2009 in Review

Greetings and Happy New Year to All!!!

Joy and John wish to send our very best in the New Year and hope your 2010 is as full, exciting, and blessed as our 2009. Wow, where should we begin…

Since we have been on the move (4 moves in total- so no worries if you are having trouble keeping track of our current address) in 2009, most of the year was spent exploring new places and visiting friends; two of our favorite pastimes.

We rang in 2009 in - where else but NY City. Well at least just across the river in Hoboken with some dear friends amongst whom were some of John’s oldest mates from college and high school. The visit’s highlights included; Bigfoot slippers, breaking Matt’s glasses, radish vodka, cats, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the Christmas tree; not to mention a stop in the lounge at St. Regis Hotel where the Bloody Mary was supposedly invented. Thanks Marina, Shana, Matt and Alex!

In January, we went skiing in Maryland (Thanks Sean!) which is always an interesting and comical experience for Joy, who spends as much time trying to stand up after falling than actually skiing.

We arrived to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC just in time to hear President Obama’s inaugural address. A bitterly cold day, but one we will always remember. Many Thanks to Joy’s Mom and Dad who encouraged us to make the short trip downtown, when we where planning on sleeping in. It was something we will never forget.

We finished our Spanish language training in DC while preparing for our departure to Florida and then Mexico. John had to return to Tampa to complete his Air Force Reserve commitment before leaving the country. It was a great opportunity to catch up with all our family and friends down south. We also purchased a new car, a 2004 Honda CR-V (which we are extremely proud of since it only had 17,000 miles on it and all our other desires - cassette player, sunroof, tinted windows, all-wheel drive and the very difficult to find manual transmission). Joy drove back to DC solo (her first time traveling by herself) stopping in Valdosta to see one of her oldest friends, Kristy King and visiting her family in Alabama, then enjoying the Great Smokey Mountains and Shenandoah Valley and wrapping it up with Natalie and Mike in DC. We also had a “see-yah-later” party in DC with the many friends we have made in State Department and John’s family. Thanks to all who made the party a great success!

After a short stint in DC we were off to Mexico; which meant a great three-week cross-country road trip, via Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Albuquerque, and Tucson. It was amazing to see the land change and travel some of old Route 66. So many people throughout history traveled the same way to start over in the West and create a new life for their families. Thanks to Katie, Roark, Jarrod, Teresa, Kim, Russell, Jenifer, and Sam for making time for us!

We arrived to our new home in Hermosillo, Mexico on the same day we celebrated our four year wedding anniversary. We spent a great three months in Hermosillo, met some wonderful people, and saw some spectacular sights. The beaches are beautiful, the haciendas spectacular, and the people inviting. We attended events in the community and networked with the locals. Joy did some volunteer work and continued to take Spanish lessons, as well as unpack and set up the new home. It was like Christmas, since many of our belongings were packed and in storage for the previous year and a half. We received our first visitor in June. Joy's Mom visited and started her adventure by flying into Tucson, where we picked her up and then drove to Flagstaff, Arizona. The next day we explored the Grand Canyon where we also celebrated Joy's 31st Birthday. It was a great visit. Mom was able to enjoy our new home with us and see some of the Mexican marvels surrounding us.

In Mexico, John started his job as a Consulate Officer with the State Department. He worked in the American Citizen Services section. There he helped American citizens update and apply for passports, assisted citizens currently in jail, saw to needs of family members whose loved ones passed away in Mexico, as well as US citizens who experienced emergencies while traveling in Mexico. Upon return later this year he will move to the Visa Section where he will interview Mexicans who desire to legally travel to the US and approving (or denying) visas.
We were very sad to depart.

But depart we did and onward we moved to our new and current home in Texas. However, it is comforting to know that we still have our home in Mexico, waiting for our return.

The trip to Texas was fun, made possible by the purchase of some camping equipment. We stocked up on vitals in Tucson, AZ and then spent a few nights camping on an Indian reservation in NE Arizona at Canyon de Chelly. Wow! That place is impressive – we will always remember the night sky with so many stars, it was absolutely magical, the milky way clearly visible and falling stars every few minutes. It was as if we stepped back in time. The next stop was Mesa Verde, CO before spending a night on the banks of Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border. A night in Moab, UT and some hiking in the Arches National Park, UT instilled a new found appreciation for this great and beautiful country. The Arches National Park reminded us of the Flintstones and the Roadrunner cartoons. The creators obviously got their inspirations from this landscape. From the Arches National Park we moved onto Colorado to spend a weekend with some friends in the Denver area and celebrate Jennifer’s birthday. From Denver we traveled to Steamboat, CO (thanks for having us Liz!) and on to Santa Fe, NM. We love Santa Fe! It is the ultimate Southwest city. Ultimately we arrived to San Angelo, TX. We are here in San Angelo, because John has been called back up to active duty with the Air Force, in order to attend required training. His “work” entails sitting in a classroom, taking tests, and giving presentations to prove he is learning. Joy has been working as a Nanny! Laura, a classmate of John’s needed help with her two children; Lilly, who is 3 ½ years old and Cal, who is almost 2 years old. It has turned out to be a great job and a blessing in many ways. (Laura thanks for the support and friendship!) Not to mention great “on-the-job” training.

We’ve been here since mid August. We made our first purchases of furniture, which makes us feel like real “adults”. A few all-wood pieces, antiques, and a wonderful king mattress (we can now retire Joy’s full that she has had since age13) and in the process have got to enjoy weekend trips to San Antonio, Austin (where we attended the music festival Austin City Limits- What a great time!), the Hill Country (Fredericksburg and Enchanted Rock State Park). We also had the extreme pleasure of attending the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in October with Joy’s Mom (thanks for making the trip out and enjoying the 3 pound cinnamon roll with us). I am sure you have seen the pictures of the Balloon Fiesta and should know it’s even better in person! It made us feel like kids again!

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Hot Springs, Arkansas with Joy’s Dad, Lisa, Chloe, Adeline, and Nancy. It was a great getaway and relaxing weekend with loved ones. We recommend that everyone take a break from the cooking for one Thanksgiving and let Cracker Barrel cater the meal. So easy and STRESS FREE!!!

We also made another cross-country road trip to Philadelphia for the Christmas holidays. A lovely 30 hour drive (one-way). We were able to see Joy's high school friend Jessica, Travis, and Grandma in Nashville on the trip North. It was great to see all of the family for Christmas. Although, the day after Christmas John's maternal grandmother "Mom-Mom"- Ruth Lewis passed away. A time of reflection on a wonderful woman and a full life. And, what really matters in life; spending time with the ones we love, friends and family. On the way back to Texas, we spent New Year's eve in Indianapolis with our dearest of friends Katie, Roark, and our favorite 3 four-legged friends (Mack, Mia, & Jake). Big Congrats on the new house- it is beautiful and you deserve it! We also spent a great evening in Memphis and Beale Street. The car that started out with 17,000 miles in May, starts the new year with 48,000. I wonder where it will have been at this time next year....

The other BIG news not included above is that Joy just entered her third trimester. The “Baby” is due @ 20 March 2010 (we are waiting until birthday to find out the gender and the baby will be born here in San Angelo) and we figure by the time it is three months old it will have visited anywhere from 5 to 10 US States and be an international traveler….Lucky Baby! But we’ll save those adventures for next year’s note….

Thanks to all of you wonderful folks who helped make the above travels possible! This new lifestyle has given us the opportunity to see new and beautiful places, but also the opportunity to see clearly life’s greatest of gifts and what really matters. The time we have spent and spend with each of you mean’s more than words. So, as we send this update out it is the perfect opportunity to thank you for the greatest of gifts in our lives - your friendship, support and love.

As Always Much Love …. And All the best in 2010!

Joy –n– John