December 2019
Dear Friends and Family,
If you've been on our Christmas card list for a while, you're probably already aware of how much I hate writing them, and how Kaerlig makes me do it anyway, every single year.
This year I have begun no less than five drafts and I still have no idea what to say, or how to say it in a way that isn't totally hackneyed and trite.
I sort of have the bullet points worked out. For instance, Rainer got his mission call recently, and that's big news worth sharing. He'll be leaving for Jacksonville Florida in March. Neither Kaerlig nor I have ever been to, or contemplated going to Jacksonville. So based on what is, admittedly, very limited information, it seems that the best thing about Jacksonville will be Rainer. Rainer also finished his first semester of college down at Snow, and he did very well, so I have to work that in here somewhere.
Some other stuff I should talk about are Davey's continued progress in music. He joined the marching band this year and also took up the guitar. With just a few lessons he‘s already much better at it than I am. Of course I’m an autodidact and my teacher was a moron. (If you don't know what an autodidact is I'm sorry you're missing the joke.) His plans include wrapping up his senior year and following Rainer into the field. Davey is a good and kind friend and we are very proud of him.
I guess here’s where I should insert a paragraph about Ellie. She's a fifteen year old girl so if you've had a teenage daughter you already know that what follows is heavily sugarcoated. Ellie is a sweetheart who continues to be the light of our lives. Her consistently cheerful disposition is a ray of sunshine. She always brightens our day before slamming the front door and storming off to school. This year, as a sophomore, she ran varsity cross country. I'm not exactly sure of her time but I think she does about a three minute mile, give or take.
Also, this time last year we welcomed Sarahí into our home. She is the daughter of some friends from my mission. She’s been studying very hard and is now ready to move on to Salt Lake City as she begins school at LDS Business College next month.
Now I'm starting to feel like I have something to work with here, but as soon as Kaerlig sees it she's going to tell me that this is unacceptable and I'll have to start over and try to summon some sappiness from the dank depths of my psyche so that this letter will pass muster.
Since that's the case, I might as well just tie up the loose ends:
After 17 years, Kaerlig finally quit her job at the hospital (which she loved when she was on the clock but hated the rest of the time) in order to work full-time with me at The Scooter Lounge. We are together all day and still like each other. She thinks I should say something about how good business is, but I know most of you either already know or don’t care anyway. She also got diagnosed with a grab bag of mysterious autoimmune disorders and celebrated 20 years of being married to me, which is a real accomplishment.
As for me, I had a heart attack in February. Since then I've been trying to lose weight and exercise more so that hopefully when I have the next one I won't just be another fat guy with clogged arteries. Also I’m learning Italian from the same idiot that taught me guitar.
Notwithstanding the preceding, we do love each other very much and love spending time together as a family. We have so much to be grateful for.
Anyway, time to start another draft.
With love and Christmas sentimentality,
The Hurtados
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