Monday, December 26, 2022

December 2022

 A very long overdue update to be sure. For those who are taking the time to visit this ol' place we used to keep current, don't mind the decade gap between posts. You are the real troopers venturing in old territory!

Some of the notables this year:

Lathan (19) spent his Freshman year at BYU-Provo, majoring in Chemistry. He loved his classes, but was a bit overwhelmed with trying to get some ridiculously fast swim cuts to be considered for the BYU swim team (they don't have a water polo program, club or otherwise). That on top of being called as Ward Executive Secretary to a new Bishop made for a busy, BUSY schedule. He averaged 20-24 hours per week taking care of the calling duties, then swam, then felt the labs required to stay ahead and succeed in Chem were a bit much. He felt it necessary to drop swim. Then with COVID restrictions still in place, he wasn't as free to roam and participate in sporting and spiritual events on campus quite as he would have liked. He got through a rather strenuous freshman year well enough and plans to return post-mission. In the meantime, he is spending this school year attending Sierra College. He joined their water polo team after a two-year hiatus (from being swim-focused) and was able to play on the same team again with some of his oldest water polo buddies. They went all the way to State Champs and placed 3rd! The lead up was quite exciting to see Lathan play a clutch role in getting the team to qualify the weekend before Champs. He played such amazing games, but was unfortunate to receive a hard shot to the head that resulted in a concussion that took him out for the rest of the season. No practices, and no Champs game for him. So sad, but worth keeping him out of the game. He still has to be careful, but he is [mostly] recovered. He will continue to finish the school year, while preparing his LDS Mission papers and giving swim one last hurrah to defend Sierra's State Champ title. 

{Glasses for blue light protection as he recovered from concussion}



Kaelan (17) is a senior at Granite Bay High School and has grown into quite the determined young man, albeit spazzy. His quirky nature is generally reserved for home audiences, but his pizzazz is all time. Ironically, we have found that despite his wackiness, his grounded nature to be such a comfort to the chaos that our house can be. He is the ultimate instigator of things, whether it be love, discord, peace, pet shenanigans, or dinner and snack ideas. He was deeply affected scholastically by the COVID educational arrangements and perhaps lost some of his passion for certain subjects. Even still, math, stats, and number crunching in general is still his go to. He is a fact encyclopedia and is quick to correct people (anyone) who is not a truth teller. As such, he loves learning and plans to serve an LDS Mission right after graduation. He will finish the official paperwork and submit before winter is out to be sure he gets a summer start date. He continues to play water polo and loved his senior year, so he will continue through the rest of the school year playing club polo with his high school team. It was a bit surprising to us parents that he took this route because he decided last summer that he was going to swim only. He did club swim and made fantastic improvements in his times and saw more discipline than I've ever seen from this boy. A short break ensued to play senior water polo at the high school. He mentioned going straight back to swim right after polo. That has since changed, so swim will be a lesser focus this coming year. He is the one boy who has to wear glasses. He ventured into wearing contacts for a time, but has since decided it's too much maintenance to make it worth it. So telling, really. 

Both Lathan and Kaelan are complete again being in each other's daily lives again. I do feel that the physical separation was harder for them than they'd like to admit last year. I saw it firsthand; so, I am beyond grateful to have everyone, but especially those two, back together again. 

Jeydan, aka JJ, (15) is doing things a completely different way. He is a social butterfly that needs constant reminders of how exclusive dating is frowned upon until he turns 16. He is the only one that has ever pushed the limits of social privileges with following curfews and timely announcements of plans. As such, he has been known to lose his phone for long lengths of time for what he considers to be small infractions. We have strict phone usage rules and he seems to "forget" them often. He is also so motivated to do any and all assignments, home or scholastic, not only on time, but EARLY. It's true that he is trying to plow through the list of to-dos so that he can have more free time with friends, so we find the quality of work could use some improvements. But WOW. He never needs reminding when asked or tasked with something left for him to do. That's something we will never complain about! Additionally, he is now behind the wheel with a driver's permit, which was terrifying at the start. Truly, huge improvements since the start, but for reals, that was SCARY for a bit. We are grateful to the man who laughed off getting bumped into with JJ behind the wheel 😳. He is also playing water polo and likes the social aspect of the game better than swim, so he gravitates to the polo over swim every time. He was the only freshman to be on the 16u A team last year and received this year's JV MVP award for the high school season. He continues to eye roll over swim training, but he has the talent base there. I hope one day he will put real training time to see what might come of it. He is doing well in school overall and it's fun to have a son to do Promposals and take to pre-dance parent gatherings for pictures. He's not quite open to talking about it all, but we are working on that. 



Haefan (13) is still a soccer fan. He loves to be with friends, too, but only a few at a time. He picks his small group and sticks with them. The real change came this year with him changing schools from the Classical Education charter school that he's been at since 2nd grade to the local junior high that is conveniently across the street. This was a bold change for a boy that usually wants nothing to do with change. After a few months in, he is still LOVING his new school. He loves his Spanish class (his favorite!) and his History/English core class. He is gifted in math like his brothers, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he is more humanities oriented (is that a lefty brain thing, maybe?). He just loves language and writing. He is a very talented singer it turns out, too; but he will only sing at home for a very selective audience (the pets and mom). He also has taken a love for water polo, but like his older bro JJ, he does not care for swim. He is a lucky dog in that he is a lefty, which is quite the advantage for this sport. He is a talented game strategist like his other brothers and is growing into a quite the force in the water. One of his most lovable traits is how much he loves his fur babies. He lives to love them. It is the sweetest thing to see. He also reminds me so much of Lathan. I'm not kidding that his lefty ways are always showing up in wacky ways. He just thinks differently. He is more quick to show emotion and is especially sensitive to the subtleties of the room's vibe. Also, he is the ONLY boy that has ever expressed explicit interest to go snowboarding with mom. YAYYYY! So, Mom is happy to oblige. He is snuggly and loves to be with mom in general, which makes him the perfect caboose to this crazy clan. 



Mama Gigi had some fun (and strange) adventures this past year. She began the year with a running start being a permanent sub for a Catholic school at the mid-year start. Ugh. That was tough. Psychiatrists were seen. Solo getaways were booked. Junior high for the private sector with unexperienced classroom teacher isn't for the faint of heart. Haha. Happy to say that everyone survived, but Mom realized that quality of life is more important than anything; so she took off to Peru for 10 days - and not to the mountains - but to the sea. She found the longest surf left in the world and surfed it with other ladies and mamas that love the ocean just like her. After returning, she realized that the ocean is her special space. She still loves the trails, but she stopped trail running regularly. With Haefan being so close to school, this left Mom a lot more free time avoiding the pick up and drop off mayhem that came with the charter school. Now mom gets to go on runs and snow fun days away from home without the pressure of being back at a non-negotiable time. She has found other things to distract her with this flexibility. Like, she decided that substitute teaching for the high school was more her jam these days. She happens to know this crowd well and so it turns out she's quite adept at it. So much so that Placer County awarded her a generous grant to get her teaching credential this coming year. She will pursue a single subject math credential. For now, however, she is happy to spend these next 6 months with her family all together before the two oldest leave the nest for a time. 



Daddy Dave is working tirelessly. He is growing his surgery practice quite a bit and will be adding ANOTHER physician this coming year to keep up. He continues to find enjoyment in what he does with a focus on robotic surgery these last few years. He enjoys the management aspect of the practice but still enjoys taking care of his patients. As always, he struggles to find the ideal balance between family, work, church and fun. He loves watching his boys compete in swimming, water polo and soccer. He still loves being outdoors and had the opportunity to do some safety sweeps and radio sweeps for some of the local ultramarathon races, such as Western States 100 mile, The Canyons 100k and Rio Del Lago 100 mile race.  He still is the endurance king whether it's work marathons or ultra marathon middle of the night safety help. He finally made the leap to getting a real truck to take to future adventures, most likely in the backwoods where no one can find him (or reach him by phone), only to find out that something wasn't quite right with the truck. After repeated attempts to resolve the mystery issue, GMC finally agreed to take the truck back and to replace it with another brand new one in its place. It's not quite that easy, but he feels better knowing that GMC is attempting to rectify the situation. We will see how this all unfolds in the coming year. He is the rock of this family and shows us what a man, father, and Priesthood holder should be. 



Our labradoodle is now 13 years old!! He is loving and kind as he's always been. His age has slowed him down and his voice has become more strained, but he is as excitable and happy as he was as a puppy. He is more spoiled than ever now that he gets invited to sleep on the bed and sit on the sofa (on a blanket assigned to him). We just don't know how long he will be around, so we give him all the leniencies these days. Our kitty of 8 years, Cleopatra, has been the best and most patient cat with handsy, snuggly boys. She is so gentle; however, we threw a wrench in the family dynamic by adding a new kitty that needed a new home. She is Calypso, a 4 year-old kitty that is likely a Lynx Point Siamese with perhaps a shred of Maine Coon. She's so lovely and social (unlike Cleo), but Cleo has yet to accept this new way of life. So for now, they are separated by doors and constantly supervised and escorted when paths may need to be crossed (when Cleo wants to go outside). 





The boys are growing up and are on the cusp of moving on beyond our walls of what we've known as home for so very long. We are so excited for them, but are truly savoring these last moments with them all together. Yes, there are many lessons yet to be learned from everyone still. There are moments of drama and emotion to deal with. We are finding ways to cram life lessons while they flex their muscles the way that teenagers do; but we couldn't be more grateful for these turds of joy. They show us how to be better people. 



We miss you all and hope to see you in the coming year! We are always up for adventure, so if there's something crazy on your bucket list, please reach out and we are likely to say yes. 🤩🥳



Sunday, November 20, 2016

Holiday 2016

Holiday 2016

Happy Thanksgiving! Grateful to all and everything in our lives. :)

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Dave's Take

A lot of things happen in our house.  A lot.  All the time. 4 boys and a dog. Craziness happens daily. Here is just a little update as to what is going on with who.

Haefan. He is five. Can read like crazy.  Just like his brothers.  He gets that from me. I can say that because, when first dating and being married, I used to tease Griselda that she had more TVs in her house than books. He loves soccer.  He can actually score.  He gets that from Griselda. She pretty much gets whatever she wants. He has crazy blond hair. He can surf.

Jeydan. He is 7. Still wants to be a professional soccer player. Almost was convinced at becoming a professional surfer after our family reunion in Newport Beach, which was AWESOME!!! Loves to read.  He is cruising through the Harry Potter series right now. Such a cuddle bug. Definitely a lady's man. Loves to play with hair.

Kaelan. He is 9. Sorry to keep saying the same thing, but he LOVES reading. It is like a drug.  The guy really knows how to get lost in a book. I mean really lost.  Like yelling at him from 10 feet away without a clue of what is going on lost. Gets Griselda's goat like no other.

Lathan. He is 11. Started Boy Scouts. Strong and pure but sometimes fearful. Willing to do what is right but has a hard time always standing apart from others. Not that he would participate in wrong doing but more that he would stand by or hide if able. Playing soccer. Loving it. Starting water polo soon. He is really going to be a good water polo player. Dedicated and determined.

de-Griselda. She is beautiful. Wonderful. What more can I say. Trying to clear out the house with a mega garage sale soon. She is looking forward to decluttering and possibly getting some more new things to clutter our house with.

Dave. Me. I am here. Just happy to be along for the ride on this crazy train that is the Skeehan family.
Trying to be more grateful for what I have. Really trying to get out into the outdoors more.  Living on the footsteps to the Sierras is like temptation city.  I hear the mountains calling constantly. Dabbling in the distance running.  Obviously not for speed but I enjoy the challenge.

Loved seeing so many family and friends this summer.  Sorry if we missed anyone. So glad that you guys are all part of our life. Stay in touch always.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Sandy Hook


This post is NOT the Christmas Letter.  :)  This was so great that I just had to repost.  There is such hope in this.  

The Christmas Letter 2012 follows this post.  I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

-Griselda





Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38 
When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate. 
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air. 
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there. 
They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say. 
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day. 
"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse. 
"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's house.
"When what to their wondering eyes did appear, 
But Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near. 
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same. 
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name. 
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring 
Those children all flew into the arms of their King 
And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace, 
One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face. 
And as if He could read all the questions she had 
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad." 
Then He looked down on earth, the world far below 
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe 
Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand, 
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!" 
"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools" 
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!" 
Then He and the children stood up without a sound. 
"Come now my children, let me show you around." 
Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran. 
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can. 
And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight, 
"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas friends!
A year in pictures...
I think I may have this Blogger bug fixed.  I am attempting a new way to upload photos and content.  If this works, I'll be back to this blogging thing regularly!
So to touch on a few things~
Dave & Griselda:
We had a lot of adventure, but thankfully the year was void of too much drama.  Phew!  Some of the more notable events included Dave running himself ragged in several ultra events:  Way Too Cool, 35 miles; AR50, 50 miles, and a pacer for my bff Betsy in the Wasatch 100, for which he ran 39 miles with her.   I tried running, but nothing ultra (yikes!), with a 25k with my buddy, Lisa.  I enjoyed the run with no major hiccups.  I hated the triple-digit heat on dusty trails, though.  We also did a cancer fundraiser for UCSF and swam "across the Bay" - really, we just jumped off a yacht under the GG Bridge, then swam to Crissy Field WITH the current for 1.5 miles.  Not too bad.  My highlight was being able to be in the water with some of the more notable USA Water Polo gals!  Then we also completed the Tough Mudder quite successfully, I might add.  So we will be back for this coming year's Mudder.  Any takers?  We'd love you to join us!
Lathan:
Doing great in school.  Working hard at reading long books so that he can watch the movies (his reward).  He finished The Hobbit most recently and is excited for that release and heard they are making it a trilogy - he hopes.  What a bargain that would be, huh?  He did water polo camp at Stanford with a good buddy of his while the other two participated in a tennis camp on campus over the summer.  He found a love for basketball, most recently and wants to be the next Jimmer Fredette.
Kaelan:
Seeing the benefit of reading books when there is a movie at the end of it.  We had to draw the line, though.  We now say he has to PASS the AR test in order to get that reward.  Yep.  He's that kid that reads the words but doesn't process it so much.  He loves basketball, too, and is loving flag football.  He also found a love for skateboarding.  He is as bright as ever and is getting to be quite the clown; however, we are still working on appropriate humor...
Jeydan:
LOVES soccer!  He is a natural at pretty much every sport he has tried, but just adores soccer.  He is excelling at reading and math, so Kindergarten is more a social thing right now for him.  He loves his friends and needs action at all times.
Haefan:
Enjoying preschool, mostly.  He loves his teachers and the classroom, but sometimes finds the getting up and getting out of the house a bit tiresome.  He knows so much for a little guy!  He is good at articulating his thoughts, so he is the wunderkind that says the darndest things!  He is a gentle soul - and a LEFTY!  I will fully admit that any strange, or unexplained idiosyncrasies will be blamed on that.  Ha ha!
I also wanted to add that we are taking a BREAK from swim team in more than 2.5 years!!!!  It feels SO good to have dinner time back and evenings to unwind…after the football, water polo, and basketball practices are over.  :)  At least those are all BEFORE dinner.

Now on to the photos:  
Let's just begin this crazy year of adventure with a crazy hair day, shall we?  Here is to my bed head king...
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At least this day his hair and personality were NOT in sync.

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A quick trip to Echo Lake (COLD!!!) where fishing off the dock was our fave.

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Haefan's BFF, Chloe, at his little 3rd Bday Celebration at home.

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Not only obsessed with these guys, but a true master.  Schools us all.

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Still hasn't grasped the blowing out vs. up concept.  So cute!

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What an appropriate poster for the American River 50 (50 mile ultra run).

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At the last real aid station before the finish.  We waited there a LONG... LONG time, so...

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We became quite comfortable with the surrounding area...

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Tact and reservation were no longer within our reach at this point as you can plainly see!

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We love our uncle Pete.  What a guy!

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Dave was HURTING here.  Pretty silent and removed.  Good thing Pete was all smiles!

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Waiting for his painful deep massage post race.

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Our special birthday entrance for the special dude, J.J.

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We do donuts for breakfast on their birthday.  Their favorite!

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Oh how proud it makes me that the boys LOVE the ocean and its creatures!  This is at J.J.'s old preschool room after a special birthday celebration.

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We went to SkyZone for J.J.'s family celebration.

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At J.J.'s preschool graduation.  It was HOT that day!

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J.J. really does give the best hugs EVER.

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Can you tell how proud he is???  I was beaming, too.  :)

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I can tell you that the cute J.J. smile is all Dave and that monster face is all Mom.  Lol.

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He is quite the wicked hitter!

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He was on the young side here, but really learned so much.

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What a water polo stud.

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*sigh*  I love Stanford.

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Stowe and Lathan.  Two of a kind, those two.

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Dave Jr.

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At a swim meet.  He has improved his times tremendously, but no one holds a candle to his endurance. Just like Dad.

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Independence Day church attire.  Such handsomeness.  Watch out, ladies...and Mom.  ;)

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Lathan conquering the ramp!  He was so brave that day.

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Kaelan waiting patiently for his turn.  Totally diggin' it.

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At Stanford Shopping Center (hoity toity madness!).

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USA water polo drills pre-game.  Olympic Women's team facing off with Hungary pre-Olympics.

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Here are the fantabulous lady-folk!

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Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe.  My newest favorite beach.

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It's like a pool melded with a beach.  Crystal clear, fresh water with waves!

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Arches National Park.  A detour on our way to see the other Skeehans in Denver.  Fun!

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Because it was a detour stop, we spent way too little time here.  This place looks AWESOME.

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Our final picture before heading out.

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Pirate birthday party with cousins in CO.

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J.J. won the balloon game and was super excited.

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A stupendously awesome park near Aunt Mimi's and Uncle Daniel's house in CO.

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There really is no better swing if all the little cousins can all fit at once!

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The girl cousins threw a pirate birthday party, so it's only fair that the boys are happy to do a little tea time at the park, right?

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My only good Halloween pic from the party before the trick-or-treating.

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At Temple Square for some Thanksgiving with MORE family.  Oh how we've been blessed with so much family time this year!

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Always a requisite.  I'm the pack mule, and Dad is the burro carrying the little guys.

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These boys, as I'm sure is the case with all boys, could live in the Apple store and not need food or water for days!

Thanks for visiting the blog!  Look for more to come in the next few weeks!  I'll post about Christmas Day once we hit that point...that is, if we survive the end of all things on 12.21.12...  !!!!