TRUHLAR and TRUHLAR, L.L.P.
December 1, 2009 Holiday Newsletter
Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year!
We’re excited about Christmas at Truhlar and Truhlar. We will be having our law firm potluck and gift exchange (we draw names for secret Santas) in about three weeks.
If you’re feeling “behind the eight ball” because you haven’t really started your Christmas shopping, don’t worry! A survey of everyone at Truhlar and Truhlar shows that no one has started her or his Christmas shopping. Only one person here has done any shopping at all, and we’re confident that we will get it all done.
Our most recently hired employee, Mary Jo Lowrey, a 2008 graduate of the University of Denver College of Law, is really looking forward to spending Christmas with her sister Ananda, and niece, Aja, who are from the big island of Hawaii and are coming to Denver for Christmas. Ananda and Aja have not been here for several years. Additionally, Mary Jo’s father from Halifax, Nova Scotia will be spending the holidays in the Denver area. The family has a big turkey and lots of Italian food (lasagna, for example) on Christmas day.
The night before Christmas (also known as Christmas Eve) Mary Jo and her significant other, Nick, celebrate with a cousin whose husband is Mexican. They have a huge party with apple cider (we hear it contains tequila), and all kinds of fruit. The gala, which takes place in Longmont, includes all kinds of totally yummy Mexican food, enjoyed by a clan of a 100 family members and friends.
Emily Ploch, who is from Burlington, Wisconsin, plans to go home to visit her parents and five brothers. Emily also has a sister, Katie, who shares an apartment with Emily. Unfortunately, Katie cannot go home this year, because of her work hours. She will be spending Christmas with friends. Emily’s family celebrates with Christmas Eve at her paternal grandparents’ home, where one of her uncles still dresses up in the same Santa suit that her grandfather wore years ago when her dad was a child. The big dinner they have on Christmas Eve is a mix between traditional Christmas dishes and Italian cooking. After the celebration with her grandparents and extended family (Emily has 18 first cousins), her family attends Midnight Mass. On Christmas day, they eat a big breakfast, bless the nativity, and then open their presents.
Carol Zumwalt, our paralegal who works primarily in the domestic relations area, had her first baby, Taylor, on February 4, 2009, so it will be Taylor’s very first Christmas, which is really special. Carol plans to have her entire family, along with her husband’s parents, over for the Christmas Day celebration. Carol’s family also has a celebration on Christmas Eve, where her mother prepares Mexican food (this Christmas Eve Mexican food thing is really getting to be a trend). After Christmas, Carol and her husband, Brett, and Taylor are going to spend a few days in Frisco with Brett’s parents.
Our law clerk, Robley Sicard, divides her Christmas between Texas and Louisiana. She and her husband, Brad, spend Christmas Eve at the home of her husband’s family in Louisiana, where they go to Midnight Mass, and then come home and exchange gifts. After some dinner, they go to Forth Worth, which is a three-hour drive. There they have another dinner (hopefully after sleeping) with Robley’s family, which includes her parents and sister. Her mother’s meal includes sweet potatoes, ham, and both pecan and pumpkin pies for desert.
Doris and Bob will have their usual Christmas celebration, which includes going to church on Christmas Eve (Doris is a communion server at two services), and then spending Christmas morning with their daughters Ivy and Holly and their husbands Happy Rice and Elan Ben Ami. This will be Elan’s first Christmas with the Truhlar family, as he and Holly were married in April 2009. Elan comes from a Jewish family, so this will actually be his first Christmas celebration ever!
Also on Christmas Day, the Truhlars’ oldest daughter, Samara Williams and her husband, Wes, and their three boys, Evan, 10, Calvin, 8, and Charlie, 5, come over and the family opens presents, has dinner and perhaps goes to a movie. The movie tradition started last year with Marley & Me (everyone went to the movie while the turkey was cooking). Christmas dinner at the Truhlars includes turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, salad and all kinds of pies. Oh, and breads, since Elan, a picky eater, only eats bread.
In non-holiday news, Bob has once again been named to the Super Lawyers. Doris and Bob together shared chair duties for the annual Law Stars dinner for the University of Denver College of Law. Additionally, Doris and Bob have also participated in the interview process for the selection of DU’s new Dean of the College of Law.
Bob, Doris, Mary Jo, Carol, Emily and Robley all wish you very Happy Holidays!