2023 Year in Review

2023 was another great year for the Hoole Family. Carsyn has decided to move on from cheerleading to focus on dance and continues to excel in numerous genres (jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, lyrical). Meanwhile Brody is expanding his horizons as he dipped his toe in the water with swim lessons, parkour, STEM & coding classes, and freestyle ski lessons. To top things off, my wife Alisyn found a new job that is going to take her professional growth to another level. Dad is very appreciative and proud of all of them. Unfortunately, when everything is going great, sometimes life throws you a curveball. My father’s battle with cancer took a few unexpected turns in 2023 that made us all realize how precious life really is. Despite the doctors’ best efforts, his brain tumor has grown back, and he has elected to stop treatment at this point,

Riverwalk Ski Vacation - In February we once again headed up to Lincoln, New Hampshire for a family ski vacation at Loon Mountain. The snow conditions were great (fresh powder), and the crowds were minimal, which always makes for a good ski day. Carsyn and Brody did awesome, even skiing a few black diamonds and gladed trails. However, even more impressive was my wife Alisyn joining us on the slopes after a 25-year hiatus from skiing. It was great to have the whole family together on the slopes (although we missed having a lodge mom reserve a table for us at the cafeteria). As good as the skiing was, the clear highlight of the trip was the indoor/outdoor pools and hot tubs at the Riverwalk Hotel. We are looking forward to visiting the Mount Washington Hotel to ski Bretton Woods and returning to the Riverwalk during our winter vacation in February of 2024. 

Focal Seizure - As you may recall, my father Rick was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma brain tumor in December of 2021. Shortly thereafter he had emergency surgery to remove the tumor. After a brief recovery, he was lucky enough to be admitted into a clinical trial at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. By all accounts the treatment plan was keeping the remaining tumor at bay. Rick was active, traveling internationally with my mom Susan, and in great spirits until Match 19th 2023 when he suffered a serious focal seizure. After a two-week intense hospitalization, he was discharged so he could continue his recovery at home. While Rick has bounced back some since his discharge, there have been several setbacks including another hospitalization in September. Unfortunately, after multiple family meetings with the doctors, we determined that going on hospice would provide my father with the most peace and comfort. To this day, he continues to fight his battle with bravery and his usual calm and balanced temperament. Sadly, the days are getting longer, his strength is waning, and the confines of this world may not be for long.  

St. Thomas - In April our family took a trip to visit some friends in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We stayed in the Red Hook area on St. Thomas which made it very convenient to take the ferry over to St. John. While at St. John we rented some snorkeling equipment and saw some tropical fish and a few sea turtles that happened to have small sharks nestled on their backs. While mom and dad thought the experience was cool, the kids were rather nervous and more concerned about the ice cream stand at the beach. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the trip was when we charted a motorboat to take us to the British Virgin Islands. While at the BVI’s, we took a tour of the Baths National Park – a natural maze of large granite boulders and secret rock pools that were formed from molten rock seeping up into the existing volcanic rock layers. This was truly an experience like no other. On the boat ride home, we stopped at Sandy Spit – a small uninhabited island that is basically one large sandy beach. While there, Brody declared that “this is what freedom feels like.” I can’t say I disagree. Finally, we made the obligatory stop to get a Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar – a world famous beach bar on Jost Van Dyke. 

San Diego - In November I traveled to San Diego for a work conference. As great as the conference was, the highlight was the hotel which was situated on the world-famous Torrey Pines golf course. The views of the course with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop were absolutely stunning. As an added treat, Alisyn decided to join me, and I extended my trip through the weekend. While there we took a hike at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, saw the seals and sea lions in La Jolla, toured the acclaimed Hotel Coronado, and visited Kansas City Barbeque – a restaurant and bar that was the filming location for scenes used in the original Top Gun film. As much as we missed the kids, it was great to get away for a few days of peace and quiet. 

We are looking forward to a fun and exciting 2024 which will hopefully include a few trips with family and friends. We hope you all have a safe and prosperous 2024.

Yours truly, the Hoole Family.