Since I didn't get to that either, and my Grinch-atude may have reached critical mass this year, here's a paltry attempt to let everyone know what the Blakely's are up to.
Phil is still working as a network administrator/engineer, and has gone back to school to finish his degree. He was engaged in local politics for a couple of years, and may go back if the existing Republicans in this county stop hating anyone not exactly like them. One can hope.
I have been out of politics for about a year now, but have plans to engage in the 2016 election cycle. I also started a politiculture blog, which you can peruse HERE. I've learned several lessons in my five years with the Tea Party; one of which is that politics attracts the worst people on both sides of the aisle. I understand this is an indictment of myself, and I've made my peace with that.
Teaching Sunday School is another thing occupying my time. I have the 16-17-18 year-olds, which is totally the best class to have. It's as close as you can get to teaching adults without doing so. I think we can all agree that me in primary/nursery is a bad mix.
I have also returned to school to complete my degree. I'm focusing on Communications and Business with a University Studies degree. Basically, whatever degree tells my boss that I can be in charge of stuff is the degree I want. Why? Because politics is horrible. Watching your boss do politics ineptly is soul-sucking agony.
Cortlan is now 15 and is shockingly close to things like driving and voting. Not to fear though, I'm sure he and his small cat army (pictured below) will be fine. In related news, we bought a house an quickly acquired five cats and two dogs. Cortlan has requested that after his death, we sprinkle catnip on his grave so people think he was a cat god of some sort. He'll be a junior next year, which is weird.
Caspian has become quite an artist. She works with pencil, chalk, oils, and watercolors. I have an agreement with her in which I give her money, and I don't have to do all the crappy school projects that elementary schools hoist onto the parents. They really should make the kids do them, but I guess public school reflects American culture. As long as it looks like the commercials, nobody cares if anything good comes out of it. Cappy will be 14 in January, which is also scary close to things like voting and driving.
Rowan is still alive... for now. We're doing what we can for him, but when he comes to my office with a story like, "So, Mom, I was riding my bike with my eyes closed and when I opened them, I was heading straight toward the curb. I tried to turn, but couldn't in time, and when I hit the curb the bike flipped over and I landed on my back in the grass. I said to myself, 'well, that was weird.'" there's only so much we can do. He just turned 9, and was accepted into the gifted program at school recently.
Heston still has a soft belly... and "youngest child" tattooed on his forehead. He's very much the baby, also in the gifted program at school, and is referred to as a "flopper" by the other kids. His vocabulary is quite developed; sometimes I forget it's not normal to have a 7 year-old use words like "legislative, furious, and apocalypse." He's very analytical, which can be (and is) used for brilliance and mischief.
Overall, the family is doing well. Phil avoids the camera like Hillary Clinton avoids honesty, so here's a link to him playing King Benjamin for the primary kids.
Here's the kids...
Here's pictures of our zoo: In order, they are: Davros, Mini-T, Cora, Ashfoot, Toothless, Bunny Wabbit, and Sabine.
