Sicily, 2018
college. He found a job in marketing research, which has helped him conclude that psychology is more his thing than business. He has decided to return to New York to be with family and with his girlfriend and to apply to PhD programs.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!
Carl at the Helm
Hangin' with the Royals
much bad luck, I couldn't bring myself to send another bunch of half-truths into the universe. One year later, I have decided to resume the tradition, hoping that confession absolves distortion. These letters are the record of the largely good and very lucky things that have happened to us. I consult them sometimes to help me remember what happened when. Lessons learned from sad and trying times I remember when I need to.
Charlie & Robin
Charlie and Caroline are doing well. Caroline has returned to school at the local community college to explore computer science as a future major. She finds that she really likes it and will take additional courses next semester. Charlie moved to L.A. in the Spring to live near some of his closest friends from
Dublin & Dingle, 2019
No summary of the past two years would be complete without mention of our niece Ella, born in March 2018 to Eva's brother John and his wife Christiane. Such a joy to watch her grow! Eva's Dad would have been so happy to see her curiosity and spunk.
So... Back to why I missed last year's letter. It's not because I was feeling dismal about the state of our democracy (though I was/am). It's not even because I had just written a 65 page case study and didn't want to write another word again, ever. It's because it hit me that these holiday letters have never really been what I intended them to be, summaries of what happened to our family in the previous year. I pass them off as year-end reviews, but, perhaps to keep them merry and relatively brief, I am unwilling to report fully and accurately life's inevitable failures and disappointments, large and small. You, dear reader, probably wised-up to this some time ago. But, at the end of 2018, after a year of working with patients facing hard challenges and
Wild Goose II
Dear Friends and Family,
So... Last year was the first time in 23 years that I (Eva) didn't write a holiday letter and didn't send holiday greetings. More on my missed year later...
The biggest news of the past two years is that Carl retired in Spring 2019 after 20+ years in IP law. He is a very happy camper or, more precisely, boater. Early in the summer, we started looking for a bigger boat that we could sail with 7 or 8 onboard. By mid-September, we
had bought Wild Goose II from our friends Dan and Claire. Carl sailed on her 25 times before the season ended. She is a far more capable boat than our sailing skills merit, but what an incentive for us to keep learning! It brings us immense pleasure to share our love of wind, water and (yes, when conditions permit) wine with our friends. Dreams about sailing out to Block Island, Narragansett Bay, and maybe even Martha's Vineyard next summer are keeping our spirits up during the short, dark days of winter.
When he isn't sailing, Carl is working on a patent idea related to renewable energy. Who knows what will come of the idea, but he is working hard on it and enjoying being on the client end of IP. I am 3½ years and 1200 clinical hours into my PhD in clinical psychology. I have one last class to finish, then a dissertation, and finally a clinical internship. I love thinking and reading about psychology and working with patients. The work is challenging, both intellectually and emotionally, sometimes very frustrating and confidence-shaking, and often deeply rewarding. We both feel remarkably lucky to be doing what we enjoy!
May your 2020 be filled with the stuff of holiday letters! May the decade ahead bring truth and civility, urgent all-hands-on-deck efforts to protect our planet, and true equality of opportunity for all of us. And may we breathe a huge sigh of relief in November!
With love,
Eva, Carl, Charlie and Caroline
and Lego and Brio (consumers of socks and expensive veterinary care)
and Jinx and Bloom (Caroline's cat and new rescue dog)
A major highlight of 2018 was a trip to Sicily. The trip was prompted by a classmate's wedding, a glorious event held on the grounds of a beautiful villa deep in the remote hills of central Sicily. Our friends Nick and Chris joined us for most of the trip. Sicily is stunning, with spectacular Greek ruins and opulent Roman structures. The ocean views are lovely. The food is sinfully good.
A major highlight of 2019 was a trip to Ireland. Caroline joined us for a few days in Dublin, where we visited whiskey distilleries (not one, but two) and ancient libraries (not two, but one). We then drove southwest to County Kerry, where Killarney National Park and the Dingle Peninsula were even more spectacular than we imagined. We then "popped down" to London to visit our friend Alex for a few days and meet her beau David. We also visited a Citi/Morgan Stanley colleague, John, and his wife Alison. They took us to our first English soccer game. The fans' motto must be Don't Keep Calm and Do Carry On! We also spent a lovely day at the British Museum, took a double decker bus tour when we were too tired to walk further, and visited Buckingham Palace. The guided tour prepared us exceptionally well for Season 3 of The Crown.