It’s no secret that Holly and I love our furbabies, and it is also not a secret that every year around Christmas, we take silly pictures with them in front of our Christmas tree. Though, after checking, it looks like it’s been since 2011 that we’ve actually published said photo; that was back when Oscar was still with us and Charlie was still an outside cat! Well, this year we decided to step it up a notch and actually mail some people our photos so they could share in our Christmas cheer! Of course, we didn’t want all of you to be left out either… so here you go! 🙂
This year has been an amazing year for the Thompson family. Holly was able to quit her job at the end of last year, and has been able to spend the entire year volunteering in our community. She has been participating in the Meals on Wheels program, an organization that takes meals to shut-ins in our county. Through this experience she has made some new friends, most of whom are close to, or actually are, in their 90s! She has also been working with the Senior Smiles program, where she gives rides to elderly people to the doctor, the pharmacy, or where they need to go. In this she has discovered a passion for older people, and I have personally enjoyed watching her find meaning through helping others.
I also got a new job this year. In April I left Claris Networks after 10 years, to pursue a new opportunity with a research firm based in New York City called 451 Research. There I am a Senior Analyst on the Multi-tenant Data Center Team, which has me meeting with industry executives, doing lots of writing, and some public speaking to boot. So, I’m still in technology, I’m just no longer involved when stuff breaks… which has been a nice change. Most of all though, it has afforded me a LOT of flexibility in my work life, and has allowed Holly and I to travel more, which we’re totally excited about. By years end I will have traveled in 6 countries across 4 continents, all in 2015. Most of those adventures Holly has been able to join me on, except for my trip to India (which she isn’t sad about) and Hong Kong (which she is sad about). If you follow us on social media you already know that I broke my foot while in Hong Kong, which was an adventure in and of itself!
Most importantly, 2015 is a milestone year for us. Later this December Holly will celebrate 5 years since her last chemo treatment, and will FINALLY be done taking Tamoxifen, a gene therapy drug that a lot of breast cancer survivors are put on for the 5 years following their treatments. This chapter in our book is over, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
From our family to yours (furbabies included), Merry Christmas! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season with friends and family, and an excellent 2016!
–Dan Thompson