2023: A Year in Review

 And here we are.  

Another year, another blog post. Another year in review.

Once again we have decided to skip the traditional Christmas Card, (which is great since it's December 12 and I am just now starting Christmas "cards"), and instead use that money to donate to a local charity.  This year we decided to donate to Camp Kesem. My nephew Collin introduced our family to Camp Kesem when he decided to be a camp counselor there this past summer (and again in 2024!).  Camp Kesem is for children whose lives have been affected by a parent's cancer diagnosis.  And being a counselor there is HARD.  These children are processing some very complex situations, and I am SO proud of my nephew for the work he does with this camp.  He has been an inspiration to these children and to us.  And while he has his own reasons for participating, he'll always mention Uncle Nic and use his own experiences with processing his uncle's diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately his passing.  I'm honored to be able to donate to Kesem and help children get to participate in something normal, something fun, something care free, and something helpful.

So. What do we know now that these Bachs from December 31, 2022 not know?

OLIVER WALTER BACH - 9 Years Old

The more things change the more things stay the same. Oliver is the same big hearted, big emotion kid.  He can walk into any room and own it.  He's everyone's best friend.  Oliver is 9 years old and in 3rd grade.  He's still playing soccer and still swimming, in fact, he moved up to the next level!  He's given up on basketball, and none of us are sad about that.  This summer Oliver got braces.  What is it about kids and braces?  They minute they put those things on they look 10 years older!  And the day he got braces he stopped sucking his thumb.  It's like it never happened!  Oliver is into Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite, but does much better after burning off all his energy running around outside or building forts in the woods behind our house.  Oliver LOVES puzzles and loves building Legos.  He will take them apart just to build them again.  If I had to bet today, I'd say Engineer.  He has the memory of an elephant and will say things like..."I'm remembering something, did this really happen or was it a dream?"  And it really happened - when he was like 2.  It's amazing.  Oliver is a great student.  He's the oldest in his class and teachers really rely on him to be a leader - a role he's stepping into very well.  Overall, he's just a great, amazing kid. But he's still 9.  He leaves clothes ALL over his floor - and I thought Eleanor was a messy kid.  He complains about every dinner I serve him.  He stomps his feet when I ask him to hang up his backpack.  He still likes hanging out with mom and dad, and is slowing getting introduced to what life will be like when he is an only child in 3 years.  

ELEANOR FRANCES TERRONES - 14ish...basically 15

How we started 2023 with this one is VERY different than how we ended it.  And now I find myself saying dumb things like, "In three years, when Oliver is an only child".  BECAUSE. I. HAVE. A. HIGH SCHOOLER.  I've also said several times, "It's Eleanor's world, and we all just get to be a part of it."  I was terrified at the thought of High School and Eleanor just stepped into it like a pro.  I don't even know where to start.  In August Eleanor started High School Swim.  She swam from 7 AM until 10 AM, 5 days a week.  She also started High School Marching Band, which went from 9 AM until 6 PM, 5 days a week.  No typos there.  There was an over lap where she needed to be in two places at one time. And there were several weekends where she needed to be in two places at the same time.  But SHE worked with her coaches and did all the communication and made it all work.  OK, so it usually involved mom, dad, and Oliver driving all over Southern WI to make it work, but she did it and I am beyond proud of her.  She had VERY successful marching band and swim seasons, including a visit to state for swim.  On top of that she managed a VERY high GPA, met new friends, balanced new social commitments, and explored new social opportunities with the friends she's had since....forever.  She experienced Homecoming, Friday Night Lights, new clubs, new freedoms, new responsibilities.  Oh...and she started Driver's Ed and hopes to get her temps shortly after her birthday.  She started her first job...and quit her first job.  She spent 1 week at a camp in Plymouth without any access to the outside world.  Our little Eleanor has become quite the young adult in the last year and as much as I want to be so sad about her growing up, she's doing it so well, I don't have time to be sad.  Life isn't all sunshine and butterflies - she's still a sassy, grumpy, disgruntled teenager.  

ELIVER

Originally I planned on keeping ELIVER in our Christmas letter just to prove I have 4 pictures of the two them together.  In my mind they are always grumpy with each other, always fighting, never together, and hate each other.  Turns out.  I have more pictures of the two of them smiling together than I do of any other combination in the family.  Huh. Turns out they are just the perfect description of siblings.  Oliver did the most amazing job just going from one of his sister's events to the other.  But when sister wasn't in a pool or on a football field for marching band, she was there cheering on her brother at soccer....and she learned how horrible it is to be a spectator at a swim meet.  I have never seen two human beings more disinterested in each other then these two.  And then, when I'm not looking, they are whispering secrets to each other, conniving together, planning together.  They are each other's biggest fan and biggest support.  When I make them like each other, they hate each other...but they always, always, always, love each other.  And they are my everything. 

DEBBIE JAZZ - 5 Years Old

Aw.  Debbie da Dog!  Again.  The more things change the more they stay the same.  Debbie still loves a good cuddle and will do so on command.  Debbie still barks - aggressively - at every single thing in our yard.  Or...our car...in our driveway.  In the last few months we've looked at our girl and noticed a few more white hairs then she used to have.  But nothing is slowing her down.  

THE Andy Bach - Who's Counting?

Have I mentioned the more things change the more they stay the same?  Because this guy.  He's still our north star.  He still grounds us and keeps us all in control.  Andy celebrated his 23 year at Direct Supply.  Each day still presents new challenges and new opportunities and he's very happy with what he's doing.  He's still working from home 5 days a week and therefore, he runs our entire household!  When he's not managing those two full time jobs, he's still treasurer of our Swim Club (which has grown so much in the last two years that it definitely takes some of his time!)  He also was able to coach Oliver' soccer team.  And while Andy really is a great technical soccer coach, it was SO fun to watch him coach the kids on great sportsmanship, teamwork, and resiliency.  He'll never admit it, but he coached those kids to be so much more then good soccer players. It's sad to say, but with all that on his plate, there isn't much time for anything else.  He's put his guitar hobby on hold, but has done a few wood working projects for me and still rolls his eyes when I say, "Andy, look what I saw on Pinterest."  Oh....and just ask him about his dad jokes. 

DANA LYNN SCHROEDER - TERRONES -BACH - If Andy isn't counting, neither am I. 

I have always been the "baby" in our relationship.  But in the last few month I've been first holding things further away to read them, then bringing them closer, then pushing them further away, only to finally realize, crud.  I just can't read this.  When did 43 become old?  I'm still working at TIKI and as I work through year 2 it's finally starting to feel like home.  Joining a company at the tail-end of a pandemic has it challenges, but I finally feel like I really know our employees and I can call the place 'home'.  Working for a fun brand certainly has its opportunities too!  I signed Andy and I up for a 1/2 marathon in October of '22 and while training I thought I became injured.  After hobbling through another Ragnar I realized, I actually was injured.  After a night in the ER I found out I had deep tissue strain of my calf muscle and a superficial tear to my quad muscle.  That's my wording; I'm missing a few things. But I was put on immediate rest and told if I didn't stop using those muscles I'd be put in a boot. Summer. was. long.  No running and limited walked.  No biking.  No exercising.  LOTS of PT.  I'm happy to say I'm running 3 miles again and looking forward to that next 1/2 marathon in June :-)  

DABACHERY - 10 Years Old

Uh.  You guys. Andy and I have been married 10 Years.  I'll pause while you let that sink in.  You've probably heard me say that I will never compare my life with Nic against my life with Andy.  They are separate and they are the same.   But I remember celebrating my 10 year anniversary "with" Nic without Nic.  And here I am...10 years.  Our adventures are changing.  We used to need a babysitter and would go out for an entire weekend. Now our weekends are now filled with swim meets, soccer games, band competitions or other family events.  We'll steal away for a cocktail any time we want because we have a built in babysitter and a "baby" that is learning to stay home alone for short periods of time.  We are enjoying time in our backyard with a fire pit because we have a basement full of teenagers.  It's different.  But it's us.  And we love it.  Sometimes I look at Andy on a Friday night and I say, "HI".  Because I feel like it's the first time I've actually seen him all week!

The BACHERRONES Family

This year we spent a weekend in Milwaukee, being tourists in our own city.  We spent at week in Arizona, exploring a new state with friends from home.  We spent a week in MN / Apostle Islands on what we have named "The Greatest Vacation of All Time".  We spent a night in the shaddiest motel room ever after a Tornado (an actual tornado) evicted us from our campsite.  We've seen the most amazing things, experienced the most amazing things.  Amazing being a very subjective word.  We've made each other laugh so hard we've cried.  And...we've made each other cry.   We always said, "I'm sorry" and without prompting, we've said "I Love You".  We've yelled - mostly Oliver and I - but others have yelled too.  And if we didn't yell, we expressed our anger in our own way.  We express love in our own way.  We are family.  We cheer each other on. We have each other's backs.

And that's us.  The Good. The Bad. The Pretty.  The Ugly.  2023 was a pretty fun year.  I look forward to what 2024 has in store for us.  

We are thankful for family that we consider friends and friends that we consider family.  Thank you for being a part of our 2023 journey and we look forward to creating memories with you in 2024.  

Peace. Joy. Happiness.  Love to all. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dana, Andy, Eleanor, Oliver, Debbie