In an effort to leave a smaller carbon footprint on the planet, we are going paperless this year with our annual newsletter (unless we don’t have your email then we ask you to recycle this). We plan to donate to the cost of printing and stamps to our local food bank too.
While no one complained about the absence of the 2008 Standard, we do have a good excuse since this time last year we unexpectedly found ourselves in Vietnam. Due to a series of unfortunate events-- including the collapse of the housing market and the economy in general -- we found ourselves being much less cavalier about quitting our jobs and selling the house to
embark on our round-the-world vision we had dreamed about for over a year. That said, we still very much wanted to travel “while we can” with the girls. Where to go last minute in December? We decided on Thailand – exotic, warm, foreign and affordable. Alas, not a few days before our Thanksgiving Day departure, political unrest squelched those plans when anti-governmen
t protestors took over the Bangkok airport. Discouraged but still determined, we changed our plans yet again and turned our sights to Vietnam. This was unchartered territory as all our research and reservations was centered on Thailand, but the kids were game as we boarded a plane for Hanoi in early December much to the befuddlement of our family, colleagues – and Kirby.
For the next five weeks we took trains, busses, bikes, boats and
planes (we would never dare drive here) across this buzzing, beautiful and friendly country where few people spoke English but everyone was entranced with Anna’s blonde hair and dimples (we called her “the rock star” as everyone wanted their picture taken with her). We slept on a beach and in stilt houses, and dined cheaply on exotic fruit shakes, Pho Ga and sea 
creatures. We toured imperial palaces and slept in a junk boat on picturesque Halong Bay. The girls had clothes tailor-made in Hoi An, and Hallie received a streetside haircut in Hanoi. We survived crossing the motorcycle-clogged streets of Saigon and rode an elephant and ate silkworms in Dalat. It was one amazing end to 2008!
We assimilated back into Olympia fine, welcoming fresh air and our private space, but within weeks found ourselves talking about our next trip. Of course money and time off only go so far, so after studying airfares and determining July was the next feasible departure date we looked across the Atlantic to Europe. We knew the dollar would not allo
w for the usual Spain-Italy-France tour, so we got creative, choosing six cities that were different enough and balanced out with our budget. London was a favorite (and the priciest) for all, with long walks, a tiny apartment in Hyde Park, lots of Metro rides and Billy Elliot, the musical. Edinburgh was very homey, with castles, cobblestone and pub food. Krakow, Poland was our answer to Prague and included a sobering side trip to Auschwitz. Budapest came next offering
two cities in one along the Danube, pastries and paprika. Vienna was a taste of urban culture and art museums, along with the latest Harry Potter movie for the girls. And finally, Court’s favorite: Venice! Despite the Disney-sized crowds, the floating city was utterly charming when you let yourself get lost along the winding waterway and canals. All in all, we deemed our European tour a success except for the tortuous delays on U.S. Air.
Other trips were stateside to visit family, including spring break in Dallas to see Court’s sister and parents who drove down from Oklahoma. S
ince then, Court’s parents have refurbished her grandmother’s old 1930s house and Aunt Sara bought a new “old” Tudor house in Dallas proper. We’ll be “down South” for Christmas to see their new digs. We also made the 10-hour road trip to Arcata, Calif. twice this year to visit Garin’s family and enjoy home-cooked meals, long conversations and 
reruns of “I Love Lucy” along with beach walks and redwoods.
When we’re not traveling, much of our lives revolves around the girls and their respective schedules and school. Hal, now 13 and taller than Court, continues her karate (working on her orange belt) and amazing jazz saxophone, while Anna, a 5th grader, is on the school newspaper and has chosen piano as her instrument of choice along with some new Hip Hop dancing. Anna and Mommy have both enjoyed the Twilight vampire bestsellers, while Garin and Hal often have deep discussions about world events and politics via periodicals and Podcasts.
We are truly blessed and hope 2010 brings you health, happiness and a little more economic stability and peace in the world. Happy Holidays!
Garin, Court, Hallie and Anna and Kirby
t protestors took over the Bangkok airport. Discouraged but still determined, we changed our plans yet again and turned our sights to Vietnam. This was unchartered territory as all our research and reservations was centered on Thailand, but the kids were game as we boarded a plane for Hanoi in early December much to the befuddlement of our family, colleagues – and Kirby.For the next five weeks we took trains, busses, bikes, boats and
planes (we would never dare drive here) across this buzzing, beautiful and friendly country where few people spoke English but everyone was entranced with Anna’s blonde hair and dimples (we called her “the rock star” as everyone wanted their picture taken with her). We slept on a beach and in stilt houses, and dined cheaply on exotic fruit shakes, Pho Ga and sea 
creatures. We toured imperial palaces and slept in a junk boat on picturesque Halong Bay. The girls had clothes tailor-made in Hoi An, and Hallie received a streetside haircut in Hanoi. We survived crossing the motorcycle-clogged streets of Saigon and rode an elephant and ate silkworms in Dalat. It was one amazing end to 2008!
We assimilated back into Olympia fine, welcoming fresh air and our private space, but within weeks found ourselves talking about our next trip. Of course money and time off only go so far, so after studying airfares and determining July was the next feasible departure date we looked across the Atlantic to Europe. We knew the dollar would not allo
w for the usual Spain-Italy-France tour, so we got creative, choosing six cities that were different enough and balanced out with our budget. London was a favorite (and the priciest) for all, with long walks, a tiny apartment in Hyde Park, lots of Metro rides and Billy Elliot, the musical. Edinburgh was very homey, with castles, cobblestone and pub food. Krakow, Poland was our answer to Prague and included a sobering side trip to Auschwitz. Budapest came next offering
two cities in one along the Danube, pastries and paprika. Vienna was a taste of urban culture and art museums, along with the latest Harry Potter movie for the girls. And finally, Court’s favorite: Venice! Despite the Disney-sized crowds, the floating city was utterly charming when you let yourself get lost along the winding waterway and canals. All in all, we deemed our European tour a success except for the tortuous delays on U.S. Air.Other trips were stateside to visit family, including spring break in Dallas to see Court’s sister and parents who drove down from Oklahoma. S
ince then, Court’s parents have refurbished her grandmother’s old 1930s house and Aunt Sara bought a new “old” Tudor house in Dallas proper. We’ll be “down South” for Christmas to see their new digs. We also made the 10-hour road trip to Arcata, Calif. twice this year to visit Garin’s family and enjoy home-cooked meals, long conversations and 
reruns of “I Love Lucy” along with beach walks and redwoods.When we’re not traveling, much of our lives revolves around the girls and their respective schedules and school. Hal, now 13 and taller than Court, continues her karate (working on her orange belt) and amazing jazz saxophone, while Anna, a 5th grader, is on the school newspaper and has chosen piano as her instrument of choice along with some new Hip Hop dancing. Anna and Mommy have both enjoyed the Twilight vampire bestsellers, while Garin and Hal often have deep discussions about world events and politics via periodicals and Podcasts.
We are truly blessed and hope 2010 brings you health, happiness and a little more economic stability and peace in the world. Happy Holidays!
Garin, Court, Hallie and Anna and Kirby
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