Happy Holidays!

Well then! It's been a rollicking good time in ol' blogland, huh? No crafty pics to post lately, since all of my crafting has been aimed at Christmas... possibly for a loyal reader or two. Perhaps I'll manage an ex post facto update after gifts have been given. And apologies to Shawn, to whom I seem to remember promising a Thanksgiving extravaganza post. I did manage to take this picture before getting too busy & tipsy:Other than that - please use your imagination.

Moving ahead one holiday, here is the Christmas letter we will not be sending out this year:

Merry Christmas!

We hope this letter finds you well and having a wonderful holiday season! It has been a busy year for us.

In February, we went to Austin for the wedding of H’s sister M to P – a wonderful guy that we adore. The wedding was beautiful, and we had a great time in Austin. The city is a lot of fun, and not at all representative of the hellhole that we had been lead to believe was Texas.

For most of the summer, H was left to fend for himself while A devolved into a primitive state as she finished her dissertation. After her defense in August, we had a huge party to celebrate her return to civility. There were cupcakes and liquor! A may just have to get another degree, if that’s what it takes for a party like that.

At the end of August, we spent a week in San Francisco. We saw the sights, met up with a friend, ate lots of tasty things, visited a pirate supply store, and learned the hard way that in SF, all seafood is served with its head intact. We had a blast!

Autumn brought visits from both A’s father and mother. Though blessedly, not at the same time. A great time was had by all, and we just can’t wait to drag visitors through the Pike Place Market ONE MORE TIME!

H’s job is still going fabulously. A likes to joke that he is “curing cancer” – but that turns out to be just the case. We would give you the details, but we’ve learned that most people would rather pull out their own fingernails than attempt to understand scientific procedures. Watch for H on Time’s “Man of the Year” cover sometime soon.

A joined her friend S in September for the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival, where they peddled their handmade wares, including handspun yarn, dyed fiber for spinners, and other yarn-related accoutrements. Upon return home, A opened a small online shop selling her yarn and other handmade curiosities. Sadly, the business did not turn her into an overnight success, and she has been forced to take teaching gigs at the university to supplement the household income.

H has also continued to be very successful with his pipe smoking. He is up to 2-3 smokes per day, and took 3^rd place in a pipe-smoking competition this year. We’re very proud! To expand on his pipe smoking abilities, in October he went on an educational retreat to the Ozarks, where he met up with other pipe smokers. They had a good time smoking and playing banjo.

In the past year, we successfully fought the urges to buy a house and have a baby. It was rough, but we feel triumphant. By not using risky financing options or leaching money from our parents to buy a house, we have gained a tremendous amount of sanctimonious self-satisfaction. It may not be earning us equity, but if you don’t have pride – what do you have? Despite the advice from several well-meaning and all-knowing friends and family members, we have decided against breeding. Those who know us best agree – we are just not fit to breed. Between H’s misanthropic attitude and A’s shaky relationship with alcohol, we feel that this is a sound conclusion.

We’re looking forward to another stellar year. We hope to hear from you, and might even see you sometime soon!

Happy New Year!

Love,
A & H