December 2020
To our family and friends,
We hope this letter finds you and your family happy, healthy and enjoying the holiday season! Despite the challenges that we all have had to endure in 2020, we still had an interesting and enjoyable year! Continuing the Neader tradition, here is the 2020 Year in Review.
Cameron is 23 years old and graduated in May from UW-La Crosse with a major in Communications and minors in both International Business and Economics. After graduation, he started attending EAE Business School, in Madrid, Spain, to obtain his Master’s Degree in International Business. Due to the pandemic, he initially started school virtually, then in September, he was able to move to Madrid to start attending school in person. He has an apartment in central Madrid and absolutely loves it there!
Ashlyn is 20 years old and currently a Sophomore at UW-La Crosse. She plans to double major in Interpersonal Communication and German, with a minor in TESOL (teaching English as a second language). She is also working part-time at the People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse and loves her job.
We welcomed Macy home in late June, after her year-long student exchange in Taipei, Taiwan, through Rotary Youth Exchange. The photo at the top of the page was taken at O’Hare Airport, as she arrived from Taiwan. The pandemic created some interesting challenges, but she was able to stay for her full exchange and had a wonderful experience! She is 17 years old and a Senior at Central High School. The entire first semester is being taught virtually, which is not ideal, but she is doing a great job with it. In her free time, she enjoys many types of arts and crafts.
In February, Scott and Laurie took advantage of a last-minute travel deal to Italy for two weeks. With a combination of rental cars and trains, we were able to spend time in quite a few different places, including Rome, Pompeii, Naples, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Perugia, Florence, Sienna and many delightful towns in the Tuscany region. A lot of delicious house red wine, limoncello, pizza and pasta was consumed along the way! We really enjoyed the flexibility the rental car gave us, allowing us to explore some of the towns off the beaten path, and to take advantage of unique “Agriturismos” — bed and breakfast stays on small farms. A few of our favorite photos from Italy are in this Photo Album.
In March, Scott and Laurie embarked on another adventure. Originally, there was a longer trip planned that included visiting Ireland and all of the UK, but due to the pandemic, the trip was cut short, to just two weeks in Ireland. Still, the time spent there was amazing. With the major tourist attractions (and pubs) closed, the focus was on the beauty of the country, and we were not disappointed! We hiked and drove through such amazing scenery, from the mountains to the cliffs to the seashores, and walked around many unique towns along the way. We also loved exploring the 200 to 500+ year-old castles, churches, abbeys and other structures scattered around the country, including an abandoned church that Scott’s great-grandfather was baptised in. Some interesting and unique places to stay overnight were enjoyed, including a 500-year-old castle, a 200-year-old thatched roofed cottage, a farmhouse on a sheep farm, and a mini-house on the property of an Irish-Amish family. A few of our favorite photos from Ireland are in this Photo Album.
In August, Scott and Laurie celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by visiting some of the same places they went on their honeymoon, including Mackinac Island and Door County. Highlights included biking and hiking around Mackinac Island and visiting wineries in Door County. A few of our favorite photos from our 25th Anniversary Trip are in this Photo Album.
Well, that’s the 2020 year-in-review. Until next year… Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
Scott, Laurie, Cameron, Ashlyn & Macy Neader
Click photos to enlarge
