The Annual Christmas Letter, in Blog Form

So...I sent Christmas cards this week. Simple postcards with a picture that Bill's dad took Thanksgiving Day.  If you had the pleasure of seeing the picture, my face pretty much says it all....it says, "I have had it up to my eyeballs with teenagers". That's an understatement (and a pretty accurate statement about my life). Ha ha.  Anyway, since I saved everyone the pain and torture of reading my annual Christmas letter, I decided that I should blog it instead. *the crowd moans*  The beauty of this is, you won't feel guilty if you decide not to read on, like you would if I printed it out and mailed it to you.  Without further adieu...

2014...Was it a great year?  Yeah, I would say that it was.  Was it full of challenges, parenting and otherwise?  You bet your sweet potatoes it was.  But the McGann Clan (at least my little section of it) is somewhat intact, no worse for the wear, prepared to take on 2015.

So what's the news that's fit to print?

Riley seems to be the topic of conversation these days, as he is wrapping up his high school career and trying to figure out what happens next.  I will start by saying, whoops! Boy, was I unprepared for the SAT, the college application process, and the whole senior year thing in general.  I don't remember it being so complicated 25 years ago.  Back then, I filled out the applications, sent them in, and hoped for the best.  We have now visited three schools, all with lots to offer, and are waiting patiently for news of acceptance from one of them.  He still may apply to a couple more, but time is running out on us.  He just took the SAT one more time to try and get his scores up.  What a nightmare, the standardized test.  The other possibility is that Riley goes to our local community college for the first year, then transfers somewhere else.  Who knows?  Certainly not me.  Please keep your fingers crossed that he ends up where he is supposed to be.

And now, exactly three paragraphs in, I shall digress.  This past weekend I spent hours watching old video tapes of the boys, mostly from when Riley was three and Liam a bit younger than one.  I sat and cried like a baby as I watched.  How fast it has all gone, how quickly they came and 'went' in our lives.  I know they haven't really gone, but figuratively speaking they have.  They've grown up and they just don't need us much anymore.  Sure, when they need gas money or a ride somewhere they are happy to call on us, but they are independent creatures for the most part.  My whole point in all of this?  It's linked back to the question of the hour.  Where is he (Riley) supposed to be?  When they were toddlers, it was so easy to make all of their decisions for them.  Now, I just have to close my eyes and let them fly.  I can't help Riley figure out his next move.  I have to hope that we've got him to a place where he can do just that...figure it out.  In the mean time, if you need me, I'll be in my bedroom with a big box of 8mm tapes and a box of tissues, trying to catch a glimpse of yesteryear.  Here's a cute video of Liam when he was a beautiful roly-poly bundle of joy (I've blanked out the months of colic and screaming)...

Speaking of Liam, I just spoke to his lacrosse coach on the phone today and was thrilled to hear that both he and his brother have come a long way on the field.  According to Coach, they will be welcome contributors to the George Steinbrenner High School Lacrosse team this year.  They both played last Spring, and played on a competitive travel team Summer and Fall.  As we gear up for another high school season, I am grateful that they both found something they really like.  Growing up, they have played soccer and tennis and baseball and football, but nothing really stuck.  LAX is different.  Here are a few shots from our last tournament...

Liam plays defense, and Riley is in goal, which is really cool because occasionally they're on the field at the same time, working towards the same objective...to get that ball back down the field.  I still haven't figured out all the rules of the game, but it sure is fun to watch.

When he's not on the LAX field or hanging out with his friends, Liam is with Naomi, the love of his life.  They are totes adorbs (totally adorable) and just celebrated their one year anniversary.  When asked about where he is planning to go to college, he defers to her.  At this point, it appears that it will be a decision they make together.  I had hoped, once upon a time, that he might head to my alma mater.  Not likely.  As long as he is happy and challenged and heading in a direction, I will be okay with whatever decision he makes.  Luckily, we have a couple years before he's off and running.  That being said, it will be here in a flash.

Why, oh why, does life have to go so darn fast?  I remember being twenty like it was yesterday, and I remember thinking that 40-year-olds were ancient.  Here I am.  43 going on 50, with kids about to leave for college.  Wowza.  Wouldn't change a thing, just wish I could slow it down a bit.

Which brings us to Keira.  Funny, independent, super smart, and giant-hearted.  Love her with every ounce of my being.  I have often thought about what our lives would be like if we hadn't decided to go for a girl.  She is a light for all of us.  And while her brothers are too busy living their own lives to pay her much attention, I know that down the road they will all be thick as thieves.

She is sarcastic when she needs to be, clever always, and at times she is a typical grumpy prepubescent ten-year-old.  As we quickly approach middle school, we are scrambling to figure out where she will go next year.  Similar to Riley, we've narrowed it down to three, possibly four schools.  The one we really want is an IB (International Baccalaureate) school.  Only problem is that they have 350 spots for over 1,000 applicants.  Definitely need a Plan B and C.

Keira enjoys hanging with her friends, and she is active in Girl Scouts.  She is a Junior this year and will cross over to Cadette next year.  I am hopeful that she will stick with it into her high school years.  She is a self-proclaimed nerd and truly doesn't care what other people think of her.  This is a good thing.  She hasn't really found a sport that she loves yet, but we are in talks to get her started playing lacrosse.  Love these photos that she and her friend Kennedy took a few weeks ago.  May they always be silly and carefree.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Mr. Bill...the guy that makes it all possible...the father/husband whom we can be incredibly proud of.  He works like a dog to take care of us, and he keeps us on the straight and narrow.  Ha ha.  Keira often says that while I need to reel it in a bit, Dad needs to loosen up a little.  Guess that's why we work so well together.  We will celebrate 18 years together in 2015, which doesn't seem possible.  It's been a far cry from easy, but it's definitely gotten easier.

Bill is still working as the CFO for ARMA Global, a government contractor that does government stuff.  That's the extent of my ability to describe what he does.  Here's the website... http://www.arma-global.com/.  The company was actually sold this year, but Bill will stay on through the transition period.  After that, well...who knows.  Fingers crossed, he will find something in Tampa, at least for the next several years.

The only picture I can find of Bill at the moment is one of him sleeping.  And well-deserved sleep it is...

Our long-term plan and/or dream remains the same...to get back on the other side of the pond in the next 3-5 years.  Where, when, and how remains to be seen.  I am up for the next great adventure, be that Budapest or Bucharest...Prague or Sofia.  It would be nice to be in Central/Eastern Europe, but I'm not picky.  We have enjoyed our time in Florida, but I think I can speak for Bill and myself when I say that it still feels like that layover on a long journey...we landed here but we've never really planted ourselves.  We haven't settled in and made friends like we did in Budapest, although we were spoiled there with the amazing expat community.  Nonetheless, we wouldn't change the time we've had here and the opportunity it's given us to spend time with our parents.

I suppose I can't wrap it up without mentioning the dogs :)  What can I say?  We are a family of five with five dogs.  It's a circus, that's for sure.  Bea turned 14 in September and continues to be the alpha female.  Fifi is Keira's dog and is happy to play second fiddle to Bea.  The other three boys are as rotten as the day is long and are glued to me.  I can't go to the bathroom without at least four of them watching, it's rather unnerving truth be told. Ha ha.  In all seriousness, I love them, just not sure what in the HELL we were thinking when we acquired this many.  Here they are...

 Weeman

Peanut

Zsolti 

 Bea 

 Fifi

Guess that's about it for the re-cap.  We are all alive and well and ready for whatever is next.  What's next happens to be the madness which is Christmas, followed by a week of skiing in Park City, Utah.  Looking forward to the cold weather and hot cocoa.  No matter how long I might stay in Florida, I will never ever get used to celebrating Christmas here.  It's just weird.

Sending all our love to you and yours, and best wishes for a fantastic 2015.
xoxo.
Bill, Kerry, Riley, Liam, and Keira
(and dogs)