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Dear Friends:
This past season of life continues to be quite the journey. What a challenge for everyone! We look forward to 2021 and making it the best year yet.
We love traveling and investing in experiences as a family.
In the fall of 2019 we were fortunate to take our the first trip overseas to Paris France and Israel with our entire family before COVID hit. We met with the foreign exchange student that stayed with us a couple years ago, Clemence and her family in Versailles for a day. We saw all the standard Paris tourist sites and ate some amazing French food while the Christmas decorations and shopping were in full swing!
Then we spent an amazing two weeks in Israel on a tour of many of the sites of religious significance in our world. It was a great learning experience. See trip memories on my Facebook photo album.
The year of 2020 was difficult in many ways for everyone with COVID-19 starting in March and all the issues stemming from lock-down for businesses and people. Brenda’s mother Ardelle Peters died in March 2020 from cancer after battling it with some success over the previous two years. Her life was cut short unexpectedly after only three days in hospice. We are so glad that we lived the big moments we did with her while she was here. Then my mother Sandy Cimbura died in October 2020 rather unexpectedly as well. It has been difficult and still seems surreal that they are both gone. Ardelle was Brenda’s best friend. Both had a positive influence on us and everyone they met. Preparing celebration of life events for Ardelle and Sandy was looking back at a lot of memories. We trust they were a blessing to many.
Although many events in 2020 were cancelled, we have experienced good times with a vacation out west to Medora, Big Sky, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and the Black Hills in the summer and much more time at home with our family. In 2021 we made a trip out west to see some amazing mountains and sites in Colorado…including the first live concert back after COVID at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
We took advantage of family time at home to build several LEGO projects including a huge model of the DisneyWorld Magic Kingdom…one of our favorite places to be. It takes up several tables in our our basement…and Brenda puts up with it for the moment.
Then at the end of 2020, Arianna and I got the opportunity to take a short trip to DisneyWorld to celebrate her 16th birthday daddy-daughter style (late). It which was a great time to relax and enjoy some of the new Star Wars attractions at Galaxy’s Edge despite having to social distance and wear masks. If you’re ever planning a trip to DisneyWorld give us a call and we can help you plan a successful vacation. It’s fun to dream and talk about this happy place.
At the end of 2021, our family went to Disney World along with a Disney cruise and relaxing day at Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. It which was a great time to enjoy some of the new Star Wars attractions at Galaxy’s Edge.
Despite the present business climate, our business LuminFire continued to be steady as we build brilliant technology business solutions. Now in June 2021 we are just starting to be back in the office after 15 months working mainly from home. It’s great to be back and see our team in person even if it’s only a couple of days a week.
We got an award making the Inc 5000 list of the top fastest growing businesses in the U.S. In 2020 our main tradeshow we attend was all virtual but we fondly remember the summer of 2019 when we showcased our products and services at the Claris/FileMaker developer conference in Orlando, Florida where we made the most of a Pixar “Up” themed booth. We are active in the WordPress, FileMaker, and Apple development communities. We’ve updated our popular list of the best FREE Tech gifts.
I’m still active in the National Speaker Association and enjoy performing magic occasionally for special events. I also enjoy playing piano/trumpet often.
Arianna is now 17 years old and Brielle is 15. They continue to amaze us as they bring us joy and we learn from them. Arianna is taking college classes at Bethel University as a senior in high school focusing on math and software engineering. She’s playing trombone in jazz band as well. Brielle is a sophomore and plays flute in band.
The girls are very involved in volleyball on the varsity team at Legacy on season where they had an exciting perfect team record winning their conference in the fall 2021…two years in a row! Their team is ranked 4th in the state and are hoping to play at the Minnesota state tournament soon. It’s fun to see them play competitively and together on the same team where they are often one third of the entire team! I helped to livestream their games and Brenda worked with the team booster club to make the season special. In the off season they play with the DIGS club.
Arianna got to participate in the fall 2020 drama production of “You Can’t Take It With You” as well with socially distanced audience. It was cut short to only one week of shows due to COVID restrictions…but at least they got to do it.
Brenda and I planned prom 2021 for the school with a Back to the Future theme in June 2021. It was a joyful celebration after having a tough year with masks and nearly all events being cancelled. The kids had a lot of fun. We had a real Delorean time machine and several classic cars. Here are some highlights of the grand march and the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance.
We took up golfing as a family after Arianna joined the school team. We can golf year round at Topgolf built right near our office. I got to golf a round of 18 holes at the TPC Twin Cities (home of the 3M Open PGA Golf Tournament) near our home. It was only my 2nd time on a golf course but I did make my first birdie on hole 4 that was a par 3! There sure is a lot of water out there!
Arianna got her drivers license last year that changes a lot. Now she’s driving herself and sister to school. I miss that morning commute with the girls.
Arianna and Brielle won their conference in volleyball with Legacy 3 years in a row! In the fall of 2021 they went to the Minnesota state tournament and played at the Xcel Center in St. Paul and won consolation champions for their division! The last play of the season was exciting with Arianna #11 making a great save and Brielle #9 with the kill shot to win!
It was fun to see them play competitively and together on the same team where they were often one third of the entire team! I helped to livestream their games and Brenda worked with the team booster club to make the season a special one. In the off season they played with the DIGS club.
With unsettling news in the world we put our trust in God and know that we will be OK. Andy Stanley from NorthPoint reminded us that “Uncertainty is unavoidable. Fear is optional.” We are so thankful for our friends and family. We encourage you to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter where we share ideas throughout the year.
We wish you all blessings and success. If you’re in the Minneapolis area, give us a call. We’d love to visit with you at our home or office. Enjoy every special moment with those that you love.
Tim, Brenda, Arianna, and Brielle Cimbura