Holiday Letter

Here is our holiday letter for this year. This year we decided to include pictures to make it a little more interesting. The letter also made me rethink how I am approaching this blog, since none of the main topics (or pictures) were covered.

Happy Holidays!

Our year has been exciting, and we enjoy sharing it with you.

Aras focused on aquatic themes this year. In January he went down to the Caribbean to help a friend charter a sailboat. The twist this time was that they were in a 42’ catamaran – a first for Aras. He reports that it is not as much fun for actual sailing, but can’t be beat when anchored for the amount of space it provides.

In late July, Aras spent a week kayaking north of Seattle – his highlight was seeing a pod of orcas (killer whales) pass less than 50’ from his kayak.

In August, we spent a week driving around Lake Superior. Camping along the way, we enjoyed seeing The Lake from a Canadian perspective, and recommend the experience highly.

Pam tried several new adventures this year. In late spring, she went backpacking. Not the ideal weekend, since it rained the entire first day, then was hot and muggy the second day. Eager to try something she might enjoy, she went to North Carolina in late fall to try some coastal biking. She enjoyed visiting the little B&B’s along the way, and making new friends.

Late spring brought the annual camping trip for Aras, Romualdas, Gytis and Andrius. This has become a tradition in our family, and this year was enjoyed by all. Both boys enjoyed the playground next to the campground, and spending time with their uncle and grandfather. Before we knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to go home.

During the summer, we had multiple opportunities to enjoy sailing around Duluth with friends of ours. The summer was warm, and we were able to make the most of each weekend by combining sailing with biking and kayaking. The more time we spent up there, the more we looked forward to going back as soon as possible.

As fall started, a few more family gatherings took place. The annual reunion at the cabin was lots of fun - Aidas won the log splitting contest. A few weeks later, we flew down to Indiana to attend a surprise birthday party for Aras’ father. He had no idea we were coming, and was very happy to see us.

Please accept our wishes for a happy and fulfilling new year.

Aras & Pam