Merry Christmas 2022

Merry Christmas 2022

from the Barrett Family!

Hello to family, friends, and all loved ones both near and far. As you all probably know, one of 2022's most memorable events has been INFLATION! We decided to cut corners a bit during this holiday season and send out our family Christmas letter exclusively in electronic form. We hope you don't mind! But we love you all, and wish you the very best this holiday season, and throughout the coming year. The last couple of years have been filled with trial and tension throughout the world; in spite of that, we have found many things for which to be grateful, and hope you have too! We hope to remember our many blessings at this time of year, and hope to use our blessings and opportunities to make the world around us a better place, one little bit at a time.

Our family spent most of 2022 trying to keep up with our growing girls and their increasingly busy schedules! With all three daughters in junior high or high school, we were frequently kept on the run, trying to navigate a variety of school commitments, extracurricular activities, and church events. Things got even busier in the fall, with a job change for Nathan (more on that in a minute), a part-time job for our oldest, and keeping up with two high-schoolers in the family, including one senior (yikes!).

The girls (and mom) did find time in March to participate in the 69th annual Tucson Ensemble Concert, a large piano recital held at the University of Arizona. All three girls played multiple pieces, and Adrianne was on the planning committee for the event. It was wonderful to be back inside a proper concert hall in 2022, after being forced to perform outside in 2021 due to COVID.

Lorelai and Celeste were also able to attend an FSY (For the Strength of Youth) conference in June, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a wonderful, faith-building experience for them, and their friendships with their peers was strengthened as well. Hopefully Aurora will be able to attend the next time an FSY conference comes to town!

For many reasons (including rising fuel/food prices), most of our focus this year has been on events close to home; we didn't travel much as a family (although some of us took individual trips)! Most of our time was spent locally. One major exception was Spring Break 2022, when we took a trip to southern California and visited three theme parks in three days!

Nathan, Celeste, and Aurora visited Six Flags Magic Mountain the first day (Lorelai and Adrianne spent this day on the beach, not being huge fans of roller coasters). The following day was Universal Studios Hollywood as a family, complete with a trip to Hogwarts, Springfield, Waterworld, Jurassic Park, and a bunch of other cool imaginary places.

Our final theme park day was a (very busy!) St. Patrick's Day celebration in Knotts Berry Farm. It was a tiring few days, but we had a lot of exciting experiences and some good family-bonding time. This trip was long-deferred due to COVID, but we were happy to finally go someplace FUN and EXCITING after a long time stuck at home.

Loosening travel & public-health restrictions also meant that Adrianne's parents were able to come to Arizona for the first time since before COVID; it was wonderful to host them in our home again! We hope to do a little more traveling in 2023.

Nathan had a year both poignant and exciting, full of unexpected changes. After completing his Human Resources Certification at Pima Community College last year, he was anticipating a transition to HR Director at Pima Association of Governments, where he has worked the last eleven years. Instead, a variety of work drama both inside PAG and outside prompted him to seek out opportunities elsewhere. After a few months of fasting, praying, and waiting, Nathan accepted a job that he's long been interested in...and it's less than a ten-minute drive from home! (Fifteen, if you take our electric scooter...which Nathan often does.) In October, he began work as a Management Analyst for the Town of Sahuarita. He works in the office of the Town Manager, and acts as an advisor and an assistant for a variety of projects/surveys/procedures/etc. Even though Nathan misses working at PAG, he is optimistic about his new job in Sahuarita...plus, he loves the easy new commute (and so does his busy family)!

In other news, Nathan served faithfully as our ward's Gospel Doctrine teacher for a long time...until this last spring, when he transitioned to being a Primary teacher! The kids in his class love him and he is enjoying the change in his Sunday routine. In what spare time he has, Nathan enjoys puzzling, reading, watching TV, obsessing about food, and acting as a general manager/counselor/spiritual leader to the rest of the family. We are so grateful for all his sacrifices and hope his 2023 is filled with satisfaction and success!

Adrianne continues to chug along, keeping busy with (probably too many) projects. She's starting to feel her mortality a bit; she spent much of January laid up with COVID (and became an expert on "The Great British Baking Show" in the process). But after her recovery, she hasn't slowed down much. She's constantly moving between her two part-time jobs (teaching K-5 music at Great Expectations Academy, and teaching private piano lessons at home) and her two main volunteer organizations (Vice President and Treasurer of Walden Grove High School's Music Boosters--practically a part-time job in itself!--and a member of the Tucson Music Teacher's Association).

Oh, and she got glasses too! She's officially getting old.

Somewhere in all that, Adrianne also drives her children back and forth to various church, band, sports, and theater activities (although she has become a pro at begging other people to drive her children places. Should that be considered a talent? Or another part-time job??). With a schedule so busy, she gets her relaxation in where she can. She still reads voraciously and has been known to stream a TV show or three. She also enjoys playing piano as the ward choir accompanist, and (occasionally) teaching a bunch of high schoolers during our stake's Missionary Prep classes. She sometimes thinks she should actually cultivate her friendships and spend more time with her friends, before they all forget about her in their mutual rush to raise teenagers. Hopefully she will be a more mindful friend and citizen in 2023!

Lorelai is growing up so fast, her parents can barely keep up! She enjoys staying (very!) busy, while at the same time stressing out (and loudly complaining) about how busy she is. Sound familiar? Now that she is a licensed-to-drive upperclassman, she is zipping around all over town. In March, Lorelai got her first part-time job; she is a dining-room server at La Posada, a local assisted-living center. We have missed seeing her around the house as often; however, we are so proud of her ability to juggle an AP/Honors class schedule and busy extracurricular schedule.

Lorelai's 2022 has been a whirlwind of excitement and accomplishment. In February, she qualified for the AMEA Regional high-school orchestra, playing as one of the few horns in that band. She is still an active participant in band, attending both Jazz Band (first trombone) and Wind Ensemble (first trombone) classes every day. She was also the Low Brass Captain for the school's marching band season this fall, and she had a lengthy baritone solo in the marching program as well. It was thrilling to see her get the spotlight! Her band did well at most of their competitions, winning a few and taking sixth place overall (out of 31 teams) at the state championships. She has taken on additional responsibilities in the National Honors Society (she is now the secretary), and is also a member of Tri-M (the national honors society for music students).

Of course, the "elephant in the room" is Lorelai's impending graduation...we can't believe she only has five more months until she finishes high school and prepares to leave the nest! In early August, Lorelai and Adrianne took a short trip up north to tour a few college campuses. It was a good opportunity for her to learn more about other universities, and see what sorts of things are priorities to her.

Lorelai has already been accepted to the "Big Three" colleges in Arizona (University of Arizona, Arizona State, and Northern Arizona University), with substantial scholarship offerings from multiple universities! She is still waiting to hear back on a couple of out-of-state options, so 2023 will be a very interesting time as we learn where her future will take her. Lorelai is a driven, intelligent, funny, good-hearted person, and we are so proud of all she has accomplished. Her future looks bright and we can't wait to cheer her on as she moves into young adulthood.

Celeste is, as always, our easygoing, ray-of-sunshine middle child, the one who makes friends wherever she goes and never fails to raise the family spirits. She has had an eventful year full of changes, and she is finding ways to be more independent and forge her own path in life. In the winter, she took private piano lessons with Teri Dietrich, a local teacher (and friend!) who helped Celeste really improve her performance skills and technique. She has become a very skilled piano player, who is unafraid of tackling large and complex pieces. 

She's also grown a lot as a saxophone player! As the lead tenor sax in GEA's Blue Band, Celeste was a great mentor to the younger, less experienced saxophonists throughout the year. She was one of the band officers and had a lot of experience leading the band during fundraising & other events throughout the year. A highlight was the band's trip to California in April, which included a performance at the Fullerton Music Festival (including a great solo!). The festival was followed by a day at the beach, playing on the boardwalk, then (later) a visit to Knott's Berry Farm. Yes, you heard that right...Celeste, Aurora, and Mom all visited Knott's Berry Farm twice in two months. I'm sure you're all jealous.

Celeste graduated from Great Expectations Academy in May; she was one of the top students in her class. We were so proud of her strong finish there, after a rough couple of years in middle school (much of which was tainted by COVID). Celeste just finished her first semester of high school; so far, she loves being a Walden Grove student! She has quickly adapted to the new schedule and class load (she's taking mostly honors courses); she has made many new friends and revels in the "drama" of high school; she can't wait to tell us all about who said what about whom, and who is dating whom NOW, etc. She is also thriving in band; she made Jazz Band as a freshman and is learning a lot there. She also LOVED marching band in the fall (to Adrianne's surprise; she wasn't sure Celeste would enjoy the physical exertion)! But Celeste loved being part of a big "team" with a common purpose; she will undoubtedly enjoy it next season as well.

Throughout all the changes, Celeste has continued to be a thoughtful, loyal friend, and a caring sister to both Lorelai and Aurora. We are so blessed that our daughters all love & support one another! Celeste also became a new pet owner, when a friend gifted her a rat (something she's long hoped to own!). In 2023, Celeste hopes to add private saxophone lessons to her calendar, as well as working either pit orchestra or backstage crew for one of our upcoming youth theater productions. She just turned fifteen, so we know that a driver's permit is now only a few short months away, along with job possibilities. Yikes, that was fast! Through it all, I hope Celeste never stops being a caring, understanding friend, sister, and daughter.

Aurora may be the "baby" of the family, but 2022 was the year she officially became taller than her sisters (and maybe Mom, too). She is only twelve-going-on-thirteen, but she is taller than Celeste and Lorelai, and she isn't done growing yet! She loves being one of the tallest kids in her class (she often wears heels or big shoes to exaggerate the effect); she tells me that her "goal" is to be 5'8" someday. I'm not sure that's how that works, but I love that Aurora is always dreaming big and reaching high.

Aurora's competitive, perfectionist spirit often finds fulfillment in athletic competition. This year, her club soccer team (the SASC Cardinals) started playing in state-league tournaments against highly ranked teams. The good news: The competition level was much higher than her previous tournament season, and her playing skills improved greatly as a result. The bad news: Most of her games are now held in Phoenix, which makes for some long days of driving. She also did a weekend tournament in Flagstaff in May, which was a great experience (even if the altitude left her a little tired out). Once school was out, Aurora discovered another sport she wants to try: volleyball! In June, she enrolled in not one, but TWO volleyball camps--one of which was hosted at the University of Arizona. She learned a lot in a short amount of time. 

But not everything in Aurora's life revolves around sports! She also loves playing trumpet in the Blue Jazz Band at Great Expectations Academy. She was playing the first trumpet position last spring when the band visited California last April; and she has split that duty with a friend during this school year so far. She has come a long way in learning that instrument, and also made great progress in her piano lessons. (she is set to perform at the Ensemble Concert once again in 2023). Aurora cares very much about her grades and works hard to be near the top of her class.

Over the summer, Aurora was able to take a fun "cousin trip" to Colorado, to spend the Fourth of July weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Nash as well as her cousin Caroline from Massachusetts. They attended a major-league soccer game, went shopping, got manicures, and had an all-around great time. And in the fall (on top of all her OTHER activities), Aurora auditioned for the local youth theater production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown." She was given the role of "Lucinda" and got to appear in a lot of song & dance numbers. She learned a lot and had a wonderful time! As you can tell, our youngest is a girl who likes to keep busy. In 2023, she will continue that trend. Starting in January, she will be playing on a club soccer team AND a league volleyball team at the SAME TIME! She also hopes to take a refereeing course and earn some extra money as a line judge for local soccer matches. Let's hope she doesn't get too tired out.

Thanks for reading our letter! All of the Barretts wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy the rest of 2022!