Dear council members, First of all, I hope you're thoroughly enjoying the conference in Paderborn! I wanted to write to you with a quick update on my situation (as far as Elisa hasn't already filled you in). The past months have been, well, hard work, but I'm happy to report all is well with our new little family. The twins were born on March 17, two months too soon, and we had to stay in the hospital for three weeks, but since taking them home they've been doing great. Enclosed a picture for those interested. Still, it's been quite demanding to take care of newborn twins (who would've thought?) and so far I haven't had a chance to recover from the burn-out symptoms I experienced right before (and during) my pregnancy. So when Elisa wrote to me proposing I extend my leave from Council, thus not only giving me some more time to recover but also giving someone else the chance to experience Council for a year, I considered it a good solution. I was indeed very happy to hear that Joey has been a wonderful addition to Council and I'm glad this solution worked out so well. This is not to say I miss you very much and I wish I could be there in Paderborn with you. Starting this week, the twins are going to daycare, giving me some much needed time to rest and get better. For now, I wish you an interesting, productive and overall great conference and members meeting. All best, Elli [image: image.png]
