Christmas Letter 2011

Happy Holidays to all! We are grateful at this time of year for all of the friends, family and opportunities we've enjoyed in 2011; we hope you feel the same, and will share your joys with us.

Where to begin? Maybe with the fact that Nana Janna has turned into über-grandma, and is loving it! (Above: David, Kirk, Austin, Janna, Krista; Chad, the father, is wisely at work; see below.) Austin is now 14 months old (born when we were on Semester at Sea on the way to Cape Town last year), and is -- of course -- the cutest kid in the universe.

Lots of "still"s in our lives: Kirk still teaches at the School for the Arts in Charleston (second year in a row nominated as Teacher of the Year; cool, huh?). Krista still owns the Outback Steak House in Rocky Mount, NC (she was named one of the "Proprietors of the Year" -- go, Krista!). Chad still works as Director of Finance for a health care company in Raleigh. David still teaches Spanish at UVa, loves it, and has a new book out in February (see below). Janna still loves retirement (duplicate bridge, poker). We all are still very grateful for health, family, and friends.

David and Janna did some travelling this year (surprise!), spending the first week of January sailing in the British Virgin Islands, then lecturing on Semester at Sea to Barcelona, serving as Administrative Assistant on the Maymester voyage (Janna, Caribbean), leading a UVa Cavalier Travel trip though the pousadas and paradores of Portugal and Spain with a lovely and smart group of UVa alumns, and lecturing in Parma, Italy (Parmesan cheese!! Parma ham!!!). One moving event: in April, David was awarded the first annual Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese of Virginia, an award that will from here on in be named in his honor. And in June he got to attend the investiture of his best friend into the Spanish Royal Academy in Madrid.

Janna's mother, Helen, is still going strong (God bless her) at 92, as are all of her sisters, as well as David's brothers (Denny and Dick) and families. Chico is well, getting a little older, still sweet as ever and still enjoying coming to class with me every day. How lucky are we all?

++++
This year's Silly Moments of Gratuitous Celebrity Worship are focused, on the whole, on food, plus several Hollywood types. See if you can guess (this is a tough one!).Hints below (followed by the answers for those of you who refuse to read important things like People magazine, or who live in caves).

1. Film director ("Titanic." "Aliens.").
2. Film and TV star. ("Alice in Wonderland." "The Kids are All Right." "In Treatment." "Jayne Eyre." "Albert Nobbs.")
3. World's most famous chef with the owner of 5 restaurants in DC and LA (Jaleo, Zaytinya, Café Atlántico, Oyamel, The Bazaar).
4. Author of Kitchen Confidential and star of TV's "No Reservations," with chef/owner of NY's famous Le Bernadin.
5. Film director, son of the author of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (Nobel Prize, 1982).
6. Spanish film stars.
7. Former governor of Virginia, former head of DNC, future senator.

Answers:
1. James Cameron
2. Mia Wasikowska
3. Ferrán Adrià and José Andrés
4. Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert
5. Rodrigo Garcia
6. Juan Echanove and Imanol Arias
7. Tim Kaine

Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Stay in touch:

dtg@virginia.edu
jannagies@gmail.com