Burns Family Christmas 2014

December 10, 2014

Another year has passed and the Burns Family has been busy.


Claire is now the Special Events Coordinator for the Nordstrom Rack. Nordstrom is expanding its Rack stores all over the U.S. and Canada. Claire will coordinate the grand openings for each new store.   Living and working in Seattle has been her goal and now she walks to work.  It's quite a change from working out of her apartment and traveling most days for TOMS.  She traveled to Guatemala in March on a TOMS Giving Trip, hiking to remote villages and giving shoes to the children.  Claire and a friend traveled to Paris and Rome in August and she will be adding a new continent  to her passport when she takes off this month for two weeks in Australia.  After logging 40,000+ air miles in 2014, she still  finds time to enjoy her friends and the Seattle scene.  Claire continues to be in excellent health, managing to hike to the top of Mt. Si several times.

Ian and Annelie are back in Seattle.  They completed their jobs with Americorp, shipped most of their belongings back and loaded up the car for a winding tour of many of the national parks and monuments in the Western United States.

 We had a great reunion at our Yaak River cabin in NW Montana.  Ian is now the proud Upper Ford Cabin record holder of the biggest fish caught on a fly rod.  He landed a beautiful eastern brook trout that made a memorable feast back in Seattle. Annelie works for Puget Sound Blood Center.  She was trained to draw blood and spends her work week traveling between blood drives.  Ian is working for a Seattle woodworking company and will apprentice with a home remodeling company starting in January.  His new found love of woodworking adds to his many other talents.  Music is still a major part of his life and he's glad to be back in Seattle renewing his musical partnership with his cousin Trevor.  It's GREAT having them back!!!


A memorable family reunion celebrated Jeff's mother June's 90th birthday.  The three Sanders children, all of the second generation Sanders, Smeltzer, and Burns cousins and many of their family members attended. The Burns children hosted a family dinner overlooking the Kootenai River and a church coffee hour which followed a church service where June was honored for her years of devotion and service to Troy Methodist Church.  If you're in Troy stop by and visit June and she will walk you over to the church to show you the beautiful stained glass window that was dedicated in her honor.

And now the Big News.... Karen retired!  She has joined Jeff in the "Golden Years".  She has polished off a huge pile of books, walked Tolliver many miles, and has renewed her good cooking skills.  Karen's dad Paul (91) has been a joy in our lives and we share movies, good food, and many special events with him.  You can find us at the Upper Ford Cabin on the Yaak River in Montana every August.  We live off the grid for two weeks....napping, fishing, walking, reading, visiting and of course cooking & eating.

                 Life is good and we send our very best wishes your way...stay in touch!