Queen Audrey & Her Boys 2022 in Review
My three sons Gabriel, Jonas and Hillel and I wish you and your family a healthy, blessed and rockin’ holiday season!
How quickly did you get the album cover reference — Queen II — 1974? In this photo, my eldest Gabriel age 24 is on the left, Jonas age 21 is above me and Hillel age 15 is on my right.
All four of us, individually and as a family, have evolved so much this year. Thank G-d we end the year with purpose and passion in our lives. Most of all, we’re blessed with health, abundance, and love.
Here’s are our highlights of 2022. I hope our family adventures entertain and inspire you.
Audrey
Lots of exciting news this year!
Moving Downtown
First, we moved from Del Mar by the Beach to Downtown by the Harbor. Living in Olde Del Mar during the two Covid years was great for my family. Hillel surfed twice a day, before and after on-line school. Jonas and I walked our dog Lexi (and the dogs we fostered) up in the hills in the morning and on ocean front cliffs at sunset. It was a peaceful time.
But when the world reopened and Jonas moved out with our family dog and the last foster dog was placed, I felt lonely in a big house, especially when Hillel was with his Dad and StepMom.
Hillel wanted us to move closer to them in North Park (more on that below). So I went back to my San Diego roots. I bought a lovely condo downtown in one of the first luxury buildings, CityFront Terrace. I remember it being built in 1994 when I lived downtown from 1988–1996, before I was married. Though I’m not living the wild life I did then, I love it.
I walk everywhere to listen to the outdoor concerts at the Rady Shell and buy my produce at the Farmers Market in Little Italy. Also I’m grateful that Chabad of Downtown, my synagogue, is a few blocks away. Actually, last night I walked a block and a half to the Rabbi’s house to pick up some extra menorahs for a Hannukah party.
TEDxSanDiego
The other big news is I took on a leadership volunteer role with a prestigious San Diego nonprofit, TEDxSanDiego. TEDxSanDiego was founded 12 years ago by my dear friend Jack Abbott to be the local voice of TED talks and produce an annual event featuring visionary speakers and performers to inspire and uplift us. As the new Chief Connector and Curator, we’ve accepted 275 applications for our June 11, 2023 show at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. My vision is to find the hidden gems in San Diego and provide a global platform for them to share their ideas worth spreading. I am honored to lead an amazing team of volunteers who pour their passion into our vision. You will love the incredible local visionaries we’ve found to feature in 2023. To learn more, join our mailing list, visit www.TEDxSanDiego.com.
Bernstein Private Wealth
I couldn’t volunteer with TEDxSanDiego without the support of my company, Bernstein Private Wealth. The culture of the firm is that we all give back to our community. I began 2022 as my 4th year at Bernstein as a Financial Advisor, my professional home until I retire in 15 years! I love the integrity of our firm and the resources we offer our clients. I continue to help my clients navigate all financial questions especially during a rough year in the markets. My Bernstein Partner Ryan Bordelon and our incredible team have grown our practice to serve more entrepreneurs, nonprofits and families to support them on how to grow and protect their wealth, make their money meaningful and invest with intention.
Partners in Torah
To feed my soul, I continue to study Jewish wisdom every week with my study partner who I found through Partners in Torah. I’m honored to serve as President of the Board of this 30-year-old global non-profit that deepens the connection to the Jewish faith through free, one-on-one partner learning. As a matchmaker, I love this type of matchmaking for the soul. My partner Jessica Weiss and I are finishing studying the 439 page book, Pirkei Avot: Ethics of our Fathers, the fundamental compilation of Jewish ethical teachings. The experience studying this book has grounded me in my faith to live a life based on ethics, kindness and love of my fellow human.
Romance and Adventure
Boyfriend? Soulmate? Nope. 2022 was too many bad first dates. Bizarre stories that would make your head spin. A few fun flirtations but no one who I could see as my life partner. I have hope that someone I know today, could be my person in the future. I trust in G-d that at the right time, the right man will reveal himself.
Being single did not keep me from a few fun adventures traveling with friends to Israel, deep into Mexico and throughout the U.S. I was grateful to travel to so many weddings and happy occasions! My favorite trip was going to Oaxaca where I explored mole tasting (my favorite sauce) and traditional folk art.
What Matters Most
2022 reinforced for me what matters most is family and friends. Being single reinforces your friends even more. I have four ‘soul sisters’ I connect with regularly who feed my soul and we push each other to be our best selves. Also, I’ve made amazing new friends who have enriched my life even more.
This year I was lucky to spend quality time with my Mom and StepDad, StepMom and my Sister and her family. I’m also fortunate today to have the closest relationship with my boys. I connect with them almost daily and we end every chat with “I love you”. It wasn’t always this way. I love my sons as the amazing, quirky, hilarious young men they are. Read below on their remarkable lives.
Son #1 Gabriel — age 24
Gabriel embraces the idea of living an unconventional life. He continues his life after graduating with an art degree at MICA, to work on the innovation team at Keyrock with a Brussels, Belgium-based liquidity provider for the digital currency global financial markets. (Trading digital currency while in art college was his side hustle). While the cryptocurrency world imploded this fall, my son was proud to be at a firm with the highest integrity which was not affected by the madness. Unfortunately, Gabriel is STILL waiting 13 months later on his permanent work visa to live in the EU. So while he worked remotely, he lived in Istanbul, Turkey and Belgrade, Serbia for months while traveling throughout Eastern Europe. He does miss building metal kinetic sculptures, but he hopes when he can settle in one place, he’ll start making art again. The best part of him living in Europe is he can share his obsession with Formula 1 racing. This past summer he found another obsession, he became a certified deep-sea diver in the Black Sea. I’m grateful he came home recently for a few months before his Visa is granted and he moves to Europe for good.
Here’s a photo of Gabriel on the Istanbul water taxi — he loved traveling between Asia and Europe on a ferry:
Son # 2 Jonas — age 21
Jonas made the hard decision this year to forgo an expensive mechanical engineering degree (Northeastern w/required Summer school was $100K a year!) and build a career based on his fabrication skills. After leaving Boston he returned to work at Maketory to refine his extensive metal, wood and 3-D printing expertise. He’s now working at a San Diego startup that is using 3-D printing to reinvent manufacturing. He’s also back working part time at Beeside Balcony restaurant to help Executive Chef Christophe Cevasco open his new location in La Jolla in the Village. What’s most wonderful is he has embraced his passion for being an artist. His paintings and films documenting his creative process is exquisite. Follow him on Instagram @JonasJacobsArt — here’s a link to one of his videos. The most important news is — he found love. Jonas and Katie met at Soille Hebrew Day School and she is a bright light of love for our family. They recently moved in together and are building a home based on love and tradition.
Here’s a photo from my birthday dinner this October with Jonas, Katie and my youngest Hillel:
Son # 3 Hillel — age 15
Wow! Hillel is the youngest and the tallest of his brothers, already 6’2 1/2 and still growing. Hillel is a joyful light in our family. It’s been a huge year for him. The first of the year he finally had his Covid-rescheduled Bar Mitzvah though it was a bit bizarre. We thought we’d have to cancel a second time because the Rabbi, his two brothers and my Mom and StepDad all had COVID! But we live-streamed it and I printed out a 6-foot cutout poster of his brothers to be there. Here’s a photo of us, his poster board cut-out brothers and my sister and her family.
Also in January Hillel sadly realized his time at his beloved second home, Soille Hebrew Day School, the Jewish school he attended for 14 years, would end and he had to choose a high school. Hillel said, “Mom, I don’t want to go to high school with the neighborhood kids. They’re entitled, disrespectful and a bad influence. I want to go to an intercity school with economic and ethnic diversity.” So his wishes were one of the main reasons I moved downtown so he could attend San Diego High, an incredibly diverse high school.
He’s thriving in his new environment, made lots of new friends, joined the Volleyball team and helped start the Jewish Student Union. He’s also involved in two Jewish youth groups outside of school and loves attending the Jewish Camp Mountain Chai. He also enjoys making art but his passion is poetry — he’s an amazing poet. I love it when he wakes me up at midnight after a kitchen raid to share his latest poem.
Hillel has acclimated well to living in a condo building where he’s built a successful pet sitting and odd job service for our neighbors. I enjoy being known in the halls as “Hillel’s Mom”. Finally, I’m impressed when we moved downtown, he decided no more driving for his parents. “Mom, I’m the third kid, gas is expensive and public transportation is free for kids under 18.” So Hillel takes the bus and trolley everywhere. We’re proud of the confident, kind and responsible young man he’s become.
So if you’re still reading, I hope you’re smiling and thinking of all the wonderful moments and memories you created in 2022. Respond to my story. Reach out and share your life with me!
I am full of gratitude for all the blessings I have. I wish you and your family a joyful holiday season and a 2023 filled with hope, health and happiness.
Warmly,
Audrey Jacobs — texasjewess@gmail.com
