Periodical-Lee 2014

Clockwise from top left: Noah, Amy and her boyfriend, Drew, on a video chat with Sherman's father, Al; Amy with dolphin in Cabo San Lucas; Noah being propelled by two dolphins; family shot on the Cabo vacation; Drew and Amy at Mt. Rushmore

Here’s our 2014 in a numeric nutshell, Twelve Days of Christmas style... 

12 – months per year we’re grateful for our family and friends. This wasn’t the easiest of years, but we get by with more than a little help from… well, all of you.

11 – number of players on Noah's soccer team.  He played “swing” meaning both Varsity and JV. He’s improved greatly and we’re hoping for even more playing time next year.

10 – percent of the year Sherman spent in New York. (See the entry for "5" below.)

9 – days in Cabo San Lucas on an extended family destination vacation. Beach life, playing with dolphins, oddly never seeing a peso and of course, family time highlighted this sojourn.  

8 – days Amy spent in Huancayo,Peru, focusing on health in underserved areas.  Peru made her realize that healthcare is a blessing and that she is profoundly grateful to have access to good healthcare in the States.

7 – days per week when Denise shares tips and insights on living a better life, on her business’s Facebook page (Clear Spaces, LLC).  Not sure where she finds the time to find such fascinating tidbits, but perhaps her secrets are to found in those tidbits.

6 – number of Denise’s Scout camping trips this year, which are definitely opportunities to confirm her organizational tidbits.

5  – weeks:  the length of time that Sherman spent in NY this year to help his dad, Al, recover from a minor stroke.  Al’s doing really well now but it was touch and go at first.  This year was a crash course for all of us on geriatric care, proper estate planning, the benefits of a good rehab program and the power of prayer.  On our 2014 card, what seems to be an odd picture of Noah, Amy and Drew staring at an iPad is actually a Thanksgiving video chat with Al.

4 – heads on Mt. Rushmore, one of the destinations on Amy’s vacation with her boyfriend Drew and his family. Next year Drew will join us on our family vacation in sunny southern California.

3 – for the bronze medal finish of the Brentwood HS Winter Drum Line. It was the best finish in many years for the young squad, and Noah is gunning for improvement next year!

2 – gigs at the St. Louis Art Museum for Na Mele Pumehana (the Hawaiian band Sherman plays in) as part of the Atua: Sacred Gods of Polynesia exhibit.  Hitting the big time…

1 – as played by our church’s worship band at the beginning of Advent, the song “Better Days”, by the Goo Goo Dolls:

        
And the one poor child who saved this world / and there’s ten million more who probably could / if we just stopped and said a prayer for them.

So take these words / and sing out loud / ‘cause everyone / is forgiven now / ‘Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again

Here’s to health, happiness and humor in 2015!

Sherman, Denise, Amy and Noah

Periodical-Lee 2013

Only one photo this year, of the entire family taken in August on Maui, where smiles are easy to come by...

Here’s our 2013 in a numeric nutshell, Twelve Days of Christmas style...

• 12 - Number of days on our summer vacation to Hawaii.  Denise, Sherman and Noah spent a few days on Oahu visiting Sherman’s relatives (not enough time!) and sightseeing (Pearl Harbor - always get choked up), and of course, local food!

• 11 - Number of players on the newly formed JV (Junior Varsity) soccer team (or any soccer team), and from that Noah got oodles more playing time than the previous year.

• 10 - Number of days Noah spent at the Philmont High Adventure Boy Scout Ranch.  Literally a mountaintop experience, and life-changing in ways that continue to pleasantly reveal themselves.

• 9 -  Combined total of bathrooms (four) and TVs (five) in Amy's college apartment of four suite mates. We’re all fairly certain that for the parents' generation that number was two, and for grandparents that would have been one.  

• 8 - Number of speaker presentations at the NAPO-St. Louis Organizing Expo in 2014.  (That’s National Association of Professional Organizers to the uninitiated.) At the 2014 event, Denise will be one of the two keynote speakers!

• 7 - Number of weeks Sherman spent doing part-time campaign work for Proposition K, a long overdue ballot to bolster the public school district’s finances. Although exhilarating, Sherman will probably retire from local politics to finish with a 1-0 record, following Tony La Russa’s lead of retiring while on top. 

• 6 - Number of performances of The Enchanted Island, a musical based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest for which Sherman was the accompanist. A great experience, Sherman got to work with folks of all ages and diverse backgrounds, and he got to use all his electronic/musical gadgets (including an electronic score with foot pedal for turning pages).

• 5 - Number of majors before Amy honed in on Dietetics. At one point she remarked “I should major in switching majors - I’m getting pretty good at it!”

• 4 - Number of radio shows Denise’s business had in 2013 on 1380 AM  in St. Louis. Look for episodes each month in 2014! (http://www.1380thewoman.com/Programming/LetsTalkShop.aspx)

• 3.14159… - the math/numbers geeks in us could never omit this from our list.  We celebrate Pi Day annually on March 14th, and look forward to 3.14.14 - the premiere of the Veronica Mars Movie!

• 3 - Number of generations, as of 2013, our family has in the Boy Scout’s Order of the Arrow, with Denise earning the honor as a Scout Leader.  This follows the lead of her father Phil when he was a boy and Noah in 2010.

• 2 - Number of Brentwood High School drum majors in our family as of 2013, with Noah stepping up to the role this autumn. We’re fairly confident that Amy and Noah are the first sister-brother combination to have done so, and almost certain they’re the first to have both ascended during their sophomore years.

• 1 - One big happy family gathering in Maui… after a few days on Oahu, Denise, Sherman and Noah headed to Maui, where Amy joined them and the rest of Sherman’s mother’s side of the family.  More relatives, surf, sun (maybe too much?!?), food and of course, shave ice!

Here’s to health and happiness in 2014!

Sherman, Denise, Amy and Noah