Seeing the seasons change on the Beltline.

When we moved to Atlanta in April of 2021, we knew the Beltline would be a big part of our Atlanta experience. It has been and continues to be. After living in Miami for a few years, a return to changes in the seasons has been a gift. They are a reminder of life’s ebbs and flows. They teach us to see beauty in change. They make us more awake to it all.

Welcoming friends and family to Atlanta.

We are so blessed to have been visited by many friends and family here in Atlanta this year. Your visits have meant more than we can say. Some folks’ only Atlanta experiences have been driving through on I-75, or layovers at ATL airport. We have enjoyed sharing beauty and diversity of the Atlanta we know. In all, we welcomed 23 out of town guests, some on more than one occasion. To each of you who visited – thank you. Your presence meant so much. To each of you who is thinking about visiting in the future – our door is always open.

Visiting friends, family, and new and old places.

We continued the long-established tradition of visiting the Curling Family at the Bay House on Chesapeake Bay, with two trips this year. We were in Louisville the last weekend in April to continue the Steedly tradition of running the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon. We made two trips back to Key West (including Greg’s birthday), enjoyed visiting Savannah for our anniversary and New York City for Katie’s birthday. We spent a weekend in our old Brickell neighborhood in Miami. After visiting the Steedly Family for Thanksgiving, we made our annual Cincy pilgrimage. We visited Greg’s father in Jacksonville for Christmas. We visited the Amanns at their beach home in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. We also took several trips to the north Georgia mountain wine country. 

Listening to live music.

We have thoroughly enjoyed live music this year. We spent an evening with Sheryl Crow, Lionel Ritchie, and Billy Joel; and another with Blues Traveler, Jewel, and Train. We had the pleasure of also seeing Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Allison Krauss and Robert Plant. In addition to the big shows, we saw plenty of bands in smaller venues, including Eddie Lopez Orchestra, Cowboy Mouth, a couple of porch fests and a few music festivals. A big highlight for us is seeing our friend Oren Pollack play all over Key West. We also saw three Broadway shows during a birthday trip to NYC – Music Man, Moulin Rouge, and A Strange Loop. We sang and danced a lot. Few things are more joyful than live music.

Doing meaningful work.

Greg continued working in media at McClatchy, helping to support local journalism in 30 markets. Katie started writing digital content for the Ohio Center for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion.

Participating in road races.

We continued our road racing tradition. The year included the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon in April, the Peach Tree Road Race in July, the Alien 5k and Half Marathon in August, the Atlanta 5k and 10 Miler in October, and the East side Beltline 5k and 10k in November. Time for another medal holder for our wall during 2023.

Watching sports.

We continued to attend Atlanta United MLS and Atlanta Braves games in 2022. We attended our first Atlanta Falcons game, watching them defeat the Chicago Bears. We caught some minor league hockey (Atlanta Gladiators), watched the University of Cincinnati take on Tulane in college football, watched FSU play Georgia Tech in baseball and the FSU women beat Georgia in soccer. We even learned to play curling which is much more difficult than it appears.

Writing this letter.

Christmas letters may have fallen out of fashion, but we persist. It is our annual chance to stay in touch and tell you how thankful we are for the gift of your friendship. We hope this letter finds you surrounded in peace, joy, and love. In reflecting on 2022, we are claiming the beauty of what is as we look toward what life will become. Many people have experienced loss and grief this year in our circle. If this is you, may our words fall gently like hope. Many people in our circle have encountered health challenges this year. If this is you, may you be surrounded in comfort and healing. Many people have experienced change in our circle this year. If this is you, may our words encourage you to invite change to sit beside you and become astonished together at how sweet life can be. May the new year find each of you with renewed light. May love fill each corner of your heart.