Jeri hit the ground running as soon as she arrived on campus. She got involved in the LGBT club on campus and worked to get the club meeting space moved back onto campus. Jeri joined the ballroom dance club and performed in swing, tango, waltz and foxtrot. Of course, due to the gender ratio at Clark she opted to be a dance leader. Lest you think all she does is socialize, she also reported receiving the high score in her Accelerated Chemistry class and in her Advanced Calculus class. Jeri also really enjoys her Physics class, so there’s no guarantee that she keeps the Chemistry major, but we don’t expect her to drift far. While we have frequent video chats, the rest of the Iowa Birgens are looking forward to seeing her back home for Christmas.
Zac is now the oldest child in the house. When Zac turned 16 he got his driver’s license and has been enjoying his freedom more. He had to learn the drive a manual transmission, just as Jeri did. It only took him a few weeks before he became proficient. Zac has been active in stage productions at school. He was in the play “The Imaginary Invalid” in the spring and in the musical “Disney’s High School Musical” in the fall. He had a speaking role each time, which is nice for an underclassman. Zac ran cross-country again in the fall. He had been running through the summer to get in shape, so he set a new personal record this season. However, it was a very wet and rainy season, so many of the meets were cancelled.
At the end of summer, Mariah and Zac went on a hiking trip with Mariah’s father and uncle. Grampa Don and Uncle Larry planned a trip in Sierra National Forest, but due to the forest fires they ended up down in Sequoia National Park. Zac’s cousin Tilden was also part of the hiking crew. Zac got to learn how to dig his own cat hole and stayed up late chatting with Tilden about all the technology they were missing. Mariah has to say the trip hiking in the Sierras was much easier than last year’s hike into the Grand Canyon down the Kaibab Trail due to the abundance of shade.
Carrie is doing all the things typical for a girl her age. She is still in Girl Scouts, though she had to switch to a new troop. She plays bass in the orchestra, even though the instrument is taller than she is. She enjoys playing with her friends, reading about cats, and watching videos about ant farms. She is back for her final year at St. Paul’s Lutheran school. While she is only in sixth grade, she is taking eighth grade math which she enjoys and brings her much pride. She misses her older sister terribly and wishes her brother didn’t torment her so much.
Mariah has been very busy at Wartburg College. This is her third and final year on Faculty Council; as a result she is the chair of that committee. She has weekly meetings with the Dean of Faculty and has to keep the faculty focused on task of making strategic decisions and not letting anyone hi-jack the meetings for their own purposes. For some reason, many of her colleagues were surprised at her effectiveness at running meetings and keeping a focus on the task at hand. It has been a great deal of work, but it has been satisfying making a difference on campus. Mariah has also been busy reworking the remedial math course at Wartburg. She was assigned to teach the course and decided that the course was not the best approach for our students. She has future plans to spend a sabbatical researching better teaching pedagogies for the class.
Brian started serving on the Waverly City Council in November. It has been a great learning experience for him. While there have been a few controversial decisions for the most part it has been very pleasant. He has gotten to know people from all over the city, and the angry phone calls are fairly rare. After complaints that the council members are out of touch, Brian started inviting citizens to join him for a beer at one of the local bars after the city council meetings. They have not been especially well attended, but Mariah comes to keep him company which has made for some relaxed dates. Brian participated in his first mini-triathlon (300 m swim. 15mile bike, 5K run) in May. While he was in last place in his age division, he did finish. Brian also spent the last week of July riding across Iowa with RAGBRAI. He is hoping to convince someone else to join him someday, because he has a hard time eating all that pie by himself. Brian’s father turned 90 at the end of October. Brian and all his siblings were able to gather in Las Vegas (where Virgil and Donna live) to celebrate. Brian and Bob had the ceremonial trading of the beer steins. It was nice to get together with all the Birgen children and exchange fart jokes.
We wish all of our family and friends the very best of holiday seasons. May you find yourself safely surrounded by those you love. May the coming year have only pleasant surprises waiting for you.