2008 Year End Recap

Since we missed the last couple of months I wanted to catch you up on some things we did but never had the chance to write about.

First, the last few months were a whirlwind with a lot going on.

In September my dad and I took a golf trip to Ireland. We took a couple extra days to tour around London.

London Sep 08

We spent a week playing some great links courses in the north of Ireland and next door in Northern Ireland. Some days were perfect and some we had to endure blistering wind and rain. It was a great bonding experience and something we'll be talking about for a long time.

Ireland Golf Trip Sep 08

In November after only a few months on the job, Allison was a victim of the world-wide credit crunch when her firm downsized and gave her have an early retirement. So, she took advantage of her time off and went to Arizona to escape, I mean, spend time with her sister. Two weeks in the desert with her niece and nephews helped rejuvenate her soul.

Al's AZ trip Nov 08

Now she's back in the game and ready for the next big thing. We'll keep you posted on whatever that may be.

In addition to that great bit of news the November elections didn't go quite as well as hoped and come January I'll be looking for a new job too. Thanks "Change we can all believe in".

Next, Allison's brother Kevin took a big step in his life and received his mission call to Carlsbad California. It was fun to see him prepare and get excited about it. He left in December for the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, and will be in California by the second week of January. Things just won't be the same without you Kev, or should I say, Elder Toskovich. We'll miss you.

Kevin

Thanksgiving brought family into town and we were able to have a great time with the Toskovichs in VA. The food was great and there was plenty of it. It was nice not to have to travel during this crazy time of year.

Thanksgiving 2008

Another tradition around Halloween is going downtown DC to the Drag Races, or High Heel Race, or whatever it's called, but the idea is to watch guys in drag run a couple blocks and then strut for pictures afterward. This year I had some friends dress up, but although I will show the pics I can't release the names. Needless to say I was very impressed.

From Drag Races 10/28/08

Another tradition is to visit and orchard and pumpkin patch outside DC. This year we went our friends Eric and Kristy.

Pumpkin Patch

Allison and I love concerts and one that I really wanted to see was Coldplay. So when they came to DC in December we joined our friends Dayne and Myhoa for a night of good food and music. They put on a great show and didn't disappoint.

Coldplay Concert

Finally, my parents came into town to spend Christmas with us and Allison's parents. We met in Charlottesville and spent the night at a place we like just outside the city. We had a great dinner and enjoyed the time together. The next day we toured Jefferson's home of Monticello. Needless to say it was a little cold. The next night, Christmas eve, we went to the Washington DC temple to see the lights. It was amazing and really helped us get into the spirit of the season.

Christmas visit