Dear family and friends:
As I write this letter, this century’s first decade is drawing to a close, and so is a year that has been difficult for so many people in our country and our world. So many have suffered as a result of what they’re calling the Great Recession, while others have struggled, and continue to struggle, with health, loss of loved ones and other challenges.
But life continues to be good in so many ways. In the Kratz family, we feel very blessed to be ringing out the old year together, with everyone happy, healthy and home.
We could not talk about this year’s many joys without first mentioning its greatest sadness: in August, just short of her 70th wedding anniversary, we lost Stacey’s grandma, Jessie Johnson, who died at age 89. Jessie was a noble spirit who lived her life to the fullest, dedicating it always to the things that are most important: home, family, relationships, God. Stacey felt very privileged to write her obituary, telling the story of this lady who was a real character: a true friend to every one of her posterity, a fierce advocate to have on your side and a formidable opponent if she wasn’t — family members who aren’t fans of BYU or the Utah Jazz know this is true! We received a great outpouring of love from those who knew and loved her, and from our own friends and neighbors, following Grandma’s death. And Greg and I continually marvel at Grandpa Orson’s strength and fortitude. We know he is lonesome, but he is moving forward with his life, is such a help to all of us whenever we need him and continues to be great company. He is a man I learn from whenever we are together, and I am so thankful he is in our lives.
This time last year, Greg and I were preparing for our trip to Hawaii with my parents, Ray and Kathy Johnson, and their friends, Ballard and Nancy Mauldin. We spent the last part of February there and it was … well, it was paradise. We had a wonderful time on O’ahu and Maui and spent most of our days either gasping at whales breaching out of the ocean, eating the world’s best shave ice at Honolulu’s Wailoa Store (or, in Greg’s case, eating loco moco; see a recipe here), marveling at the beauty all around us or kicking ourselves for not taking a trip sans kids much, much sooner (OK, Stacey also spent a lot of time shopping!). We had a great sitter and friend, Aracely Campbell, to take care of them back home, we did plenty of Skype calls so we could all see one another, and it worked out wonderfully. We definitely plan to find ways to get away and renew our relationship more often in the future, and we advise all of you couples out there to do the same!
Summer travels took us to Texas to see “Grammy and Ba” Johnson, where Emma and Grace attended basketball camp with our niece, DeDee Thomas, and her friend, Mallory Hubbard; and where the rest of us slotted ourselves in to the Texas groove and “enjoyed” the hot weather. Kate had a scary moment when she attempted a forward flip into Grammy and Ba’s pool, hit the side and cut the top of her head. One emergency-room visit later, she had six staples and we had some very large bills. But hey, it wouldn’t be a real vacation without at least one catastrophe, right?
During the Texas trip, Stac and the kids (Greg had to fly home after a week) spent a few days in Liberty, Mississippi, hometown of Brad Thomas, southern gentleman and husband of Stac’s sister, Jen. It was my first visit to the “Deep South.” We hung out in the backyard with Brad’s folks, Roy and Vivian, eating cold watermelon and ice cream while the kids played Slip-n-Slide. We took a day trip to New Orleans, which was beautiful, unique and decadent and where we ate the best crème brulée in these United States, at the Palace Café. We marveled at the extent of the swamps around New Orleans and enjoyed a visit to Brad’s Uncle Rayford, who lives in the woods, has little-boy-inspiring guns and four-wheelers and let us eat all the sweet blueberries we wanted off his bushes. Roy and Vivian were wonderful hosts who managed to cram 12 guests into a three-bedroom house, and did it with kindness and hospitality.
Also in Texas, Emma experienced her first church Girls’ Camp, a super-hot but also super-fun (and, she tells me, super spiritual!) princess-themed few days north of Houston with cousins DeDee and Hannah and our friend, Mallory. DeDee and Jen drove back from Texas with us and enjoyed a two-day stopover to see Greg’s folks, Bud and Marilyn Kratz, and his sister, Lisa, in South Dakota. We had dinner with Aunt Vi, Uncle Brooks and other family members and enjoyed some nice South Dakota summer weather (that’s not ALWAYS an oxymoron) with a walk around the golf course near Vi’s home, where we discovered a pond full of bullfrogs and heard their croaks for the first time in all of our lives. FYI: they really do sound like bulls.
Back home, Emma and DeDee enjoyed yet another church Girls’ Camp, this one sports-themed in the Utah mountains, which get pretty chilly at night. Yet again, they had a great time together, and we were sad to see Jen and DeDee fly home after just a few days here with us.
But we couldn’t be sad for long, as Grammy, Ba and Uncle Zach drove up to see us just a short time later, bringing Hannah with them just for fun. We spent most of their visit at their timeshare up in Park City, which I know is called a “winter paradise,” but which actually is a summer paradise: perfectly gorgeous weather, smaller crowds, wonderful scenery. Sadly, we won’t be spending many more summer weeks in Park City, but it’s for a wonderful reason: Grammy and Ba have purchased a great house with wonderful views in Midway, Utah (just a bit further from us than Park City). They plan to spend part of each year there following my dad’s retirement in early 2011. We are so excited at the thought of close-by grandparents we can barely stand it! In fact, Grace (who has long wished she was actually Grammy and Ba’s child) is basically planning to live there with them while they’re here. Not sure how that will work out!
We squeezed in one more trip, a September jaunt to California, where we stayed in Newport Beach at another of Grammy and Ba’s timeshares, meaning that in one year we took advantage of every one of their timeshares: Hawaii, Utah, California! Thanks, guys, for the free lodging! In Cali, we visited with Stac’s grandpa, Tom Taylor, and her uncle, James; hit the beach and took a harbor tour; and went to work with Aunt Cassie up in Riverside, where we toured her courtroom and pretended to be judges and attorneys. Weirdly, that was one of the kids’ favorite parts of the trip! Should I be worried?
As this year drew to a close, another big milestone occurred in our family: Greg was released from his calling as bishop of the Sandy Midvalley 1st Ward of the LDS Church after nearly five years of service. This was a bittersweet event, bringing both sadness and relief as well as both excitement and uncertainty about where life will take us next, and it capped a year of real change for him both professionally and personally (see his profile here).
We just enjoyed Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Kratz and Aunt Lisa, and we did an interesting exercise before eating our meal that day: everyone filled out a paper discussing various things for which we feel grateful. We all were struck by the fact that our deepest gratitude was for things that aren’t things: enduring and close family relationships, enjoying life day to day, time with people and activities that are meaningful to us. This Christmas, we want to add to our list of gratitude the Savior Jesus Christ, who is a beacon of hope, strength and joy to our family this season and always.
That your holiday will be a time of peace and joy, and that 2011 will bring you wonderful things, is our wish for you this Christmas!
Love,
The Kratzes: Greg, Stacey, Emma, Grace, Kate and Max
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