Winter 2004 Update

Happy Holidays to all! December ’04

At least I hope I’ve made it to you in time for the holidays. Thought I’d have frozen by now? Not yet. Andre and I were out and about not too long ago. It was so warm that we rolled the windows down to get some cool air. The temperature gauge said it was 55F. Yep, you read correctly. Michelle Kinch, America’s cold weather weenie, thought 55F was a little too warm. Has the sky fallen? Hell frozen over?

Although I believe that pigs fly, the world has not come to an end. Instead, I found the secret of Boy’s V-Neck T-Shirts. Moving to cold weather comes with advice to “layer.” To me, layering meant a coat over a cardigan over a sweater, and the outer layers came off throughout the day. Not the case at all. Layers are kept ON. Dare I suggest that this year’s lesson has made the move worth it? Perhaps the real lesson is that I should have moved to Peru.

Our trip to Denmark in October was fantastic. While Andre arrived early to spend some quality time with Marco and Carolina (his children), I shared the last 10 days with them. They picked me up, and we drove across the country to LEGOLAND. Think small state instead of a country, as it took approximately 3 hours. The weather was really cold and a little misty, but I think I suffered more from jetlag than from the temperature. We made a road trip of it by sleeping at a couple of Bed & Breakfasts and visiting the town of Odense, Valdemars Slot, and Kronborg Castle before making it back to Copenhagen. While in Copenhagen, we stayed with Andre’s friends David and Christina. They’re a great couple of folks to hang with; I can’t wait to see them again. Andre and I toured of all the good stuff the first day and then I spent several days wondering around on my own, getting familiar with the city and people. I managed to stay warm and had a great time all the way around. Andre and I returned to Reston, VA to find that all of the trees had changed color while we were away, so we had a great homecoming too. As promised, I posted photos. http://community.webshots.com/user/kinchm

Overall, Andre and I are doing really well. With any luck, I’ll have a new position at Nissan that will allow me to be in Virginia semi-permanently in 2005. I’m thinking it’ll work out that way for Andre too. I hope you’re doing well and enjoy the holidays.