Christmas 2007

Once upon a time there was an application. Actually there were 21 applications (if you don’t count summer camps). Applying to college is a life-altering experience. Phil’s life has been permanently altered. He can answer in 250 words or less any personal question about any topic that any college might ask any applicant (or any applicant’s father).

Meanwhile, I am now on a first name basis with the admissions directors at several east coast boarding schools….none of which Kevin actually applied to because who would go to a school with Saturday classes and a dress code? *
We should have known that we were headed for application hell when 10 minutes after I returned from a six–day, three-state, five-school college reconnaissance trip with Will and his buddy Eric, Kristen’s 15 applications were due. An hour later, Kevin called from his previously wonderful boarding school in Colorado Springs to say “I think I might want to transfer…” “Oh, ok. When are applications due?” “Yesterday.” “Oh good.”

Funny. Will’s applications for pre-college summer programs (a must for any self-respecting musical theatre major) were also due that week.

For any of you who have not yet fully experienced the application process, it’s important to note that it is often followed by a period of euphoria (the ^%#@ forms are finished), then by a period of depression (I’ll never get in), and then by a period of smugness (I was right! I didn’t get in), followed by a slow dawning of hysteria (my life is over), and then pitiful justification (I didn’t want to go there anyway!), finally punctuated by shameless begging at the admission director’s doorstep.

And lo and behold…it worked. Kristen did in fact beg her way into the school of her choice. Kristen is now a happy… I repeat happy - (yes, thank God, puberty is finally over, at least for one of them) - freshman at Villanova. And I am one happy mama…as my big brother (who used to send my dates screaming into the night) lives just a mile from her dorm ☺

Meanwhile, Kev is just one state away at Peddie School in NJ (*despite the Saturday classes and the dress code!). We are still scratching our collective heads trying to figure out how the Rockies, who had never even made the play-offs in the seven years we’ve lived in Denver, suddenly end up in the World Series when Kev is 2000 miles away! We are also trying to figure out how we got bamboozled into flying him home for two of the games. Lucky for us when he was on the flight back to school AND in the depths of depression (while we were taking out a second mortgage to pay for his trip), he happened to sit next to the father of Dan O’Dowd, the Rockies GM, who was also in the depths. Misery loves company.

Also in the news: Will was stalked by squirrels - one in the laundry room right next to his bathroom, and the other plastered against the screen window in his little bedroom scratching his evil paws only inches from Will’s head (according to Will). Many of you may not know that Will suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder after an encounter with a rabid squirrel when he was a preschooler! To add insult to injury, just last month a nosy parker mouse decided to visit the powder room at the same time that Will was taking care of some important business. Talk about a story! We have made an executive and unanimous decision to spare you the details of that encounter. We have also temporarily hidden the squirrel ornament that Kristen lovingly gave Will last Christmas.

Cameron has had some momentous events this year…he tackled the blue runs at Breckenridge; learned the f word; moved to a new school which he calls “Waldork”; asked to use the f word; got glasses; protested when we said he couldn’t use the f word; mastered a 2-wheeler; used the f word anyway; played Head Guard to Nicki’s Aladdin in at DU’s summer theater workshop; asked what the f word meant; took up violin; found out what the f word meant; giggled.

With Nicki now a teen, we are completely outnumbered. But the biggest issue since she turned 13 has been that I am sick and tired of going to 7th grade! This is my fourth time in six years. Folks, it’s getting old! Could we please get some new projects?! Please! No more family trees, name essays, models of rocks, Africa Days. Couldn’t we have Iowa Day? The study of Rice Krispies and what makes them snap crackle pop? Family Feuds? Or as Cam would say: “Sweet Niblets”! Let’s change it up!

My year seemed to be devoted to an inordinate amount of fundraising…something that I swore I’d never do. In the past twelve months I have asked, begged, cajoled, bullied, and nearly panhandled to the point where my friends cringe when I call, write or email. Who knows? This Christmas card may be a cleverly disguised appeal… When I’m not fundraising, I am planning to fundraise, being talked into fundraising or profusely thanking those poor slobs who I have succeeded in fundraising from. But poor slobs take heart…my New Year’s Resolution is NO MORE FUNDRAISING! (at least not after the end of Kempe’s fiscal year…).

Phil was a trooper last winter when his ski plans turned to shoveling strategies following his embarrassing knee injury at the hands of then-16-year-old Will. (See last year’s letter for more details). He continues to be top-dad in all of our books…writing (oops I mean editing) essays, buying dozens of black sox for auditions, scoring prime world series tix, playing golf with up & coming Nic, and learning every song to High School Musical 2. Not to mention hosting or supporting at least a dozen Kempe events….how did we get so lucky? Good thing he is kind of annoying-otherwise he’d be too good to be true.

As for the two of us, we celebrated 20 years of wedded bliss on August 8th. Why on earth would we think that climbing to the top of the highest peak in Breckenridge would be a good way to celebrate? Were we each trying to kill the other guy? Pretty clever…must be a subconscious result of too much Law & Order.

Other highlights of our year include Nicki’s fainting spell during her moment of glory as the sixth grade queen at the Graland knighting ceremony; Cam giving me the nickname of Oldilocks on my 46th birthday; Phil leaping out of the open MRI machine despite the severe knee injury it was evaluating, and Kev’s e-mail that asked how I was.

And this just in: Will was accepted at NYU’s Tisch School!!! So next year we will have three of our clan back east. It may be time to renew our EZ Pass.

We hope that you and your loved ones had lots of memorable moments this year too! Please join us as we continue to pray for our troops and their families.

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a great New Year with love from all of us,
Gretchen, Phil, Kris, Will, Kev, Nicki, and Cam