Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All! [Personal]

Sorry for the lack of posts this month; December came crashing down on this family like a sledgehammer, but we escaped without too much damage! Long and short of my experiences this month: this year's flu is a lingerer, the DMV is a time-consuming bureaucracy, and the housing crisis can come home to roost even if you're a renter. Luckily, we're now all healthy, our car's registration records are all sorted out, and we have (as of today) rented a nice, much larger home into which we'll be moving come January 15th. In short, God has been good to us, despite the trying month we've had.

In that spirit, I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, or just a generally peaceful, loving and wonderful holiday season. It's been a trying year for everyone in this country, but I look around and realize how blessed I am with the love of family, the camaraderie of friends, and the endless gifts of sharing, interest and kindness from the online genealogy crowd. You guys have been supportive, inspiring, and just generally awesome. I look forward to spending 2009 with you all!

I'll be back after the New Year with some new series, and, if everything goes right, some online tutorial videos. In the meantime, I'll be taking some time to rest!