2009 Schlameus Family Holiday Letter

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” – Floyd "Papa" Schlameus

The memories of those we have lost continue to stay strong and have acted as daily reminders of the importance and value of each and every one of our family members and friends.

We were so blessed to spend time with each of our immediate family members this year (always a challenge with my family spanning 5 states from Hawaii to New York!). This year my family voted for time together in the heat versus the usual chilly holiday travel, which resulted in some great trips including a 4th of July weekend in North Lake Tahoe, California with the Parks crew (Ali's Mom's side of the family), a summer trip to Denver to visit the Warren Family and Labor Day in Long Island.

While we had the opportunity visit Brett’s maternal grandparents down in Arizona for Mariners Spring Training and also enjoyed a summer in Seattle with them, we are spoiled with Brett’s immediate family and my sister and brother-in-law so close, resulting in more gatherings than we can count. It is such a blessing to be able to spend all “important” days together, the hard ones and the fun ones, but even more fun are the impromptu gatherings and random family traditions, such as the annual Griswold “Christmas Vacation” viewing (costumes required).

We are beyond excited for the MOST overwhelming news in our family… the three 2010 additions!! After three years, Brooke catching 2 bouquets in a row, and an immense amount of support from his family and ours, Jake popped THE question to Brooke this October! For anyone that knows Jake, or has ever seen these two together, you would agree that they are the perfect match and we feel extremely lucky to gain this brother-in-law and new addition to the family. I could go on and on, but then I suppose I should save the good stuff for my speech next August.

Just after going to print on the Christmas cards, we received the green light to share the news that we are getting another niece or nephew this June!!! My brother, Brian, and his wife, Anna, have done an incredible job with our niece Bridget. Any of you that have met that little blonde charmer know that the world will be a better place with more of anything that resembles her cuteness running around!

…and for any of you that have browsed our blog in the past couple months, you know our biggest and most exciting piece of news! We are going to be parents of a little girl come April! Despite 19 books we have been gifted/lent, the 3 websites I’m subscribed to, an 8 week prep course we have signed up for, and endless advice from friends and family (thank you!), I think the only thing we seem to have absorbed in this overwhelming preparation to become parents is that our kid is now the size of a spaghetti squash!?! Even more so, we have learned that no matter what stage you are in the parent cycle, you feel an immediate, unconditional, and overpowering love for that little squash, even before you’ve even met.

After that exciting news, it sounds less important to fill you in on the laundry list of the places we’ve been blessed to travel this year (check out our blog if you are really curious) or to go into deep detail about work, work, work (Brett is still enjoying his patent preparation and prosecution practice at Lee & Hayes and I am loving sitting within shouting distance of my sister-in-law Brooke as now both of us are working on the Movies team at Amazon.com). So there you have the quick and dirty details.

Thank you for your love and friendship you have show each of us and our family.

And finally, cheers to the exciting known and unknown blessings to come in 2010, and here’s to a happy and healthy new year!