My Perfect Family Christmas Letter

Well, friends and family, here we are again at the end of the year and what a glorious year it has been! I’ve just finished wrapping the last Christmas present with some homemade wrapping paper I made. I gathered a few fresh greens from the backyard to adorn the presents and I think we are ready to go. We will be celebrating Christmas at home on the 25th, making it by both sets of grandparents on the 26th and 27th before heading to Maui for a few days of rest and relaxation. We’ve not gotten to be in our home in Kaanapali nearly as much as we’d like to in 2005, but have really enjoyed our place in Newport this year and look forward to some really good skiing at the St. Moritz condo in February. I know…I know…condo living can be such a bore, but the great skiing and fine shopping make up for the cramped quarters and limited staff. Can you believe I’m expected to maintain 5,000 square feet with a staff of only 4! I guess I just love a challenge!

Kelly’s work has been exhilarating for him this year. He’s been quite busy with special projects here and there, but thankfully has not missed any of Blake’s concerts. One of his biggest accomplishments that he was happy about was helping to lower Blake’s handicap to 5. Musically speaking, we have really enjoyed this year of instruction with Van and feel that Blake’s progress is superb for a 2 year old. Blake is currently working on Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody 6 and is having the time of his life! We’ve enjoyed our practice sessions at the Cliburn’s and especially Blake’s getting to play at one of their holiday celebrations. Blake also enjoys his polo classes but seems to be really taken with his new pitching coach. Blake’s change-up is really beginning to take shape and Nolan thinks that he should have it by opening day in the Spring. We have had several private institutions contact us attempting to convince us to enroll Blake in their early childhood program, but with our commitment to his sports, music, and the time he takes to read to other 2 year olds at the homeless shelter, we simply do not have time for preschool. Blake continues to amaze the professors at the University with his intuition in foreign language. It was fun for him to serve as President Bush’s translator during the meetings with President Hu Jintao in Beijing in November.

I am really enjoying this holiday season and looking back on the last year, I realize how truly blessed we have been. Working on the Board of the American Cancer Society has really reminded me how important it is to appreciate your health. I was so thankful to be in a position to co-author a paper on ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, and the Nobel Prize nomination was such a bonus. It truly is an honor just to be nominated.

We hope that 2005 has been a blessing to your family too. We invite you all to join us on our new boat whenever possible during 2006. We’ve only taken her out once, but it was a nice trip around the Cape. We were thrilled to learn to communicate with dolphins and even were lucky enough to find a new region of deep-water volcanoes. We’d love to share the sailing experience with any of you that can work it into your schedule.

So, from our household to yours, all the blessings of the season and may your New Year be prosperous.

The Morrisons