Happy new year! OK, so it's not exactly January 1st, but it's still January, right?! 2009 was pretty momentous for the Lin-Chi family. (Really? Was it?) Yes, it was! I'm so glad you asked.

I actually spent the last few weeks uploading all of our pictures -- ten years worth! -- to Picasa, and I must say that it was a fascinating trip down memory lane. From among the many different everyday experiences and unique occasions of last year, I decided to highlight four. Of course, if you want to see our nitty-gritty, up-close-and-personal lives in full detail, let me know, and I'll invite you to access our newly minted collection of photo albums. In the meantime...

We had our first live auction experience, attending ISTP's Gala and having an absolute blast. The gasps and cheers of the audience as the bidding went higher and higher was exhilarating! It was all for a good cause, too. As our point man, Tim did a terrific job and won us a Lin family trip to Mexico for 2010! But even if we hadn't won, I think it's pretty clear to see that it was an exciting, adrenaline-filled evening.

Spring break was spent in New Jersey with my parents in good ol' Long Valley. (No, they haven't retired yet. No, I have no idea when that's going to happen. Yes, I wish they would!) The kids love visiting Grandma and Grandpa Chi. The yard is huge -- perfect for running around, seeing deer, and climbing on rocks and dirt piles -- and I think that our children are fascinated by visiting our hometown and glimpsing what we were like as children, too. Some things are the same; my room still has the same girly furniture, wall posters, and tiny painted figurines that it's always had. Yet many other things have changed; I took the kids to my high school, hung out with Margret, and was blown away by how much the campus and buildings have transformed. Wow. We'd hardly boarded the plane before the kids started asking when we'd be back. Spring break 2010? Plans to head back East are already in the works.

Then my brother Tom and my now-sister-in-law Judith got married in the fall. Of course, it was a lovely celebration of their love for each other, but my kids conquered the day and made it their own. Bryce in particular was a rockstar. He told everyone that it was his birthday and accordingly blew out as many table candles as he could find. He danced like he owned the floor. And Tom and Judith rented a photobooth, of which Bryce took full advantage; he turned on the charm and convinced nearly every guest to scoop him up, take him into the booth, and include him in their picture. Ah, Bryce!

But perhaps the biggest news of all from this year is.....WE MOVED. After much wiffle-waffling (Move? Not move? Move? Not move?) and a wild house search (Where does that hatch lead? Is that...an unpermitted bomb shelter under the driveway?!), we made the big transition from San Jose to Los Altos. I love watching families walk their dogs and bike with their kids in the street, I love the peaceful quietude of the neighborhood, I love the tiny Sweet Shop just down the block, and I love the deep star-filled darkness of the night. Hopefully, we will live here forever and ever and ever, but one can never be completely sure.

All I can say for now is that 2009 was an awesome, exhausting, thrilling year, and 2010 is already shaping up to be even more amazing. Stay tuned...