Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Because Jim Henson was taken from us far, far too soon:

(This will make much less sense - and be far less nostalgic - to all our international readers. Sorry, it's a little like our inexplicable devotion to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Bear with us)

Becca

Some holiday thoughts...

Well, less thoughts than a quote for the holiday weekend. I personally find eggnog quite tasty but can't get over laughing at this quote:

"You know what drink I don't like? Eggnog. Who thought this up? I want to get a little drunk, but I also want some pancakes." - Dave Attell

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Brian

Happy Independence Day!

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a happy Independence Day. As the date of our declaration of independence where we told the Brits to take their warm beer and cricket back across the pond, the 4th is obviously an uniquely American holiday. Of course like many of our other holidays, the original meaning of taking time to appreciate the independence our country holds has been co-oped by brats, beers, fireworks and sunburns.

In this particular case (as opposed to Memorial Day, see Becca's earlier post), I think that's a good thing. The 4th is about celebrating the fact that as Americans we have the right (within reason) to do what we please and express ourselves accordingly. For Becca and me, this day will be spent going for a hike with our brother and sister-in-law and then spending time with my family afterwards. For some people, that means having a picnic and watching fireworks; for others having too much to drink and falling asleep at 3pm is their way of expressing independence.

Independence is a touchy subject nowadays. With political bickering at what seems to be an all-time high and the idea of free speech sometimes being dependent on what you're saying, every once in a while people need to take a step back and appreciate what they have. There are countless countries around the world (several of which Becca and I have actually been in) where free speech, independent thought and even something as simple as the right to wear whatever you want is not a given.

So I hope that with this holiday, people take at least a moment to appreciate what we have as a country and the fact that we stuck our necks out to get it 231 years ago. We're by no means perfect but in the grand scheme of things we're a lot better off than most. So appreciate the position you're currently in and take some time to say thank you to the people that help defend our independence around the world on a daily basis. We may not always agree with where they are or what they're doing there, but we should respect the fact that they are willing to put their lives on the line to preserve what we celebrate with beers and sparklers.

Ok, I'm officially off my soapbox. Anyone up for some wiffle ball?

Happy Independence Day to all.

Brian

Happy New Year!

We wanted to briefly wish everyone a happy new year. We hope that 2007 has gotten off to a good start for everyone. Though no one has had probably quite as good of a start as Ian Johnson, the Boise State tailback. After scoring the winning two-point conversion against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Monday night, he proposed to his girlfriend who is the head of the Boise State cheerleaders. Sadly, no YouTube video as of yet to link to.

Still a pretty full start to 2007 for Mr. Johnson. If I was him, I'd be sleeping in this morning.

Cheers to 2007!

Brian & Becca

Have a Merry, Happy....

Seasons Greetings from our new west coast base of operations.!

After selling the house on December 15th, we officially moved from Minnesota back to Oregon on December 18th (thankfully just ahead of the blizzard that shut down Denver International Airport). It's so great to be back. Already we've had the chance to spend casual hang out time with different family members, so different from the frenetic must-see-everybody-and-make-it-special feeling of quick and infrequent visits. We're looking forward to years more of that as we settle down into the fabric of family.

We'll try and send out separate holiday greetings as well, but just in case want to be sure and get this sentiment out:

Last Christmas eve found us sitting in a dimly lit hostel room in Chiang Mai, Thailand clustered around a blue and white tinsel tree (to celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas). Christmas Day we spent in the first of a four day Thai food cooking seminar. Between then and now we've had more experiences than we can even process: travels through Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji; reunions with family and friends up the west coast and in Minnesota; facing the reality of a cold housing market and choosing what was important to us (getting back to our family and getting closer to starting our family) over financial considerations; starting to work again in the same environment that led us to drop everything and leave and learning to control my hours and still prioritize my life, selling the house and moving cross-country; and gearing up for new jobs, a new home, and in Brian's case, a new graduate degree program here in Oregon.

That's a lot of life. But the constant through all of it, the thing that gave us strength and made us feel rich on a daily basis, was the presence in our hearts and minds of all of you. We are so tremendously blessed in our friends and family, whether they be people who have known us all our lives or those of you who we have met along our travels. THANK YOU, thank you for your friendship, love and support.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year. As I have come to say more frequently now as what really matters sinks in:

We wish you all a year of health and happiness, friends and family, joy and laughter.

Becca and Brian

Gobble, Gobble!

To the North American contingent we wanted to take the time to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

We have plenty to give thanks to this year. Our health (and the health of our family), having the experience that comes with a trip of a lifetime (and using it), spending the season with our loved ones and hoping that come the holidays, we'll actually be someplace somewhat settled. We hope that every one of you remember to give thanks and remember the positive things going on in your everyday lives.

For the international contingent, we want to give a special thanks for having all of you as our friends. The trip wouldn't have been anywhere near the same experience without the friendship that you provide. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Off to California to visit Becca's relatives for the feasting day proper. More upon our return.

Brian