Merry Merry!!!

Oh, friends, family, I'm soooo sorry for the delay in our updates. We have been experiencing technical difficulties. Yes, for some reason we could not upload pictures from Suzy's phone until yesterday. But the main culprit for that, apart from my ignorance, was school. I've been grading like a madman; or so it has felt, because, this being our second and last time around the sun here in Berlin, we have refused to press the pause button on our traveling and doing. What I mean to say, plain and simple, is I am deliquent. But winter break is upon us, the tree is decorated (--and so is Larry, our increasingly fat cat),

and we have soooo much to tell you about. Too much, actually, for anything more than a preview now. Let's see, since last I posted (--hold on tight) we have gone to school,

hung with friends (--Hannah V and Brooke in this first one here),

seen a fox in our backyard (--that one's for you, Ma),

kayaked in Spreewald,

run the Berlin Marathon,

run other races, too (--Scout actually won this one for JFK here),

visited Maggie Foa in Edinburgh,

traveled to Portugal,

played and ate in Sicily,

received Granny, Grandpa and Katie D--in London,

went to about a hundred Christmas Markets,

including in Nuremberg

and Rothenburg ob der Tauber,

went to a Joshua Redman concert,

went to the Berlin Philharmonic,

where we hung out backstage with arguably the greatest oboist in the world,

watched our nephew do his own thing on the saxophone,

and, in short, continued to fall in love.

It's been a whirlwind, to be sure, and there's no let up any time soon: in two days, we return to Belgium for cyclo-cross; and in about a week, we will make up for missing the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam... And as I am writing these very words, we received word that Madi Loyle is coming to visit us in March. (Yahoo!!! Now, that's what I call a Christmas gift.) To be honest, I'm not sure when I'll get to blogging next, but certainly well before Madi's visit, I promise. Until I can find time please know we are taking notes and collecting memories with the infinitely increased sense of value that comes from having you with whom to share them. We love you all. Merry, merry, stay warm and, a million times over, thanks.