We have returned from our 10 day sojourn in Colorado for the holidays! It is a new year, and with that must come a reflection upon the year behind us. This was meant to be a Christmas letter, but one thing led to another and I never sent it, so for those of you who might be curious what the heck we were up to this year, enjoy!
A year in Review (2010)
-In March we flew to California to look for a place to live and ended up signing a lease for an apartment in Redondo Beach.
(house-hunting!)-I ran my first 5k in March and Trav followed suit as we both ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in San Diego in November. Us, runners?
(after the first 5k in March, San Diego was a breeze! Post-race photo with Kristina and fellow Engineer Matt)
-We both graduated from CU in May; Trav with his Masters in Aerospace Engineering, and me with a BA in Spanish and Portuguese language and culture
-To celebrate graduation, we made an impromptu trip to Miami (South Beach and Key West specifically) and enjoyed delicious cuban and haitian food...yum!
(catching up with my Semester at Sea family in South Beach)-I was in my first wedding as a bridesmaid Memorial Day weekend.
-In June we embarked on a 33 day trip through mainland Greece and the greek islands. It was quite the adventure, and a beautiful country.
(Santorini)
(Trav in front of an ancient Greek theatre)-At the end of our trip in Greece we hiked the Samarian Gorge in Crete..only 16 km of uneven rocky terrain!
-In July we packed up all of our things and moved to Redondo Beach, part of the South Bay of Los Angeles. We live next to the beach and enjoy listening to the waves from our balcony.
-In August we drove 6 hours to June Lake and spend a weekend with Trav's family fishing, eating, and enjoying the mountains. They were a sight for sore (and homesick) eyes!
-In September we were visited by a few friends from Boulder and spent the weekend at the Getty Center, Getty Vila, and getting ice cream in Malibu.
-In October Trav and I both got to go home for the weekend, me for my first American Translators Association Conference and him for some R&R!
-In November we both worked hard, cooked and baked, and visited the L.A. Auto show.
-In December we headed home to Colorado for the holidays and enjoyed warm weather, visits with friends, and even got a little taste of winter with a snowstorm. After ten days of R&R we are back in Redondo, which feels a little bit more like home each time we return. Also, we were surprised when Trav's sister-in-law went into labor early and we got to meet the baby early! Congrats, Ryan and Shannon!
(Trav holding baby Evan, his first nephew!)It was a year full of adventure and travel, and we are both so blessed to be able to do/see so much cool stuff! This year we are planning on making a little trip to Vegas to see what the fuss is all about, maybe a trip to the Big Apple so trav can experience the rush of Times Square, and in the fall we hope to make it back to Europe to see some of my family in Germany, and hopefully visit my "family" in Lisbon after almost two years. Other plans? We shall see!
Love to you all,
E&T
