Belated holiday letter

Hah! I bet you thought this was going to be a post about San Diego! Fooled you! That post is still coming, though.

But in the meantime, I thought I'd share with you the holiday letter I wrote. I had grand dreams of printing these out on paper with a snowflake border and then folding them up and placing each letter inside of holiday cards on which I'd write a personal message to each recipient. I even went so far as to buy the snowflake paper and the holiday cards. Alas, um, no (but an A for the thought).

And then I thought I'd re-format the letter into a newsletter format, include pictures, and then send it out electronically to everyone with a generic message. Alas, um, no (but a B- for the thought).

And then - you know, now that it's January - I thought I'd just remove our contact information and some of the stuff I wouldn't want the whole internets to see (you know, like our employers and the like) and just post it here. Yes (and a C- for effort. But so it goes).

So, at long last, here it is . . . .

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Holidays! We thought we'd update you on our lives since a lot has changed for us recently!

Mike completed his Ph.D. in July of 2007. Right after he defended his dissertation, we took off for a two-week camping trip to Farragut State Park in Idaho, Glacier National Park in Montana, and Banff and Jasper in Canada. We did a lot of swimming in lakes, sitting by the campfire, and hiking through some beautiful scenery. Highlights included a two-day, twenty-mile backpack in Glacier and meeting up in Japser with some of our Japan friends.

Mike was fortunate enough to find a position as a lecturer for the 2007-2008 academic year. This position gave him the time needed to prepare his applications for academic jobs, and gave Kate the time needed to complete her teaching degree. In January of 2008, Mike was invited for a job interview for a position that focused on teaching about Japanese politics. Two days after he returned, they phoned to offer him the job! Texas is affordable and not too far from either of our families, so it was a good fit all around.

Kate spent the spring of 2008 completing the last part of her teaching degree by student teaching American history, Advanced Placement American history, and second-year French. She graduated with a Washington-state teaching credential and endorsements in French and Social Studies. In addition, in June of 2008, Kate ran her first half-marathon, accompanied by two of her close friends. The race took place near Olympic National Park, about three hours from Seattle. The course was beautiful, starting near some very picturesque farms, passing through an old-growth forest, and then finishing up with a stretch along Puget Sound.

Our amazing friends helped us pack our apartment and load our rented truck, and we left Seattle on July 1st, 2008. Seattle had been good to us, and it was sad to leave a place with so many memories and friends (not to mention coffeeshops and cupcake bakeries!). We were incredibly lucky that Kate's good friend agreed to make the drive to Texas with us. The driving days were long and maneuvering the truck was a little stressful, but we kept ourselves entertained with walkie-talkies, audiobooks, and plenty of rest stops. We even spent the Fourth of July in Wyoming with Kate's relatives.

The good thing about arriving in Texas in July is that you don't have to worry about how much hotter it is going to get! That's right: the day we moved in, it was 102! Luckily, we had movers to help us unload the truck. Now that the summer heat is over, we're actually settling in quite nicely. We've met some really nice people and found some great restaurants - the Mexican food here is much, much better than it was in Seattle. Who'd have guessed? In the coming months we plan to adopt a dog from a rescue group and, hopefully, buy a house. Wish us luck!

Should you ever find yourself in Texas, please look us up.

We wish you peace and happiness in the coming year!