Dear Friends and Family: We continue to be grateful for the many joys and blessings we have enjoyed this year. Herein, the usual brief synopsis of triumphs (no tribulations allowed), treats, and tempting travels. At the end, the annual roundup of Silly Moments of Gratuitous Celebrity Worship.

Kirk continued to bask in the final moments of being his school's TOY (Teacher of the Year; first runner-up for the whole county in Charleston!). He is a clever and inspired teacher, and seems to love it. His perennial travel bug took him to Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand for the summer.

Krista juggles two gorgeous kids (Austin, 3 and Emma, 1), a difficult full-time job as proprietor of an Outback Steak House, and a wonderful husband (how is it that she is NEVER crabby?!).

Janna regularly beats the pants off many of the "biker boys" in her poker group, but behaves somewhat more reservedly at the duplicate bridge games (often, four times a week!), when she's not volunteering for the Election Commission or Semester at Sea. Here she is with her sisters and mother on Helen's 94th birthday.

David was elected President of the International Association of Hispanists in July for a three-year term. He claims they are the world's largest professional group of Spanish professors; Janna sweetly refers to them as "Los Nerds Hispánicos."

Various planes and boats took us to Spain (twice), Morocco, Argentina, Germany, and the Netherlands, along with several sites closer to home, both for business and pleasure (or, perhaps, "businure"). Chico and Foster are doing well, ageing gracefully, and contemplating the next stage of their wonderful, sweet lives.

Coming up in summer 2014: another stint as Academic Dean on Semester at Sea, to England, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Poland. Still time for you to sign up!OK, here it is (you KNOW you've been waiting for it): can you guess who these folks are (hints provided)? 1. Recently-elected Governor of Virginia 2. Hitchcock's "The Birds" and mother-in-law of Zorro 3. 30 Rock (and, we might add, UVa grad) 4. Has Hillary's job now 5. Hillary's newly-skinny hubby 6. Winner of 2 Golden Globes, 1 Emmy, 1 Academy Award

Answers: 1) Terry McAuliffe, 2) Tippi Hedren, 3) Tina Fey, 4) John Kerry, 5) Bill Clinton, 6) Christine Lahti. Happy Holidays, Peace, and a Happy New Year...and happy everything. Love, David and Janna