Dear Family and friends,

Our Christmas letter is getting so voluminous that I needed to do something. Now I suppose the first course of action for most folks would be to simply write less. This however, would not let me be the the obnoxious person that I am regarding the need to wax eloquent about my wonderful red flannel town, my and my husbands students, my fabulous garden club, my invigorating book club, our helpful library, and of course my amazing family. Okay enough of the gushy stuff. I have a week of summer vacation left; Clint is already back and I am feeling the need to reflect. I know the beginning and end of the year occurs December 31/January 1 but that has never felt like a new beginning for me. By that time of year we are knee deep in grades, debate competition, and preparing to lobby D.C. We are in a full out marathon style run. There is no time for contemplative, restorative meditation. It is survival. I also think I have been on the school cycle for so long with my dad being a teacher and then becoming a teacher in addition to all of the years of schooling, that the beginning of the year for me is always in the fall. I am not Jewish but I have always related to my Jewish friends and students who celebrate Rosh Hashana. It is one of the highest holy days in Judaism and it is right around the corner - September 13- which also happens to be the first day of Ramadan. For those folk of the non- Jewish persuasion Rosh Hashana is also know as Jewish New Year. This is not the get drunk and party 'till you fall down kind of new year, but a time for reflection and atonement. A time to be thankful for what one has, make changes in oneself regarding things one isn't happy with and in general take stock of one's life. This is my kind of holiday. As the school year approaches and summer winds down I can't help but to look back on this most amazing year. What a difference a year can make. At this time last year I was thinking in the abstract what it might be like to have a baby. This was the month we were going to start "trying" to get pregnant. One year later I almost can't believe I have the wriggling little person in my life named Caelun Rhy Conley.
It is in the spirit of introspection I look back to this time last year, and all that has occurred in our lives with the turning of each calendar page.

We found out with in a few weeks of school starting that I was indeed pregnant. We had the early drama of thinking we were having twins. We were relieved to learn that Caelun was indeed only one baby nestled in amongst several fibroids. Clint would be asked to take a long term sub job for KCTC, for his friend Jill Titus,that would last until the end of the school year. Fall also involved canning and freezing form our much neglected garden as well as thankfully the surplus from my dad's.