Thorne House: Happy New Year!

February, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Year of the Tiger! This is Adam’s birth year, which will tell you how old he will be on his birthday, if you do the math. According to some, this year of the White or Metal Tiger will be filled with drama and intense activity. The White Tiger is also associated with being jinxed, and we are all supposed to watch out for health problems. On the other hand, the metal element may bring prosperity to industries like banking, engineering and technology. Overall, there is much to be cautious about this year, with rewards for those who are able to resist losing their temper. Especially lucky this year is anyone born in the year of the Pig, Horse, or Dog. Everyone else should cozy up to those people!

The last year has obviously been one of great change in the Thorne household. Our son, Corbin, was born last year on February 22^nd, so he is almost a year old. It is hard to believe that we have watching him grow for a whole year now. From rolling, to crawling, to now his first steps. From just milk, to mushy cereal, to now two teeth and finger foods. And from a sleepy baby, to a watchful baby, to now a little boy who gets excited about our animals and being at swimming classes. We are so blessed and lucky!

Not only has it been a pleasure for us to have Corbin around, but it’s been a true joy for my parents. They spent the summer with us, living in their camper in our garage, and doing daycare for Corbin after I went back to work. In August, we all agreed that we wanted them to keep doing daycare, so they moved into an apartment a block away. They make life so much easier, in so many ways. We are grateful for their help, and they love being able to spend so much time with Corbin.

Thankfully, everything else in our life has been stable. Adam and I are still enjoying our jobs, and even getting a little hobby time in. My goal this year is to see more theatre, but I don’t plan on returning to stage managing for a while yet. Last year we went to three weddings, two of which were in Michigan. So far, Corbin has been a very good traveler. We even flew to St Louis for Chinese New Year dinner, and he did so well that strangers gave us compliments!

In a few weeks, Alex and Lena will come to visit, and we are looking forward to seeing them. This summer, we’ll have some more house and yard projects to keep us busy. And this fall we will go to Alex and Lena’s wedding in October. We are hoping to take enough time off to drive to California and then visit one or two national parks on the way home. It is good to look back over the past year and see how much has changed. And it is very good to look forward over the next year and be excited about the times to come. We hope that your last year has been happy, and that your next year is full of health and strength and blessings.