December 2019

Dear Friends and Family,

                Season's greetings from the nation's capital, home of the 2019 World Series champion Washington Nationals. This year, the Jost families are celebrating in particular the arrival of Eli Samuel Jost, born November 25, 2019, to Andrew and Robbie Rogart Jost in Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia.

                In brief summary, Ken is in his 27th term of writing Supreme Court Yearbook for CQ Press and the 16th year of his legal affairs blog Jost on Justice. Ken and James are in their 15th year together; they live together apart in Washington and Alexandria. James continues as data-integration specialist with the IT-consulting company Total Resource Management. Nicole and her wife Lily Rea are well ensconced in San Francisco; AJ and Robbie will be taking parental leave from their jobs at Clark Enterprises and the Big Law law firm Crowell & Moring to care for Eli in their child-proofed Arlington home.

                Robbie was managing her pregnancy and full-time work schedule without undue complications until her water broke on the afternoon of November 25 while at the office. AJ got the news by text as he was en route to pick Robbie up for the customary drive home. Once he got Robbie to the car, he turned instead toward the hospital, where Eli was born less than three hours later at 8:23 PM ET. Eli weighed five pounds, fifteen ounces at birth and measured 18.5 inches. He was pronounced healthy and mother and child were discharged three days later. The bris was held on the eighth day, December 3, with all four grandparents and other family and friends in attendance.

                Nicole, playwright and director, launched a theater company in 2019: Queer Cat Productions. She co-authored the company's first production, The Gay Divorce Play, an interactive and immersive work with eight performances in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood, including several sold-out shows. Nicole continues to teach playwriting to young people and is working with 4th and 5th graders for the first time in several years after having left Young Playwrights Theater in Washington five years ago. Lily continues to enjoy her work as production and technology manager at the Jewish Community Center and, in her free time, is teaching herself to play the ukulele. Their cat Molly reached age 16 in August, about 80 in human years.

                Ken traveled on his own to Harvard for his 50th college reunion and later to Nashville as "distinguished alumnus" at the University School of Nashville for the senior class convocation. Ken also found time in August after finishing the Supreme Court book for a week in Thailand on his own and then joined the gay journalists' convention in New Orleans in early September. James spent some time in Taiwan to help care for his mother, now in her late 80s and mostly on her own after James' father's death last year.

                Together, Ken and James are scheduled for an African safari in February 2020. Ken and AJ visited Marlins Stadium in Miami as their 29th major league ballpark and plan to finish the list this spring with a trip to Rangers Stadium in Texas. Ken will also continue on his plan to tour all 50 state Capitols: 10 so far, 40 to go.

                For now, all of us wish for you and yours a happy holiday and good health and good spirits in 2020.