2008 holiday letter

Here's a copy of the holiday letter we recently sent out. If you've been following Midnight Toast / Jeblog for a while it won't be anything too exciting for you, but it makes for an easy post and maybe some of my newer readers can use this to get up to speed on my situation.

Jeff and R here, wishing all you dudes and dudettes a happy holiday. Please note our new address on the envelope if you haven't already recycled it. In June we left Delaware to make a new home in Santa Barbara, California!

And so we've begun to explore the west. Since the move we have visited LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Montaña De Oro State Park, and Zion National Park. There's still plenty more to see, and we plan to see it, but it can be hard to leave Santa Barbara. Our condo is located two miles from the beach and about the same from the mountains, making it very easy to get outside under the sunny skies for a hike, bike, or swim. Y’all should stop by for a visit. We have a guest room ready for you.

R was transferred here by DuPont to research and develop the future of display technology: Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). It's an exciting business and technology to be involved in, and R enjoys the challenges it brings. She also finds time for yoga, kickboxing, ceramics, and sampling new restaurants. One of her goals for 2009 is to try surfing!

Jeff was able to keep his job after the move and work out of the new house, making for an easy commute and the freedom to stay in his bathrobe all day. The software company he worked for was purchased by the massive Oracle Corporation this year and the transition has kept him on his toes… but he still manages to have at least one video project underway at all times too. Oh, and Jeff started skateboarding this year.

We will also remember 2008 for the two weeks in February we spent in New Zealand. This trip had us climbing on glaciers, hiking in rain forests, jumping off cliffs, kayaking through fjords, swimming with eels... it was an adventurous tour through an extraordinarily beautiful country. We feel so lucky to have had these opportunities to explore the world. You betcha.

The best gift of Christmas is sharing our lives with friends and family, in spirit if not always in person. We hope this holiday brings you peace, love, and joy into 2009.