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2003 started out wonderfully, as Joanne and I kicked off the year visiting Meg Lowe in London. True to form she was a gracious host and we had a great time visiting the Cotswold's and pubbing it in the city. The rest of the year has been rather tumultuous in terms of our living situation, as we decided to sell our house for a venue that could host my extensive tapa collection. Our house sold much faster than anticipated and the house that's being constructed will not be completed until March 2004. As you can imagine, my lovely wife has adorned me with affection for that great bit of planning. Currently we're in an interim apartment that's about half the size of my cottage in Fiji…but who wouldn't want to be no more than five feet from me…all day…everyday…always! No rug rats yet, but with such closed quarters our friends are placing bets on mid-2004. I hope so. The emphasis this year has been on education. Joanne completes her MBA from George Washington University in December, and I'll be finishing my first year of a Masters of Science from Johns Hopkins University. I am under the impression that our successful second year of marriage can be attributed to having classes on opposite nights…but that might be my inferiority complex speaking. All else is good. I'm still enjoying Lockheed Martin and was on a business trip in San Francisco in early November…exactly 10 years after we were all there, as Eric pointed out. I did take time to reflect on how much has changed in between, and what a great time we all had those first couple months in Fiji. For some reason I always equate San Francisco with an image of a tall, frizzy-haired (with a tail no less!) Paul Baker…so perhaps I'm in need of counseling. A vinaka levu to Eric Knepper for keeping us all in touch with each other. I work with a person whose wife was a PCV in Senegal in the 70's, and they were all kind of iffy about a reunion. They wound up having a 25-year reunion with almost everyone attending and had such a great time they've continued reunions every other year. I imagine we would have a similar experience, so I am all for a 10- or 15-year Fiji 76/Tuvalu 17 reunion. If ever in Northern Virginia, please don't leave without visiting, or staying over. I'll send out an updated address once we finally move. Peace, |