So help me, this is the actual letter we sent out in cards to family this year

Merry Christmas to Our Friends and Family,

I hope 2010 has found you well. We’ve had a fine year, but an unremarkable year. Ryan is in the same job and continues to enjoy working at the Texas Digital Library, Jamie remains healthy and happy, and, frankly, if you check last year’s letter, there’s not much to update. Our two dogs mostly stick to dog-type activities, and Jeff the Cat remains, as always, Jeff the Cat.

None of that, of course, is terribly exciting. So, this year we’re providing a fictional accounting of 2010:

We were of course all thrilled when, this year, Jamie became the first woman alive to partake in a jet-pack powered flight across the length of the Ural Mountains. Many didn’t believe that Jamie had the spirit or determination, but those people didn’t know about all of the months of hard work that went into planning the flight, let alone the work she had done with her design team to perfect her “rocket wing”. 

Jamie is happy to keep the dream alive of the jetpack becoming as common as Hyundais. We’re currently considering test flights over the Grand Canyon or Mt. Fuji. Next steps will likely be determined by sponsorships and international laws regarding air space.

Early in July, Ryan was lucky enough to participate in a study at the University of Texas in which there was a terrible and unpredictable mishap that sent him spiraling through time and space. We’re glad to say that Ryan returned to the present, none the worse for wear. Legally, we’re not allowed to discuss much more, but we know the researchers are still working on their publications and we look forward to the article appearing in The Journal of Unreproducible Results. Ryan is mostly looking at his little mishap in the lab as one big summer adventure and hopes to volunteer again next year.

As the year draws to a close, we look back on all of our adventures, from the Gorilla issue we had in the yard, to the ghost of Benjamin Franklin appearing in our coat closet, and can be grateful for our friends, our family, stable livelihood, good health and the surprisingly flexible laws of physics.

Happy Holidays,

Ryan and Jamie