Hello from Connecticut!
Remembering 2016
Warm greetings from our home to yours! As we pause at the end of a wonderful year,
our hearts are full of joy and appreciation for the wonders of life, and the rich meaning
we find in simple things. Our ties with family and friends are most precious to us, and
with each passing year, those ties are the most satisfying part of life.
Highlights of our year included the arrival of our fourth grandchild, Hayes Patrick Whiting,
and the marriage of our son Dan to Sonia Chawla. We love keeping this annual blog to
remember life's highlights.
Not much has changed in our work and activities. Steve continues with KPMG in New
York and Jeanne continues with The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation and music.
This year, testing on a couple of compounds has shown extremely high potential against
desmoid tumors, and we are working to get one of these drugs financed. We hope in a
not too distant year to declare a major victory in this battle.
Hartford, Connecticut was the site of the dedication of the 155th LDS temple in
November. Whiting ancestors settled Hartford in the 1600’s, and their descendants
converted and went West. Now that we've returned and have lived in Connecticut
for over 22 years, it seems that we have come full circle. This experience has bonded
us with these ancestors who sacrificed so much to start this country. Jeanne conducted
a 90-voice youth choir for the youth jubilee that preceded the temple dedication. The
kids were so fun to work with and the jubilee and dedication were inspiring.
We wish you all an inspiring and happy New Year!
Love,
Steve and Jeanne
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| Dan and Sonia's wedding Oct 1 in a breathtaking Colorado fall |
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| Siblings Mike, Dave, Dan, Cara and Bryan |
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| How fast they grew up! |
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| Bridal Veil Falls hike in Telluride, Colorado Grandparenting is the best!!  |
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Hiking in Telluride |
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| Awestruck at the wonders of New York City from the Freedom Tower |
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| Favorite Fridays taking Kate to music class, here as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween |
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| Greenwich Point - We love biking along the shores near us |
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| Enjoyed that cruise NYC to Bermuda so much that we did it again this year |
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| Rented a moped to discover 5 remote beaches in one day - Bermuda paradise |
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| How can you count the hours in 33 years Steve has worked to support our family? Thought a trip to his office deserved a picture and a big "Thank you!" |
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| A cold fall morning row. Rowing together on Saturdays has been a highlight of our week for more than a decade now. Here's to hoping we'll still be rowing into our 90's! |
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| Nov. Hartford Temple dedication and youth jubilee |
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| Annual Christmas singalong at New Canaan Inn with my piano students accompanying and friends joining us for the carols. Music makes life sweet. |
AND HERE ARE OTHER FAMILY UPDATES:
MIKE & KATHRYN, with Quinn, West and Hayes in The Woodlands, Texas
Now in their sixth year in the Houston area, Mike and Kathryn welcomed their third child, Hayes Patrick Whiting, into the world. Mike writes: The Texas Whitings welcomed baby boy Hayes to the all-male offspring roster. He's an even-keeled and optomistic child with an infectious smile and massive eyes. His main hobby involves logrolling over / under anything in this path.
Oldest and most kinetic child Quinn (6) started kindergarten, and produces daily reams of insanely detailed artwork (favorite subjects include volcanos, Star Wars, and thought bubbles that express his idiosyncratic stream-of-consciousness commentary on life.)
Middleman West (4) is in the middle of pre-school. He is a master of subtext,nuance and dry wit. Current interests include memorizing the names of major bones in the human body, learning to read on the fly without anyone teaching him and refining his Spotify playlist of EDM tracks.
Kathryn set loose a human life from her own body in February (that's a really big deal, people), and has done the equivalent of Navy SEAL sleep deprivation training ever since (good thing the kid is really cute). Undeterred by sleepless nights, she's back on the marathon training circuit, gearing up for at least two races in 2017. All she wants for Christmas is a 26.2 sticker.
The majority of Mike's time spent in daily life revolves around work-related emails going into / out of Microsoft Outlook, which pays the bills but isn't all that interesting to Christmas card readers. To compensate, Mike actively plans every way possible to maximize family usage of frequent flier miles to get out of Texas, avoids the onset of "old man malaise" by being as active as he can outdoors with his kids (every dad should be a master at riding the scooter), and reinvented his persona by growing facial hair (relative to some men, a weak growth, but a revolutionary achievement for Whiting men).
CARA in Richmond, Virginia
Cara spent a few spectacular days biking along the California coast to celebrate the completion of the first year of her physical therapy program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She spent her summer giving bicycle tours of the National Mall in D.C. and continues to enjoy the southern charm of Richmond. Cara has been involved in the start up of a student run pro-bono physical therapy clinic and assists a professor researching motor development in children.
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| Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, CA - Biking the California coast |
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| Bike and Roll, Washington DC - summer fun giving bike tours |
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| Canoeing in Durango, Colorado |
Dan and Sonia in Denver, Colorado
Dan and Sonia were married on October 1st, surrounded by beautiful autumn foliage in Durango, Colorado. Sonia grew up on Long Island, and they first met at University of Colorado Boulder. They are wrapping the year up honeymooning in India and Bali.
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| A wedding with Indian flair and fall splendor |
DAVE & KYLIE with Kate in Hamden, Connecticut
Dave, Kylie and Kate had a busy year with lots of changes. In May, Dave happily graduated from Columbia Dental School. Kate turned 1 in June, and shortly after, they packed their bags and moved to Hamden, Connecticut. Dave started a 4-year oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. Kylie has continued with her photography and design business, all while keeping up with a busy toddler. Kate is 18 months and more fun than ever!
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| Starting residency |
BRYAN & VERONICA in Arlington, Virginia
Living in DC, Bryan and Veronica have loved strolling through the cherry blossoms, painting pictures of them, and following Cara as a guide on bike tours. Veronica graduated in April with her bachelor's in Psychology from BYU. She continues her work as a victim advocate for Polaris, and Bryan continues his consulting work with Bates White. They recently moved to Arlington, VA from living in the District, and appreciate Virginia's greener pastures. Christmas brought an exciting announcement of a little girl to be born in June!
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| Rooting for the home team at Nationals Park |
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| Whitings at the White House |
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| Celebrating Veronica's graduation with a June trip to Vero Beach, Florida |
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| In Colorado for Dan's wedding |
We wish a happy 2017 to all!
Love,
Steve and Jeanne
