Blink, and another year flies by.

That time of year has arrived once again…the time to send our warmest greetings from our own little corner of the world to friends and family everywhere. Fröhliche Weihnachten aus Hamburg! We hope this latest version of the Greco Gazette finds you in good spirits, looking back on a fulfilling 2004, and looking forward with anticipation and hope to 2005.

As alluded to in our opening above, 2004 whizzed by for us Ger-mericans. By November, we had reached the four year mark of living in Hamburg. In one more year, we will have lived in Hamburg as long as we lived in Chicago (and would theoretically be eligible for permanent residency). Pretty amazing! We continue to take advantage of our geographic proximity to many beautiful destinations around Europe, including Greece, the Black Forest, and old town Oxford, England. Check out the latest pics by browsing through our 2004 photo album.

If you do take the time to do some browsing, you will quickly determine what Kirsten did with her year. She aggressively continued taking web and graphic design classes via the long distance learning program Sessions.edu, and you will see many of her newly acquired skills right here in the Greco Gazette and at the website for the American Women’s Club in Hamburg (www.awchamburg.org) where she is currently the Webmaster. She continued her passion for film with another trip to the Berlin Film Festival in February, and you can get recommendations for films to rent and see right here on the Greco Gazette Film Reviews page.

Jim’s year entailed a pretty heavy commitment to work. After spending 2003 building the new BASES Germany office up, 2004 was the first full year of its operation – which entailed lots of hiring, training, and working more often with clients, all while keeping up with a rapidly growing business. No doubt it has been hard work – but it has thankfully come with equal reward and satisfaction. Jim runs an office of 18 people? Truly scary.

Our 2004 also provided some very memorable events which have become a part of the European experience. Seeing both an Olympics and an American Presidential election “from the outside” proved to be insightful experiences for both of us. We also had opportunities to enjoy time with large groups of friends in August (at the wedding of our friends Marco and Bine in southern Germany) and with family in June (Greece with Kirsten's parents), September (Jim in the U.S.), and November (in the U.S. with both families), including perhaps the largest Greco Thanksgiving Jim has been a part of (28 Grecos in one room – not for the faint of heart to think about). Check out the latest on Friends and Family using the links at the upper left.

We are extremely hopeful that 2005 will be a great year. It has already started on an upbeat note, where Jim’s sister Missy has announced her engagement to be married! But as we head in 2005, we are first thankful for our friends, our families and all the blessings that life gave us this past year. We wish you all a joyous holiday season, and look forward to catching up with many of you in the coming year.

Love & Peace, Jim & Kirsten