2025 Newsletter

2025 was a mixed bag for us - health setbacks on the one hand, and amazing life experiences on the other. If we had to sum it up in a phrase, it would be: “All the Emotions”. Here are a few highlights…

The Experiences

We spent a good chunk of the year in Lake Tahoe - skiing with friends and family, attempting to learn to snowboard (Liam and Ernst did alright, according to themselves) and generally soaking up beautiful winter days.

In the summer, Ernst escaped work and family for a week of cross-country gliding up there in the mountains - a long-held aspiration that he now just wants to do more of. Making multi-hour flights, ‘hopping’ from one ridge to another, and covering hundreds of kilometers before safely returning to the same airport is an indescribably awesome experience. The family also got a small taste of it too, on local glider flights out of Truckee, soaring over the lake itself and the very mountains we had all skied earlier in the year.

Sticking with the flying theme - Rocío and Ernst crossed off a bucket list item: skydiving! We jumped out of a rickety aircraft (honestly, we felt safer under the parachute than in the plane) over Curaçao. Highly recommended - at least once.

Back on Earth, we made some great trips. Around Spring Break, we took the RV (yes, we still have it from 2021 - and yes, you can still borrow it if you feel brave) back to Elk Country RV Park along the Northern California coast. In Redwood National Park, we hiked to and through Fern Canyon - walking through icy but shallow water between towering fern-covered walls. Easily one of our most memorable family hikes.

Summer was spent in Japan and Korea, after years of begging by the kids (are yours also deep into manga and K-drama?). We loved it - especially Kyoto.

The friendly people, delicious food (matcha everywhere, sushi, of course - and if you’re a carnivore don’t skip a multi-course wagyu tasting), and most of all the rich history and culture captivated us. We learned about samurai history, visited many Shinto and Buddhist temples, attempted to spot true Geishas and Maikos in the Gion district of Kyoto, and relied heavily on Google image translation.

And yes — Burning Man. With help from experienced “burners” Ernst and Rocío (not the kids) took the RV to the infamous Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, NV - very close to where Ernst had been gliding earlier in the year. We went in with a mix of apprehension and excitement, had an incredible experience, met amazing people, and left knowing one thing for sure: we’re going back next year.

The Kids

Anna Sofia is on a roll and paving her own way. Confident, creative, and strong (inside and out), she’s growing into herself in ways that make us both proud and slightly emotional on a daily basis. In springtime, we celebrated her 6-mth overdue “Quinceañera” in style with a big bash that included all her grandparents and friends from back in middle school as well as the new ones from her high school. As we’re writing this newsletter, she is crushing her finals week, and working towards the black belt in taekwondo. She also assists the taekwondo coach on some days, teaching 3-5 yr olds the art of the kick. Cuteness overload.

Liam dropped his voice by several octaves, seemingly overnight (but on some occasions sounds like a squirrel). He is still a goofball and deep thinker - that hasn’t changed. One moment he will challenge the “why” and the “fairness” of rules and chores. The next moment, he will ask a seemingly innocent question that is really a blow below the belt, like “So if we evolved from primates, then the parents are closer to primates than the children are, right?”. Apparently he won an award at school for being “nice”, and we’re still trying to figure out how he has them all fooled so well.

Oh - and did we mention they both have girlfriends right now?

Yep. So that’s a new chapter in parenting for us too.

The Return of the C-word

We were gearing up for a celebration in November to mark five years remission for Rocío; but the cancer had other ideas. In doing a test to confirm it had stayed away, we learned that it had returned.

Rocio wants you to know she is okay. She is strong, fully engaged, and working very hard to make sure she has the best possible care. Cancer is a big inconvenience, but it will not distract her from enjoying family or life - quite the contrary. We still had the celebration, focusing on the fullness of life and living!

Many of this year’s biggest moments happened in between treatments, which the medical team was happy to schedule around all the living we were doing. The skydiving happened just days before learning the cancer had returned, travel to Japan and Korea was encouraged by the oncologist, new chemo started right before Burning Man, and radiation was done shortly after. None of the big plans changed (as you can see in the pictures).

Rocio went on medical leave as CEO of Latinas in Tech, and brought in an Interim CEO so the organization could continue to thrive. This was a practical, thoughtful decision - not a step away from the mission.

If anyone would like more details, Rocio is happy to share them separately in a longer post. No sadness or pity needed — that’s not how she’s living this.

As we wrap up 2025, we feel grateful for family, friendships, and the ability to keep choosing joy, adventure, and presence.

With love,

Rocío, Ernst, Anna Sofia, and Liam

This year in images

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