than ever in a variety of jobs around Spokane, and I never get tired of working in my  fabulous home office building! I have had a fairly consistent traveling job for a local agency, and the extra time in the car has been wonderful! It has allowed me to take multiple online psychology courses, enjoy my philosophy and football podcasts, and listen to many audio books. This year, Logan and I both chose to become members of First Presbyterian Church of CDA. We have been attending for 8 years, and for many reasons, we decided to make it official. We feel loved and accepted there for who we are. Logan and I have had an active dating year, and it has been wonderful!  Including: football games, Arbor crest, live music, and a few overnights in Wallace with just us!  Also, I finally convinced him to try Fantasy Football by creating a league with the team at Syringa Dental! It has also been a year full of girls weekends and nights out with my own friends. I love those relationships, and it is wonderful to have a good friend balance in my life.

Evelyn: Turning 16 next month. GPA is over 4.0 due to honors classes. School activities are band, drumline (different things), and ski club. Also plays drums in a band called "Retrospect." Has her learner's permit right now and will be a full-fledged driver in a couple of months. Really hit her stride last year with skiing and she likes going really fast now. Also she spent more days climbing last year than I did. She spends her free time either playing drums, making her own clothes, or else hanging out with friends in CDA. One of their favorite activities is busking in downtown areas. She was the mastermind behind our Seattle family vacation last year and it went great. This next year she is looking forward to the freedom that comes with driving, and is already planning road trips, concerts, and backpacking trips. She's pretty independent.

Adalie: 14 years old. Also has over 4.0 GPA at school. Her school activities are band (saxophone) and working in the after-school tutoring center. She has also started a YouTube channel and hopes to one day become an online influencer and take over the world. Falling short of that goal, she is willing to settle for just making funny videos for her friends to watch. In the winter she skis more days than any other kid, and it shows. She's really good. She has a great group of friends who are all "high achievers," whatever that means. They are all pretty busy with different things but they get together whenever they can and have a good time. This year she has been working hard to earn enough money to go on a NYC/DC trip with some of them after school gets out. As a self-professed "theater nerd," she is especially excited to see a play on Broadway.

Jackson: 14 years old. He spends most of his time playing Minecraft or similar games. He has a pet lizard named Howard. He also likes to make little stop-motion movies on his phone. I asked him if he could think of anything else he wanted to include in this, and he couldn't think of anything.

Maren: Turning 12 next month. Maren's project this year is figuring out the ins and outs of middle school. She seems to have an active social life, and is a part of the school choir. She'll be in private voice lessons soon and hopes to join the audition ensemble in upcoming years. Her and I (Logan) also have regular evenings on the couch where we go over homework and class organization together. These times are surprisingly enjoyable, and I look forward to them. The other thing that has always been consistent about Maren, to the point that it is a part of her personality, is her love of "cuteness." I mean, sure, everyone likes fuzzy kittens, but Maren seems to take this to a whole new level. Kittens. Rabbits. Mice and rats. Stuffed animals who each have their own backstory. Totoro. I think that this same trait gives her a deeper sense of empathy toward people, which she also seems to have. Like, a lot. At least the two (empathy and cute things) seem to be somehow related, but even as I write this I can't justify why I think that. Maybe it's just a "tender heart." Maren is tender. Yeah- that seems to fit.

Lindsey: 9 years old- thinks she is 17. She is the only one we have left in elementary school. Crazy. Lindsey has the confidence of a kid who has never failed. Academically, she is far ahead in her grade. Athletically, she is consistently winning her school cross country races and she can keep up with any of her peers during activities like skiing or climbing. Due to a weird series of events she ended up in an Irish dance class, where she caught on very quickly and continues to shine. She also seems to be the most popular kid on the block, and is almost constantly hanging out with friends. It will be interesting to see where this all goes as she gets older and comes into her own. Part of me is excited to watch, and a different part of me is a little scared. One thing is sure- whatever it is, it will be something fantastic.

And that's us. Have a good week!