Vanessa continues to teach Spanish at Tivy High School, home of the Fightin' Antlers. She has been singing with the choir at the Unity Church on Sundays, and was thrilled to recently have been called the church's "lark". She is also seeing the rewards of four years worth of hard work in the yard: we have had beautiful flowers, tasty vegetables, and an abundance of pecans. Pecans pies for all!
JW is making headway with improving the volleyball program at Schreiner. He is slowly closing in on finishing his masters degree in Public Administration. He anticipates being done next spring, at which point you're all invited to the party. JW has also taken to making walking sticks, a relatively new hobby that is keeping him busy in his spare time.
On a sadder note, we lost a dear friend over the course of the year. Gino Cluster, whom we met not long after coming to Kerrville, was a gentle, gifted soul whose presence we miss intensely. An artist with a thirst for learning, he passed away this summer after a long struggle with cancer. We were lucky to have known him.
We remain a two dog household. Mojado and Autolycus enjoyed a fine year, with walks, swimming and an excess of doggy frisk. We have been taking them on weekly walks in more wild areas where they can run free, and they look forward to it. They still love sleeping, still abhor the mailman, and are looking forward with anticipation to another year of same.
We are also looking forward to this next year. 2008 promises to bring a return trip to Italy for us, as we are planning on taking classes in Italian in Sienna this summer. What the rest of the year holds in store will be a surprise for us. But no doubt we'll keep the website updated, so you can follow our exploits and travails as closely as ever.
We hope that this past year has been wonderful for you, as it has been for us, and that your coming year holds fantastic promise. Have a great holiday season, and a fantastic New Years. Safe travels to all.