Jeri is still at Clark University on track to graduate with a degree in Chemistry with a minor in Physics. She is discussing graduate school to research in Quantum Chemistry, but no commitments have been made. Mariah and Kat went out to visit her at the end of February to see Jeri compete in a ballroom dance competition. In her maternal wisdom Mariah asked Jeri what she would do if the school sent everyone home due to the virus. While Jeri scoffed at the notion, she decided moving in with her girlfriend Nat’s family in Maine would be the logical choice. One week later when the school closed, Jeri moved out of the dorms and up to Maine. When the semester ended, Mariah drove out to retrieve her. A few weeks later Brian helped move Jeri into a Worcester apartment with Nat and another close friend Nell. The “Witch Hut” has adopted a cat named Skateboard about whom Jeri cannot say enough nice things (i.e. She likes kisses on the top of her head!!). They all report to be very happy together.
Zac is finishing up high school. He had a few college visits planned which we cancelled due the pandemic. He has been making plans for college but is still waiting to hear the last few acceptances and see the financial aid packages. He has applied to five different schools in five different states, so we don’t really know where he will be next year. Zac enjoyed his summer working at the 4 Queens Dairy Creamery serving ice cream. He spent most of the summer finishing up his Eagle Scout project and merit badges before he turned 18. Zac ran Varsity on the Cross-Country team his entire senior year and set a personal record in his final meet. He enjoyed hosting a regular group of friends to play Dungeons and Dragons weekly, with Zac serving as the Dungeon Master, complete with appropriately chosen background music. Of course, Zac was able to caucus and vote in his first election because he turned 18 in September.
Kat did not enjoy the closing of school in March due to the pandemic. She struggled to keep up with her work without the regular interaction with the teachers and fellow students. She had a fun relaxing summer, roaming the streets of Waverly with her friends. She is becoming very comfortable riding her bike or roller-blading on the bike trail. She also has a group of friends she plays D&D with regularly. When school resumed, she was happy to go back, but after a few months and a nasty spike in local infections she opted for remote learning and is doing much better the second time. Of course, everyone was more organized and prepared for the online.
Mariah had great plans for her sabbatical in the spring. She was going to travel a bit, including a visit overseas to improve her regular May Term course and a long workshop in Utah. Sadly, most of her plans bit the dust due to the pandemic. However, she was able to complete her major project of completing an online data science certificate. She decided that she would take the data that was coming out regularly about the pandemic and find ways to summarize and publicize the information. Additionally, she supervised two undergraduate students assisting with her project this summer. She became a force to be reckoned with and was very popular for her data that is published regularly. Mariah also won the Iowa Math Association’s Award for Excellence in teaching. There was no award ceremony, but she received lots of congratulations from her colleagues from a distance. The family continues to foster kittens. Mariah is often responsible for driving kittens down the shelter for check-ups and antibiotics. We have had some very cute kittens we sent off to their forever homes, but we have also had a few kittens die in our care. It is difficult to say goodbye to the kittens after we get to know them, but we appreciate the time we had with them.
Brian continues his work on city council. The meetings have gone virtual, so he sits in front of his computer discussing zoning regulations and budget priorities. There have been some spirited discussions about the city’s response to the pandemic and the impact of mask mandates on the local economy. Needless to say, trips after the meetings to the local bar to share a beer with your councilman have been suspended. Brian has made a few trips out to Las Vegas to stay with his father. Virgil turned 92 this year and is still fighting stomach and pancreatic cancer. The quarantine was especially hard on him because he was no longer able to visit the gym every morning. Virgil had two great-grandsons born this year. Andrew was born to Jake and Chloe while Rhys was born to Kelsey and Brett. The Birgen clan just keeps getting bigger.
Next year will bring new changes. Hopefully, we will return to something closer to normal and by the time we write our 2021 Christmas letter we will all have had the chance to be vaccinated. We would like to get out and travel more. We expect Zac will be moving out of the house and off to college somewhere. Kat will have to adjust to being outnumbered, just as her parents did 13 years ago.
May the coming year bring you closer to the life you hope for. Let us all be kind to each other and understand the stress life brings to all of us. Let peace and grace be present in the world.