Christmas Letter 2004
Last year, we promised ourselves
that in 2004 we would organize our annual Christmas letter to reflect upon the
past year and how events have effected who we are. We find ourselves, instead,
immersed in the changes of the past year and looking toward the next with
anticipation, so introspection will just have to wait for another year.
There have been changes in jobs, in location and in focus. Brian and Jen who
were in Charleston, South Carolina have now moved into a 1904 century old
World’s Fair home in St. Louis, complete with stained glass window in the middle
of the front staircase. Jen began her cardiology fellowship in July and Brian is
a financial analyst for Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company which is expanding its
corporate presence in the midwest city they will call home for the next four
years.
Jessica, in the final year of her master’s program in Blacksburg, Virginia, is
looking for a teaching job which will combine her fields of expertise –
chemistry and animal science education. She has had leads, feelers and even
interviews, so an offer (and a first paycheck!) can not be far behind - we all
hope!
David will begin his year long term as President of the AGA (American
Gastroenterological Society) at the annual meeting in May, the culmination of
many years of work in this national/international society. The travel is, of
course, more frequent, but the places we go and the friendships we have made
over the years have shown us how small the world has become and how many more
people we are able to embrace in a special way. And then there is the University
of Virginia GI Department where, in spite of all the travel and work associated
with the AGA, he works full time – and more!
Kristin has been promoted to the Director of Information Technology of the small
business in which she also manages the shopping centers. All 27 of the computers
she maintains at Great Eastern Management Company (and the ones at home, too,
which are all networked together) hum along nicely under her watchful eye. She
continues to be webmaster of many business, personal and non-profit websites. Of
course, the one that gets the least attention is
www.peura.com , but we invite you to visit us there.
All in all, we are happy, healthy, and looking forward to the next year with a
sense of anticipation. We have been blessed in so many ways and want to share
these blessings with our family as well as our old and new friends. We remember
you at this special time of year and love to hear from you. Always we remember
what Grammie said to a young David each time he went out the door: “Remember
where you came from.” To that we would only add, “so that we may see you again.”