2011 is here… Happy New Year!
It’s hard to believe that another year has passed by so quickly. Our lives have been very blessed and filled with many wonderful memories this past year. We hope this letter finds you all well and warm this time of year!
We have been so excited to watch our little girl grow and learn so many wonderful things. From her first tooth, to her first steps, her first words, and her first birthday; Ali is 21 months old now and is a very happy, thoughtful, affectionate, and polite little girl. I try to capture Ali’s Adventures on our blog (www.RyeandEddie.blogspot.com).
Eddie and I live by the “Work hard, Play hard” motto! We strive to find a balance with work and family life to ensure we cherish every second with our precious little girl. We are both still working at Harris Corporation. Rye continues to grow her career as a System Engineer while working a 30 hour reduced work week. Eddie is transitioning from his role in Mergers & Acquisitions to an Integration role for one of the recently acquired international companies.
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2010 started off with a big project to move into our New Home! We decided to take advantage of the down real estate market and low interest rates to buy a new home that we can grow into. Rye's parents were a BIG help with our move across town... with a 9month old!
In February, we bundled up and went to visit Amie and Lyell in Rochester, MN. Ali (10mo) enjoyed playing in the snow with her cousins Katherine (6), Nathaniel (4), Charlotte (1 ½). They got to see Ali’s 1st steps!!!
Back in Florida, we enjoyed the beautiful March weather. Pat & Ron (Nana & Guga) came down to visit and relax on the beach.
April 10th marked Ali’s 1st Birthday! What a difference 1 year makes… from 7lbs 13oz and 20” when she was born, to almost 21lbs and 30” walking around now! Uncle Dru flew in from SC, Carroll & Lin (CiCi & PopPop) drove down from NC, and lots of Florida friends helped us celebrate her big day. Her favorite toy is the “real” cell phone… even though she has a toy one of her own!
June involved an action packed visit with Uncle Dru in Beaufort, SC. We spent the afternoons on the boat, sight seeing and water skiing. Dru and I participated in the 4th annual 3.5 mile Beaufort River Swim from Port Royal to downtown Beaufort Marina. For Dru, 2010 marked the year of independent business owner/operator for “Anderson Aviation, LLC” in Beaufort SC. His aviation enthusiasm, high standards, and precise flight instruction have made him very successful. Visit his site: www.AndersonAviation.com
July 4th weekend, we met my parents and Dru in Wadesboro for exciting times on the farm and at Lake Tillery. Rye taught Ali to drive Lin's tractor, and "Uncle Dru" taught Ali what the throttle did and how to make the boat "GO!" The following week was spent with the whole Myers family at Holden Beach. We had a wonderful week together with Carrie & Amie (Eddie's sisters) and their families. Pat & Ron were very happy to have ALL of their kids, their spouses and grandkids under one roof!
In August we spent a long weekend at Beech Mountain, NC with Dru & Kristin, CiCi & PopPop. Following Hailey’s lead, we hiked several trails at Grandfather Mountain, and along Linville Falls. The weather this time of year was spectacular and the memories made were priceless!
September of this year, Ali officially turned into a fish! She went through five weeks of daily training to learn the swim/float/swim sequence to survive in the water. This was truly an impressive technique taught by a private ISR (Infant Swim Research) instructor to get children comfortable with their face in the water and understand the physics of their body to roll over and float. Bottom line… at 17months Ali can jump in the pool, and come up floating on her back! (Nana & Guga were here Labor Day weekend to see it for themselves!)
Halloween weekend, we took a family trip to Washington, DC to see the sights, visit some friends, and stop by our old stomping grounds. Ali débuted her lady bug costume while trick-or-treating. She walked house to house and loved every minute!
In November, Dru served as charter pilot for me, Ali & Kristin on our flight to Georgia (while Eddie attended a Leadership Program). Ali still holds the record for Dru’s youngest flight student! Lin & Carroll drove down to meet us and visit Uncle Ivar & Aunt Becky, and their family. We had all the cousins back together with the newest generation; Ali (19mo) met her 2nd cousins, Robbie (3), Ellie (6mo), and Aiden (11mo) for the first time. It was loads of fun to see them all together!
We hosted Thanksgiving for my parents, Dru & Kristin. We all enjoyed the beautiful Florida weather, lots of good food, and fun times with Ali. We kicked off the Holiday season with a trip to Gaylord Palms ICE display, a whimsical winter wonderland of larger-than-life, three-dimensional ice sculptures made from over two-million pounds of ICE! Ali loved the ice slide, and kept saying “more?”
We are looking forward to having the family together again for Christmas and joining great friends of ours in Hendersonville, NC to bring in the New Year!
Our biggest news of 2010 however, is worth waiting for… Ali is going to be a Big Sister in July 2011!
As you can tell, our year has been packed full of travels and adventure! We are fortunate to have such special friends and family to share our lives with. We would love for you to give us a call or come visit us in Florida! Our best wishes to each of you for the year to come!
Love to all,
Rye, Eddie & Ali
1 comment:
Congratulations! Hope all is well there - sounds like 2011 is off to a great start so far! ;-)
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