#tbt Holiday Newsletter

Sometimes I wonder why I bother going through old files before tossing them out. Finding this gem from 1994 reminds me why. This vintage edition of Holiday News is perfect for the last #tbt of 2015.

Holiday News, ©1994 Sloofman Press

Holiday News, ©1994 Sloofman Press

In my recent 1st Annual Online Holiday Newsletter, I mentioned that I hadn’t sent out a holiday newsletter for years. I thought that mine tended to be a rather dry laundry list of activities. In 1994, this was my attempt to liven things up using clip art during the pre-digital photography era, in a newspaper format that served me well during my first New York City job search. I printed this using my first computer and desktop printer.

21 years went by since I put this together. How quickly time passes and technology changes! Writing blogs on the worldwide web that were released to the immediate world was unthinkable – except perhaps to a select few like Steve Jobs.

Jay and I were relative newlyweds with 15 years of marriage under our belt. The girls were in elementary school and pre-K. Now Bonnie has come full circle and is back in elementary school – this time as a teacher. My artist career was in its infancy since we were still living in a small townhouse. I didn’t even have a place to paint.

I was ecstatic when the kids were finally old enough to go to my beloved museums, even if they were quick visits with the highlight being the gift shop.

I’m so happy I found this. It’s so easy to get caught up in daily living and forget to look at the big picture. Even when we try, sometimes we just don’t remember it quite right. I realize now that I didn’t give myself enough credit for my previous holiday newsletter efforts.

We all need to take a step back once in a while, and remember how far we’ve come and how much we have accomplished. Why don’t you do that right now? After all, it’s #tbt.

Happy Holidays!

Today when I opened several holiday photo cards with humorous holiday letters, I regretted skipping our family photo card this year.

Holiday cards and letters are a great way to look back on the year as well as to keep in touch, especially if you’re not on Facebook. Inevitably you learn something new about your friends and family. Last year I found out my brother-in-law, Bill, drives all over Kansas to judge barbecue contests (aka Barbecue Bill going forward). Who knew?

And then it hit me. It’s not too late! After all, isn’t a blog post simply a modern day equivalent of a paper newsletter? So welcome to my 1st Annual Online Holiday Newsletter!

2015 will long be remembered as the year of wedding celebrations, all beautiful, unique and memorable each in their own way. This is one of my favorite family photos of the year, since we’re all together and really dolled up.

Family Photo in Philadelphia for Alissa and Jared's wedding, October 10, 2015

Family Photo in Philadelphia for Alissa and Jared’s wedding, October 10, 2015

This year we went to 12 different weddings. Jay and I went to 6, Bonnie went to 5, and Laura went to 6 (in Switzerland, Chicago, Evanston, Urbana and 2 in Philadelphia, winning our most miles traveled award). I couldn’t help thinking about wedding cake paintings.

Beverly hanging out with Emily and Josh's wedding cake in Burlingame, California, May 17, 2015

Beverly hanging out with Emily and Josh’s wedding cake in Burlingame, California, May 17, 2015

Lots of dress shopping this year, especially with Laura being in the bridal party in 3 of her 6 weddings. We saw Laura more this year than any other year since she moved to Urbana.

Emily and Nadav's Wedding, Evanston, Illinois, Photo Courtesy Daniela Cardili, August 15, 2015

Emily and Nadav’s Wedding, Evanston, Illinois, Photo Courtesy Daniela Cardili, August 15, 2015

Steph and Justin's Wedding, Rye, NY, September 20, 2015

Steph and Justin’s Wedding, Rye, NY, September 20, 2015

Here’s the most spontaneous and fun wedding photo of all.

Steph and Justin's Wedding, Rye, NY, September 20, 2015

Steph and Justin’s Wedding, Rye, NY, September 20, 2015

We extended the San Francisco wedding trip to include 10 days driving the rugged California coastline up to Mendocino (Jay has nerves of steel!), taking in the wine and art in Napa (more on that another time), and ending with a breath-taking visit to Yosemite.

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From an overlook near Point Reyes, California

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Rock climbing on Glass Beach in Mendocino, CA

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Beverly getting her art fix at the Hess Collection in the Napa Valley, California

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An adventurous Jay at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park, California (not shown is the nervous photographer)

The Evanston wedding coincided with Jay’s national bridge tournament in Chicago. 2015 marked the first time Jay has made it to the semi-finals in a national team event (the mini-Spingold national event, for you bridge aficionados.) Congratulations to Jay!

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This was also my first trip with Jay to a national tournament and it was more fun than I thought. While Jay was playing bridge twice a day, I toured Chicago’s distinctive architecture with a dear friend from business school (where Jay and I met), visited my cousins (4 first cousins in the area), went to art museums – and couldn’t stop taking photos of The Bean in Millennium Park (maybe there’s a series here a la Monet’s Haystacks) Now I’m considering going to the 2016 summer tournament. How does Washington, D.C. in July sound to you?

With my twin cousins, Pam and Sue, in Evanston.

With my twin cousins, Pam and Sue, in Evanston.

The Bean in Millenium Park from the top of the Chicago Athletic Club

The Bean in Millenium Park from the top of the Chicago Athletic Club

One of my many photos from the underside of The Bean

One of my many photos from the underside of The Bean

Unfortunately, all these weddings were accompanied by too many funerals, one of which hit me particularly hard. One of my oldest and dearest friends who I met at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Marlene, passed away in July after a prolonged battle with cancer. So I spent our wedding anniversary writing a eulogy for the Philadelphia funeral, but was grateful for the opportunity since it proved to be cathartic, and brought back memories of happier and healthier times.

Beverly and Marlene at one of many Thanksgiving dinners in Philadelphia, 1980s

The 3 day trip was bittersweet since I got to spend time with both her daughters, Debbie (now living in Bethesda) and Lauren (from Santa Monica), and their families, something that hadn’t happened in years. I brought a lot of old photos and this was the favorite.

Marlene with Lauren and Debbie, Valley Forge, PA, 1978.

Marlene with Lauren and Debbie, Valley Forge, PA, 1978.

2015 was the year I broke out of my comfort zone with my art. I participated two different 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenges in January and September. For the first time, I finally tried painting on wood panels instead of linen, and explored a lot of new subjects, food and non-food – including flowers, hood ornaments, double yolk eggs, sunsets and more. I was in a number of shows this year, at the Katonah Museum of ArtSilvermine Art Center, and in American Realism at Cavalier Galleries with branches in Manhattan, Greenwich and Nantucket.

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In between the Challenges and weddings, I took 4 trips to Michigan to visit my mother, who celebrated her 90th birthday in her condo where she has lived for at over 35 years. This also gave me a chance to keep in touch with relatives and long time friends, and see the long overdue Diego Rivera retrospective at the Detroit Institute of Arts (a subject for another blog).

Looking back at 2015, no wonder I felt like I didn’t have much free time!

Now for the kids (who really aren’t kids any more).

A lovely photo of Laura and Bonnie.

One of my favorite photos of  Laura and Bonnie

Bonnie (right) is in her 3rd year as an elementary special education teacher at Central School in Mamaroneck. It’s a demanding job that requires superior multi-tasking skills (which she demonstrated at Thanksgiving). She has found her calling as a teacher. Somehow she fit Pilates classes into her schedule twice a week, and she spent more time enjoying the food in New York City.

Laura (left) will officially receive her Masters in Biophysics and Computational Biology from the University of Illinois in May. Kudos to Laura! We will be going to Urbana for her graduation ceremony.

And so her job search for a bioinformatics position has officially begun. Her current genetics-based research project at the University of Illinois is funded through July.  Of course, being her mother, I’m hoping Laura will return to the greater New York area…. So if you hear of any opportunities, please contact Webmaster Laura at admin@beverlyshipko.com.

As I write this post, I remember why I stopped writing the paper letters – it’s hard. There’s too much to say, and I have a tendency to include a laundry list of things that sounds akin to bragging, particularly without being broken up by photos. Now I better appreciate the consummate skill of Barbecue Bill who writes such entertaining, tongue-in-cheek letters that I chuckle over every year – without a single photo!

As always, I look forward to catching up with all of you, and to seeing you the next time you’re passing through New York. Our door is always open.

 I wish each and every one of you a peaceful and joyful holiday season.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!