Christmas Letter

If you are reading this, chances are you received our annual Christmas card with the link. If this is your first time reading our blog, welcome! I started the blog in 2010 after Don and I grew tired of spending November writing an beloved annual family newsletter also called The Pillsbury Press. The first posts were stories we included in our last edition.

Fifteen years later, the writing thrives. The readership is low. Most stories are only read by a dozen people, which if fine. It further justifies why we don't spend a month writing a newsletter. The chronically of our lives is mostly for me, but I do like to share our news with everyone. 

You didn't type the URL in for a history lesson, so here is the 2025 news that did not get printed on the Christmas card:

Don

Don continues to work at REI. He calls it his retirement gig, but this time of year he works nearly every day, except the days we have other plans. His manager is excellent at not scheduling him when we have plans.

Don is part of the Tech Team at church that provides the livestream of each worship service. They have enough men on the team that he usually only has one worship service a month.

Don went to Omaha, Nebraska with his friend C for the annual Berkshire Hathaway stockholders meeting. He went on a long bike ride in Cape May with Gordon, Jeff, and a couple of their friends.

His other big news is he decided to grow a beard this year. It changes his look.

Don does commute to work by bicycle. Unlike past commutes, this one is barely five miles, half of which is on the D&R canal, and other parts are on the Johnson Trolley Line. 

Jacquie

I spent much of 2025 getting dirty. I've met a great group of people who dig at Newlin Grist Mill each Wednesday. Unlike other sites, this one does not have a hard deadline. We are exploring the hidden history of the site. We started 2025 with a mini archaeology school, which I did not appreciate until it was over. In the fall I learned about another dig site meeting Fridays and Saturdays at Fort Mifflin. They are on hiatus until March, but hope to continue longer in 2026. Both sites helped keep me in shape.

I also volunteer with Alliance Française as their newsletter writer. Reviewing plays for NJ ACT also counts as volunteer work. Volunteers don't get paid, so we might as well have fun with it.

I attended a lot of protests, as I'm sure many of you reading this did this year. It is exhausting to think how much work is ahead of us to recover our place on the global stage. I've temporarily lost steam in my fight. Fortunately others are stepping up.

I did minimal freelance work last year. Franky, I would like more. If you have any writing or editing leads, please share them. My blog is a place for writing samples.

I enjoyed catching up with friends in person and online. I'm always up for a chat.

Ashley

Ashley is the assistant technical director at Passage Theater. Yes, you can go to college for a degree in theater and get a job after you graduate. She loves it, unfortunately it is part time and she has picked up other side gigs. She has exciting news happening in January, but past experience has shown it is not a good idea to write about the future. The three times we did, they did not happen. 1) Rebecca's engagement to Mike; 2) said we would go to an annual holiday party only to come down with the flu; and 3) announcing Ashley was going to Lehigh before we saw the non-existent financial package. Rather than jinx this news, we wait.

In April she moved into a studio apartment with her girlfriend, Anna. Two months later they moved into a one-bedroom apartment, along with Anna's cat, Fred. 

Anna is a French teacher at a local high school.

Anna and Ashley squeezed in a trip to Montreal together. 

Travels

Traveling, then writing about it and putting together albums has kept me busy this year. Due to the national instability, my travels were to countries where I felt safe. Cocooned. I hope to spread out in 2026.

January: Don and I went to Vancouver, which they call the Bahamas of Canada. I will agree it was warmer there than it was in New Jersey that week. 

February: day trips to New York City and Washington, DC.

March: stayed home. More local trips.

April: I went to Belgium for two weeks.

May: Don went to Omaha, Nebraska.

June: Perth, Ontario for the Kilt 5-mile race.

July: Newfoundland, Canada to see Come from Away in Gander.

August: Exploring Trenton, NJ through Trenton Walks and Downtown Fit.

September: Ohio to see family and friends.

October: a visit from my family's exchange student (Susanne) and her family.

November: Overnight to Smiths Falls, ON, Canada where we saw the Northern Lights.

December: Return to Belgium, this time on the Flemish side.

Pets:

The newsletter often includes updates about our pets. Lucy is now 12, and Mimi is 6. After nearly six years living in the same house, they still don't get along. Lucy spends her days upstairs, coming downstairs only to use the littler box (thank goodness for that). Mimi spends all day downstairs. Every so often I catch them both in the same room and I take a picture for proof. Mimi has become more affectionate, often cuddling on me when I nap. Lucy still demands attention from Don, and mostly ignores me.

Miscellaneous:

In between have been many, many shows at all levels, including three in Canada. I estimate I see at least 50 shows a year. I became a theater reviewer for NJ ACT, which helps fuel my love of theater. Don and I have taken day trips to New York City, Washington, DC, and Connecticut. We try to squeeze in fun between his work shifts.

Don and I took a refresher hula hooping class. Don't laugh...it is an amazing work out!  

I continue to run, though I logged less miles than in past years. Don and Ashley work out at Planet Fitness. I'm thinking about joining, too, because they have been having good experiences and I need to work on my arm strength before digging starts up again!

We ate a lot of ice cream. I ate ice cream in four countries, but my favorite is still the bent spoon in Princeton. A close second was the violet ice cream I had in Liege, Belgium from an ice cream truck.

Two of my favorite doctors have announced their retirements. There will be healthcare changes in 2026. Thank goodness Don works enough at REI to qualify for family health insurance.

In conclusion:

We had just returned from Belgium when it was time to write our annual Christmas letter and I couldn't figure out how to concisely say all this without slighting anyone or any major experience. If you made it this far, drop us a line telling us about how 2025 treated you -- the good, the bad, the ugly. We are here for you. Drop a message in the comments, or send us a text or email, or *gasp* call.