Merry Christmas, Everyone. And Vivian says Hi.

Merry Christmas, folks. And while we’re at it, cheers to Eid, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, and any other solar festival you care to celebrate.

It’s been an uncommonly good year for the Eyler-Werve enclave. The headline, of course, is the arrival of Vivian this February, but there’s good news on all fronts.

Vivian is growing like an El Nino brushfire, and really is a delightful baby. She will reliably smile and wave at newcomers, gasp with joy when handed a banana, squint when concentrating on new challenges, and sob with the fire of a thousand suns if she can see a banana that she is not allowed to eat. After face planting down a single step at her grandparent’s house, she now approaches any change in flooring while slinking on her belly. She’s clever.

Kate and I are very grateful to family and friends, old and new, that are helping to raise our little sprout.

In other news, we are staying busy. I’m still at Global Integrity, and shifting from managing a nonprofit to building tools for the nonprofit sector. In the last year, my crew has taken the Indaba fieldwork platform from a few sketches to an online publishing system currently in use in 34 countries. Public Radio International and others are signed up to use it next year. Referrals to orgs that need better tools for publishing are welcome. I’ve got a new office in downtown Chicago, and am enjoying our little Windy City community of tech-for-social change hackers.

Kate’s been busy too. She’s consulting with U.S. Equities to add a higher level of employee engagement to their thriving sustainability practice. Their first project together dug up a quarter million dollars in cost reductions for North Central College, which makes me think she’ll be staying busy next year. She’s also got a hearty stew of side projects going (including her blog on sustainability in Chicago), so feel free to call her if you need a collaborator.
.
Don’t be a stranger, folks. We’re always happy to see you.
.
Much love,
Jonathan, Kate, Vivian
.