Ohio Chronicles 2023

Merry Christmas
and
Happy Holidays!

Best wishes for
a wonderful
2024!

Love,
The Elia Family

Zack and Sarrah got engaged this year! Zack proposed this past April on their trip to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. They are now diligently planning, with Charlotte's assistance, for their wedding next year.

Their house is more illuminated than ever with Zack's various LED projects: motion-detected under cabinet lighting for the kitchen, outdoor roof lining for holidays, and a Christmas tree with soon-to-have 3D effects. Sarrah has been sewing nonstop and has created blankets, clothes, and more for herself, friends, and family. Her biggest and most challenging achievement this year has been her revolutionary war outfit for historical reenactment events she attends with her Aunt Jean. Her personal favorite project, however, is a fluffy tummy time baby blanket for their close friends' baby.

Zack and Sarrah spent a lot of time in the garden this past year and raised an 11 foot tall sunflower! It was devastating when a storm knocked it down before it was done blooming. Luckily, they saved some seeds from the superior plant and hope to grow its offspring next year. They also grew an abundance of cherry tomatoes, a favorite snack of Sarrah's.

Zack will be starting a new job next year as a mobile software developer working for a small contracting company. Sarrah has picked up numerous roles at her job and is planning to complete the Project Manager Professional (PMP) Certification next year.

Jackie is in her third year at Miami University and was awarded another departmental scholarship in recognition of her achievement. She was accepted into the combined BS/MS Accountancy Program which means she will graduate with both degrees in her 4 years there. She completed her second internship this past summer which she enjoyed, and has already accepted a position for next summer. Miami has a significant liberal arts requirement and this semester Jackie really enjoyed the "The Origin, History, and Relevance of Doomsday Cults" class she chose.

Combining two of her interests, cats & crocheting, Jackie opened her own in-house factory for crocheting blankets for shelter kitties. She insisted that mom should be crocheting whenever her hands were not otherwise busy. Grammie was put to work making yarn balls and Sarrah donated her crocheting skills to the cause during her visit. So far we've made over 80 blankets for the sweet kitties!

This year it was determined that Jackie needed surgery on her chest wall. She recently had it repaired on December 15th and is home recovering with the goal to return to school for the spring semester. The cats are working overtime to be great nurses for her, which consists mostly of them lying in bed with her and having occasional slap fights during their shift change.

Fun with friends

Jackie has all of us involved in the shelter kitty blanket production!

Last year Peter got a drum kit for Christmas and as it turns out he has some real talent! Some might even say he's a prodigy… and by "some," I mean Peter. He practices for HOURS almost EVERY DAY, playing along to all his favorite Genesis and Billy Joel songs as well as a few others. The great thing about an acoustic drum set is that it can be heard throughout the entire house and even outside. There is no escape! Of course with his dedication and determination to his music, he has required a few upgrades to his gear in terms of extra toms and cymbals so he'll be “tour ready” by 2025.

Even with all his drumming Peter still finds time to work on projects around the house. Fun fact: ever since Peter's mother moved in, he has found the most creative ways to disappear outside and in the basement for hours at a time. He claims this is merely a coincidence...

I am thoroughly enjoying our freedom from work and appreciate the time I have to spend with Peter, Jackie, Grammie, and friends. Still a teacher at heart, I have been educating others on personal finance concepts and find that very rewarding. I even get to make hand-outs, slides, and spreadsheets for them which is the epitome of fun! What could be better than that? We have continued to attend meetings for local finance groups and Jackie has started attending them with us, too.

After a decade plus of my all-consuming finance obsession, I am finally branching out! I accepted that I have no more excuses to not focus on my health. I have been putting forth great effort since the summer and am excited about my progress. Several health and wellness podcasts, books, and online groups can now be found among my finance ones. Shocking, I know!

After relentless badgering from Peter & Jackie, I finally agreed to get a second cat. In August we adopted Oliver (Ollie) who was about 1 year old. The last time we had two cats was Toonces & Monty. At best they tolerated each other so that's what I was expecting this time. It took a little while but Ollie won Misty over. Sometimes he's still too much for her to take but they are often seen playing, chasing, and wrestling - often at 3am! Snuggling and grooming each other also happens.

They have very different personalities, but both are very sweet. While Ollie fits the stereotype of a dumb orange cat, he was able to learn how to open the kitchen cabinets (thanks, Peter). Good thing he's cute! When we first got Ollie he tried to eat everything in sight, but he has calmed down which is good because Misty does not like to share her trout and tuna.

After a visit last Christmas, Peter's mom accepted our invitation to live with us. She is clearly more popular than we are because she has had more visitors this year than we've had in a long time!