what became of the conventional christmas letter

(though, it will be late - just like the conventional Christmas letter: more a new years letter, or in some very tragic cases, a Chinese new year letter)

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I am in Colorado, in the US this year. Strikes me as very odd. Last Christmas I was in Christchurch. It was a great day, in fact one of the best. I always find Christmas a hard day because there is so much build up, so much expectation, for something remarkable to happen. Which never does, really. Maybe one day.

I can just see it. Love of my life shows up on the doorstep on Christmas Eve and it's as easy as pie.

Anyway, last year my family and I didn't just do our normal presents and food fest 04. We did. But we also did something (tiny and miniscule as it was) for other people. And that lifted the whole day off the ground, somehow.

Season of giving - not just stuff that gets wrapped in cheesy paper and ridiculous ribbons, after all.

This year I will be with the Eitmillers. Quite a story: both theirs and our family moved to Hong Kong, from Auckland, in 1997. So we already new them, and like 2 other people in the whole of HK, which totally saved our butts amongst all the icky culture shock. Then we left HK, earlier than planned, and went back down under. The Eitmillers took off to Taiwan, then Shanghai. And before all of this had a house in Colorado. Which is where we shall all spend Christmas.

Hardly any presents for me as will be home in 10 days and no point really. But mum sent a little box from home, and I have a few from friends which I’ve saved up for Christmas morning.

Fly home on 28th. Lose 29th on international date line. Back in Christchurch for New Years. That's the plan Stan.

So in between these two very different Christmases, it's been the year of a lifetime.
I've been so blessed, done things I’ve never imagined doing. And thanks to this non-printing-format there shall be photos of it all!

January…
Kids camp
Working @ airways
Summer School: Early Modern Tragedy and Italiano
Farewells to Joe and Ayley
Kindred Sprits 05
Youth group planning, and kick off for the year
Driver's license

February…
ANZAC day dawn parade and breakfast at Le Café to defrost
Trip to Auckland – visiting Jo Osborne, Hill, Cam, Joe, the Phyns, the grandparents and even nabbed Anna for a rare coffee.
Navs starts
Still working - for Kate, and airways
back to uni.

March…
bluffing through reading requirements
Navs retreat at Wainui
Official CAA certification
New Job at Airways – FLOW
21sts and engagement parties
Eastercamp
Hannah's 18th - st patricks day and a fairly good night out (wearing 0 items of green clothing)
autumn arrives in nz

April…
Africa plans
Quick trip to Auckland for Hillary’s 21st!
Leave teenagerhood and turn 20, accompanied by lots of Italian food.
Holidays (well, in name only perhaps)
Aunty Val’s funeral
Youth group girls retreat at Okains Bay

May…
FLOW, flow and more flow
Travel Agents
Essays
Pilates
Asthma
More Essays
Injections

June…
Essays.
Youth group wrapping up
Lectures wrapping up. Finish undergrad degree!
Coffees with friends and many goodbyes
Interkids/Hornbykids programs
Day in Auckland to get US Student visa. Very expensive day
24th- breakfast, lunch, coffee and dinner farewells…
Packing. Ick.
Leave for Africa.

July…
ZAMBIA
Lusaka – Kabwe – Ndola – Kabwe – Luangwa – Livingstone – Lusaka – Mkushi
Ian turns 15. Phone home.

August…
ZAMBIA
Kabwe – Ndola – Kabwe – Lusaka
EDINBURGH: Castles, Trains, Cafes, Art, Hamiltons, Ayley, Jaime, Mary Brown (distant relation), leaping salmon, biggest hedge in UK, 12 hours in Frankfurt airport and a couple of Harry Potter books.
WYOMING, USA: Get to Laramie, settle petal, start classes, noble hopes for gym and diet reform, only 3 classes a week (deceptive work load)

September…
Football party
Football game
New Church, new friends and so many new books.
Navs
NZ election
Insider study
Switchfoot Concert
Navs girls weekend away… and new tshirts!

October…
Terrifying reading load
Homecoming (sleep through parade)
Raking leaves
New computer
Birthdays
Snow
Navs Rocky Mountain region conference

November…
To DC for Amst Conference and much sight-seeing
Phantom of the Opera in Denver (after 10 years anticipation)
Dad’s 50th
More snow and temperatures in double figures below 0 (Celsius or Fahrenheit)
Nanowrimo – go 32 000 words, we’ll try again next year
Wyoming Association of African Students show
Working on finals and big group presentations
Harry Potter!
Thanksgiving in Gillette, WY, and a short visit to Deadwood, South Dakota

December…
Working on finals
Handing in finals
Loads of snow and freakin freazin.
Watching nz tv1 online at café, bottomless coffee, good smoothies, meatballs and cinnamon scrolls. Mmm
Narnia!
Christmas parties and farewells
Sorority house dinner
To Cheyenne: shopping, movies and chilling with Amanda’s family. Even some Christmas baking. Pride and Prejudice!
To Denver: met up with Eitmillers at Airport. Adventures in the mountains, lots of Christmas baking, present wrapping, festive music, couple of flicks. Pride and Prejudice, again! Still wonderful.
Flying home just in time for new year!