Christmas and New Years were a blur for us. We voyaged to Los Angeles on the 17th of December, stayed with some friends overnight*, had a family get-together with Grandpa and family (mom's side) on Sunday, then drove back up to Santa Barbara that night. It was great because I don't get a chance to see these folks very often, and I really miss them. Highlights included the gift exchange, the delicious cider, and Del Mar, Grandpa's dog, leaving not-so-pleasant smells around the house that could easily be blamed on Eric.
Once in Santa Barbara, Rebecca and I settled in to a nice week of leisurely breakfasts, days getting some work done (unfortunately we both had some things to do on our 'vacation', so we took the work with us), afternoon runs along the beach, and a family dinner together. It was really nice to be back home. Heidi and John arrived Thursday night, so we were able to spend a few days with them as well. Friday night, mom decided she wanted to have an 'open house' and invite friends and neighbors over.* Andres, Alex and Amy, and Isabelle and Manu, all friends from high school / college (or their significant others) were able to come to the party and hang out. It was great to see everybody and have some nice conversations. Eric also executed a stellar version of eggnog (thank you Martha Stewart) that acted as a social lubricant. Apparently, an 'open house' is similar to a dinner party, except without the dinner. You basically put out some food and drinks and invite people over. There was some confusion about exactly what this term meant, but it is what somebody of my generation might call a 'party'. Who knew?
Christmas day itself was low key, but fun. Eric and Kristin recently introduced two kittens into the house, so everybody took turns playing with them. A kitten condo featured prominently on the list of gifts, and 'Dolly' and 'Earl' enjoyed it immensely. We went to see 'Dragon Tattoo' earlier in the week, which was notably mostly for the fact that, about 2 hours in, just before the climax of the film, the projection room had a major snafu and the movie somehow broke. Seriously. So the whole theater got refunds, but who is going to sit through the same 2 hours of a movie just to watch the last 15 minutes? Apparently, mom was. On Christmas day we all went back to the theater. Eric, Kristin, Rebecca and I thought that we had it all figured out by going to see Mission Impossible, which started earlier, so that we could sneak into Dragon Tattoo right about the point that the film stopped before. Unfortunately, our timing was off, so we came into the movie about 5 minutes after the stoppage - avoiding the decisive point in the film entirely! So, that movie is basically ruined for all of us. :)
Anyway, Rebecca and I left on the 27th to head up to Toronto to see her family. We stayed at Sabrina's place (her sister), hung out with her brother and her nephews, and generally had quality time with the family. I was still doing work, so I didn't get a lot of extra hang out time during the day, but we did have dinner every night with the family. New year's eve Rebecca and I made a boatload of toffee (Sabrina's Christmas gift from us), then settled in with a bottle of wine and some cheesy movies. Her dad's birthday dinner was on the 1st, and featured a family get-together and 5 course Chinese banquet dinner. Delicious food and good times.* We left the next day, I back to DC, Rebecca to Vietnam for work.
*photos of these events exist, and would really help to complete the narrative. Unfortunately (as per usual?) Rebecca happens to be the keeper of said photos. If history is any guide, the photos will slowly migrate off of her memory card, onto her computer. After an equally lengthy trip through the processing bottleneck, they will make an appearance on her
photo sharing site, maybe. In short, you'll probably just have to use your imagination for these events.
In other news, we polished off our annual update letter (below)
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Travel and toil, surprise and reflection, we’ve had a lot to do and think about this year. We kicked off the year by spending Christmas and New Year’s in Antigua with the Gans family. That was followed by Will’s visit to sister Lisl in the UK in late January, Rebecca taking the first of several work trips to Asia and Will on a backpacking California adventure in April, a June trip to Toronto, and the Ngans family summer extravaganza to France and Italy in late June and July, where we spent three wonderful weeks visiting with friends Franck and Giuseppe.
August had us coping with the sudden loss of Will’s dad, Carl. Our stay in Santa Barbara allowed us to visit with many friends and family. The outpouring of support and affection for him was touching, sometimes overwhelming, and a lesson in priorities during our ever-hectic lives. It was also a reminder to arrange your affairs for those you leave behind. Carl was a great friend and father; we miss him and think of him often.
This fall put Rebecca on yet another trip to Asia, and seen Will maintain yet again, that he will finish his PhD this year. We’re spending the holidays in Santa Barbara and Toronto, before returning to DC to start the craziness all over. We’ll be heading to the Caribbean in March for sister Heidi’s wedding, then…we have to move apartments, extract ourselves from this grad school thing, find a job for Will, and ensconce ourselves in the next stage of our great adventure!
Wishing you a very happy 2012,
The Ngans’ (Will and Rebecca)
New this year, we’ve added a factoids section…
Passport stamps Rebecca accumulated this year: Antigua, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Italy, UK, Canada
Estimated weeks Rebecca has traveled for work this year: 8
Estimated months Will has left in school: 4
Seconds separating Will from ‘Panera bread for a year’ prize in Turkey Trot 5K: 2
Bread books added to Will’s library this year: 3
Nicknames assigned to future brother-in-law John: 5
Estimated unprocessed photos of Rebecca’s from travel: 2,000
Average waiting time for Will’s clean clothes waiting to be put away, days: 3
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| 2011 photos |
