Hello there!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Danaher family (and while we're at it, Happy Saint Patrick's Day). Once again we have a blessed and busy year. God has guided us through this year and, as we look forward to 2011, we reflect on His gracious provisions during 2010.
Last year saw the birth of two new grandchildren. On April 6, Sean Michael Holler was born to Rachel and Joel. Ever since then, Sean has charmed the whole family with his bright blue eyes, red button nose, and contagious smile. Sean's big brother Ryan, who turned two in June, regales the family in his own right through his newfound vocabulary. Ryan's observations and tendency to joke at such an early age remind us of Uncle Dave and great Grandpa Bugs. But, sweet as Grandma's Christmas cookies, Ryan makes any gathering a blast. Joel continues to work for the Chicago Police Department while Rachel picks up the occasional shift at the hospital.
Rebekah and Elliott also added to their family this year when Eden Rose was born in July. Serene (and plump) as a sugarplum, Eden watches everything, including her big brother Caleb. Caleb does eat his carrots because Mom and Dad tell him vegetables will make him run faster. Caleb shows that he takes after Dad, toddling through the snow in the backyard even in the coldest of weather. Rebekah continues her role as a stay at home mom, quite a job given Caleb's energy. Elliott continues to work for
John still works at UOP. While he has spent many years with the company, John also started something new this year--fantasy football. John finally realized that the best way to actually support in winning team is to create one himself. Though the Bears gave him much less cause for grief this season, John still enjoys the distraction that his fantasy team provides from the woes and disheartening losses present in every Bears season. John also enjoys his role as Grandpa. From taking Ryan to see fire trucks to singing little Eden to sleep, John has taken his role as grandpa almost as seriously as his position as leader of his very own football team.
Gina thought that an empty house would give her more time to catch up on her reading. Instead, she has spent the past year on the run after her four grandkids. Gina willingly lends a helping hand whenever Rachel and Rebekah need a babysitter, ready to drop everything in order to help her daughters. Gina also invests herself her new hobby –facebook. Mom puts all her kids to shame by the amount of time she spends updating her status, sharing links, and keeping up with family members. When her children express frustration at her for not informing them of important events within the extended family, Gina simply replies, "Well, it was on facebook!"
David reached a milestone this year when he finished and defended his physics thesis in August. He passed with flying colors, or at least the Ph.D's at Northern thought so. At home, we just nod our heads and smile…and ask David to please remember to put his dishes in the dishwasher. For the time being, Dave lives at home while teaching Science and Math courses at Moraine Valley Community College. Along with Matt, he continues to rehearse and practice with his rock band, which has been a work in progress for almost as long as David has been writing incoherent lines about electrons spins. However, while the physics rabble has earned him a degree, the band has yielded no returns thus far. Yet mom and dad are not sure whether said "returns" would be kind to their eardrums anyway.
Matt has been blessed with a job change this year. While he started out 2010 working for a basement waterproofing company, he finished the year as an employee at Costco. Matt's hard work has already earned him a few promotions. It also caused him to leave the nest for the second time. Though he began working part time at a store on the South Side and consequently lived at home, Matt transferred to a fulltime position at a new Costco in Lake Forest and moved in with bandmate Dustin. It seems that on the second try, Mom has finally succeeded in pushing the fourth duckling out of the nest. What she plans to do about his science-spouting older brother remains to be seen.
Maggie is a sophomore at Hillsdale College. After much deep internal reflection, she finally chose American Studies, (a combination of American history, American literature, and Political Science) as her major. This past semester, she worked as an RA in the freshmen dorm, traveled to Washington D.C. for Constitution Day (September 17), and joined a country band – Pickled Beats. In the most recent developments at home, Maggie has, due to Mom's urging, persistently endeavored to keep her bedroom clean. However, her parents have finally come to the conclusion that, while you can take a girl out of a messy dorm room…let's just say, it's a lost cause.
As you can see, a lot has been going on in the Danaher family throughout the past year. God watched over us without fail in 2010 and we are confident that He will continue to work in our lives throughout the next year. We wish you just such a New Year in 2011!
Cheers,
The Danaher Family
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