This has been a fairly quiet year for me.  I continued teaching at the private high school where I have worked for the past four years, during the school year and on into summer school.  I still enjoy teaching, although I took the opportunity this fall to take some time off and work more on the pursuit of an acting career.  No, you still haven't seen me in anything yet.  I will return to the school for the second semester (part-time, as I have been doing for the past 4 years), which enables me to work AND have free time to pursue outside things.

Taking time off this fall allowed me the opportunity to drive up to Vermont with some friends to check out the fall foliage for the first time, as well as giving me time to show around our German exchange student Christiane and her fiance Kai-Arne around New York City.  I also got the chance to spend two weeks in Colorado at Thanksgiving in order to help pet-sit while Kirsten and Manuel went to Mexico to visit his family.  Earlier this year, I enjoyed my first family Easter in several years in Colorado with the rest of the clan, and went from that to a Sons of Norway folk dance workshop where I helped Dad teach 100+ people a variety of folk dances and techniques.  It was my third time helping out, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know these people.

If you get a chance, come out to the Big Apple for a visit.  I always enjoy the opportunity to show people around the lesser-known parts of the city (I have to warn you, the big touristy stuff like the Statue of Liberty and Times Square I let people find on their own), and also love catching up with old friends.  Have a safe and wonderful New Year, and have a very merry Christmas!!

Maren




Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Cabanas-Holmen portion of the clan!

Manuel and I are still living in Colorado (Longmont) with our two dogs (Sasha and Gryffon) and two cats (Fermi and Tesla).  We are both also still working at Ball Aerospace, Manuel as a Radiation Effects Engineer and I as a Focal Plane Engineer (camera systems).  While the work definitely keeps us busy (as Mom will attest to), it is also interesting and we find it rewarding to know that what we are working on will end up in space.  Specifically, I worked on the camera system that is on its way to Mars to take high-resolution images of the surface and Manuel gets to work on a number of different satellites, some of which are going to be used to monitor weather.  

Aside from work, the year has been filled with a number of trips and visits to friends and family.  In January, we took a trip to Minnesota to visit my grandmother.  We had a good time reminiscing and playing cards.  In February we headed for the hills and spent some time skiing in Steamboat.  We managed to avoid injury and were blessed with good ski conditions.  March was a mixed month for me.  I had the dubious honor of celebrating my 30th birthday.  (Manuel threw a surprise party so many of my friends and co-workers were involved in the event.)  Then we tested for our High Brown belts in Tae Kwon Do.  May was Mexico month.  We headed to Puebla to celebrate our niece's (Natalia) 4th birthday.  We also had the opportunity to visit some of Manuel's relatives and friends form high school.  We then returned to Cancun for a week trip.  We enjoyed snorkeling and seeing various Mayan ruins.  In June two of my friends from Norway came for a visit.  We managed to do some sightseeing and went white water rafting for the first time!  Then for July we headed up to Alaska where we met Mom and Dad.  We enjoyed our "sample platter" of Alaska---  Next time we go it will be to visit some of the areas in more depth.  We celebrated our 7th anniversary this August and took a trip to Silverton, Colorado to mark the occasion.  We had never ventured to that portion of Colorado, so enjoyed the difference in scenery.  In September Christiane and her fiancée Kai Arne came for a visit.  We served as the resting point on the trip, so we didn't drag them to too many places.  (Mom, Dad and Maren kept them so busy that all they wanted to do was relax.  :)  )  Then in November we headed back to Mexico to celebrate an early Christmas with Manuel's family.  We came back in time to celebrate Thanksgiving at our home.  

Have a very Happy New Year and should you find yourselves in Colorado, please come visit!  

Kirsten and Manuel