Slack Attack

Why was I slacker for November and December?
Ooohh ohhh. Let me answer....because. You see. I had to write the family Christmas letter. It's a task when the familia doesn't change that much. So I am taking a top ten mini vacay and just putting on here the christmas letter instead of a top ten list. It'll suffice. Trust.
It's so long. If you only care about certain individuals....namely me or my fish...just go to my section. My fish didn't actually get a section. Next year....here's to hoping. :)


December 2010

People whom we adore,
     Hello. Can you believe 2010 is almost over? I am certainly in denial about the whole ordeal, for a few reasons. The year went so fast and well, the Starr family is plateauing when it comes to excitement and that means less material for the Starr Holiday letter. I gave everyone a week to do something really amazing that I could write about; the week came and went and all I heard about was that Melissa had finished her Christmas shopping. See what I am talking about with the excitement lacking a bit? Let’s try it out anyway. The family....

Pops. Oh gee, he just did some craziness this year. He followed the wife’s lead (and persuasion) and made the leap to get hearing aids. Poor guy...it now takes twice as much work to ignore us all. Bless his heart (and his ears). Pops decided to pound the pavement this year as well...he worked for the Census Bureau. Government agencies run in that man’s blood. It was a good time for him, and he met...um...a lot of interesting people. Pops is living a good life spending most of his time being a good ole dad and grandpa, and, every once in a while, we even let him sit all alone without his hearing aids and read a book.

Mama J is in love with her new hearing aids. Who knew hearing the grandkids screaming could be so “joyous.” She is still working about 6 hours a week as a physical therapist...she gets to work just in time to leave. She went on so many trips this year that I thought she was trying to get a side job as a pilot. She keeps us all in order and even took on the challenge of getting us all in order for a family picture. It was a great adventure and she might have been the only one with a smile on at the end. We love our Mama J and when the mom is happy, everyone is happy.

The Habel Clan. They are a busy bunch with probably the most excitement. We all look to them to keep us guessing and for the free entertainment. Nate has been busy with his job and his business. He got a little crazy this year and decided to take Abby and Mia on a road trip to South Carolina...ALONE! That’s a bold move, and he now will forever have my respect. I think he had a good time especially because he got to learn all of the words to the songs from “Annie.” That is a skill that will forever come in handy. Nate did get a sweet ride this year...a Studebaker. Dreams do come true. Catherine also got a little crazy this year and has been taking care of 4 kids under the age of 5. It’s a lot of organized chaos and a lot of boogers. Disgusting right? She is a good mom to those kiddos, and the State of Nebraska’s foster care system should be proud. I would write about all the vacations she took, but we realized she only left the state one day this year to go to Kansas City. Hmm. She does have a new adventure though. The church asked her to work with the cub scouts program. The outfit is very “flattering.” Again...dreams do come true.

Abby is now 5 and full of spunk. She started kindergarten this year. She is becoming very logical and smart. She informed me the other day that I was to the left of her. What 5 year old knows that? I’m scared she will surpass us all soon enough. At least we can read. Take that kid. We enjoy hearing about all her activities with school, swimming lessons, being the big sister, church, etc. etc. etc. She keeps us well informed, and we certainly appreciate that.

Miss M is 3 and is full of fun. She started preschool this year and gets to take the bus. That’s a big deal around these parts...if you are 3 to 5 years old. She sang a song from Les Miserables to us the other day... that was highly impressive, and we are hoping for a Broadway star in the near future. Be on the lookout. We love her and pray that we can adopt her soon. The process is slow (and just plain annoying sometimes) but her smile and even the time out moments keep us motivated.

Baby D is 1 now and had a fun year of firsts. She learned to crawl and finally decided that walking isn’t so hard and scary. She is moving all over the place and is SO dang cute. She doesn’t talk much yet, but around our baby hungry family, she couldn’t get a word in edgewise anyhow. Besides, she doesn’t need to talk when we all dote on her every need. We love this foster kid something fierce.

And introducing a new foster babe....Lil A. Lil A is Baby D's half sister and was born in July. She’d cried 24/7 for a long while, but we think she is on her way to cuteness now. Baby D loves giving her sister kisses and Lil A mostly just loves the wind going through her lungs and the sound of her own scream. She really is cute and we do think she is something special.
So, there you have it. I tell ya...those Habel’s are something else. (Hopefully, Mama J included a pic so you can see those cute kiddos that we love and adore.)

Melissa is still around. She found a new hobby this year (which she should probably turn into a business). She writes email complaints to companies when they screw up things for us. But seriously, Melissa really has been busy this year. Her work has given her the opportunity to teach at the community college about physical therapy...or something. She also helps at her alma mater, Creighton, with labs and interviews for prospective students. She works hard so she can play hard. She traveled with me to Utah for ten days, she went to Virginia a couple times this year, and she went to Arizona. She is definitely living it up...I guess that’s what happens when you write email complaints to airlines as a side job.

As for me, Theresa, life is seriously legit. Work time and play time are pretty much the same as last year (which works for me). I also tried a new hobby this year...the lost art of stick shift driving. Those in the car have never been so grateful for seat belts. But, it certainly is a fun way to drive. I also did something that I hope to never do again...I was the maid of honor in my friend’s wedding. Getting all gussied up and standing around smiling in pictures is for the birds, but I was happy to be a part of it all. I also got to travel around for friend’s weddings in Chicago and in Utah. Ten days in Utah with Melissa and we didn’t fight once! That’s a serious record. We are just getting so big. Life is stellar. I love it!

We are a very blessed and happy family. We love having each other so close and the opportunity to spend lots of time together. We also enjoy visitors...hint, hint. We hope all is going well for each of you and may you know that we care and love you. God Bless you at this time and throughout the future. Happy happy 2011! Have fun. Be good and mostly just Live the Dream!
-TStarr