If you read this in email form....sorry...I copied and pasted...but I did add some photos...
As the Christmas season comes to a close, Chris and I wanted to send a quick note. It's been quite a year! Five months into our marriage, we decided that living in the same house is too easy and fun. Now, we've got a solid 15 months under our collective belt and we've in different continents for 10 of them. However, distance creates plenty of opportunities for adventure!
Chris dug into home improvement, beer making,
triathlon, and holding down the fort with the dogs. He made his first (and second) trip out to Asia! In May, he indulged by travel appetite by meeting me in Bangkok for 8 hours before wining our way on a little prop to Luang Prabang, Laos. When we landed, climbing out into a paved rectangle next to the runway, Chris remarked "I guess this is the kind of airport where you don't get lost." The rest of our visit proved to be charming and exciting. We hiked to a Hmong village, learned about several types of giant spiders up close and personally, and learned to ride an elephant! Later in the summer, Chris got to appreciate the glory of a Korean summer - hot, humid, dirty, and buggy when he came out in support of one of the main exercises, Ulchi Freedom Guardian. He got to head into work in the middle of the night, pick me up around 0430 on a "late lunch break" and get back into the thick of defeating the Chonger (Kim Jong Il) for a few more hours. We were both fortunate to leave Korea behind while we joined Chris's company, Infinity, in London for their 15th Anniversary company trip. A week of enjoying Hyde Park, Evensong at Westiminster, the Lion King, and plenty of good beer, left us wishing for more but ready to wing our way back to Colorado for a few days. We were fortunate enough to join family and friends at the Air Force Academy to bless our marriage and then for wine-tasting and dancing that evening. Alas, after playing Indiana Jones, putting our new communication skills to good use, and remembering how much fun it is to spend time in the same space, we had to say goodbye for another few months....
I left the day after our reception to land in Australia a few hours before my boss. I never knew when we volunteered for Korea that I'd get the opportunity to work for a general and see the world and the Air Force from an entirely new perspective. I haven't been overly enamored with Korea - mostly I think I got myself excited for an experience like my study abroad in China - but the weather and the food just don't entice me. Fortunately, the job is great and makes the days rush by! I've gotten to hike Flat Top in Alaska, paddle board in Hawaii, wine taste in Australia's Hunter Valley, eat sushi Tokyo and walk on the beach in Okinawa. I'm still an unbelievably bad golfer and get lost in the Pentagon, but I've learned about leadership from the best in the business.
We aren't anxious for any more remote tours or time apart, but are glad we volunteered for my tour in Korea. This year has brought so many blessings both tangible and unseen. Best of all, I'll be returning stateside in March, spending two months in Alabama for SOS and then coming home to Colorado to work at the Air Force Academy and best of all, settle back into our home with Chris and the dogs! We look forward to opening our home, game closet, burgeoning cellar & homebrew, and arms to any and all of you any time you're passing through or stopping by for a longer trip.
May God Bless and keep you and yours this Christmas and always. Please know you're in our prayers!
Namaste,
Chris & Caitlin
 |
| Beer Lao! |
 |
| Dinner in Luang Prabang |
 |
| These goats just tickled me hanging out on the bench! |
 |
| Learning to be mahouts (elephant drivers) |
 |
| The Jeep is "at home" in Moab |
 |
| walking to the Grotto |
 |
| Celebrating a dear friend's wedding "at home." (Notre Dame) |
 | |
| F-16 Ride |
