Remembering 2020

Remembering 2020

2020 has truly been a year for the record books! It was the best of times -- we are healthy and safe, as are our kids and their families, and we safely welcomed two new grandsons into the family. But it was also the worst of times -- with national civil unrest, divisive politics and elections and the global Covid 19 pandemic. We have transitioned from the world of shaking hands, hugs, and normal interactions with people in person, to the world of "social distancing," wearing masks in public, no live music or entertainment or gatherings, no travel, and conducting personal and business interactions via zoom.

Here are some key photos from our year, and updates on our children below. As we reflect on the ups and downs we have all been through this year, we are grateful for the scriptural promise that "all these things shall give [us] experience and shall be for [our] good... [and our] adversity and afflictions shall be but a small moment" in the scheme of things. Actually, we've come to see many things "for our good" that have come from this year and are grateful for all the tender mercies and lessons learned that we'll never forget.

We trust that 2021 will witness the passing of many challenges and the restoration of a brightness of hope in all of our lives. We send wishes for a bright new 2021 to everyone! Love from Steve and Jeanne 

 2020 Memories

Before Covid hit, in January we were loving visiting Bryan & Veronica's new baby Desmond around New Year's Day, and then taking a trip to Kauai. 

 

But soon stark reality hit. We went into self-quarantine March 11 when Covid 19 was declared a global pandemic. Utah woke up when the NBA shut down just after we'd attended a Jazz game where it turns out two Jazz players had Covid. 

Then within days on March 18, Salt Lake was hit with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake! Steve was rowing on the indoor rowing machine and Jeanne was jarred from a deep sleep. We're on floor 17 of 30. The building shook and swayed like it was going to collapse. Aftershocks continued for days, revealed by our "seismographic" pendant lights in the kitchen swaying wildly with each aftershock. Fortunately, our building came through the earthquake with little damage, but we did have a fire in the basement a couple days later and had to run down 17 flights! Across the street--look closely--Angel Moroni lost his trumpet... a foreboding sign for the year to come. 

Angel Moroni loses his trumpet!

2019 - Saying Goodbye to a Wonderful Decade!

Our big family events this year were Cara's marriage, the birth of our 7th grandchild, and celebrating our 40th anniversary!

2019 was our second year in Salt Lake, and our transition to non-coast living continues.  We especially love the cultural and social activities in Utah, most of which are in walking distance from our apartment in City Creek.  And the mountains, the mountains surrounding you and always raising your sights upward!  After growing up here, then living other places for almost 40 years, we feel like we're comfortably home. And how nice it is to be close to more family and old friends!

See updates on our kids below.

Love, Steve and Jeanne.

The view from our new apartment on floor 17.  A moonlit Temple Square in its full splendor before the 2020 demolition and restoration begin.

Cara's wedding was such an exciting reunion and celebration for our family!

Bryan, Dan, Cara, Mike, Dave

Flower girls Molly, Kate, & Helena

40th Wedding Anniversary!

June 8 marked our 40th wedding anniversary--where did the time go? It has been an amazing run.  We have lived in many places and done a lot of things.  We are most grateful for our five children, their wonderful spouses and the fine individuals they are. Our family is our greatest treasure!

June 8, 2019.  40th anniversary portrait - swimming with the turtles on Maui.

Steve's job came to an unexpected end this year due to a surprise restructuring.  It looks like he'll be doing some consulting, and he was asked to serve in the bishopric of our ward.  The ward has about 650 members, and keeping track of events and needs in the ward is pretty much a full-time responsibility.  But life's pace has slowed and we're loving the slower tempo and more quality time together.  We're getting used to rowing on the Great Salt Lake's salty swells, and Steve was able to get his bike tuned up and did lots of rides out to the Great Salt Lake and points north along the mountains.

Jeanne continues her work as president and co-founder of the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, now in its 15th year, with co-founder Marlene Portnoy.  DTRF has made great progress in its objective to find a cure.  Two promising new drugs are in trial, and the trial for a third has been completed, which we hope will soon lead to the first FDA-approved drug in this rare disease. 

Probably the highlight of 15 years of work.  Meeting with Springworks Therapeutics, the company bringing a new promising desmoid tumor treatment to Phase 3 trial. 

Steve's mother, Lora Whiting, celebrated her 97th birthday this year.  It is a blessing to be here and regularly spend time with her, benefitting from her love and kindness and wisdom gained in almost a century of life. 

We took a trip with her to Delta, Utah to see her childhood home and town.

Mike and Kathryn in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Mike and Kathryn, with Quinn, 9, West, 7, and Hayes, almost 4, are loving their second year in Denver area.  Mike took a new job with JP Morgan doing corporate finance deals.  The job will involve a lot of travel, but they will always prioritize weekends in the Colorado mountains.  

Thanksgiving

Cara and Eric in Richmond, Virginia

Cara married Eric Gladfelter on November 2 in a small private ceremony in Richmond, Virginia.  The fall weather and gardens were a beautiful setting at the historic Richmond Valentine Museum, and they had an adventurous honeymoon in Costa Rica.  Cara and Eric have shared many adventures this year, including rock climbing (where they met in 2018), biking, hiking, and visiting friends and family.  They are in Richmond where Cara continues to enjoy her work as a physical therapist and Eric works as an actuarial analyst for Markel. 

Engagement at the James River in Richmond

Trip to Moab and Arches

Alpine Loop

Antelope Island

Dan and Sonia in Denver

Sonia took a new job with the Denver Public School system and Dan continues to work for B Braun, a medical technology company that manufactures and installs devices that save patients through TPN nutrition. 

At Silver Lake in Brighton 

Dave and Kylie in Hamden, Connecticut

We loved spending their last Christmas in Connecticut with Dave & Kylie and Kate, 4, and Molly, 2. Dave will complete his residency at Yale in June and after 8 years of training (dental school and residency), will begin working as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.  Excited is an understatement for the whole family! Kate has a zest for just about everything (preschool, friends, toys, and treats).  Molly is really good at being 2.  She changes her outfit on average 10 times a day and wants to do everything her big sister does.  Kylie manages the chaos at home like a champ while Dave has continued with his crazy hours.  They are grateful for their time in Connecticut and look forward to a new beginning this Summer (Location TBD!)

Bryan and Veronica in Fairfax, Virginia

On November 19, Bryan and Veronica welcomed their second child, Desmond Grow Whiting.  He was a week early and still weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz.  Helena, age 2, is a great big sister to little Des.  Bryan is a data scientist for Capital One and is enjoying their 2-month paternity leave policy.  Helena loves walks to the park, rides down the slides, Music Together, ballet and pretending with all of her little stuffed animals and dolls.  The family continues to enjoy the local Virginia vibe with trips this year to the Outer Banks, Shenadoah, Massanutten, and trips to Richmond two hours away to visit Cara and Eric. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2020!

2018, A Year of Transitions!

Hello from Salt Lake City! This year brought transitions for many of the Whitings. For us, it was making the transition
from New Canaan, CT to Salt Lake City, UT. This year's blog post is full of the many good memories we have from the last of
our 24 years in New Canaan.
We feel so blessed for this part of our life together,
adding up to almost a quarter century.
You can also find updates on our children at the bottom.

Whitings in New Canaan (1994-2018).

We left our mark at Hawes Plaza at Dunning Field.

Last spring Steve left KPMG and
started a new job in Salt Lake City.

We said a tearful goodbye to our home of 24 years and so many wonderful memories in New Canaan.
In August we took off for a new life in Utah.

We'll miss the many Whiting family gatherings in our New Canaan home. We have loved filling it full of memories with children, then grandchildren, and
all of the lovely experiences and chaos and joys of life.
Our five children were ages 4-13 when we moved into this home in 1994, thinking we'd "stay for a while" in the area. It was a fun farewell ritual to walk through the house with our children and share our memories in each room.   And now, it's rewarding to see the next generation well under way.

Our last family weekend in the house. We spent the last year in top-to-bottom renovations, so it was even harder to leave.
But the hardest thing was moving so far away
from these East-coast children and grandchildren.
It was a year of good-byes and new beginnings.

Fun grandchildren memories with music class in the basement, slip'n' slide and badminton in the back yard, Christmas, 

and Fourth of July in Waveny Park.

I'll miss my piano students!  We had a great last recital in June. These wonderful kids (and adults!) are going
great places musically and I loved being part of their journey!

And did I really conduct the New Canaan Ward choir for 13 years?! How I will miss these dear people and making great music together.

Saying good-bye to Maritime Rowing Club that has been such a great part of our lives for the past decade.

Now in our 14th year at The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, we're seeing the fruits of research maturing into new treatments giving new hope to thousands.  This year, a new treatment (Nirogacestat) received FDA fast track designation and is going into a Phase 3 trial.  Also, the NIH determined that another drug (Sorafenib) improves progression-free survival 7-fold, and the results of the trial were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.  And yet another promising treatment (Tegavivent) has started a Phase 1 study.  
It has been a banner year for DTRF and patients!

Had to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island one last time.  We've worked in and enjoyed being close to New York for 35 years and will miss the excitement of the Big Apple.

Hello Utah!

After painfully paring down 24 years of STUFF that had accumulated in our Connecticut house, we seriously downsized and are renting a 2-bedroom apartment in Salt Lake. We are loving living downtown, and Steve LOVES his 2-block walk to work.
We get to spend so much more time together and enjoy the theater, symphony, ballet, opera, Temple Square events, and restaurants that are all within walking distance.
This is our new view out our window.

 My 2nd great grandfather built that Assembly Hall and the Tabernacle just behind it.  Could Henry ever have imagined his great-great granddaughter living across the street and still looking down at his buildings 150 years later?
Feels like full circle back to our pioneer roots.

Determined to keep rowing in a landlocked state, we joined the The Great Salt Lake Rowing Club.  The buoyancy of the lake (10x saltier than the ocean) and the big rolling swells make for quite a different rowing experience.  (Really missing the Norwalk River and Long Island Sound!)

We got right into summer hiking in the mountains, and in the fall were stunned by the beauty around the Alpine Loop.
We both grew up in Utah County, but
we're seeing Utah with new eyes after 39 years away.
How did I ever miss seeing all of this growing up in Provo?

We love getting to spend more time with Steve's Mom.
Grandma Lora, now 96, is such a blessing in our lives.

FAMILY UPDATES

Mike, Kathryn, Quinn, West, and Hayes, in HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLORADO
Mike writes: 2018 brought Mike, Kathryn, Quinn, West, and Hayes from the subtropical to the semi-arid.  During a 30 day period in July and August, they sold a Houston home, bought a Denver home, and in keeping with their New York roots, "schlepped" everything and everyone upward / leftward to the Rockies.  Life never slowed down upon arrival, with Quinn starting second grade and West starting Kindergarten... on the same day they moved into their new home.  Sorry kids!  Oh yeah, and third child Hayes apparently started Pre-School at some point (be sure to ask him his views on the Gecko class if you run into him).  Since arriving in Denver four months ago, family weekends have taken on a completely new life.  The brag sheet thus far: Silverthorne, Piney Lake, Breckenridge, Vail, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and Poudre Canyon.  All of which should be on your bucket lists.  The knock-off Colorado Whitings (Dan and Sonia are the undeniable originals) look forward to all the visitors that never really wanted to come to see them in Houston!

Our oldest grandson Quinn's baptism in November

We loved exploring the sites around Denver
with Mike & Kathryn and family.

Cara in RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
Cara graduated from her Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Virginia Commonwealth University and is enjoying her first job at an outpatient orthopedic clinic in Richmond.  Adventures this year included a trip to Bali, a solo bike trip down the Oregon coast after finishing a Portland rotation, graduation, a new apartment in a beautiful renovated historic Richmond building, Harry Potter World, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

Dan & Sonia in DENVER
Dan continues his work at B. Braun Medical.  Sonia finished her seventh year at an Early Head Start school in Denver.  Dan and Sonia spend their free time outdoors.  This summer they traveled to Northern Italy which included a backpacking adventure in the Dolomites.  Their travels also led them to Mexico, Switzerland, and France.

Dave & Kylie with Kate & Molly in HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT
Dave and Kylie are enjoying their third year in Connecticut.  Molly turned one in October and Kate turned three in June.  Kate is thriving in preschool and Molly is a busy tot who loves to copy everything her big sister does.  Now that they are almost done with residency (18 months left!), they can finally start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. They are working to check off all they can on their New England bucket list!

Bryan & Veronica with Helena in FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA
Bryan, Veronica, & Helena had a nice change of pace this year by not having a change of pace.  Bryan still has the same job (Dad/Capital One), and so does Veronica (Mom).  They still live in the same place. And yes, Helena is still pretty much bald. But that's about to change soon!

Helena has upped her game by learning to walk, to say adorable catchphrases like "no babies!!", "byyyyeee", and "puppies!", and to give puckered kisses.  She's nailed Mom's name (mommy), but struggles with Dad's (ghahi?). She's an avid reader, often caught perusing mail-order catalogs while doing the downward-dog yoga pose.  And she really loves all things puppies (except maybe actually touching them).  Yes, her parents' lives often revolve around the cute things she does.

Bryan's favorite time of each day is reading bedtime stories with Helena. This might also be Veronica's favorite as she gets 10 minutes of downtime for the first time all day: a much-needed rest for an active daughter who loves to say "out!!" (Short for "I want to go outside").

Bryan and Veronica live in Fairfax, VA, where they enjoy walks to the local duck pond and trips down the slide with Helena.  Life for them will remain on a similar trajectory until the next change of pace.

Wishing everyone a happy new year!

Love, Steve & Jeanne