December 2008
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
FROM THE BARCA-HALLS!
And best wishes for a joyful 2009.
All is well in the Barca-Hall household. Perhaps our biggest news is that Jeff and I will be grandparents in May—or, more significant: Kim and Nikolai are expecting their first baby! Kim finishes her master’s program in Natural Resources Economics at Oregon State University in the next few months and Nikolai starts a new job with Sierra Pacific. They are packing up the U-Haul as this letter is being written, and making the trek north to Centralia, Washington, where they will settle in January.
Taran continues in his position as a program director with the Paradise and Chico Boys and Girl Clubs (yes, that's Taran in the "Character and Leadership" photo). He works long hours—but is thriving in his multi-tasking role of hiring and training counselors, grant writing, community outreach and public relations. And he still seems to find time for an occasional round of golf.
Calen is a junior at UCSC, majoring in art. His work ranges from engaging to daring to annoying. It’s great having him nearby—though we rarely see him. He still lives with five roommates in a house a block from the beach, and coaches gymnastics. We venture up to the campus whenever he has work on display, and I can entice him for breakfast at Kelly’s bakery once in a while, or a Sunday dinner at home.
Correll is a senior at PCS—applying to colleges. He’s setting his sights high and would like to attend either Nikolai’s alma mater (UC Berkeley), or Jeff’s and mine (Yale) but is looking at a number of other UC schools as well. He's having fun with “The Importance of Being Earnest”—cast as “Jack.” This past summer he spent in Veraguas, Panama for eight weeks as part of the community service program Amigos de las Américas. He came back completely fluent in Spanish and thrilled with the experience.
Sage is a sophomore at PCS. He and Correll still manage their heavy course load and the long bus ride from school to San Jose every afternoon and evening for their gymnastics training (Levels 9 and 10, respectively.) They both coach at their gym, as well. They had good competitive seasons last year, and look forward to competing at West Point next month, as well as in Arizona and a host of Northern and Southern California meets as we begin the long ’09 competitive season.
Anya is also at PCS this year—seventh grade! She is the most passionate of our gymnasts (level 9) and had a stellar season last year (see video highlights). Twenty-three hours a week is a lot of training time—plus the hour and a half drive from school to the gym every day. Yet there has not been a single day when she hasn’t leapt from the car and raced into the gym with enthusiasm. We are proud of her, as we are of the boys, but the longer we see our kids in this intense and dangerous sport, the more we appreciate their simply remaining healthy and injury-free.
Tristan is a happy fourth-grader at Happy Valley School. Naturally, he is also a competitive gymnast. But he played some soccer last season, too, and when he isn't deeply engrossed in a good book he is devising all kinds of medieval weaponry. Knights and dragons still capture his imagination.
As for Jeff and me: we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in January! IronPlanet is still going strong with good prospects for the new year, despite the economy. I am in my second year of “retirement”—and now our home is finally licensed for foster care. We’ll see what this year brings with the kids’ travel schedules and the new grandchild. Meanwhile, I still find time most mornings to run along the magnificent Pacific coast and enjoyed competing in one good race this year. Jeff and I each commute almost three hours a day—but coming home to our beautiful redwood forests and mountain living is well worth the travel.
Lisa and Jeff
parents@barcahall.com