Happy Holidays!

Hey, remember last year when I said that I was going to write a monthly letter about what was up with us? Wasn't that a funny joke? The blog certainly makes it easier to keep you all a little more informed about happenings here, and it's much more fun to write. So, nevermind that snail mail stuff. Here's your 2005 Interactive Holiday Letter!

This has been a pretty eventful year. We started out in our apartment, with me in rehearsals for the GSVLOC's The Gondoliers. That was the last G&S for me--after three years of huge casts and disorganized crews, I decided it was time to start working for some different theatre companies. Which turned out to be a good decision, because I very quickly had two other opportunities, with In the Basement Productions and Mu Performing Arts.

In April, after the show closed, we started looking for our house. We took turns being discouraged by seeing lots of houses that we didn't like. It was pretty easy to agree on which house we wanted to offer on! Thanks again to our real estate agent, Dan Lindstrom. I started rehearsals for Machiavelli's The Mandrake, with ITBP. Adam took a trip to Arizona, to visit his college friend Michael Stenner. We closed on our house on June 10th, and moved in at the end of the month. The Mandrake closed, and we continued to unpack and argue about home furnishings. Adam started his research into what kind of dog he wanted, which led us to a dog show in Albert Lea as well as What Kind of Dog Are You?

In August, we took a trip to Indianapolis, IN, to visit with our friends at GenCon and to be in Erin and Scott's wedding. They had a lovely ceremony at Deer Park Manor in Bloomington, IN, which actually had a herd of deer wandering around. The reception was a lot of fun, with good food and funny speeches and a whole flock of dancing toddlers. When we got back from IN, I started rehearsals for Happy Valley, with Mu. This is an Asian American theater that I really wanted to start working with. I feel lucky to be involved in their work.

Happy Valley closed on October 2nd, which was our first wedding anniversary. We were going to go out to dinner on Monday the 3rd, and drove to Gasthof, our favorite German restaurant, only to have the empty parking lot remind us that they're closed on Mondays. The exact same thing happened to us on our first official date. Next year, our anniversary will fall on a Monday, so we figure we can complete the ritual of driving to Gasthof, and finding it closed, for at least one more year.

With no more shows on the 2005 agenda, I could finally devote my time to interior decoration. So far, I have rearranged the books on the bookcases 8 times. That process was rudely interrupted by our family vacation to Zion National Park. Adam and I flew to Las Vegas to meet up with my parents, who drove from Madison, and my brother and sister-in-law, who drove from San Diego. We spent two days in Vegas, during which I was ill and Mother was getting over a cold, and then four days in Zion, during which Amanda had a cold. Aside from the illnesses, it was a really fun trip, and some very welcome time off.

Our biggest change this year was the adoption of a puppy, Arrow. He was born on October 20, just five days before Adam's birthday. He's eight weeks old now, weighs in at a hefty 12 pounds, and just had his first shots at the vet. He and Lane the Cat are competing to see who can ignore who the best. Arrow's godmother Sara is moving to Korea for a year, so check back as we post massive amounts of pictures for her, and for everyone else, too. Puppy pictures--some of the joy, none of the poop. That's a win win situation!

I'll be taking off of work for the rest of the week, to prepare the house as the Lam Family descends up on it. My parents will arrive on the 23rd (Happy Anniversary to them!) and Alex and Amanda fly in on the 24th. Hopefully we'll still have snow on the ground, so the CA kids can have a White Christmas. I know how much they miss the frozen tundra. A very happy holiday season to everyone! Stay warm and healthy. God bless us all, each and every one!

With love,
Adam, Mel, Lane and Arrow