Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year, family and friends! We hope our annual letter finds
you well. We can't believe 2014 is almost over. Time seems to move
more quickly every year!
Em – I'm still
working as a nurse practitioner at the School of the Art Institute of
Chicago's Health Services. The students certainly keep me on my toes!
A new nurse practitioner started working with me last December and we
have become fast friends. She's currently out on maternity leave and
I am counting down the days until she returns! Outside of work, I
stay busy running and volunteering with Chicago Scholars. On October
12th I ran the Chicago Marathon as part of the Finish MS
team in memory of my Uncle Randy and John's Aunt Joan. It was an
amazing experience that I could not have accomplished without my
running buddy Natallie. I've taken on a larger role with Chicago
Scholars by becoming a member of the Associate Board and a committee
co-chair. I truly love being a part of the Chicago Scholars
organization!
John – Last May,
John was asked to extend his postdoctoral position at the University
of Illinois-Chicago for an additional year. This fall he has again
applied for tenure-track professor positions all across the country.
There are quite a few in Chicago and the Midwest this year so we're
hoping to stay close to family and friends. John spoke at a
conference in Kalamazoo and attended a week-long workshop at the
Institute for Mathematics and its Applications at the University of
Minnesota. He has continued working out and has started running
regularly. He ran 4 races this year. In his free time, he enjoys
playing video games with his friends, both in person and virtually.
Travels – We
enjoyed the trip of a lifetime this summer, traveling to French
Polynesia to stay in an overwater bungalow. This was a bucket list
trip for me and John planned the whole thing! It was absolutely
amazing! We relaxed a lot, swam in pristine lagoons, hiked through a
tropical forest, and met sea turtles. We spent a week in San Antonio
around the American College Health Association Annual Meeting and
traveled to Wisconsin to visit family and friends and celebrate
special events including Mom's 60th birthday.
Coincidentally, we were coming back from San Antonio to
Minneapolis/St. Paul when one of my friends had her baby girl so we
were some of the first people to meet her! We also took two ski trips
last January, one to Sun Valley, Idaho with John's family and the
other to Whitecap in Northern Wisconsin with friends. We're looking
forward to skiing in Whistler, British Columbia in January.
Chicago – We love
this city and are starting to feel apprehensive about the possibility
of leaving it! It's so nice to walk or take public transportation to
work and almost everywhere we go! This year we again watched the
Wisconsin men's basketball team at Northwestern (and will be going
again on January 4th) and saw the Wisconsin football team
play at Northwestern. We also went to multiple Cubs' games at Wrigley
Field. We purchased Broadway in Chicago season subscriptions so we've
seen lots of shows this year. Our favorite was Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat. We've also enjoyed having lots of visitors. We
don't have an extra bedroom but our couch is really comfy (or we can
help you find a hotel nearby)!
2015 – We're
looking forward to a new year. Hopefully John will find a new job he
enjoys, regardless of the geographical location. We're also hoping
that this will be the year we expand our family. Of course, we hope
to hear from and/or see all of you in 2015!
