We’re flattered. If you are reading this then you decided to throw caution to the wind and open our potentially COVID exposed letter. We too are risk takers. Which is made evident in our decision to remarry after long and painful divorces. Fortunately, our new clan has already proven to be worth the leap:
Hannah is 20, a woman of action and the typical overachieving first child. If you happen to catch a glimpse of her it would be at school, a GE internship, a photoshoot, nannying, trying to walk her cat or falling in love with her ridiculously good-looking boyfriend Peter from Spain, to whom I attribute her A in Spanish IV. I’m not convinced she knows any more Spanish than what is required to order off the Value Menu at Taco Bell. Resourceful, really.
Lydia is 16, sweet, dramatic, newly licensed and on the move. “If I had to go back into quarantine without my license, I would simply pass away.” One of her passions at school is Drama which she has fully immersed herself into, so much so that she ensures the drama is brought home with her for all of us to experience. She has been a trooper transitioning from the baby of the family to being an older sister.
Avery is 13, spicy, quick-witted and larger than life. While her sights are solely set on being a TikTok sensation, mine are set on getting the app shut down. There’s only so much twerking I can take. Did China seriously give me both TikTok and COVID? Who do I fight? I suppose I should say we; my scrappy little girl will be right by my side, loyally running towards the brawl.
Caleb is 11, kindhearted, capable albeit distracted and willing to spend his and our last dime on video games. He delights in anything with two wheels and feels “free” on his new dirt bike while I feel incredibly apprehensive and Troy feels relieved that Caleb’s not a pansy and excited to have a companion on the trails.
Enzo is 9, patient, imaginative and if I had a favorite, which I don’t, it would be he. Though the kids claim he fibs and isn’t perfect, I’m not persuaded. I totally believe him when he says I make the best (anything), am the world’s greatest mom and the most generous person ever for buying him absolutely everything he wants. Hyperbole is an art and he has it down.
As for Troy and I, the process of blending our seven-person family is both an adjustment and a blessing. Though I’ve tried my best to explain that you can’t earn points for free gift cards without using your credit card, math continues to elude Troy. Flight training has not escaped him however, as he pursues his private pilot’s license. He bought a Cirrus airplane this year, which I think is absolutely wonderful since I now have authorization to buy whatever I want for the next decade. I make every effort to teach Sarah’s Dewey Decimal System of Organization to my gang but it ends up futile, as it seems we are stuck working on getting people to put the milk back into the refrigerator. Sometimes I wonder if they are faking incompetence but in my heart of hearts I know that my superior brilliance is both a blessing and a curse. We all have our cross to bear.
Wishing you peace, health and stability in this challenging year,
Sarah, Troy and kids
