The Miller Family 2012 Holiday Letter

Holiday Letter 2012 (please comment at the bottom)  We moved to Denver, Colorado in July of this year.  That is the biggest news of all. Almost six months later, we have started to settle in and find our groove here in Denver.  We are enjoying the change in seasons, the fresh air, the mountain views, and the huge reduction in driving time. The boys are settling in to their new school, Steele Elementary, which is a huge transition for them. They went from a child-directed, non-academic environment to a more traditional, public school.  A few weeks ago, we knew we had turned a corner when they both announced (unsolicited) that they like Steele better than their school in LA.  They then proceeded to tell us all the coolest parts of their new school.  (We are clear that they still miss their old school and friends, as do we!) After the big move to Denver, we spent the summer taking bike rides through one of the best parks in Denver, Washington Park (Wash Park to the locals), which is only two blocks away from our home. Owen fell in love with the paddleboats, and both boys couldn’t wait to get to the massive jungle gym/play structure to get a game of tag going with all the other kids.  We also spent as many days as we could at the pool before they closed for the summer.  Jack Jack continues to love Legos.  He has drifted from building the pre-made Lego sets, to creating his own vehicles, mostly space ships. They are extraordinary creations.  He also taught himself to read in essentially two weeks.  And he is excelling at math, as expected.  Jack spent the beginning part of the year drawing elaborate pictures, then telling stories that brought them to life.  Now he has picked up paper and pencil to write stories he loves, sharing them mostly with his brother (since there is often something crude in them that makes Owen laugh hysterically). Jack gave a speech to his class and quite a few parents on “Why kids should get to choose what to do at school.”  And he sang in and played the xylophone with his school choir this December.   Owen Owen loves tether ball!  So much so that he asked Santa for a world-class tether ball and pole.  He also has a passion for throwing and catching, mostly footballs.  He and his friend Hank are enjoying sports camp after school.  He enjoys comparing games that he played in drama class with his brother.  Somehow Owen has adopted my iPad as his own and has become quite the avid gamer.  His focus, eye-hand coordination, and tenacity for figuring out how to play the games is amazing. Dragon-Vale is one of a series of similar games that he loves.  And he recently discovered MindCraft, which we are now discovering is hugely popular among kids.  Easter  Saying Goodbye to Southern California   Our last visit to Disneyland   Our last visit to the Long Beach Aquarium  Our last visit to The Getty   Our last visit to one of our absolute favorite places: Legoland  Our last Play Mountain Place, Memorial Day Camping trip (well, probably not our last one!)     Saying goodbye to Play Mountain Place  Saying goodbye to the beach  See you soon Granddad!   See you soon cousins! Discovering new places in Denver  Denver Space Museum (Thank you Aunt Mary & Uncle Fred!)  The Drag Strip (Thank you Uncle Mike!)  Bonnie Brae (fresh made ice cream) and Mod Market (gluten free pizza)!  The Denver Museum of Nature and Science  Many new parks to explore  Red Rocks and The Rockies  Pooh Sticks in the creek, and the first snow of winter  Homework (they didn't have any homework at their old school) Here they are on the couch watching TV (we didn't have a TV in LA).  Bowing down to the Lego Mini-Figure kiosk.  Making new friends.  The Denver Aquarium  Thanksgiving Dinner with family (they live in our neighborhood)!  Jump Street (indoor trampoline warehouse) Checking out the Denver restaurant scene.   Tons of biking around Denver Jennifer's World: When Jennifer announced to her LA bookkeeping clients that we were moving to Denver, they all begged her to continue to work with them remotely.  She and her clients have adapted to the geographical change very well.  Jennifer now works exclusively from home, and has created an amazing home office that matches her personality and style. The biggest news for Jennifer is that she is now a non-auditioned, all voices welcome, community choir director!  She journeyed to Victoria, B.C. in Canada for two weeks this fall to attend and become certified in the Community Choir Leadership Training program. She returned full of passion, energy, and excitement.  She started a series of evening singing sessions in our home with up to 9 people in attendance.  Her passion is primarily focused on supporting people in discovering/rediscovering their voices, and creating community through singing.  She teaches an eclectic collection of songs in the aural tradition (by ear, without sheet music). She is really gifted, and people are fully engaged very quickly. Doug's World:   My (Doug) work has continued to be deeply fulfilling and meaningful.  It is exceeding my very high expectations, which is really good considering that I convinced Jennifer this was my dream job and worth moving the family for.  I am living my mission of supporting the healing and evolution of humanity while relieving suffering.  I feel blessed to have found a large corporation that believes leadership is a human skill.  And if we are to help people become better leaders, we need to help them become better human beings.  It is the perfect combination of my organizational experience and my passion for personal growth and transformation. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! We love you, The Miller Family Doug, Jennifer, Jack (9), and Owen (7) Please Comment Below: We are excited to share our year and our love with you. Please take a moment and leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you. Visit our Past Holiday Letters/Blog Posts:  2010 - The Miller Holiday Blog 2009 - The Miller Holiday Blog 2007 - The Miller Holiday Letter 2004 - The Miller Holiday Letter  2006 - The Miller Holiday Letter 2003 - The Miller Holiday Letter   Stay in Touch If you'd like our new address, please send us an email Jennifer on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennifermiller5 Jennifer's Email: jenhighestvision at gmail dot com (spelled out to avoid spam) Jennifer's LinkedIn: click here Doug on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dougleemiller Doug on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougleemiller Doug's Email: dougleemiller at gmail dot com (spelled out to avoid spam) All the pictures: Click and drag to move around to preview all the pictures.  Click on a picture to see it full-size.  You can also click on the arrows in the lower right corner to view this in full screen mode.