2020 Year in Review

Hola Mis Amigos, 

Hopefully everyone is still alive and kickin'! 

Better late than never.

With that said...

It's the end of the world.
As we know it.
And I feel fine.

Meet the new boss.
Same as the old boss.

Don't let it get you down.
It's only castles burning.

It's a new dawn.
It's a new day.
It's a new life for me.
And I'm feeling good.

(Hat Tip: REM, The Who, Neil Young, Nina Simone)

Recap Video Link

Peace

-Papa Wot Wot

2019 - Year in Review

Hello All,

2019 was a great year for the family... lots of accomplishments, lots of opportunities, lots of community, and lots of reasons to believe that the path forward will continue to be satisfying and full of adventure.

The kids continue to flap at the edge of the nest, so we'll see how many more years we can continue this tradition.  It's sure been fun while it's lasted.

All the best to you in the coming year!

2019 Family Recap Video

2018 - Year in Review

2018 blew by... and with it my switch to bitchute.com.

I'm tired of Google's power, influence, and censorship.

Now to find another email, calendar, blog platform.  Ha!

I hope all is well in your world... Enjoy the vid.

2018 - Year in Review Vid

2017 - Year in Review

2017 did not disappoint... one of the best roller-coaster rides I've experienced.  With the routine emotional swings, and amazing musical options available, I felt compelled to try something different with the video recap... a little musical mashup of sorts.

Looking back, our family was very fortunate to be mostly healthy, happy, and content with life this past year.  We are blessed in many ways.

With that said, there are no doubt many newsworthy developments headed our way in the near future... the winds of change are wildly whirling in the air.  I'll end the same way I did last year... buckle your seatbelts as the amusement park rides will no doubt increase in size and frequency.

To all my family and friends... Peace and Love in the New Year!

-Dennis

Family Recap Video... here

Makes Me Laugh Video of 2017... here

2016 - Year in Review

Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.

What a year… and for so many reasons.  I believe that I will remember 2016 as one of the most memorable and pivotal years in my lifetime.  And, unlike so many of the folks around us, 2016 was a very good year for the Lapchis-Peterson family.  We laughed, we sang, we danced, we loved, we played soccer, we snowboarded, we ran, we studied, we contemplated and pondered, we traveled and wandered, we celebrated our winning teams, we embraced our loving friends and family, we served when called, we gave when we could, we climbed, we dove, we swam, we froze, we dug live music, we ate delicious food, we drank yummy drinks, we kept moving forward, we continued learning from the past, we wagged our tails, we got our shiznit in order, and we feel like we are now in a solid position to have another satisfying and memorable year ahead.  Was the year perfect like a child’s fairy tale… no.  Was it beautiful like the sun on a snow capped mountain… very much so!  We continue to be blessed with a wonderful life full of family and friends! 

Family Recap Video... here

Artist: Kishi Bashi

Tune: Manchester

***

I will leave you with this last thought... We live in Accelerated Times… hold on tight and buckle up… 2017 will most likely speed up from here.

All the best to you in the New Year!

-Dennis

2015 - Year in Review

Looking out my kitchen window, the world is currently a sunny, wonderful place, and something to celebrate... life is good... right?!

Another wonderful thing I love to celebrate is my family... the journey of life is an amazing trip, and I've so enjoyed the long and winding road of my family experience!

The ups and downs, lefts and rights, rights and wrongs, lows and highs, reds and blues, ins and outs, haves and have-nots, rants and raves, winners and losers, etc. have been incredibly captivating and intriguing... for many, many years.

2015 was no different than so many of those years in the past... a constant exhilarating roller-coaster ride of rapid change in the carnival of life.

Like last year, there was so much incredible music in 2015, that I had trouble picking the song for the video recap (Three candidates were... Human by Civil Twilight, King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1 by Neutral Milk Hotel, and Stressed by Twenty One Pilots).  Human ended up making the final cut.



Here's the 2015 family recap... here.

With so much going on in our world today, I'm going to break tradition and share some thoughts that I have historically refrained from introducing to the family blog.  This blog was created to document family memories and experiences... and essentially share the good times.  With that said, I feel compelled to add a few more comments this year.

Sadly, I feel like there is a huge push to polarize the people of our world against one another... a persistent campaign to divide and conquer.  It's as if the objective is to focus our attention on fear, terror, and war.

For the record, I've long been a peace-loving, anti-war advocate for most of my life (But I am not a pacifist... I believe there are times to fight back.).  In my opinion, it's times like these that we need more discussions about peace and less drumbeats of war, hatred, and division from the powers that be.  As John Lennon famously stated, "War is over... if you want it." With that said, I would like to share a couple items that have recently offered inspiration.

Within the past couple months, I learned of the "Imagine Peace Tower" that was created and dedicated to John Lennon in 2007 and resides in Iceland.  Being a big John Lennon fan, I was surprised I hadn't heard of it prior to 2015.  Everyday the media reports on what scares us and draws us apart.  Unfortunately, war sells and peace does not feed the ravenous appetite of the military-industrial complex.  But wouldn't it be wonderful to see more efforts made to make the world a better, more peaceful place.

 A large crowd enjoys the dedication of the "Imagine Peace Tower" of light in Iceland, 2007.

Secondly, I recently watched a remarkable video of an English speaking chap motor-biking across the Iranian countryside.  What I found so inspiring was the number of times he was greeted by complete strangers with food offerings and smiling faces.  Considering what my country has told me about Iran (it's a horrible, axis-of-evil country and our enemy... a single story), I couldn't help my desire to challenge the conventional wisdom.  Maybe the majority of people in Iran, and the rest of the world, can envision an alternative to the never-ending wars, and imagine living life in peace.

Iranians watch their national soccer team play Argentina in the World Cup tournament, 2014.

I'll conclude by stating that it's easy to believe the perpetual conflict being pushed by the mainstream media.  But I choose to accept a different reality and instead embrace the majority of wonderful and diverse people of this world who choose to live in harmony.

Alli and some of her founding Summit Sierra classmates on the bridge to the International District.

Thanks for reading... Peace to you and your loved ones... may 2016 be kind to us all!

-Dennis

2014 - Year in Review

2014 was quite the year... more peaks and valleys than most years.  There were high highs and low lows.  The year was seemingly filled with so many emotions.  The year was also filled with wonderful music.

As I sat down to put together our recap video this year, most of the songs that initially filled my head were full of strong emotions... songs I often listen to when in deep thought.  The problem that I quickly ran into is that most of our family photos are of "shiny happy people"... I mean, who pulls out the camera to capture emotions of sadness, frustration, exhaustion, etc?!  So, the emotional power of the music that really moved me this year did not jive with the happy images that I was going to use in the recap video.  I found that interesting.

In the end, I took the "smiling faces", found a song about "love" and went for it.  I think the result turned out quite nice... but I also realize that it doesn't accurately capture all of life's wonderful ups and downs.

Lapchis-Peterson 2014 Family Recap Video

One highlight this year was Abbi heading off to college.  As part of her first semester experience, she also created a fun video of her experiences abroad.

Abbi Lapchis - 1st Semester NorthEastern University

Sitting here now, the sun shining in the kitchen on this beautiful New Year's Day, I'm hopeful that 2015 will be another year of great experiences, less hectic schedules, and times to reflect with family and friends.  Looking back it was another year that treated us well... here's wishing you all the best in the new year!

-Dennis Lapchis

2013 - Year In Review

Yes, we are all once again alive and kicking.  This year ends on a positive note, but there were many trying times throughout the past twelve months... including the stomach flu that showed up Christmas Eve and proceeded to work its way in and out of every family member... ugh!  The good news is that we are all currently healthy, happy, and looking forward to starting a new year!

One thing I love about this time of year is the reflecting on what has transpired and planning for what is yet to come.  Reflection and setting goals can be very satisfying and rewarding.

The three Lapchis kids are like most... they aren't  perfect, but they do a great job of making their parents proud.  Louise and I are blessed with three wonderful kids, who all list "Friday Night Special Drink" time as one of their favorite things in life.  Looking forward to continuing that tradition as long as they are willing and able.

We had many great memories with family and friends over the past year.  If we didn't meetup, may our paths cross in the new year... All the best to you and your family in 2014!

Lapchis-Peterson 2013 Family Recap