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The Christmas Letter for 2014

The Annual Letter from the White House

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!

کریسمس و سال نو مبارک!

Frohe Weihnachten und ein Gutes Neues Jahr!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



2014 was another good year at the White House.


Another year is almost on the books here at Rancho Blanco. We’re currently preparing for a smaller-than-usual Christmas, as the Belt contingent will be out of town.  This is, in part, a respite from the Whites.  We took Skip and Judy to Disney World for a whole week at Thanksgiving, and we pretty much wore each other out, so we don’t mind the quiet house this year.  (“Quiet” only refers to the time before presents are opened. ..)

Lauren’s teaching took another shift as she pivoted to kindergarten at Barringon Place Elementary. However, her training at ACT and her time at the Clay Road School had prepared her well.  Her reviews in her current assignment have been quite good.  Kindergarten has its own unique set of issues, but there’s so much opportunity to set the marks early, and see the little people as they emerge on their own.  Her Victorian caroling is in high swing at the moment, and she even had occasion (for the third year in a row) to lead a “spontaneous” hand-bell choir at our neighborhood’s annual Santa’s Village.

One change somewhat related to the shift in assignment was that Rebekah would no longer attend Barrington Place, but instead was placed in second grade at Palmer Elementary, which is the closest school to our house.  Rebekah’s outsized personality continues to delight her teachers.  Lauren has started letting her attend drama workshops with the Fort Bend Children’s Theater, as an outlet to the incredible store of creative energy that she seems never to exhaust.  Her current favorite things include Monster High, My Little Pony Equestria Girls, Wild Kratts, and any musical that she hears more than once –yes, it goes without saying that Frozen is at the top of that sublist.

Benjamin, at three and a half, is proving to be quite a handful.  His energy, if anything, is more than Rebekah’s (except at the end of naptime: never try to awaken Benjamin early from naptime…), and that has proven to be both a blessing and a challenge.   Benjamin’s interests run along the usual lines: anything trains, anything monsters, anything his older sister appears to enjoy (and that he can interrupt).  His love of ritual can be seen most Saturday mornings when, along with Rebekah, he ceremonially awakens the Teeko Monster and leads him to where the Hammer of the Gods can be brought to bear in the name of justice.

David has been elected President of the HCC Faculty Senate for 2015-16, which is a large mark of respect on the part of his colleagues.  In this role, he will be working with the Board of Trustees and the new HCC Chancellor on institutional transformation as the District re-organizes away from geographic modes of distribution.  He has cut down on his teaching load, but his Texas History sections remain among the the most popular of history offerings, often filling up within a few days of being opened to registration.  This year, he sold his beloved 16’ power boat and replaced it with a 22’ “family station wagon” suitable for taking groups out on the lake.  As of this writing, he is still harvesting fall tomatoes.

The White Family wishes you peace, joy, and courage to stand in the face of any threat or adversity.

Prosit Neu Jahr 2015!
Bless all the babies!





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