2024 was a year of getting fit, reconnecting, and joining transformative trends. It was a year focusing on the right things, finding balance, and bringing others on the journey.
It brought a redefinition for “AI” – which used to mean “All Inclusive” – as in our favorite hotel in Cabo – and now suddenly meant the other thing again. Generative AI or GenAI was suddenly a project or a dozen at companies everywhere, including mine. The idea is customers can ask questions about our IT products on our website and it will give generated answers along with search results. It is awesome to see it come back with perfect answers in a few seconds. But even with the best algorithms, it isn’t magic. It depends on getting the knowledge out of people’s heads into the system so it can be shared via self-service. So it is basically the same job I’ve been doing the last 10+ years, but from a different perspective. What’s not right about this answer? What do you know about this question that isn’t documented? Honestly, the best part of it has been meeting individually with 20 team members, looking at specific queries. I love meeting with experts. I love to see them instantly recognize the full situation on just the tiniest of clues. So ironically, working on AI has – for me – meant connecting a lot more with people.
2024 has also been a year of getting fit and establishing healthy habits. Mostly because I had done everything else on my to do list. Sad but true. But like most dreaded tasks, it’s all downhill once you get started. For me that means getting an iPhone fitness app and exercising on commercial breaks when watching the Spurs or any kind of sports. You don’t realize how many commercial breaks there are. I should be “shredded” like the kids say, in no time. I also hopped on the Semaglutide train as it were, after some time feeling left out watching everybody else get skinny when I’ve got the real Type 2 Diabetes that Ozempic was meant for.
We made time for some beach getaways, taking the Corgis to our favorite AirBnB in Rockport, Texas in early March to do golf car excursions, walks to the marina to get lattes from The Duck Blind, and beach side yoga. Then in May we spent a week in Cabo at our Pueblo Bonita timeshare all-inclusive resort for dedicated pool time, a professional picture shoot (see photo), fine dining overlooking the ocean and spectacular weather. The Corgis enjoyed that week at the K9 Country Club where they spent time at the Beach Club (see photo). Malloy chose to wear a yellow duck floatie in solidarity of family summer water activities (see photo).
When we returned, we upgraded our car from a 200,000-mile Rogue to a 30,000-mile Palisade Calligraphy to better accommodate our dog showing lifestyle and drive Loki and Winnie to Smyrna, Delaware to visit Diane’s family and Aunt Shirley. One day to get to Little Rock, one to drive through Tennessee, and a third through Virginia and DC. Beautiful country, long drive. The Corgis were really excited to see Aunt Shirley, and they loved her place, which they took for an indoor racetrack. While visiting family, we also visited great restaurants in the area; McGlynn’s Pub overlooking Silver Lake with the Corgis, Deep Blue at the Kitty Knight House, Schaefer’s Canal House to enjoy crab appetizers by the marina in Chesapeake City, Maryland, watched most of an Eagles game from 89 year old Stanley’s Tavern in Wilmington, DE with Gary and Diane Karp, and feasted at Grotto’s Pizza, a local delicacy for Mickey’s birthday with his wife Martha, Uncle Mike and Aunt Diane who all came directly from the airport to make it. Uncle Norm managed to join us too.
2024 brought more accolades from our live-in Corgi pentathletes – Loki and Winnie – competing in Barn Hunt, Scent Work, Agility, Backyard Greco Wrestling and Couch Surfing – all on the local circuit this year. These are activities for the whole family, so we lean into them. Loki earned his RATCH X4 in Barn Hunt, and both he and Winnie achieved their Advanced Scent Work AKC titles. Loki has now moved onto the highest level in searching odor where the number of hides is unknown. This level has food distractions, which can be particularly challenging when food is your favorite thing in the whole world. Winnie is choosing to hangout in Excellent, the level after Advanced, but before Master. They didn’t obtain any agility titles this year but enjoy training at Top Dog Training Center in Helotes, Texas and do the occasional trial just for fun.
2024 was also the year we restarted the Kleypas Family Reunion, an annual tradition from my childhood, on hiatus since 2013. Instead of meeting at Pavilion One at MacArthur Park and throwing around the football, we meet indoors at Bulverde Community Center, but it has the same bones and feel. Everybody who walks in the door is family, bringing a dish to eat, stories to tell, history to share. So many common experiences with my cousins, whom I last saw as I was starting a career and now again as we approach retirement. It is good to be with family. The next one is scheduled for the same place, October 4, 2025 – so it will be an annual tradition again.
We are looking forward to some down time over the holidays, visiting more with family, friends and neighbors over the holidays. Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the season too.
Jesse, Diane, Malloy, Loki, and Winnie
Corgi Ranch, TX 