Sytsema Christmas Letter: 2019
Hello all. We all knew the parents would at some point come crawling to yours truly, Anna, to be the writer of the dreaded Christmas letter. I squeezed it into my schedule, but in order to save as much of my precious time as possible, I have boiled down a few key elements of 2019 into several acronyms. You may have seen some of them before, but trust me when I tell you this is actually what they stand for.
SMH: Still Marty & Heidi
Your favorite duo are still kicking butt, though it’s difficult to come up with interesting things about these two anymore. Each time I call home it seems they have once again begun the Whole30 diet. Maybe by next year they will have completed a full 30 days of it. i’move is still expanding (Whitehall opening soon!) or whatever and the Community Foundation is still doing what they do, so it must be going okay. My mom is living vicariously through me, wishing she could be in my theology and Women & Gender Roles in History classes.
WYD: Walk Your Dog? Who’s Your Driver?
Our friends the Garretsons and the Torresen/Petersons moved to Jefferson Street this year, changing the family social scene. Charlie is getting more walks, though she has needed to befriend the neighbor doggos which is somewhat of a struggle. After 13 years of living here, Grace finally has a BFF up the street to carpool and change the world with. And I love not having to be designated driver because happy hours are right in the neighborhood.
FML: Figured out My Life
James is about to enter his final semester at Calvin College University. This year he has made the decision to attend mortuary school in Chicago after he graduates. He is really excited to enter this part of his life, and I am really excited to visit ALL. THE. TIME. James has mentioned several times that he is very sad to only have one year with me at Calvin. If I recall correctly, he said that his favorite college memories included taking a class online about dinosaurs and spending every Friday at 12:20PM eating lunch in Knollcrest with his favorite sister.
GTG: Got To Get out of this house
Grace is loving being the only kid at home. By the time you are reading this, Grace will have her driver's license. She will likely spend all of the money that she has made working long and hard at Benson Drug Store buying gas to get her to and from Grand Rapids to visit me. This past spring, Grace and I played together on the WMC Girls Varsity Soccer team. It was such a blessing for Grace to play with her role model of a big sister, and I hear her sister loved it as well. My mom loved the efficiency of watching both daughters play at the same time.
TTYL: Totally Tore Your Labrum
Yours truly is two months into recovery from shoulder surgery to repair my torn labrum. The doctor said that I should be back to playing sports in no time. It cannot come quickly enough, as the combination of unlimited meal pass and inability to exercise has not been ideal. I am surviving my first year of Calvin, and no matter what James says I have made friends. This past summer I began a job serving at The Deck and loved it (remember to tip your servers, folks). Please, for my emotional stability, stop asking what I am majoring in. I have no idea. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know!
STFU: Super Thankful For U!!!
As always, we are all so thankful for the love and support that we have been shown throughout this year. We could not have done it without your prayer, encouragement, and driving Grace where she needs to go.
Merry Christmas from the Sytsemas!
