Christmas Card 2009

well i'm offically a horrible blogger. But here our Christmas card and letter that will hopefully catch you up on all the things i haven't blogged in the last few months. :)

Merry Christmas!
While Dan is working on house projects right now, I decided it was time to write our Christmas letter and we can’t believe it’s already been a year since our last one! Time sure does seem to fly. This year was full of blessings and we are thankful for such a wonderful last 12 months. For all of our family and friends that don’t live in Nebraska and might not now what our last year has been like, I will try to give you a “nutshell” of our adventures. 
In January, Dan and I went skiing with my parents, Alyssa, my uncle Greg and aunt Kolleen and cousin Taylor in Colorado. It was a wonderful trip and definitely one of our favorite New Years to date. We welcomed in the new year at Copper Ski Resort with music, dancing, fireworks and cheer in single digit weather and enjoyed every minute of it. Dan really got the hang of skiing this time out and is now an official fan of skiing. He is now part of the family! 
In March, I (Emily) finally finished school. I graduated with a degree in Surgical Technology and passed my boards to become a Certified Surgical Tech. Although I enjoy the work in the O.R., I was ready to do something I was passionate about. Right after graduation God presented the opportunity for me to work for some family friends on their horse farm. I am a riding instructor and also have taken on numerous clients for whom I ride/train horses for. It is my dream job and I just love it!  (I am also still working at the animal clinic part-time). Dan is still at ITI (now Fiserv) and still loving his job and the people he works with. In addition to ITI, Dan also is working part-time at Menards. He enjoys learning about home improvement “stuff” and likes helping people with “any hardware needs that they may have”.  We are both very blessed to have such great jobs that we love! In addition to wonderful jobs, we are also still very involved in our church and our Small Group (bible study) that meets once a week. We have grown close to all of the couples in our group and look forward to the fellowship and fun we have with them on a weekly basis. 
In May, Dan and I took our overdue honeymoon to the Mediterranean over our 3rd anniversary. Needless to say it was probably the highlight of our year. We started the trip in Rome where we were awed by the beauty of the Vatican, the Coliseum, Trevoli Fountain, Spanish Steps, Parthenon and a plethora of other incredible sights. Our favorite thing in Rome however was probably seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It left us completely speechless it was so amazing.
Next, we rented a car and drove up to Tirrenia & Pisa along the western coast of Italy. Tirrenia was a quaint city with beautiful white stone beaches. Pisa was also spectacular and the Leaning Tower of Pisa was incredible. We are happy to know that we have seen one more of the Seven Wonders of the World. 
After we left Pisa, we decided to take a quick detour through Tuscany on our way to visit my (Emily’s) cousin Christy and her family in Venice. We are so glad that we did! It was some of the most beautiful countryside we have ever seen. There is nothing like sitting on a hilltop looking out of the vineyards of Tuscany with fortress towns in the distance. We happened upon one of these towns, San Gimignano, and felt as though we had been transported back in time. The buildings, architecture and shops were just wonderful. Our only regret is that we didn’t have more time to explore!
After leaving Tuscany, we drove up to Vicenza (30 min. outside of Venice) were we stayed with Christy, her husband Brad and their two boys. This was a wonderful break in our trip to relax and feel somewhat more “Americanized”.  They were extremely hospitable and we didn’t want to leave at the end of our stay. Venice was also a remarkable place because of it’s watery streets and stunning shops. We loved just strolling along the Grand Canal and eating Gelato.
We then left Italy and flew over to Greece were we started off in Athens. If you love history, you would LOVE Athens. What an incredible place! Highlights of Athens would be: The Parthenon & Acropolis, the people, the food and the culture. It was so different from anything we had ever experienced. Our favorite place of the whole trip though was our trip out to the Cyclades island of Mykonos. If there is such a place that has any remote resemblance of heaven, we think this is the place. The ocean, buildings and countryside were grandiose and dazzling. We have never been to such amazing beaches as those on Mykonos. If we could, we would move there tomorrow and live in a stucco hut for the rest of our lives.  Our trip was incredible and we were sad to have to come home.
In September Alyssa married her high-school sweetheart Ben.  The wedding was beautiful and the day was perfect. We had a fabulous time with all the festivities including Chandler (another bridesmaid) and I taking Alyssa to Chicago for a “girls weekend” before the big day. It was a wonderful day!
In addition to the wedding in September, mom and I took grandpa Moser to another WWII reunion in Fort Benning, Georgia. The south is SO wonderful!  We loved getting to see old friends from past reunions and enjoyed meeting new friends as well. A highlight of the trip was getting to meet General David Petraeus, Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command. It was a great honor to meet him and hear him speak. We also enjoyed attending the graduation ceremony of Army Rangers. What an elite group! What they do on a daily basis is simply amazing. We are so blessed to have such incredible men and women serve us in the military! We are so thankful for them.
Well I don’t know if that was really a nutshell but I hope that catches some of you up on our lives the past year.  We are so thankful for God’s blessings this past year and all he has allowed us to do and experience. We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the Christmas season. Please stop by to see us if you are ever in NE! We have an extra room.  Love, Dan & Emily