Happy New Year!

Hey Everyone,

First things first...I hope all of you had a great holiday season! Whether I got a chance to see you or not, I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year. So far, it seems to be going pretty well. I'm back in cold, cloudy London. It's nice to be back, but did I mention it's cold? Because it's really really cold. The thermometer reads around freezing every day, but it feels like twenty below. It must be the moist, humid air.

I've included a few pics of my trip, most of which involve food. I guess it's becoming a theme, but on this trip it was more important than ever. I wanted to visit as many of my favorite places as I could, and I would say it was definitely a success. http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/Christmas2008Stateside?feat=directlink

My trip back to the States was wonderful! It was like I had never left, and I fit right back in with all of my great friends and family. The trip started with a horribly long and delayed flight, a snowstormed and crazy Chicago airport, and my first week in Colorado. It was nice being back in the Boulder office seeing everyone again. And it was really nice seeing all of my great friends there. I have to thank Ryan & Brianne and Julie & Steve for letting me crash at their places. It was great catching up with everyone, enjoying a few beers at the Sun, having a traditional sushi night, going to our favorite China Buffet, and having happy hour at the Med. I even got to touch pearl street and enjoy a Rio margarita. Most importantly, I got two great days of snowboarding in! Well, maybe the first day's negative temps with 30mph winds didn't make it that great, but the 2nd bluebird powder day at Vail made up for it.

I was very lucky to fly into Oregon as scheduled due to the Great Arctic Blast of 2008. Portland/Salem saw more snow than they have seen in over 50 years and it shut down the city, like normal. My flight did arrive, but my dad didn't. So I sat in the airport 3 hours waiting for him to finish his 5 hour drive to pick me up; a drive that usually takes less than an hour. It was great seeing all of the family for Christmas and the following week. And of course the Bergey siblings were up to no good as usual. I miss you guys a lot! We had a good Christmas eating way too much food, playing Wii and eating more food. Throughout the week I was able to enjoy all my favorite food establishments and do way too much shopping to take advantage of the cheaper prices outside of London. I was also able to make up for some lost time and watch plenty of football, including Oregon beating OK State in a great Holiday Bowl game! New Years Eve was spent with Michelle and Blaine and we had an awesome time at the Alibi...one of my best new years yet!

Unfortunately, the trip allowed me to gain about ten pounds, so here I am starting the new year out right. I'm back at the gym getting back in good shape with another goal of running a half marathon. Maybe this year my knee will hold up and I'll actually run the race. I'm also planning a couple snowboard trips now that my board is here, and looking forward to my mom's visit in April.

It was so nice to be back in the States and I think it made me realize that I'll be back at some point, for good. But until then, I'll be here enjoying Europe and waiting for my friends and family to visit. Cheers!