December 2023 Newsletter
Hello and happy new year!
We hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well in the initial days of 2024. December certainly turned out to be an eventful month for us: We can't recall the last time we had seven blog posts in a single month (or if that's even happened before at all)!
It was a wild ride with lots of ups and downs—although not even the darkest moments stood a chance at overshadowing the brightness that Odin has brought into our lives. (And yeah, yeah: We got to hang out with our loved ones for Christmas, too... but is any one of our loved ones perpetually winking like Odin is? No. So, how could they even compare?!)
Kidding aside, we seem to be back on track with the house and the Kutztown property (after having our hopes and dreams pureed into a slurry of despair for the first 99.9% of the month, of course). We're on the mend from Athennia's flu and Kevin's cold. Riley and Taylor are doing well in school. Our Christmas was an absolute blast. And the cats are getting along famously.
So, things are largely pretty terrific at the moment :)
Here are last month's adventures...
He Is Siamese If You Please...
We went for the trifecta and brought this adorable little guy home at the beginning of the month. Despite the rough life he had before we found him, Odin Sigfrid is about the bravest, happiest little furball you could ever meet!
Season's Bleatings
Odin and Penny became roommates; Kevin fantasized about adopting a highway and doing litter control; T-Mobile stiffed us $0.01; and we had front-row seats at "What NOT to Do during a Grease Fire!" (Also, Lou and Taylor's household finally imploded in a swift and maybe-for-the-better fashion.)
I Would Walk 5.00 Miles
Athennia and Kevin hiked Five Mile Woods and had a remarkably uneventful weeks-long cold war with their loan officer. Meanwhile, some of the condiments that live in our apartment complex may find their expiration dates arriving sooner than they had imagined.
23andMe, 23andUs
We spent Christmas Eve... eve... with Kevin's family, and then forced Riley to open all her presents two days early. (And yes, she was every bit as devastated as you'd imagine.)
Good Grief, Chuck Sepia!
Since we have no fear of the "Danger Dam" at Tyler State Park, the universe conspired to maim us in half a dozen other ways and even tried to ruin Christmas by dropping a sequoia on our favorite park bench. But, the joke was on the universe when we channeled our inner Charlie Brown to adapt, overcome, and save the day.
Christ-más, Por Favor!
Felis Navidad during Christmas brunch and exchanging gifts with Kevin's family; then Athennia popped in to wish Lou a merry Christmas as well before cooking us all a scrumptious Christmas dinner.
A Garden Variety Hike... and a Hail Mary
Athennia and Kevin hiked Tyler Park again, with a trek up to see the [winterized but still beautiful] gardens at Bucks County Community College. Then our loan officer finally pulled through at the 11th hour, and Athennia waged psychological war on our atrocious downstairs neighbors.
And, of course, lots and lots of cat pics: In this month's edition, three feline deities team up to figure out how to best govern the universe!
And that's it for last month and last year alike! We're excited to see what adventures 2024 has in store for us; and, as Athennia noted at the end of the final post for December,
Here's hoping 2024 sees us continuing to make our escape from this place and heading to "greener pastures" (in a more literal sense than most people use that expression!)
Cheers for now,
Kevin & Athennia & Riley & Taylor