So, I guess I will not be sending the rest
of my Christmas cards.

I have about 75 more cards that I had planned to send out, (one of them might have been on it's way to you) I then thought I would make them into inauguration cards, then Valentines.
Well, as it is the eve of the 14th - outlook not so good.

So here is my Christmas Card photo along with the sneaky letter that was slipped in by our mailman ( can you believe that guy?). enjoy!

Dear Friends and Family of Jeff, Kristi and Family,
Since I have been this families mailman over the last two years, I have noticed that they have never written a Christmas letter to tell you about their happenings. I over heard Jeff say he was too tired and Kristi claims she is not that great of a writer. So this year I took the initiative to slip in something in each of their cards. I don’t know them that well, but I can tell a lot about someone from what you see in their mailbox.
Jeff gets a lot of mail from the U.S. Government and it seems he still works at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Sometimes I even see him come home in his fatigues and boots. Poor guy is going on 14 months of wearing braces for the 2nd time in his life, but it keeps him young looking with his “high and tight” silvery hair. It looks like he is on the hunt for a job somewhere in the country when his Army time comes to an end in the summer of 2010. Do you know of a state where people are prone to sinus infections?
Kristi sends and receives a lot of cute colored mail. She sends a lot of mail in old food boxes, which kind of makes me crazy, but she says this is her way of recycling. I sure hope she recycles because she gets more catalogs than most women on the block. She uses colored markers on everything she sends and seems to prefer the color pink. This year she sent out over 250 Pink envelopes for her Pink Christmas charity – those things were massive and kept me busy, as they had to be hand canceled because they were so packed with goodies.
Jeff and Kristi have also received a lot of new running shoes on their doorstep this year. Every few months or so one of them gets a new pair. They also are getting some running magazines and registrations for marathons. This might explain why Kristi parades around in these medals around her neck like she is Michael Phelps or something. She seems pretty proud even though she doesn’t look like she can run down the street and back. Rumor has it she just runs them for the free t-shirt and medal while Jeff makes a pretty good time. They completed the Baltimore Marathon this year as a family (all 5) arm in arm.
I saw some balloons on the mailbox this year that someone turned 10 in November, must be the older one Annie Kate. She is in her swimsuit a lot, even in the winter going to practice. I see her out front of the house attempting to learn how to ride a unicycle and can often be found climbing trees. The two little girls keep my driving skills up to par with all the bikes and cars they leave in front of the house for me to dodge. They usually are outside playing unless the neighborhood squirrels get really close, then they run inside. The 5 year old Caroline is pretty tough and the only blonde one (don’t look at me) Sally Jane is always wearing the color yellow.
They stopped their mail a few times this year when they were away. One week it piled up after they spent a week in New York City. I would have thought taking three kids to the city for a week would keep them home bound but it seemed to motivate them even more (crazy people). A few weeks later they stopped their mail for two weeks to go to Italy. Turns out, as they were getting ready to hop a free military flight over the pond the flight was cancelled so they hoped on the next one leaving to avoid sleeping in the terminal. They ended up getting on KC-10 and going to Spain. They hitched a ride from the airport to a hotel and spent the next two weeks deciding what to do next when the sun came up. They explored Southern Spain, The Rock of Gibraltar, Morocco and Portugal. The highlight of their trip was when a baboon jumped in the car on Sally Jane’s head and put the whole family in frenzy. The year before a cow had horned Caroline in the back in the Swiss Alps so Annie Kate fears her animal encounter when they go back next summer. I will say this family sure does take advantage of the military discounts.
The family photo pretty much captures how much control they have over their little ones. You should have seen them the day they took it on their front steps, never a dull moment with them. They love, love getting your Christmas cards and hang them all up on the kitchen cabinets and leave them there for 2 months. Have a great year despite the Priority Shipping rate going up in January. Sorry about that.
Merry Christmas – Jeff and Kristi's Mailman