Dear Friends and Family,

As we reflect on a year that has flown by and didn’t seem in anyway remarkable to us, we are reminded of some of the high and low points.

This year we discovered that a 2yr old can need a tooth filled, and that despite all our fears to the contrary, she did sit through the process of x-ray, drilling, filling and fluoridation like an old pro. Not a whimper in sight.

We also learned that it is possible to have no allergy to peanuts but at the same time to be severely allergic to cashew nuts and pistachio nuts. Earlier this year Celeste had to be taken to the emergency room as her entire body tried to imitate a balloon. Fortunately the doctors were able to contain and reverse the effects but she now carries with her at all times an EpiPen Jr. (an Epinephrine self-injection kit) in case of an emergency.

On the Vacation scene we didn’t do very much. We had two mini-vacations to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. One January visit and one in June as well as one trip home to Trinidad in March.

Sometimes change creeps up on you and sometimes it hits you over the head with a bat! In terms of major changes, we’ve moved from the United States and we are currently living in the United Kingdom. We’ve gone from warm balmy year round temperatures to South East England! Everyone just looks at us as if we’re insane when we tell them we’ve come from Miami. What’s even more interesting is that we didn’t know in March when we decided to change our cars (Derek bought a Sebring Convertible and Kim bought a Lincoln LS) that a move was anywhere on the horizon.

Once a move to the UK became an option, it seemed like the right thing to do. It was exciting to just think of the changes it would bring and depressing to deal with the minutiae of a move. We had to decide what was important to us to ship to England and what would have to be given away, sold or dumped. It was a tedious and frustrating process. We have however been very fortunate, in that, we’ve leased a house on the coast 1 ½ miles from a castle. Other differences are just hilarious e.g. our king size bed and one of the set of 2 bedside tables is all that fits in the master bedroom. Space in the UK is a premium commodity!

One of the first things that we did when we got to the UK, was to join an organization called the “English Heritage”. It is an organization dedicated to the preservation of English Monuments, Historic sites etc. We attended a re-enactment of the Battle of AginCourt at Portchester Castle and signed up for membership. About a month later we received a letter stating that we were the 500,000th member and that English Heritage wanted to do an article on us for their December issue. Celeste and Kim went for a photo shoot at Portchester Castle and received a hamper.

As the days get colder Celeste loves it more and more. I can just imagine how hot she’s going to feel when we get back to the US. We’ve heard that there is a small possibility that it may snow this winter and we’re all gung ho about that.

Celeste has joined an activity class called Tumble Tots and loves it. They do a lot of climbing and age appropriate gymnastics. Her confidence has really soared as she climbs 6ft ladders and does forward rolls, walks on balance beams and crawls under barriers. The class reminds me of a mini army training camp.

As Christmas rolls in, Celeste has really, really gotten into the “benefits” of Christmas. Our tree is already up and decorated since we caved to the constant enquiries of “When are we getting our Tree?” She still has to wait for Christmas Day for the answer to “Where are the presents for the tree?”

Perhaps, it is a truer reflection of the year to say that the reason it seems unremarkable to us is because all the events of the year flowed with such naturalness and ease that everything seemed to be just as it should.

On that note, we wish you all the Blessings and Joy that this Season and your Friends and Family bring.

-Derek, Kim & Celeste, Christmas 2003.