Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This year, I thought I’d change things up. By “I,” I mean me, Tazia. My dad’s humorous capabilities are slowly dwindling away with his old age, while mine are finally starting to blossom, so I talked my mom into letting me write our holiday letter – to my father’s chagrin. Our year was definitely busy, but then again, when aren’t we busy?
Since I am the most important, I’ll go first. In June, I graduated from high school and left a lasting mark with my “Hakuna Matata” speech. After what seemed like a five-minute long summer, I left my beloved cat Taz and migrated north to attend the University of Nevada located in Reno just a short drive away from Aunt Tasha and my cousins. Nevada, or UNR as my dad prefers to call it, has provided me with tons of new opportunities. Living in a suite with five other girls poses a daily challenge as we deal with the drama, endless amount of hair everywhere, and the constant sound of blow dryers. I’ve kept busy with my job as an event planner for the student government and with my lego-building and playground-patrolling volunteer duties at the Boys and Girls Club. I’m quite amazed as to how I managed to take 19 credits, pursue a double-major in International Affairs/Political Science, a double minor in Asian Studies and Communications, and my all of my extra-curricular activities, but hey, I was raised by my parents.
Speaking of parents, my mom and dad have successfully been able to keep up with society. My dad continues to walk around like he’s lost in the middle of the desert as he digs through rubble and plants for Geocaches. His obsession with Geocaching, combined with his dedication to cycling, has left little time for him to spoil me; however, I am very glad to say that he loves his job as the Community Partnership Coordinator and Video Game Design Program leader at Southwest CTA, and he is now a Google Certified Teacher… NERD.
My mom, on the other hand, has had trouble adapting to the recent changes. Because her beautiful, loving, and intelligent daughter is no longer in the house, she has filled the empty void by expressing her creative side. With the aid of Pinterest, she has begun crocheting scarves, constructing table centerpieces, and reorganizing/decorating things around the house. When she isn’t perusing craft ideas, she is working hard to maintain order as a dean at East CTA. Though the long drive to and from work can be draining, she utilizes that time to call and leave messages to me simply saying “I miss you.” I can understand why… I mean who wants to be stuck with a dog, a cat, a snake, a technology-absorbed husband, and a survivalist son – all of which are of the male gender, making them terrible listeners.
Quinton is… well Quinton. He may not be good at expressing his feelings, but I know he misses me and my well-meaning attempts at guiding him in the right direction. Quinton is in 10th grade at Southwest CTA in the Entertainment Engineering program and I am still anxiously waiting for the moment when he “accidentally” removes a finger with a power tool. He seems to enjoy school now that I’ve been locked out of monitoring his grades. Quinton’s love for hitting people with sticks has led him to playing another year of lacrosse. Sometimes I regret leaving Quinton in Vegas, but only because he is completely and totally prepared for any type of disaster; because of his survivalist mentality and his excess of army surplus gear, Quinton is currently considering joining the military. His mind changes almost daily (Wow, doesn’t that sound like me?!), but his love for his dog is never-ending. Silver is another year older, another size bigger, and still won’t leave Quinton’s side. Silver has found a friend in Taz – most of the time anyhow – now that he has finally realized that my cat is willing to play tag around the house.
Somehow, in the midst of all of this craziness, we did manage to squeeze in a few family vacations. This year we were lucky because we were able to spend time with Grandpa Blake’s family. Over spring break, we ventured to Washington to visit Great Grandma Karlie’s side of the family and to give Quinton time to play in his natural habitat – the forest. In the summer, Grandpa Blake and Grandma Lavonne took the family, including the Fusons, to Hawaii for a family reunion to meet many of our Suzuki relatives. We were joined by Grandpa’s sister Marie, her husband John, and cousins Kayla and Rhonda, as we explored the beautiful island of Oahu. We visited dozens of tourist sites, swam with sea turtles, parasailed in the middle of the ocean, and spent countless hours shopping for souvenirs. After we returned to the mainland, we made a trip to Lake Tahoe for my parents’ annual summer conference and my new student orientation. In August, my parents took a surprise road trip to Reno for my 18th birthday and helped me in celebrating my newfound adulthood. I returned the favor by visiting Las Vegas in October to watch the Nevada Wolfpack beat UNLV in football for the eighth year in a row; my dad’s trash talk backfired, but I am expecting he and UNLV will eventually get their five minutes of fame in January after the basketball game.
I’m home for the holidays and after begging for years to write the family Christmas letter, I finally got my chance. I hope you enjoyed hearing my side of the story for a change, and from everyone in the family, have a great holiday season and a happy new year!
Tazia, Tina, Craig, Quinton, and the pets