Christmas Letter, 2018

Merry Christmas friends and family!

I hope you all are well and enjoying a lovely holiday season. I wrapped up finals last week and my first non-school related activity was putting up not one but two Christmas trees with help from Karl. We are slowly settling into the new house and are excited about spending our first Christmas in it. Karl and I are even more excited to finally have a home we can entertain in. We should have furniture next year so I’m just going to go ahead and call dibs on hosting our annual family get together and start a new annual friendsgiving/friendsmas tradition.

We’ve been in the new house almost a month but moving has progressed slowly due to school and work obligations. I’m on winter break for the next few weeks and Karl will be off work for the holidays soon so we’re hoping to finish moving by the end of the year. The plan is to finish moving, clean out the old house, finish a few little projects, and then put it on the market ‘as is.’ Here’s hoping it sells quickly and for a fair price.

Buying a new home has been the biggest change of the year for us personally, and it happened very quickly so it was a bit of a shock for me. We purchased our home on Blue Ridge in 2005 with dreams of fixing it up and flipping it after a few years, but once we got inside it realized it was a bigger job than expected. I’m sad we never completed our vision for the house but I’m very proud of what Karl and I accomplished. Karl almost single-handedly rebuilt most of the house from the inside out, upgrading all the wiring, and plumbing, adding lighting, drywall, and the list goes on. We finally hit the halfway point on our projects early this year. We finished everything but the downstairs bathroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen before deciding we were tired of working on projects and ready to look for a new home. It wasn’t an easy decision, but we are getting older and hope to spend less time working on houses and spend more time with friends, family, and each other.

Like most years, 2018 has been a year of ups and downs. The year got off to a dreary start with the passing of my sister’s fiancé Joshua on Christmas Eve. It’s been a really tough year for her and this Christmas will be especially hard so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

In February Marshall and Anna welcomed another little girl into our family gifting me another niece. Melody Rose was born on February 28th. She is a very happy baby and makes the most hilarious faces. Her big sister Emma is now three years old and is quite the handful but is a good big sister. Kudos and thanks to Marshall and Anna for all that they do, but especially for expanding our family.

In March Karl traveled with me to Philadelphia, PA where I was attending a photography conference, we carved out a good chunk of time to see the city, and visit museums, including Independence Hall. Being in the space that the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted was a very powerful and humbling experience. Another big event occurred later in the month on March 19th. I was at Baja Grill in Jacksonville celebrating my 35th birthday with friends and family when two tornados touched down in Jacksonville ravaging the university and a large chunk of the north side of town. Mom and dad were lucky and only sustained minor damage to their roof and yard, but so many people we knew lost their homes, cars, and belongings. Despite the massive amount of damage, the community handled it like pros. It was heartbreaking to see all the damage, but awe-inspiring to see how both the community, and those that came into town to deliver aid worked together. Major progress in reconstruction has since occurred but the north side of Jacksonville looks so different and there is still a lot of rebuilding to be done.

During the summer months, Karl and I made time to travel a bit. At the beginning of July Karl and I went on a whirlwind road trip through Texas, with stops, and stays made in Baton Rouge, LA; Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and Dallas, TX. Some highlights of our trip include visiting NASA’s original Mission Control in Houston, TX; exploring San Antonio (where Karl once lived as a kid), visiting the Alamo, and eating some seriously amazing food (Texas brisket is sooo good). A few weeks after returning home I took off to Florida with my mother and sister for a much-needed girls trip. We spent a few nights in Orlando before driving to Miami where we stayed on the beach and soaked up some sun. It was a great way to rest and relax before returning to the grad school grind.

In August school started back, and I hosted my first official event as the president of the Art Alumni Chapter of the JSU Alumni Association. I helped plan and head an alumni reunion and art show and am really proud of how well it turned out. Grad school has essentially consumed my life. I just wrapped up my 5th semester of grad school so I am getting close to the end, but I’m not taking summer classes, so I still have three more semesters to go. I’m on track to graduate in the spring of 2020 with a Master’s in Visual Communication Design. I feel very privileged to be able to devote so much time to advanced studies, but I am ready to graduate and move forward in my career.

This semester I helped teach a Senior Projects class. Next semester I will be teaching a class on Digital Literacy. A class that introduces students to the software and hardware most commonly used in graphic design. My primary reason for returning to grad school was to get a degree that would allow me to teach at the college level and to get some teaching experience, so I am really excited to have my own class despite all the work it will entail.

In September Karl and I attended our 10th annual DragonCon in Atlanta, GA. My sister Stacey went with us for a few days to experience DragonCon for the first time and loved it. She’s planning to return with us in 2019. September is also Karl’s work anniversary at Honda. He’s been at Honda for 12 years, 8 years as a full associate. He was promoted to an engineer position in 2011 and is currently working in New Model Paint. His job essentially entails working with designers and production staff on starting up new models. He’s been working a lot of overtime and has had to travel to Ohio for work several times this year. When not at work Karl is usually working on house projects, working with me on various projects, or helping cook and prep healthy meals for us.

I’ve been battling various health problems for a while now, including my weight which is probably to blame for some of my health problems. In October I started following a keto diet and have seen many positive health changes thanks to a major reduction of carbs and sugars in my diet. I’ve lost 14 pounds, my migraines have almost disappeared, and I’ve been feeling a lot better. For the first time in a long time, I am feeling hopeful about shedding weight and improving my health. Grad school is intense, so I’ve had to rely on Karl to do most of the cooking and meal prep. He’s amazing and I am so thankful for him. There’s no way I could do this without his support and help.

November was a big month for us. We welcomed a new cat (Toby) into our family. He’s super vocal, but very affectionate, and will hopefully make a good companion for Tawno once she learns to tolerate his kittenish behavior. We closed on our home on the 15th and moved in right before Thanksgiving. Then at the end of the month I went through my midpoint MFA candidacy review. I presented all my work from grad school and proposed my thesis topic (game-based learning). It was really stressful, but I passed my review and my topic was approved. Hooray!

Now it’s December, and as this year winds down I am looking forward to spending some much needed time with friends and family, to finish moving, and to enjoying a much needed break. 2019 looks to be another year dedicated to work, grad school, and housework, but I’m expecting many positive changes as we settle into the new home, continue to work towards a healthier lifestyle, and as I near the end of my graduate studies. Karl and I are both excited about what the future holds for both ourselves and our friends and family. If we don’t see you this holiday season, I want you to know that you are in our thoughts and hearts, and that we are wishing you the best.

Merry Christmas!

~Carol & Karl