FALK TALK 2023

Season's Greetings!

Welcome to the 2023 Edition of

FALK TALK

I asked ChatGPT to come up with the opening line of an end of year newsletter because I was stuck. The first round of submissions started with "As the final pages of the calendar turn, we find ourselves standing at the intersection of reflection and anticipation, ready to bid farewell to another chapter of our collective journey."

I requested that it rework the entries to be a little less pretentious. It did not disappoint with, "Alright, folks! The year's almost over, and it's time to look back at the crazy ride we've had. Buckle up for the highlights and lowlights of 2023!"

(If you'd like to see the full lists of both requests, and they are pretty hilarious, click here: https://chat.openai.com/share/54914a0e-ed54-4453-9243-6b991d5f5d1b)

 So now that I have my opening, let's get caught up!  

 

 

Lisette

Since March, Lisette has been working remotely for Best Buddies International's headquarters on the Government Relations team. She secures government funding for their Jobs Program, which helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities obtain integrated employment opportunities. Lisette is living in Austin and loves being close to our pup, Ruby and our kitty, Marie. (And her family, I guess, but mainly the furry babies!)

Lisette and Gordon attended the Austin City Limits music festival together this year.

Lisette and her roommate Lillie.

 Lisette and her boyfriend, Chase, traveled to Washington DC to visit 
friends and almost kidnapped a dog.

Asher

In June we became a house without teenagers when Asher turned 20 years old. His girlfriend, Davis, flew to Austin to help us celebrate.

Asher is currently in his junior year at Samford University pursuing a degree in Accounting, serving as the VP of Administration and Finance for the Interfraternity Council and applying for internships for his senior year. He plans to stay at Samford through 2026 to complete his Masters Degree.
 

Milaka

On May 23 we celebrated having my mother on this earth for 80 years. Unfortunately, we were not able to celebrate with her in person as she was gifted a positive COVID test for her birthday. She made it through the quarantine period unscathed, but very bored (praise God) and we were able to resume our weekly lunches quickly. We are thankful every day for her health and for her continued presence in our lives!

In May I also closed out my first year as Academic and College Advisor for Veritas Academy. I enjoyed helping our students plan their academic schedules and navigate the ins and outs of college applications. I absolutely adored traveling and learning about different colleges and universities and their respective communities. I loved it so much that every time I set foot on a college/university campus I felt called to be in THAT environment - the world of higher education. So I started searching job listings at the University of Texas. Long story short, on August 14 I started as the Office Manager for the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas. 

The journey to this job - and the job itself - is 100% a God thing and I will be happy to relate the entire journey over dinner or a cup of coffee. I'm exactly where I am supposed to be doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. I love everything about this job and the people with whom I work. Every day when I see the UT Tower, I smile and thank God for where He has placed me. And, as an added bonus, my brother teaches in the Department, so it's a family affair!

 

But the best part about 2023 was when I became a great aunt in August. 

Introducing Josephine Marie - my brother's granddaughter! 
She's absolutely perfect. We are more in love with her every day. 

 

Gordon

Gordon's niece, Madeline, married the love of her life, Will, on May 13. We had a wonderful time celebrating with the Falk family and getting to know Will and his family.

All the siblings together to celebrate!

Welcome to the family, Will!

 

In October, Gordon flew to Chicago to celebrate what would have been his brother, Scott's, 60th birthday. All of the siblings were able to attend and participate in the Red Cross blood drive that was held in Scott's honor. (Scott was very active in the Red Cross and was a huge advocate for blood donation.)

Becky, Gordon, Maggie, Kim and Tammy with Scott's Red Cross vest he wore on 
several occasions while volunteering.

Tragically, two weeks after Scott's event, Gordon's younger sister, Becky, passed away in her sleep. The loss of our FAB (Fabulous Aunt Becky) is immense. There will never be another like her. We were comforted by the vast outpouring of love from her friends and colleagues. Her memorial service was standing room only and just confirmed what we already knew - that she was exceptional and is irreplaceable.

 

 

And that brings us to the "intersection of reflection and anticipation". 

Reflections on 2023: Savor every moment with family and friends. Tell someone that you love them NOW. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone so make today count. And life is too short not to chase your dream job. 

Anticipation for 2024: To savor every moment with family and friends! 

If you are reading this - WE LOVE YOU and you are special to our family. Thank you for being a part of our lives, however far away you are geographically. We are thankful for YOU!

Merry Christmas

May you experience the Joy that was brought into the world through
Jesus Christ this holiday season.

With love from the Falk Family

 

Falk Talk 2022

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to the 2022 edition of Falk Talk!

I don't know about you, but I may be feeling a slight inkling of . . . what is that . . . normalcy???
Let's look back on the year and see how far we've come. 

On January 1, 2022 my dear friend Jill and I flew to New York City for two jam-packed days to fulfill a promise we made in 2019 - to see Moulin Rouge on Broadway. Turns out, the star of the weekend was the evening we spent watching the original cast of Hadestown. 

But we can NOT downplay Moulin Rouge, the Museum of Modern Art, the drunk man on the subway reliving New Year's Eve, COVID testing lines on every block, the fire alarm at 4:00 a.m. and the TSA agent who clearly did NOT like me (ask for the story some time). I will always treasure those brief 72 hours. 

The next highlight was getting to watch our Princess be baptized on January 9 at her beloved Birmingham church home, Redeemer Community Church. Her college pastor choked up as he introduced her. The morning was made that much more special because her best friend and college roommate was also baptized that morning!

Later in January we enjoyed watching Buddy's debut in Samford University's long standing tradition called "Step Sing". Just Google it. And watch the Sigma Chi entry from last year. You won't be disappointed! 

In April we not only celebrated 22 years of Princess, but we celebrated her graduation from college! She walked across the stage on April 29 and we couldn't have been more proud of her. She worked the summer at Camp ASCCA before coming back to Austin to begin her Masters in Public Health at the University of Texas at Austin.

May brought Buddy back home for the summer and saw my return to the stage in Austin Shakespeare Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (my favorite Shakespeare play) in Zilker Park. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that production. 

 

Also in May, my lovely niece married the love of her life in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the exact place her parents said "I do". 

May was busy! It was the month that I said good-bye to teaching middle school theatre and began a new chapter as Academic and College Advisor for Veritas Academy. 

AND Gordon consolidated two learning centers into one, closing our location in Cedar Park.

In June, we rested.

On July 5 we had to say good-bye to our beloved Calvin. He was a good boy and we miss him dearly. 

This summer for vacation, instead of going to Palm Springs, Gordon and I took a trip to the mountains of New Mexico. We opted for cooler this year! We had a wonderful time walking down the main street of Ruidoso, getting caught in a thunderstorm on a mountain and going to the horse races.

Live performances are making their way back! Gordon and I were able to go to TWO live music events: Rufus Wainwright in September ...

... and Sir Elton John in San Antonio in October. It was truly a delight. 

Throughout the year Gordon and I were blessed to once again partner with our church to be a mentor couple to a young adult small group Bible study. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these young men and women and come alongside them in their spiritual journey. Nothing keeps you young (or reminds you that you're old) like hanging out with twenty/thirty-somethings on a regular basis!

We spent Thanksgiving with the Falk side of the family. We gave thanks not only for the blessing of being together again, but of a Michigan victory over Ohio State for the second year in a row! GO BLUE!

 

And that brings us to December!

 

A time to reflect on the challenges and victories of the past 12 months.
A time to cherish those still with us and mourn those who have gone on. 
A time to look ahead with hope.

A time to celebrate the birth of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Our church has been studying these names of Christ this season and it's been a beautiful series. The sermons are posted on YouTube under Austin Oaks Church if you are curious.)

We pray that you and yours will find rest and peace this holiday season.
Please let us know how you are doing!

Falk Talk 2021

So . . . after a two year hiatus, the Falks are back with Falk Talk.  Last year we opted to skip a wrap up of 2020 hoping to put all of that mess behind us.  Yes, we're laughing at that, too. 

But 2020 and 2021 were not all bad.  Not at all.  Here are some wonderful highlights of the last two years. 

In the summer of 2020 we broke out of our Austin lock down and decided to "isolate" on the beach at South Padre Island.  There was plenty of room to social distance, we rented a wonderful condo with an ocean view, and we got to take in some parasailing. 

We were not able to go to Michigan for Thanksgiving in 2020, but we were able to smoke a couple of turkeys and have Milaka's family over for a feast in the back yard.  God bless the mild Texas autumns!

For Christmas, we were (once again) able to take advantage of the mild weather and have Milaka's family over to exchange presents outside.  

We also took the opportunity for a family photo shoot. 

January fo 2021 we had the first snow day we'd had in a long time.  We were so excited to see that little dusting of snow.  We made little snowmen and hit each other with snowballs.  It was so cute.  We had no idea what was in store just a month later.

Winter Story Uri will forever be referred to as "Snowpocalypse" by Texans.  It was beautiful, but also terrible at the same time.  The Falk House was very blessed because we never lost power (unlike some in adjacent neighborhoods), but we did lose running water for about 5 days.  We boiled snow to make coffee!  Gotta have coffee!

Once things thawed out, Gordon and Milaka were able to serve with Austin Disaster Relief Network and help clear out a lot of damaged trees around the area.  

Our first born turned 21 and our youngest graduated from high school. 

Both kids are now attending Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.  We are so excited that they are together on that beautiful campus!

In the fall the guys met up in Chicago for a wedding (and visited family) while the girls met up at Samford for Parents' Weekend. 

November saw us once again in Michigan with family celebrating a victory over Ohio State.  GO BLUE!

That pretty much brings us up to date!  

We certainly hope that your year has gone well and we are looking forward to seeing what blessings 2022 brings. 

Changing of the Decade!

Happy New Year!

Yes, Porch Talk is a little late this year.  Time snuck up on me as it is wont to do.  But . . . better late than not at all!

Welcome to the 2019 edition of Porch Talk

Princess had an eventful year.  She finished out her freshman year on a high note and started her sophomore year strong.  She is studying nutrition and dietetics at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and she's loving every minute of it.  (Well, maybe not the minutes leading up to finals, but you get the picture.)  While at Samford, she is also a part-time nanny and a very active member of Zeta Tau Alpha.  She's a busy young woman and we are very proud of her!

Princess and friends

Princess organized a walking team in Birmingham!

Buddy reached a milestone last summer when he passed his driver's test and got his license.  We were able to buy him a "dope" car (a 2004 gold Buick Regal) so that he can drive himself to his first official job: a certified life guard at our local YMCA.  He spends his time studying, guarding lives and playing basketball with friends.  A junior in high school this year, he is starting to look at colleges.  Yikes!

He passed!

Buddy and friends took a camping trip to Big Bend in July.  Yes, it was hot.

We opened a second GradePower location in 2018 and running both has kept Gordon pretty busy.  He has found time, however, to complete several really cool home improvement projects and regularly feeds family and friends with amazing smoked meats.

The new backyard dining area.  Come visit!

August found us both in Palm Springs again for the annual Flock of Grouse weekend of shenanigans.  There was much eating, drinking and floating in the pool.  Some people even played golf.

Yes, it was hot.

We also made time to go to a couple of little shows that came through Austin.

And we walked in the Austin JDRF One Walk in honor of our T1 Princess.

I'm still teaching 8th grade theatre at Veritas Academy as well as running the Study Hall program.  This is my tenth year at the school and it never gets easier saying good-bye to the seniors.

Earlier in the summer I was able to travel to Michigan to represent Texas at my sister-in-law's retirement party.  I was a fun and relaxing weekend with the family.

Speaking of family, I'm very proud to announce that my brother published TWO books this year AND his animated short is getting a lot of attention at film festivals around the world.  (Lance's books can be found on Amazon.)

One of the biggest events of the year for me was playing Clairee in a production of Steel Magnolias at the EmilyAnn Theatre in Wimberley.  It felt so good to get back on stage!  I was truly blessed to be a part of this amazing group of women (and a few men) who bonded together to bring this story to life.  I am forever changed!

Sadly, 2019 took from us one of the most vibrant and kind people I've ever had the privilege to know.  Gordon's brother, Scott, passed away suddenly on May 17.  His absence is felt not only in our family, but in his community.  He had a big heart and shared it in every aspect of his life.  His funeral was a beautiful celebration of that life.

We look forward to seeing what blessings 2020 brings not only to our family but to yours.  Please stay in touch!

As always, we pray grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.