Christmas greetings

Dear Friends far and near,

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat! Now is the time of year to look back over the year, and what a year of land mark changes it has been!

Sandra has moved on up into the adult up world and passed through that rite of passage called “confirmation”. Confirmation is a big event in Iceland which is marked by a ceremony in church, a big party and presents, and Sandra´s confirmation was no exception.  She looked super in her dress and with her hair styled magnificently. Sandra handled all the excitement with poise and confidence. It was amazing to see how grown up she has become. Of course the excitement for Sandra does not stop there: it’s all horses, horses, horses and ballet, ballet, ballet. This year was a first for bare back riding, riding out solo, teaching, and working with disabled kids.  Sandra saved up and bought her own saddle. She now has all the gear, she only needs the horse.

Rebekka finishing her third year of medical school, is occasionally allowed to poke sick people, and will soon move on to poking dead people, such are the wonders of the modern medical curriculum. In between lectures and practical work at the university, Rebekka is working and enjoying the social life of a student, fitting in a quick visit to London to celebrate with Queen Elizabeth´s jubilee. Big plans are afoot for her BA graduation trip, which will be next year. Look out world!  

Eirikur is enjoying his time in Senior High school. He has got involved in an art exchange project, which has seen him hosting students from abroad and working on collaborative art projects. However, the most exciting part was a visit to Britain to meet with students there and to visit as many art galleries in London as was possible in one weekend!

For Anna Bryndis, this has been a year of visiting the places where she has once lived. It wasn’t planned that way, but that is the way that it eventually turned out. The year started with a visit to the middle east, in spring it was  a week Madrid and London, just before the Christmas holidays . Anna has also been travelling around Iceland, and the preferred form of transport in this case has been a horse. We are actually talking two long weekend riding treks. We have also celebrated her mums 70^th birthday and moved house. Yes, a year of travel, nice restaurants and good food.

This year David closed a chapter on Red Cross and began a new one in the world of customs and project management. After finishing his assignment in Budapest and packing up his desk at the Icelandic Red Cross, David completed a short assignment for the Swedish Red Cross before beginning work at the Customs Directorate at the end of the summer. Lots of new things to learn, and new things to experience, to be sure, however the job also allows him to travel occasionally to do Disaster Management work in Europe. But by being home, David has been able to get more in involved the growth of Rugby in Iceland and enjoy dancing lessons with Anna.

It was a super summer, weather-wise, in Iceland, so Afi Tony was not disappointed when he came to visit.  We did some short trips around the countryside and enjoyed a super meal at the Hotel Saga Grill room.
All in all, a super busy year full of excitement and changes. We are looking forward to the holidays, Christmas and New Year, when we can remember friends and family, and then launch, with high velocity, into 2013.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year,

with love from the Lynches in Iceland.