Growing closer together in a year of changes

Safe to say 2023 was not the year we expected. A lot of changes. A lot of challenges. Some sadness. But we also grew closer together and greet this approaching year optimistically.

Most of us have new and better jobs. That’s exciting. 

Caroline has a new role at Michigan State University. She was promoted to be the community director for Case Hall, overseeing a team of grad students, resident assistants, administrative staff serving hundreds of students. 

The highlight came in the fall when Caroline offered several presentations at the Great Lakes Association of College and University Housing Officers conference. There were about 60 presentations during the conference, and organizers at the end selected the 10 best for awards. Two of Caroline’s presentations were in the top 10! She’s good at what she does!

Caroline's biggest challenge came in February when the MSU campus suffered a tremendous tragedy. We are proud of the way Caroline potentially put herself in harm’s way and worked to keep her students safe. We are upset that she had to.

Andrew is still a social worker, but now helps people through the work of Northwest Michigan Supportive Housing. The agency works to place people in safe housing while addressing mental wellness challenges. This a little less stressful than his prior role with less time on the road. We’re proud of him. 

Andrew met Brutus at a Ferris State football game. 

Aubrey is still a speech pathologist, but now she works remotely, assisting students from across the state. We are proud of her, too.

Andrew and Aubrey enjoy living in Traverse City, a beautiful community in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, and are making upgrades to their home and spending time with friends.

Dave and Caroline had an epic trip in June, heading to see the Mets play the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Then we spent two days in Philadelphia visiting inspiring historical sites and going to see the Phillies. Added bonus - there was a post-game concert with AJR, Caroline's favorite band!

Dave departed Grand Rapids Community College in July and became associate vice president for Marketing and Public Relations at Ferris State University. There are many familiar faces at Ferris State, which has worked closely with GRCC for decades. Ferris even has offices at GRCC!

Dave's new duties included joining the football team on the road for a big game against University of Montana in Missoula. This was hazardous. We learned Grizz fans hurl Twinkies on the field, and visitors in red standing along the sidelines make an inviting target.

Ferris has a proud history, one of the first colleges in Michigan with a mission of making a quality education accessible to everyone, and has many career-focused programs. It’s a fun role, overseeing a team of 13 and finding new approaches to telling the university’s stories. Ferris State’s main campus is in Big Rapids, about 45 minutes north of Rockford, with a growing presence in Grand Rapids. Dave has an office in a historic building where President Ford worked as a congressman.

Dave's arrival even made the front page of the Big Rapids Pioneer - though, as Caroline quickly pointed out, it was below the fold and under a story about the Pee-wee Riders at the Mecosta County Fair. That kept us humble.

It's a very interesting job, and there is big news to come!

Julie is still at GRCC, but finds herself doing some different things as the college works through some transitions. 

Dave was able to accept Julie's Gold Paragon Award and three other honors for GRCC at the NCMPR national convention in Orlando with Kailee, a colleague. He also wandered into a giant comic con across the street from the hotel. He thought he was being stealth. But guys in suits stand out as interlopers and are quickly discovered, as you can tell from the disapproving Mandalorians. He bought some fun things for Andrew and Aubrey then scrambled to safety.

Disney Springs was much more comforting! Jenny, Miss Diana and Miss Ellie drove all the way to Orlando to retrieve Dave for a couple days with the family!

The GRCC Foundation’s annual report is one of Julie’s biggest projects, and it again earned the top prize in its category in the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations’ national awards.

But mostly, Julie serves as the main focus of attention for Cookie, an energetic black kitten who joined the family just before the new year. Cookie keeps herself – and us – very busy zooming around the house, playing with toys and monitoring the neighborhood atop her massive cat tree.

  
The promotions and new jobs kept us all occupied. That was good, because this was a very difficult year. We lost Julie’s mom, Bertie Nelson, in April after a period of declining health. 

We celebrated Mom with a beautiful service in Champaign. It was nice to spend time with Uncle Jeff Nelson and share with Aubrey some of the some of the things we enjoyed at the Univeristy of Illinois and the area, such as deep, deep dish pizza.

Mom had been with us here in Rockford since 2016, and we treasured being with her and caring for her. She was the last of her generation on both sides of the family and very strong in her faith. A coworker told me, “She has a lot of people waiting for her.” That seemed nice. We loved Mom very much and miss her dearly.

We are also appreciative of the outpouring of support and kindness from friends, co-workers, and family during this time.

If this new year turns out to be a little calmer, that’s OK. We look forward to being settled in our new careers, doing some traveling, and spending time with people we love.

We've kept busy. Aunt Kris joined Julie for high tea. Dave joined nephew Zack and Uncle Jeff Horve running in the Turkey Trot through the streets of Grand Rapids, then went to Zack's favorite hipster coffee shop - both activities becoming a tradition! Julie has close friends who meet each week at a local cafe for knitting and fellowship. They were a wonderful source of comfort for her during a difficult year.

We hope this holiday season find you happy and healthy. We appreciate our times together and what we get to do. We take stock of our blessings – and if you are reading this, you are among those who are very special to us. 

Lots of fun holiday celebrations in Michigan. Caroline and her friend Matt attend Lansing's Silver Bells in the City, and we enjoyed the new Christmas Market in Grand Rapids. 

We’d love to hear from you! Everyone is on Facebook, and you can drop us a line at dmurray08@comcast.net.