Julia's Winter Soccer

Julia's team finished 5-0-3 in her league (I think) and they were champions (via tie break). They also went 1-2-0 in the Las Vegas Mayor's cup tournament. Julia has bounced around between outside defense, center defense, outside mid, and even once in center mid. She's a very reliable and smart player who rarely makes mistakes. She's valuable as a corner kicker and an encouraging teammate. They still have the WA Cup coming in April and then summer practices start in June. They also had a big party for Leah's bat mitzvah and looked beautiful.

Grand Canyon and Las Vegas

For mid-winter break, we flew into Las Vegas and planned to drive to Flagstaff for the night before heading to the Grand Canyon. Easier said than done! We got stuck in a blizzard that closed the freeway before Flagstaff with no viable detours. After nearly 8 hours in the car, we made our way back to Kingman, AZ for the night. We debated heading back to LV in the morning vs. Grand Canyon and decided to risk the road again for Grand Canyon. It was dicey, but we made it and had some gorgeous views. We hiked along the rim trail and then drove back to Vegas. 

While in Vegas, we toured the strip, went to the Real Bodies exhibit, had some good meals (2 Thai dinners, 1 at True Kitchen). John went to the Metallica concert. We also hung out with Julia's soccer friends and watched them go 1-2 in the tournament. It wasn't there greatest showing but some good takeaways and beautiful weather. We also did some hiking at Valley of Fire State Park which was really beautiful.

Winter hiking and skiing

Joanna took advantage of more free time with many hiking and ski trips. It was fun to reconnect with old friends like Ali, Andrea, Trish, and Rachel for these adventures. So far, she's had 10 ski days and 140 miles hiking. Hike highlights include Mount Si (with Rachel and Trish), Margaret's Way, and Poo Poo Point. Maeby has so much fun on the trails! In spring, we will venture further afar. 

Alex's debate 21/22

Alex and his partner Aroura had a terrific debate season! They competed in Novice Public Forum for Eastside Prep. They had one tournament win and a couple other top 5 finishes. Topics covered crypto currency, drugs, and Turkey. They put a lot of time into research and prep. Great work!

Drive to Palm Desert, CA

Joanna drove with Grandma and Grandpa F to Palm Desert in early January. We stopped for a nice dinner with Bonnie, Dena, and William along the way. G&G spent over 3 months in the desert and had an awesome time playing a lot of tennis.