Where do I begin? I guess I could just start off with the normal formalities like I always do... How are you? How is the missus? Do you have a good break over the spring or did you have to start early this year? I hope all is well up north, because I'm sure you've heard about all the crazy things going on down here below the Arctic Circle.
I feel like Billy Joel needs to come out with a sequel to one of his hit songs and title it, "We Didn't Start the Inferno", but have the lyrics reference everything that has happened in 2017. Between Twitter wars, fake news, famine, folly, foibles, forest fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, harassment, scandals, and ongoing war... well, we haven't seemed to feel the adage of "Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men." In spite of all of that, however, I am sure you know that we're all doing much better here at the Reynolds home. Here is a bit of what has happened over the past year:
Our new sactional
We've been loving our new townhome over the past year. It's amazing what a change of venue will do for your sanity. I wish everyone could have their own piece of quiet to call home. It's perfectly situated where I have a 5 minute commute to work, 2 minute drive to the grocery store, 10 minutes from church, and 5 minutes from the interstate. In addition, the kids can ride the bus to school, which is awesome because we don't have to drive them there every day. We've slowly been trying to make this place our own, which is nice to finally be able to do.
One of the houses I cleaned out
I'm sure you're meteorological elves have been monitoring the situation here over the past year, and let me tell you... it was a doozy. We have been fairly fortunate living near the Gulf of Mexico that we haven't seen any hurricanes... until this year. Well, by the time Harvey got to us, it was a tropical storm, but it was still pretty devastating, to say the least. It's been estimated that 9 trillion gallons of water was dumped on the greater Houston area. And let me tell you, we felt it. It was very disconcerting for the most part, mainly because it was almost a week of incessant rain. However, our little home fared very well with no significant damage. (All that was happened to us was a wet spot on the ceiling of our bedroom and having one of the flood lights on the garage stop working.) We were fortunate enough to be able to take in some friends from church whose apartment was evacuated due to the ground level being covered by 3 feet of water.
I can tell you that, in spite of all this, I was proud of the response of my fellow Houstonians. Whereas the situation could have devolved into something akin to the movie "Water World", instead I saw an entire city of millions band together to help out everyone that needed it. It was truly amazing to see the efforts that were put forward to try and get everyone back to normal. I spent a few weekends mucking out houses, which was hard, dirty, and sometimes depressing work. We're going to be having a much more comfortable Christmas than some people this year. However, I am grateful that we've been able to help out where we can.
One year older and one less tooth
Well, let my tell you about what has been going on with the family. Our oldest, Leah, started Kindergarten this year. I never thought that day would come, but it finally has. And, boy, has she taken to all her subjects in school. Thanks to the loving influence of her Mother's book obsession, Leah has accelerated in her ability to read and write. She keeps surprising us every day with the new things she has learned or observed. She still loves to draw and do all sorts of crafty things. On top of all that, she has a big heart and is often the most helpful around the house. All in all, she's our tender-hearted caring girl.
Seriously, anything he can climb on...
Next we have Sean... We refer to him as our monkey, and for good reason. If he's not climbing on the furniture, he's climbing all over you. He has an endless supply of energy and often wears us out every day. It's like he's on full throttle from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to sleep. There is no down time with him, just like a lot of other little boys, I'm sure. He's a real goofball and always wants to have fun... which can be a bit of a problem when it comes time to do work. He's in his second year of pre-school at the local elementary school and has been doing well. He mainly loves to just be friends with everyone he meets. He still loves all things trains, boats, LEGOs and computers.
Lucy and Philly, one of the dogs we occasionally borrow
Our youngest, Lucy, is a silly little cutie pie. Her nickname is "Goose", mainly because we liked calling her "Lucy Goose" when she was younger. (It's also so I can say to her "Talk to me, Goose" and feel like Maverick from Top Gun.) She is an observant little girl that has picked up really quickly on all the things that her older siblings do. One of the most surprising things that I've been adapting to is her ability to clearly communicate what she wants. The first two kids had a bit of a problem with that, but not Lucy. She knows what she wants and will clearly let you know if you don't have it correct. That being said, she's a funny mix of personality between her brother and sister, which can either drive us crazy or melt our hearts.
Time out at Fish Lake
Sarah has taken a little time off this year from selling books in order to focus on the needs of the kids, which they appreciate. She has helped out quite a bit at their school and is the official "Critter Getter" for the Pre-K classes (she gets to transport animals from one of the other middle schools in the area back to the elementary school so the kids can enjoy that animal for the week). In addition to all of this, she is always one of the first to volunteer to help those in need. Her kind and thoughtful heart is something that I have always admired about her.
Me and the James Webb Space Telescope
As for me, I'm still getting deep into nerd-dom both at home and at work. The work with NASA goes in waves where one day I can be struggling for breath and the next I am really reaching to find productive work. Thankfully, we have been recognized for our work both from our customers and from our company management, and we feel that we have a good place here on the teams we are working with. I still have to pinch myself some days and realize that I work at a pretty cool place. (The other day I got to see the James Webb Space Telescope... the one that is going to replace the Hubble... And I work down the hall from Joe Engle, who is a very nice man and refuses to retire from NASA). Additionally, I've been getting into virtual reality development, which unlocks a lot of potential for me. It's really fun to imagine, design, and build a world... and then step into that world. We've hosted a few VR parties at our house and pretty much everyone I've introduced to VR has had a lot of fun with it.
Gonna need a new wardrobe
This year brought some changes for me, health-wise, where I started a nutritional plan along with Sarah and subsequently lost 90 pounds. (The stress of the hurricane helped me gain some back, but I'll lose it again... starting in January). I purposely didn't post any pictures of myself on social media the entire time, mainly because I wanted to surprise my extended family when I saw them at a family reunion this summer. I had to get an entire new wardrobe, but it was worth it.
In truth, Santa, I have no outstanding needs that I wanted to request of you. I mean, sure, everyone would like more money and time, but I really have everything I need. All I would be asking of you are a few superfluous wants. I guess, after cleaning out the muddy, moldy, stained memories of people's lives from the aftermath of a tropical storm, my attitude on what was necessary changed a bit. Some people I got to help out lost all their worldly possessions. But thankfully, none of them lost their lives. I've been very blessed and I recognize that. I have a good family that loves me, a number of great friends, and the ability to provide for our basic needs. I couldn't really ask for more this year.
Anyway, feel free to stop by our house anyway this year. I know the kids are really looking forward to your visit. I'm still trying to teach them about how it is better to give than receive at Christmas, but they're still little. Maybe one of these years they'll get it.
Thanks again for all the good you do, Santa. I hope people can look at you and be inspired to take a little time to be selfless in their lives.
Sincerely,
Brad Reynolds
P.S. Seriously, though, I've been asking you for years for that Jaeger fighting robot? You going to bring that or what?
