This past year was one of spectacular highs and terrible lows. Sadness, they say, comes in threes – and we were visited thrice this year. However, we also spent more than five weeks abroad on a pair of wonderful vacations, and made countless happy memories during the rest of the year.
KLS & I are both realists at heart, and great loss notwithstanding, 2006 will be remembered as a year in which the highs outnumbered the lows.
Australia
We spent much of January in Australia, catching up with my family and friends. While the weather could have been better (it seemed unseasonally cold) the trip was great, and the return to America was every bit as bittersweet as it had been when I last visited in 2000. I suspect I will not let as many years pass before I return once again.
Ziggi
“Even now in the final hour of my life I’m falling in love again…” – Morrissey
‘The Old Man’, as he was known in his final years, left us very early in March. Ziggi was an enormous part of our lives and his absence is missed to this day. The rightmost photo, in which he looks most regal, was the last ever taken of him. The next day he was gone.
Mundanity
I don’t discuss the boring parts of life much on this blog, but as you know I am a full-time student and KLS works hard at her job. While there’s not much to report outside of business as usual this past year, I do feel like I made some more progress toward the inevitable end of my degree (whenever that is) by getting my comprehensive exams and oral exam completed during this past year. I also taught for the first time this past semester, which I ended up enjoying much more than I thought I would.
Kristin worked hard, as she usually does. I’m especially proud of her because she is not only good at what she does but cares enough to keep getting better. The department she runs did particularly well this past year, and we both hope that gets recognised come promotion and bonus time 🙂
Japan
This was our third trip to Japan in 5 years. We have so much fun there that each time we have wondered how we could top the previous trip. In 2006 we did that, and in spades, with the entire 16 day trip being a sort of wonderland for both of us. We made so many memories it’s impossible for only twelve photos to begin to convey the amount of enjoyment that vacation gave us….
Summer
We crammed a lot into summer this year. It started with Japan, middled with my back injury, and ended with a trip to Pennsylvania. Somewhere I remember it went very quickly…
Summer is also the time in which I began this blog, so the rest of 2006 is well covered in these pages. The blog has been more popular than I expected, to the point where I try my best to update it more or less regularly to keep my legion (!) of readers satisfied.
And in case you feel I have been remiss this past week, here’s a shot of Christmas. I debated long and hard on whether I should include this, since the photographic evidence of so many gifts that it would make Baby Jesus cry may lead to disownment by members of my family but…you only live once 🙂
And I’m a man of no regret!
< Christmas Excess
