I expect some
level of disappointment when you realize that Greg has taken the year off from
writing his traditional witty family
wrap up, but I am stepping into the void to document the passing of another
year and bring us a little bit closer to
family and friends near and far. 2013 was another big year, but that’s nothing
new for us. We started 2013 in sunny Barbados, ended it in snowy Falls Church,
Virginia and along the way we visited Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St.
Kitts, St. Maarten, and California. We packed up one house, bought and
furnished another, and moved into a third. We left jobs and schools and started
new schools and classes. We said goodbye to great friends and we’ve met lots of
wonderful new friends in Hindi class and at the Oakwood Apartments, which is a
sort of gathering place for Foreign Service families in training.
We did our
absolute best to make the most of our last six months in Barbados, but then we
did a pretty good job of enjoying the whole three years! We packed our last
days with sailing, the beach, quality time with friends and one last set of visitors
when my sister Amy brought her family down over spring break. Ryan says the place
he misses the most in Barbados is the Accra Resort, where we spent many days
enjoying their wonderful pool and beach. Conor’s favorite memory is sailing.
The crystal clear water was so beautiful he wasn’t above intentionally
capsizing his boat just to cool down on a hot day! Before we left Barbados
Conor passed the level 5 sailing test
and he is quite an accomplished sailor! I miss the water in Barbados the
most. Sailing, snorkeling with turtles,
paddle boarding, swimming out beyond the white breakers, or just watching the
waves, it was perfect. Greg misses riding his motorcycle around the island on
lonely weekend mornings and floating in the calm quiet warmth of the Caribbean
Sea. As you can tell, Barbados was a wonderful place to spend a few years!
In June we started
the complicated process of yet another international move. We divided all of
our worldly possessions into two piles. One big pile was packed up to go to
India, things that we wouldn’t see again for more than a year while we are in
training, and one very small pile was packed to send to our training location in Virginia. Even though we have been
through this many times, it is still somewhat disconcerting to have all of your
worldly possessions sorted and packed off in this way. I am just thankful that the boys (at least so
far) believe this is normal behavior and take it all in stride!
This year we also decided
to dip our toes back into the pool of housing in California and purchased a small
cabin in Big Bear. We closed on the house just in time to be able to move in
during our home leave, and it was wonderful having a place of our own again so
we could settle in and relax. The timing was perfect because we were able to
spend our summer furnishing and decorating the house, but it was really hard to
leave just as we were getting nice and comfortable! Given our lifestyle, the
cabin will be empty much of the year, so if you are interested in a Big Bear
vacation let us know. We have it set up for family and friends to use whenever
they might be interested, and we love to think that it is getting used when we
can’t be there.
Now we are settled
into our tiny apartment in Falls Church and making the most of our time back in
the United States. Greg is deep into Hindi lessons and feeling all of the
frustration of trying to learn a super hard language after the age of 40! He is
eager to be done with study so he can start his job as the Chief of American
Citizens Services in New Delhi, helping Americans in need. Conor is in sixth
grade and is a clever and happy fellow. He is enjoying being challenged at
school and participating in computer programming and robotics clubs. He is
happy to be living in this community with so many other Foreign Service kids to
play with, but at the same time he appreciates that he can keep in touch with
many of his friends from Barbados and around the world via Skype and the
wonderful world of MineCraft. Ryan is in kindergarten, attending the same school
that Conor went to 6 years ago and showing all the same smarts with a dash of
silly mixed in. He is enjoying learning to read and write this year, but his favorite
thing about the U.S. is the snow. (Enjoy it now Ryan, India is HOT!) I am enjoying
having the time to volunteer at both of the boys’ schools and catching up with
friends in the US. I am also training to run my first (last?)
½ marathon in the spring. Wish me luck!
We are all healthy
and happy, and looking forward to our next adventure. Ryan is worried about the traffic in India,
but he says he wants to learn to speak Hindi. Conor is impressed with what he has
seen of the school in New Delhi and is most looking forward to all of wonderful
Indian food! As always, you can find out
what we are up to by visiting our family blog at www.conorandryan.blogspot.com or
following us on facebook, but hopefully this letter has brought you up to date,
and we wish you all a wonderful 2014! With much
love, Kate, Greg, Conor and Ryan
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