We are so excited and proud that Lindsay has graduated from University of San Francisco. She spent four years in a great city, met some wonderful people (like roommate Holly) and learned a lot about the world and herself. She graduated with a BA in International Studies with concentrations in Latin American Studies, Peace & Conflict Resolution and a Minor in Spanish with Honors.
Where in the World is Lindsay?
Lindsay has embarked on a five month study tour of South America. She is starting in Ecuador, progressing to Bolivia then Peru and finishing in Argentina where she will be in a study abroad program in Buenos Aires. You can follow her blog at http://adelanteyarriba.blogspot.com/ as well as follow her on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/lindsay.fasser. We’re in contact with her almost daily (thank you Verizon International Plan + WiFi/Texting!) and she is exploring some amazing towns in Ecuador and meeting some new friends.
Fasser Holiday Letter – 2016
December 2016
I love this time of year when we look back & reflect on the last 12 months. Fortunately for us, we have mostly good memories of 2016. I was struck however, when it came time to find a photo of the 4 of us together for our Christmas card, I actually couldn’t find one! It seems the Fassers were often not a dynamic foursome! That doesn’t mean we didn’t find time to be together, or that there is a lack of closeness. I think it is more of just the reality that our kids are getting older (and bigger!) and sometimes we have to divide in order to enjoy them while doing their various activities and pursuing their interests.
Lindsay happily returned to USF as a sophomore this year and has had a fabulous time at that school. This last summer she worked as a camp counselor at Camp Sealth, something she has always wanted to do. She worked most recently at a darling bakery/café called Heart Baker in San Francisco. She just wrapped her fall semester where she has chosen her major in International Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies with a concentration on Latin American Studies. She will be home with us for the next 4 weeks and then will be leaving on January 17th for Ecuador where she plans to travel for 4 weeks. In February she will arrive in Buenos Aires where she will begin a semester abroad in Argentina.
Jackson is awesome! He is a freshman at Ballard High School. He has grown so much this last year, its almost painful to watch! He continues to train and work at his Parkour sport and Free Running. He has just finished level one at the Olympic Ski School where he will work as an assistant snowboarding instructor this winter. This last summer he spent 12 days on the trail at Philmont which is a high adventure Boy Scout camp in the mountains of New Mexico. He is still working toward his Eagle Scout rank.
Scott & I are having a blast watching it all and sharing our time with the kids. Scott was fortunate to have accompanied Jackson and 40 other scouts from Seattle to Philmont. For both our guys this was a life changing experience. Scott is an adjunct professor at UW teaching a digital marketing course at the Foster School of Business. The three of us (no Lindsay) took an amazing trip to Belize over spring break! We snorkeled, rode zip lines and rafted in caves! We enjoyed the beaches and the delicious food.
We hope this letter finds you well. If you would like to see pictures from our last year please go to our family website (recently updated!) at www.fasser.net.
Merry Christmas!
Michelle and the Fasser Clan
Lindsay Awarded Student of the Quarter at Ballard High School!
I just wanted to let you know of a super cool think that happened this morning. No one was invited because it was at 7:00 a.m!
Well, her hard work has paid off. Lindsay was awarded this morning for Student of the quarter. BHS staff members are chosen throughout the school year to choose a student who they want to recognize for their efforts. Whether is be academic, leadership, hard work, tenacity, a great attitude, what ever! It was a lovely ceremony with incredible diversity and an extremely wide range of accomplishment. We were so impressed with the students who were recognized. Especially the two from Italy recognized by a notoriously “weird” chemistry teacher!
Lindsay was recognized for her work with SLAM (Student Lives Always Matter) Club. What her advisor shared was that with Lindsay’s leadership the group has grown. They have successfully done outreach seminars at McClure Middle School on Queen Anne. With Lindsay’s leadership they are set to add Salmon Bay Middle School to their tour. The advisor also shared that since Lindsay has taken over, they have seen an increase in the number of students who come to the student health center to get help with their depression, anxiety, and feelings of despair. We couldn’t be prouder of this acknowledgment for her dedication and hard work. I just wanted to share this really cool news. Also, she will be a TA in special ed next semester and is playing unified sports with basket ball and soccer this spring (under the Special Olympics umbrella). Seems she is finding her place in this world.
Below are the photos, make sure to scroll down. The young woman is the counselor from the teen health center, the mentor to SLAM club & the staff member who nominated Linz. Enjoy!
Fasser Holiday Letter 2013
December 2013
Seasons Greetings! I hope that our letter finds you well this year and that you are enjoying the magic of the season!
Good news to share all around with us. Each of us has experienced some big firsts this year and a few fun changes. The kids continue to do well and we are all looking forward to our holiday break from school and a much-needed family vacation, which is a first since buying the cabin!
Lindsay is in her junior year at Ballard High School. When they say that the junior year is the hardest, that is indeed true. She is taking AP (advanced placement) and honors courses, which are challenging but good. She has amazing teachers and she is doing a great job keeping her grades up. In 2013 she had her first boyfriend, did her first college tour and as of today got her first drivers license! Lindsay is president of SLAM (students lives always matter) Club at school and is also the communications director for the ASB. She organized the homecoming assembly for the school this year and hit it out of the park! I was able to attend the assembly and it was awesome. She participated on the BHS Swim team and is playing Unified Basketball and Unified Soccer. Unified sports are a program at Ballard that has teams of kids with emotional and physical disabilities partnered with kids who do not in conjunction with the Special Olympics. She LOVES playing unified sports and is having a ball
Jackson is growing like crazy. Since this summer his shoe size has grown 2 ½ sizes! He is still so lovely and we really enjoy his dry sense of humor. He started a new school this year and is going to Hamilton International Middle School for the first time as a 6th grader. He played La Cross last spring for the first time and has decided to let baseball go. He also went to beach camp for the first time this summer where he learned to “drop down” on a skateboard ramp and do flips of a trapeze that sent him hurtling into the frigid Puget Sound Water! He takes the city bus now to school all by himself for the first time and he has even done a little babysitting! Jackson is still playing soccer. His team the Knocknoodles are currently undefeated in the semi playoffs. He is very excited about snowboarding this year and is signed up to take the ski bus from his middle school in January (also a first!).
Scott continues to do very well professionally. He left Optify 9 months ago (just in time as they closed shop in Sept.!) and went to work for Hacker Group. It is the first time that Scott is working for an agency and he is really enjoying the creative energy of that environment. He works with some very smart, amazing individuals and he loves the challenge and the big changes. For the first time he is sending Jackson to boy scouts without dad as boy scouts is totally boy driven. Kind of sad but cool too. He had to drive with his daughter for the first time and is glad to have survived it. He built a beautiful “napping house” in our garden this summer for the first time and it turned out perfect! We celebrated our 20th-wedding anniversary in July and are very proud and happy about that.
I am working for the first time in a very long time. My business is still small but I have plenty to do and I’m enjoying making money again. For the first time I feel inspired to grow my business this year to add more of an event planning aspect as I seem to keep getting calls for that. I picked up another wedding for this summer, which I’m very excited about. I booked two Christmas parties this year (one up from last year!) and I like it! For the first time I actually think I can buy myself the couch of my dreams. Yes, I dream about couches and other home furnishings. For the first time in a very long time I got back up on a horse! Having been a horse girl as a youngster I have really missed that part of myself. I went to Bull hill Ranch this year with a girl friend for a week and rode horses and wrangled cattle and it was FABULOUS! I can’t wait to go back.
For the first time in 15 years we will not be spending New Years in Mazama. Instead, we are leaving on December 26th for a ski trip to Lake Tahoe. It will be Scott’s first time there and the first time the kids and he will ski there. This is where I learned to ski and where I used to visit my dad as a kid. We are all so excited to get in that van of ours and take it on the road! My Uncle Ron and Aunt Jill are meeting us there with my cousin Claire.
I hope 2014 brings you many firsts and that you enjoy yourselves and your loved ones.
Merry Christmas,
Michelle, Scott, Lindsay, Jackson, Lucy (lab), Cooper (Havanese)