Happy Holidays!
December, 2006
Happy holidays, all! A lot of people we know put together an annual update and enclose the letter (printed out on a cool color printer) with their holiday cards. Unfortunately, we don't own a color printer and had a lot of stuff to share this year (including pictures) so we decided to post our update on the web site. Enjoy!
| One big effect 2006 had on our
family was to make it bigger. So much bigger, in fact, that we have
officially dubbed 2006 the "Year of the Baby." Friends had babies (Jessi
and Jamie, Lauren and Ben, Kyrie and Dan), relatives had babies (Jim and
Tracy, CJ and Anneke, Cheryl and John, Jackie and Kevin, Mike and Michelle),
and we're sure a lot of strangers had babies (although we don't know they
are). Many of our friends have asked us over the past seven years when we are going to start having babies. So in response (and so you'll stop bugging us), Dave built a handy baby countdown clock. Enjoy! |
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Jen and her two babies. One of
them is smart and friendly and the other scratches himself and has trouble
with doors. Can you tell which is which? |
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2006 was chock full of family activities, many of which centered around, well, being active. Dave ran three half marathons with family members (including Jill's very first at the Mardi Gras Half and Dad's very first at the Buffalo Half, and a very hot and sticky Rock and Roll Half Marathon with Dad and Uncle Jas while Jen, Mom, and Momma Rie cheered us on). We also hosted Thanksgiving this year, complete with turkey and more pies than the number at which you can shake a stick. (Doesn't proper grammar sound stupid sometimes?) And of course, since Dave was planning some of the group activities, the holiday included a Turkey Trot. |
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Jen and Mom hold up the Rock 'N Roll Participants |
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Mom, Dad, Washington, and TR recover from the Alexandria Turkey Trot |
Dave takes a break from microwaving
the Thanksgiving |
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| While Dave, Jill, and Dad enjoy a Christmas Day run... | ...Jen and Mom warm up after a snowy walk with Berkley and Kiera |
| As usual, we kept busy this year with lots of extracurriculars. One of Jen's big accomplishments this year was enrolling in the University of Maryland's Part-Time MBA program (ranked 7th overall). Jen's classes, while interesting, have been a ton of work! Between working full time and going to school on the weekends, Jen still manages to find time to hang out with friends and family! When she's not studying or working, Jen likes to spend time with Berkley and friends at the dog park.
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| Mandy and Jen relax at the Cox HS reunion. | |
| Dave has continued his running,
logging more than 150 miles in 19 races, including five half marathons.
Dave's big running accomplishments this year were finally breaking an 8
minute mile pace in a half marathon and finishing the
Marine Corps Marathon in under
four hours!
Dave also started singing again with the Washington Men's Camerata. The group is wrapping up its Christmas concert season but is looking forward to our annual spring and summer concerts. |
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| The So Happy It's Tuesday kennel does the Scope It Out 5K, hasher style! | |
| We also hit the road this year
for some fun, heading down to Charlottesville twice for fancy Virginia Glee
Club alumni dinners. We also spent a week in the Outer Banks with some
friends for Jim and Kate's wedding. Although Dave didn't join the
Westview Leisure Club's annual outing, he did manage to head down to Mexico
for a weekend of sun and partying with Jill. Our favorite trip this year, though, was definitely our February cruise. We toured Calica, Mexico, Key West, and vegged out on the ship deck. Not able to live without his soda, Dave splurged on a Kid's Fountain Club card, entitling him to unlimited sodas for the low low price of only $24. Figuring that the sodas were $2 apiece, Dave exceeded his goal of drinking over 12 sodas in four days. Mmmm...caffeine! |
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| Dave and Jen would like to thank the Academy for this lovely picture. |
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| Sunday, Dave, Jill, Javan, and Jaime hang out at the beach bar in Playa de Carmen. | Jen frequently has to remind Dave which glass is his at the Glee Club Alumni dinner. |
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| Lunch at Baja Bean in Charlottesville. Isn't it nice to be in short sleeves in March? | Bert, Bruce, and Dave reminisce about days past in the Clubhouse. |
| Unfortunately, our lives are not all fun and
games so we have to work. Jen had a banner year at Booz Allen Hamilton.
This year Jen was promoted to Associate and has been leading several teams
at the Department of Justice. She's continuing to build skills in
Business Process Reengineering and Communications. Jen has also been
recognized within the firm for her development of the GroupSystems practice
and has facilitated several military and civilian sessions. Dave also had a good year at IBM Global Business Services (the practice formally known as Business Consulting Services). This past June Dave was promoted to Managing Consultant and he has continued to work on organizational strategy and transformation projects for the civilian government. |
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| Now we have red hats. Ho ho ho! |
That's all for this year, folks. We wish you the best of the holiday season and a happy, healthy new year. Drop us a line if you have a moment - we always enjoy hearing from our friends and family!
Love, Dave and Jen
