McCarthy Family Christmas Letter

Seasons Greetings to All Our Dear Friends and Family

While I write this, the boys are busy cutting out items from the newspaper ads that they would like for Christmas! Such is the delightful part of this time of year where dreams of Santa Claus and presents fills the air. I think 5 and 8 are the perfect ages to appreciate and embrace the glorious insanity of the holidays. :)

We have much to celebrate this year. The most obvious being my graduation from nursing school in May, passing the NCLEX in June and starting my new job in July. We can’t believe our luck with m

y getting an awesome job (day shift, no less) at a hospital 8 minutes away in this economy. I am a “float” nurse which means that I work on a multitude of floors (surgery, medical, ortho-neuro, oncology, adult psychiatric, youth acute psychiatric, rehab and pediatrics). I love the variety and insanity of never knowing what is in store for me. I am learning a lot and truly becoming a jack-of-all trades master-of-none! For me, this is a dream job and I feel really blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to explore so many types of nursing settings. I need to mention what a total joy it is not to have homework hanging over my head which has been the case since I went back to school in Jan 2008. I have more time for my family and this is the true reward.

The next most exciting thing this year has been the addition of Rocky to our family. Rocky is our Boxer which I got from a nursing school classmate. While early puppyhood was a bit maddening, we all have fallen in love with this vibrant and exuberant guy who adores all of us. Rocky is a “leaner” so some part of his body is forever leaning on some part of your body. He sleeps with Talan every night and crawls into our bed in the morning to wake us up if we try to sleep in! We all adore the Rockstar and he had added a whole new level of energy into our lives. We spoil him with lots of visits to the nearby dog parks and hikes. He motivates us to get out more, especially in the colder weather, so we all benefit from more activity.

We made the decision to send the boys to private Montessori school this year. It has been such a great fit for our boys, our family and is conveniently located within a mile of our home. The flexible hours works well for our crazy schedules. The boys are excelling and it is nice that they are on the same “campus” for the first time. They are learning French and Spanish. Talan came home the other day and said “Mom, ask me how I am”. So I did to which he replied with a huge grin “muy bien”. The size of the second grade class at the school Mason went to last year, is 28 kids. Mason’s current class has 18 kids and 2 full-time teachers. A far better ratio for our colorful guy! Talan’s teacher reminds us often how delightful it is to have Talan in her classroom and that he is a role-model for the other kids for listening and following rules.

We continue to live in our duplex, it’s been over four years. We never imagined we would live in it this long but with the economy, my going back to nursing school and now the boys’ private education it is the best fit for us for the time being. Our tenants/friends Scott and Michelle make fabulous next door neighbors. Their son Tyler is like our third child. :) The boys all play well together and we are so grateful to have a playmate so close. Scott and Michelle pitch in frequently to help out with the boys and the pets when Joe is out of town and I am working. It is truly a blessing to have them in our lives.

Joe continues to work on the race circuit. This year for the Indy car series. He is also starting his own “concept” which is in the very beginning stages so you’ll hear more about it next year! :) He is a FB junkie so you can always keep up with him there. The boys have adjusted to his absences but it is getting harder as they get older. We continue to explore ways to keep his time away from our family to a minimum.

We have had several trips this year. My best nursing school buddy Elizabeth and I spent Spring Break in our condo in Cabo (which we inherited from Joe’s father Fred). That was a much needed break during the last grueling semester of school. We enjoyed the sun, beaches and having no kids! As soon as summer started we did a couple of camping trips in the 5th wheel which is always a family favorite. In late July, I did a medical mission trip to Honduras through our church. It was an amazing experience working with people who live in a trash dump outside the capital of Tegucigalpa. I will continue to do mission trips and when the boys are old enough to participate I will bring them along as it gives a perspective on life like non other. The hospital I work at goes to Mexico and Haiti so I’d like to join them on their next mission. Joe and I had a few days alone in Vegas in October (on the back end of his race there) which was fabulous. It was our first time away from the boys since they were born. In November, we took the boys to San Antonio, Texas for a family vacation. We visited the Alamo, Sea World, the Children's’ Museum and crossed the border to Piedras Negras to visit Joe’s co-worker Alvaro for a day. We all had a blast. Next we will fly to CA on December 21st to spend the holidays with my parents (Joe is already in there catering for Melons which he has done the past nine years). I haven’t been to Marin since last Christmas so I am looking forward to catching up with everyone there.

Barclay continues to live down the street from us. We don’t see her as much these days but we love having her close by. Her boyfriend Steve is a delight and we have embraced him into our lives. He has been a trooper accepting his new nickname “Deeb” which is Talan’s best pronunciation of his name! They will be joining us in Marin for the holidays so that we make for a fun and festive time for all of us.

Life is good to us up here in North Idaho. We love the quality of life and the pace that living in a small town affords us. We hope that the holidays treat you well and bring love and joy into your hearts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from all the McCarthys!

Love from,

Brianna, Joe, Mason, Talan, Rocky, Lucy, Penny and Millie