Brian Sterling Family in New Zealand
Happy New Year from the Sterling family!
We couldn’t be more excited for 2019. Before we get ahead of ourselves, here is how we remember 2018: a year of discovery for our family. From little things to big things, these are some of our favorite moments. As the fireworks lit up New Zealand’s skies, we were among the first to ring in the New Year. In Auckland, Kira got her adrenaline fix by bungeejumping off the 1,076 foot Sky Tower. The kids enjoyed scootering around the city exploring, while the parents visited a cafe in every town, sampling flat whites, an espresso drink supposedly created in New Zealand. We drove around the North Island enjoying the beautiful scenery of the coastline, harbors, beaches, glowworm caves, hobbit holes, forests, and green pastures under the gorgeous blue sky. In Hawaii, Kira’s love for water sports and Brian’s love for boarding led to a mutual love for surfing. Preston graduated from Palo Alto High School in May. Following his passion for aerospace and engineering, Preston is now studying Mechanical Engineering at UC Irvine. Needless to say, Preston had a blast in his first engineering experiential learning class, where he worked with his classmates to design and build quadcopters to complete an obstacle course. Preston piloted the quadcopter, helping his team win second place. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Club is another one of Preston’s favorite experiences at UCI. He’s found his tribe to spend his weekends with. Preston recently finished building an electric skateboard, a speedy and agile vehicle which he uses to explore Irvine. We are just happy that he now builds his projects in his dorm instead of our garage. Another highlight of Preston’s year was flying in a small utility aircraft equipped with skis and landing on a glacier in Denali National Park in Alaska. Besides being a well-versed scholar on the subject of flying objects and all things aerospace, Preston also enjoys playing piano and finding new music to learn. While UC Irvine does not have practice rooms available, Preston plays for hours and hours on end when he comes home to visit, a priceless gift for all of us! Proud Anteaters Surfing at Waikiki Preston's graduation Glacier landing, Alaska Kira is currently a sophomore at Paly. She continues to play water polo for Paly’s JV and Varsity teams. Kira absolutely loves the sport and was honored to receive the award of Defensive MVP for the second year in a row. Another one of her favorite activities at Paly is having lunch with friends at Town and Country: splurging on a gourmet burrito, exploring vegan options at Trader Joe’s, or splitting a baguette with friends. Over the summer, Kira got her first paid job as a lifeguard at Rinconada Pool and spent 4 weeks at COSMOS in a biology camp focusing on tissue and tumor research. We are very proud of the efforts Kira put in setting and achieving her own goals. In May, Frances took a trip to China by herself, reuniting with some of her friends she hadn’t seen in over 40 years. She traveled with them to the neighborhood she grew up in and to the places that inspired her 3rd-grade poetry. She also played in a few ensembles and recorded a few pieces with her musician friends from the orchestra. Frances re-discovered heartwarming stories of her childhood and the musical career of her youth, as well as the local delicacies, which all seem forgotten but remarkably familiar at the same time. Brian did quite a few long-distance skateboard races in 2018, achieving new personal bests, winning every race in his age group, and getting 3rd place overall in the well-acclaimed Push in the Woods race. He is having a lot of fun with his board -- skating to work every day, training long-distance on weekends, and traveling with it on vacations. We can’t wait to see what new territory Brian will conquer this year. Brian and Frances keep busy and challenged at work. Frances loves to spend weekends walking with her buddies, dancing at night, and doing cross-fit at the gym. Brian loves to skate around town and read a good book at night, while Kira is always splashing in the water somewhere, and Preston absorbs himself in flying his remote-control planes. We had a fun-filled 2018 and are all geared up for 2019. We are grateful to be surrounded by amazing friends, neighbors, and colleagues who share so much joy and wisdom with us. We close this letter by sending you our warmest regards. Wishing you all the best for a healthy, joyous, and successful 2019! With love, Brian, Frances, Preston, and Kira Paly Water Polo Skating in New Zealand Skating in Hawaii Tree walk in New Zealand Frances in Guangzhou Mt. Denali, Alaska
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