2005 Year in Review

Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds you in good spirits and ready to read yet another exciting Christmas letter!

This was a wonderful first year of marriage for Natalie and I—jam-packed with fun and adventure. We fulfilled our dreams of backpacking Europe with the one we love (each other) and relaxed on a cruise around the Caribbean with the family; we even bought our first home—then decided to move to the Bay Area a few months later… Anyone want to buy or rent a new condo walking distance to the beach in San Diego?

Top ten highlights from Dave and Natalie's 2005:
10. Surveying the beauty of Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower (and the beauty of Vegas from the 1/2 scale version).
9. Coming within a few feet of the new pope in Vatican City .
8. Fleeing the flooded waters of Interlaken by bus (the lakes rose 1.5 meters in one night!)
7. Standing in the actual prison cell were Peter was kept before his upside-down crucifixion around AD 64.
6. Kissing wild sting rays in the Caymans.
5. Discovering the Mayan ruins of Cozumel .
4. Swimming through caves off the Amalfi Coast.
3. Braving the cliffs of Capri and the Cinque Terre on some of the best hikes in the world (in our opinion).
2. Singing 'O Sole Mio in a Venetian gondola, accompanied by a guitarist, 3 Japanese tourists, and 4 musical gondoliers.
1. Walking in the stillness of night past all the lighted sights in Rome starting with a romantic dinner in Campo de' Fiori to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps.

Natalie built a house from the ground up in Tijuana with 20 high-schoolers and cofounded a non-profit to help women with eating disorders. I got to eat octopus, jellyfish, kim chee, and other interesting "foods" while working in South Korea and studied abroad in Prague and Munich as part of my MBA program.

Now we're temporarily living in a 2 story, 3 bedroom 2 bath guest house in Los Altos Hills. I'm working at a server startup and Natalie is working at a church and searching for the perfect job.

We wish you all the best in 2006 and hope to see you soon!

Love, Dave and Natalie