Each day I'm reminded what a small world it is.

Our family was fortunate enough to be able to go back to the states for Christmas. With an unexpected blizzard we STILL didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see. Fortunately it doesn't seem like a day goes by that I'm not reminded what a small world we live in. From the guy going through security at the airport with us who is stationed at MAFB, to the guy sitting next to us on the plane who happened to be going home to Edmond, to the girl at Pottery Barn in Oklahoma City who knew the Friedman family here at Aviano... It's not just the AF family either, friends from different states and different groups seem to pop up knowing each other. It's comforting to know that wherever we go there are way less than six degrees of separation!

Christmas was great. My aunt had our whole huge family out to her house again.

















We missed our KS and IA family, but maybe next time.

On Christmas day we had our traditional "Happy Birthday" for Chris. I might be getting old, he'll always be older. Happy Birthday honey!

Snow may have fallen back home, but we caught an actual blizzard in Oklahoma. This was a fairly mild look out my grandparents front door. It kept us from seeing friends, but there's something nice about enforced relaxation with family.



We just had out first New Years in Italy. Our neighbors put on a ridiculous (in the best way possible) fireworks display out of their backyard. It would have ranked right up there with a small country club display back in the states. We all ran up to Lizzie's balcony and had a very close up view of the action. Between that, the church bells, the dogs barking, kids yelling, and people cheering, it was a loud, happy, raucous start to 2010.

This past year has been full of changes, the upcoming one will be as well. To everyone, everywhere, that makes our lives so special, thank you for 2009 and Happy New Year 2010.