Merry Christmas 2021, From The Barretts!

 

Merry Christmas from the Barretts 2021!

The Barrett family spent a large part of 2021 RECOVERING from 2020; much of the winter & spring was still spent in semi-quarantine, with no jobs/school/etc. outside the house. When "real life" started again (somewhere in March or April? It's hard to pinpoint), it seemed to come all at once! We were no longer used to "going places" and "doing stuff" (a feeling many of you may be familiar with, after 2020). As this year progressed, we managed to shake off our intertia and accomplish some great things, in spite of our sluggish start. 2021 has been a challenging one, but it has also been a year filled with joy, gratitude, and love. After last year, we have become more aware of blessings we've taken for granted. We've learned to look out more for one another and humbly admit it when we need help. We have been reminded of the great value of family & friends. We hope to always be more aware of (and grateful for) the many amazing things in our lives!

WARNING: Lots of pictures/videos from 2021 on the way!

The first "big event" of 2021 for our family was in April; it was the 68th annual TMTA Piano Ensemble Concert. Because of COVID, it had to be held outside, but it was still a successful event!

The girls practiced their pieces hard and everyone sounded lovely. Adrianne was on the event's planning committee and so she was present for all rehearsals/etc. None of us had ever attended an OUTDOOR piano recital, so it was at least a memorable experience.

 

In July, we had a family reunion with the Nashes in July at YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado. We rented a huge family cabin and we all loved it! Everyone loved hanging out together in the cabin and bonding together as a family.

There was a little something for everyone at the YMCA (hiking, horseback riding, swimming, roller skating, arts & crafts, tubing, ropes courses, zip lines, indoor games, etc). We had a busy but very exciting few days! It was great to have new adventures, and to share them as a family.

 

We also took a short trip across the border in October to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco), Mexico. It was only a few short days, but it was a welcome respite from our hectic fall season.

While in Rocky Point, we laid around on the beach, eating lots of tacos and doing as little as possible! Well, we did do a FEW things:

The girls took a ride on one of the "banana boats" hanging out along the shore. We also went four-wheeling along the nearby sand dunes, and strolled a bit through town. It was a great family outing; we all thought it ended too soon!

Here are some of our "greatest hits" from the rest of the year:

Nathan is on the verge of earning his Human Resources Certification from Pima Community College…his final class concludes this month! He is excited about the new career opportunities this will create for him. He is currently still working at PAG in downtown Tucson, where his office is still (mostly) empty a lot of the time. The biggest excitement he experienced this year was unexpected oral surgery; one of his teeth cracked in half while eating soup! (Actually, biting down on a chicken bone, but soup sounds funnier). It was an ordeal to install his new, "bionic" tooth, but we will probably all be laughing about it in a few years.

Nathan also serves as a Gospel Doctrine teacher in our ward, and spends most of his spare time working on puzzles & listening to audio-books. We love his great example and his sacrifices for us all, and we tolerate his many “dad jokes.”

Adrianne kept herself busy this year with a variety of jobs & volunteer work. She helped out on the Ensemble Committee for the annual TMTA Piano Ensemble Concert, and is on the committee again for the 2022 concert. She is also the Vice President of Walden Grove High School’s Music Booster organization. Adrianne is especially happy to be back working as a K-5 music teacher at Great Expectations Academy, and did we mention she is still teaching private piano lessons from home?

Whew! Somehow, in all that, she still finds time to “taxi” kids back & forth, read a lot of books, and teach Mission Prep to local LDS teens a couple of times a month. Adrianne loves her family, and she is especially excited to be celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary with Nathan at the end of 2021! Hooray! They are getting pretty decent at this marriage thing.

 

Lorelai has reached her junior year of high school (already!), and has been so busy that seeing her is a rare treat. She worked hard all spring and summer at getting driving practice, finally earning her driver’s license in August. Now she can drive herself around!

 She has had a lot on her plate this fall; Homecoming, hanging out with friends, three AP classes, National Honors Society service projects, church activities, and of course marching band.

 Despite having very little band in 2020 and early 2021, the marching season was successful beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. The Red Wolf Regiment ended up as the Division 2A Runner-Up for the state of Arizona (2^nd out of 26 schools) in the state competition this November! Lorelai just took her SATs in December; she is clearly looking ahead to even bigger things in the future.

Celeste had a rocky start to 2021, but has recovered nicely as COVID restrictions have lifted. She loves being with friends and loves to serve others; this was proven time & time again in 2021, as she would bring “care packages” and notes of encouragements to friends who were either quarantined with COVID, or else who were having personal struggles. Her empathy, friendliness, and love are great examples to us all! She is doing well in eighth grade so far (she even helps her Algebra teacher grade papers & help younger students).

 

Celeste is also back in the Blue (advanced) Band at Great Expectations Academy, playing tenor sax and mentoring younger band members. She also started private piano lessons outside the home and is blossoming as a performer! We love Celeste for all that she does for us and the joy she brings to our home.

Aurora’s soccer team practiced informally through the fall of 2020 and the winter of 2021, even though there was no official season. It was so beneficial to all the girls to be outside playing and exercising!

 Her team is now part of the Cardinals soccer club organization, and her team just became division champs for the fall season. Besides kicking the ball around, Aurora has taken up the trumpet and joined GEA’s Blue Jazz Band; she is having a lot of fun learning that instrument! She also continues to take piano and has progressed a lot in 2021.

 And even though she didn’t get to play “Young Elsa” in the community theater production of “Frozen,” Aurora still managed to get a role as an Arendelle Townsperson in the “revival” of the show (a community-based production with an older cast). She had a great time and hopes to do more plays in the future. She is in sixth grade now (wow!), and is sometimes overwhelmed by her homework but has good grades so far!

 If you've made it this far in the blog post...thank you for reading about our family's adventures! We love you all & wish you a healthy & safe 2022. We have a lot coming up (a possible promotion for Nathan; a high school senior (eek!) AND a new high school freshman; a possible family vacation to California in the spring); we are eager to see what 2022 brings our way. See you next year!