Rolling with the generations and the pandemic

I’d like you to join me in welcoming Finnegan Fletcher Titterington to our world. He was born on June 12. He’s the first of his generation for both sides of the family, so the first grandchild and great grandchild. Plus, he has aunts and great-uncles and great-aunts around. He will be well loved and that’s the most important, some might say the only important, thing. And it’s especially fun to see how smitten his parents, Alli and Andy, are with the little guy.

And I know that every new grandparent thinks that that grandkid is the cutest kid ever, but little Fin really is the cutest kid ever, especially now that he’s not so yellow. You’ll get an opportunity to judge for yourself when he makes the cover in a few months.

Putting Fin on the cover is actually part of our 25th anniversary year celebration where we’re putting kids of former cover kids on the cover. As you might have guessed Andy was a cover kid more than once, and although Alli was never on the cover, her younger sister Akadia was.

So, this month, Hailey Brandt is on our cover. Her mother, Ashley, was on our first cover 25 years ago. If you’re reading this and you were a cover kid at one time and now have a kid or three of your own, shoot me an email at [email protected].

Jumping gears a little, I just wanted to reflect a little on life as we transition out of a world dominated by COVID-19 precautions. I’m not sure how your world is turning but ours is definitely picking up speed! Friends and family members who we haven’t seen much or at all in more than a year are popping back up in our lives. Sometimes it feels as though we’re running a B&B. It is almost exhausting, at times.

At first it just seemed odd gathering with people and going out to stores and restaurants without a mask. I’m getting pretty used to that. In fact, I had to look for a mask the other day when I went into the Denver International Airport to pick up my brother and his family. I thought that was a good sign that I was putting the COVID-19 mentality behind me, although I do believe we still need to be cautious.

I am so glad though for the gatherings, though, from the little impromptu moments with neighbors and their kids and puppies to grabbing a beverage with an-almost-forgotten friend to the four-family raft trip that we have on the books for this month.

And to bring it all around, it’s nice that little Fin was born at the tail end of the pandemic (at least here in Colorado) because so many people are so excited to see him!

Be well,

Scott