Saying good-bye to 2008

As 2008 comes to an end, there are so many memories of the year past. It started with each of us celebrating in places far from home.

Vishin and Vinita celebrated the New Year with a bunch of friends close to home, dancing the night away. It was the first time they got to enjoy fireworks above the river.

For Vinitas next decade birthday, she escaped away to Panama via luxury cruise liner. She celebrated amongst family and friends and says it was her best birthday ever. Upon Dave and Monica's return from France, we all had a big birthday celebration for Mom's birthday. She was so thrilled by the fact that many of her siblings travelled from afar to join in the celebration.

In the summer, the whole family travelled to Seattle to see Rohini's brand new house!!! It's adorable and in a wonderful urban part of town. Rohini took us
walking in her neighborhood to discover the many fabulous restaurants and cafes. We felt lucky to be joined by Vinita's youngest sister and brother-in-law who flew over from Texas. It as a weekend to remember.

In the summer they explored the British Isles and Ireland for 3 weeks. Dad got to renew memories of London where he lived for 6 years, long ago. And one of his old roommates from London flew from Stockholm to enjoy London together. They also got to visit Stonehendge and the Roman Baths. Next they travelled to many beautiful castles, several pubs, and other historical sites in Scottland and Ireland. One of the big highlights was a trip to Trinity College in Dublin where they got to see The Book of Kells, the original story of Christ written by St. John, St. Mark, St. Mathew and St. Luke. It contains the four gospels of the New Testament.

October brought our annual Diwali celebration and soon after Vishin, Vinita, Dave and Monica took a trip together to Cancun for a week. The picture on the card was from this trip. It was so much fun to be able to spend so much time together after Dave and Monica had been gone for so long.

Another big event was the visit of Vishin's sister-in-law. The girls all refer to her as Barima because they lived with her for a few years, off and on, in India when they were young. She is like their second mother and everyone is very attached to her. It was wonderful to have her here to rekindle the close relationship we used to share.

Christmas was especially significant this year because we had both Barima's family (Anil, Reshma, and Shamini) and our family all together. It was a festive and heartfelt family gathering.

They are looking forward to enjoying more adventures and fun and good health in 2009.



Dave and Monica started their 2008 in England. They weren't able to come to California for the holidays, so they spent the week from Christmas to New Year
with some very close friends in England. On New Year's eve they danced the night away and brought in the New Year with lots of excitement and hope for the coming year.

In February, they got a chance to go to MOrroco and explore the country from it's villages, into the desert, and then next to the coast. It was a fabulous trip and a great way to take advantage of the proximity of France to so many interesting places.

In April Dave and Monica returned home to the US and the transition back into American life began. Dave went directly back to work, and Monica hunted for a
temporary place to live until they could buy a new place. She found a little cottage in the back of someone's house in San Jose which later lovingly became known as the shed with a bed. It was a comfortable little place and gave us the ability to take our time looking for the perfect place to buy.

In July Dave and Monica went to England to celebrate the marriage of their British friends. The wedding was gorgeous and it was so wonderful to get to meet all the friends of these people who they have come to think of as family. Since they were in the vicinity, they also visited Scottland. They visited the many masterious castles and locks of Scottland, and visited some of the oldest scottish pubs in Edinburgh. It was a lovely trip.

In August, they finally found the perfect place to buy. It's a condominium in Campbell just walking distance to lots of shopping, bookstores, grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, and public transportation. It's like they had found the exact right place to capture their French lifestyle, but here in the US. They fell madly in love with the place. They moved into it in September and have been loving living there!

In November they took a trip to Cancun with Mom and DAd and had a lovely time lounging on the beach, visiting the sites, and watching the Presidential campaign in another country. It always seems so different when you are watching it from afar.

Before Cancun, Monica decided to go back to work and joined a mortgage broker in Downtown San Jose. After much research, she decided this company provided the best products for her client base and signed on just before she went to Cancun. So, she started work immediately after her return. It's been really fun for her to be working again. The group she works with is vibrant and competent. She loves her new boss, and is enjoying doing mortgage loans again.

Christmas was spent at home with our lovely extended family (as noted above), and they too are looking forward to an exciting and adventurous 2009.

We all wish you, the people that make our lives so rich with love and happiness, all the joy you could hope for in 2009!!!! Happy New Year!!!