Well, that was a tumultuous year globally, and a big year for the Dukes. There highs and lows include a couple of significant cancer diagnoses for a dear friend and a family member, the passing of cousins Peggy and David in England and Jeab's father in Thailand. We also said goodbye to friends beloved pets Gracie and Parker. We're sure there are many more sad stories for many of you out there. More uplifting milestons include Callie graduating from high school, turning 18 and heading of to university in Scotland, the completion of all but the landscaping of our place in New Zealand, an amazing trip to Istanbul, one broken foot, a sprained wrist, and surgery for tunnel carpal syndrome. Read on for the details.

We tried something different and set off Christmas Day trip to Bangkok and over New Year. Not many folks travelling so it was quite pleasant although it did compress the amount of time we could spend there. It also turned out to be the last time we were able to visit Jeab's father who would go on to pass away a few months later in March. We did get to catch with former work colleagues like Eric Jardine and Chris Platt, and thank Struan and Tor for their New Years' Eve hospitality including a decent 50 mile Bike Ride for Matt and a wonderful party for the Eve itself. The usual suspects like Nick, Gary, and Steve were on hand with their much better halves on New Years' Day. Callie got to go off and explore the city a few times by herself as well as Matt meeting many of the British Club football alumni at one of the "spare" evenings.  In the meantime, we made real progress with the house in NZ underway with slab being poured. Back at Houston, the Garage attic conversion has a door! Towards the end of the month, Matt made the drive to Austin to participate in their Hackathon as a judge.

February rolls in with a lovely Dad and Daughter night organized for the many girl scout troops in this part of Houston. Meanwhile in NZ, the timber frame of the house is up but it is still hard to quite visualize how it will look. Bruce Springsteen is playing in Dallas (we couldn't get tickets for Houston) so Matt and Jeab made a quick trip for a fun night in Houston's main rival for "we got it all"City in Texas. Work took Matt to Atyrau in Kazakhstan with Moon and Errol for a visit to the massive development at Tengiz. Very very cold, so cold that the Ural River was still well and truly frozen but it was fun to cross back and forth over the bridge and flip between Europe and Asia. Back in Houston,  Gabby tries her hand at basketball and Callie’s senior project play is performed after months of building props in our garage and collecting edgy, dystopian footage around town. The pay was excellent and we thank everyone who showed up for their performance.

March is mid term break for the school district and we we originally supposed to go to Truckee in California to stay with Kevin and Roby, but the result of another atmospheric river meant a huge amount of snow and uncertainty on if we could even get up there or back so we made a quick decision to keep the CA trip but stay in the Bay Area. The atmospheric river still pro plenty of cold rain but we could spend time in doors at various museums and eventually the weather cleared up nicely towards the end of the trip. We thank Warren and Lin for hosting us in Menlo Park and Matt Tierney for Oakland, where we also were delighted to see Otto, Poog and Mike and for the last time, the lovely Gracie. It was also our first mid term break without Callie,  who joined here Hight School friends for a grand and hectic tour across 4 countries in goes to Europe. Continuing the hectic schedule, Matt spent a week in La Jolla (still largely raining) for work and spent one lovely evening with former SDSU professors and revisited many of the cliffs he studied as a graduate student. Gabby is taking Ice Skating lessons and Matt returns just long enough to repack before leaving for Paris where he has been invited  to speak at a conference. It was shaping up to me a very special trip when we got the sad news that Jeab's father, Yuttachai, passed away in Bangkok. Matt leaves the next morning and the following day, Jeab goes back to Thailand for 4 weeks.

So April starts off pretty sad for us with Dad's funeral, and Jeab stays around to ensure that Mum is going to be okay. They spend a lot of time together and travel and reflect. Meanwhile, SDSU surprise us all by making it the Final Four College Basketball playoffs and seeing as its in Houston, Matt decides to go and support his alma mata. The Aztecs keep the surprise going by winning their semi final against the odds in really exciting game and go on to lose to a better team on the night, but nonetheless, a spectacle worth witnessing at least once. Late in the month we had Prom for Callie, Gabby performing with her Hula Hoop group at the half time show at the Houston Dynamo Stadium, carrying on with indoor soccer, and going to one day of the  Lady's PGA. Happiness and balance is restored when Jeab returns, and the attic conversion is finally finished with curtains, internet and a TV. The work on the back porch room extension and blinds starts in earnest.

Some of you know that Gabby is quite taken with Ancient Egypt, so much so that she dresses as Cleopatra for presentation. Jeab and Matt to see a vibrant Tom Jones, and later Gabby meets the weatherman and has 7th birthday pool party, as the small garden we have starts to yield carrots, basil, chillies, sweet peppers, tomatos and egg plant. Gabby is in the chorus of the school production, but all focus shifts to Callie Graduation. We are so thankful that many of our friends were able to attend her ceremony and we find ourselves out of highschool but no decision yet in UCAS on what UK school to attend and about two weeks to go. This calls for mad dash to England and Scotland, at the end of May and in to June. Stalwart Simon picks us up at Heathrow and immediately off to breakfast near Royal Holloway so we can tour then nearby town. We'll go back the next day for the campus tour. Next day we are off to Aberdeen and have a terrific stay aided by Bangkok friend Stephen Forbes and Pittsburgh alums Dan and Shona Byrne. While we are away, we get a roof over the deck at the back of the garage that really helps keep the edge off the vicious Houston sun (until July when it is just plain too hot until October).

Still in June, Callie decides the vibe is  Aberdeen and immediately starts to lobby the department to switch from legal studies to a Medical Science Degree in Neuroscience and Psychology double major. With that sorted we return to Houston in time for probably our favourite musical Wicked, and Gabby's troop Ballet performance. The NZ house has now has walls, and the project to cover over pool and make it useable all day vs only late in the afternoon when there is shade, is done. Gabby does a School of Rock for project and performance but without doubt the month is truly capped by Callie's play, the Fifth Passenger, is performed in Houston at a local playhouse. Written the summer before, it tells the story of the seven stages of grief and Death ushers the recently deceased characters, each epitomizing a stage, on to the afterlife via an underground-like train. Callie entered it in to competition for Highschool playwrights, and along with 2 others, was selected to work with a scriptwriter and producer and have the short play put on. When "acceptance" comes on in the form of a young cancer victim, there isn't a dry eye in the house. Thanks to all the support on-line and and in person that helped make this a truly wonderful occasion. And then, with less than two weeks to go to our ski trip and chance to see the new house in person, Gabby breaks her foot

Sometimes it is the simple things and so jumping in to a ball pit with a bit too much gusto can generate a closed fracture. Gabby was a real trooper about it but of course it changes the flavour of the upcoming trip. In the meantime, as we tried to undo ski passes, lessons and the like,  Callie turned 18 and celebrated with a  pool party. Joe Ponthier dropped by in time to sign Gabby's cast and off we went to visit New Zealand. First stop, even before going to our accommodation, was a trip to the new house. We were excited ot see it essentially  trip complete outside but would have to wait a day to meet the builder and have a look inside and go up on top of the garage where one day we will have a deck and outdoor area built with great views of the mountains and lake. We got to spend a lot of time with long time local friends Brian and Linzi. We soon figured out a reduced activity scope for Gabby including indoor games, museums, archery, library time and simply enjoying the view. Callie was a little more adventurous trying out tandem paragliding over Queenstown as we waited for Cousin Alex to arrive from Sydney. Once she was with us all the girls hit it off, with the older girls doing the Bungie, Hiking, Salmon Fishing, Shooting, and as a family, an overnight to Dunedin for a women's World Cup Soccer Game.

In August we sadly but fondly said goodbye to Alex and took care of a few more remaining choice for the house, focussing on internal furnishings as well as a lovely afternoon with our other Wanaka dear friend, Peter Hart. Despite not being able to ski, we drove over the range after some new snowfall and at least had the obligatory snowball fight. Three weeks seemed to fly by and are are back in Houston enjoying a Geology Family Day at work. Making the most of still having Callie at home for a little longer, Jeab and Matt nipped over to England for the weekend for two Rugby World Cup warm up games at Twickenham, the 100 cricket final at Lords, and an outstanding AC/DC tribute band to boot, all ably assisted and hosted by Simon and Lou. Jeab got to see Mark and Lek and a very grown up Jamie. Upon our return, Matt rode a raptor at AAPG and the main construction for our patio roof extension done.

So September was always going to be a milestone month for the family, with Callie heading off to Aberdeen for University. Many tears fell, some of them were even Calliana's. Before the big trip though, Matt had a great visit with the Geology Department at Texas A&M and the complementary work on the back porch project was finished bar the painting. Callie goes deep in to her crochet hobby to quickly knit a throw for her room and then just like that, we are packing and counting down the last few days before Matt and Callie fly to London. Because of the late arrival and the parking lot that is the M25, we decided to break the 10-ish hour drive to Aberdeen in half by staying on the edge of Newcastle the first night. This also allowed Matt to swing by the very impressive Bamburgh Castle (aka Bebbanburg on TV and complete a drive through the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria), while ending up at Callie's new flat in a complex at the Hillhead Student Village at a reasonable mid afternoon time frame to get unloaded and set up before a lovely welcome dinner with Shona and Dan. Matt also made a quick dash to have te with Stephen and meet his family. After a few trips about town to get a phone, a bank account, a travel card, a GP registration, and a few more things for the flat, Callie is settled in and Matt is making the lonely trip back south and Callie truly on her own way for the next stage of her life adventure

Matt is soon cheering up though spending the next night at the home of Yvonne with other Aberystwyth Geo's Steph, Ros and Sophie, and then on further south down the east side, Matt spends the next night with former college roomie Julian and after  a lovely Indian with wife Nicola, the to lads put the world to right with a massive catch up session in to the small ours. After that, Matt heading almost immediately kicks off left to make in to the last of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, being hosted in style in Norwich by Steven and Kipling. What a great birthday weekend if was to offset the sadness of leaving Callie behind. Matt managed to visit the final resting place of his parents in Wymondham, a cuppa with middle school and rugby pal Robert Hawkins,  afternoon tea with Muttley and Lynne and his grown up boys, both of Steven's parents Rodney and Barbara, and a memorable few evenings with Neil and Sophie, all capped off by a birthday meal in Norwich with Craig Ferguson along too. Once safely back in Houston, more of the usual routine prevailed with school related things for Gabbie like her charity fun run and Matt helping out at the SPCA with work and Callie reporting back that she's settling in well and even cooking impressive meals for her 4 flat mates and friends from class.

With only three months left in the year it hardly seemed likely we could fit much more in but then Matt is off to Perth for work for the first time in 13 years. Initially staying the first weekend Arnie and Pinky and visiting the old place we lived in for 5 1/2 years, and some of our favourite haunts. On Sunday there was a great work reunion at City Beach and on Monday Matt joined Moon and Errol for the business end of the trip. There was still evening time to catch up with a whole heap of chums like James, Matt Jones, Jeroen, Steve Rodgers and a great meal at home with Thuy and Brendan Bradley. Matt stayed the following weekend, this time with college friend Paul and Joss Easden and grown up son Kieran and god-daughter Charlotte. He also met our lovely friend Sara Dryden for lunch by the beach, and shared a wonderful weekend of food, wine and rugby (plus a great bike ride complete with kangaroo) with the Easdens. Matt was very sad to leave them but make the long trek back to Houston. Back in Aberdeen, there is more cooking from Callie, and Jeab and Matt went to a fantastic Peter Gabriel show. Gabby took a turn doing the weather for her Elementary School and dressing up like Harley Quin for Halloween and her Girl Scouts stand at the big school carnival.

Finally in November, the weather become lovely for walking, especially around Memorial Park and the Botanical Gardens. We have finalized curtains and furniture and the outdoor living and landscaping for New Zealand, one of us fell from our bike to  sprain a wrist, and Matt almost made a trip to Angola (the plane from DC to Brussels lost power and some 5 plus hours later United admitted defeat and cancelled our flights. Next day, we flew back to Houston. However, we did have most wonderful Thanksgiving (even if it was the first without Callie) in in keeping with the theme of trying at least one new place to visit per year, we chose Istanbul. What a wonderful visit with amazing history, sights, people and food. Although Gabby did as after 4 full days that our last day "might be a little less Ottoman Empire?" Hence our trip to the Lego Experience in a very pleasant and modern shopping mall well outside the touristic areas. We even found two top Thai restaurants nested in amongst the cobblestone streets. Well worth the visit! In the meantime, Callie continues to settle in and takes a weekend train trip to Edinburgh to be hosted by Matt's Geology friend Sara and her family.

So that only leaves December when all the Christmas parties begin and Callie came home from Aberdeen for 4 weeks. We surprised Gabby at school as she thought her sister was coming home a few days later. Gabby also wanted to wait to put the star on the top of tree for her sister too. The Shepstones came home from KL and Moon and Ning hosted a Christmas Party and by the time you read this, we will have done our first one in a long long time too. Cinderella the musical was a real joy and the NZ house is ready for code sign-off. The only thing left to do after Christmas is spend just under a week in Lake Placid, New York over New Year and before you know it, Callie will be back to Aberdeen and 2024 will be fully underway!

So what's in store for 2024? Well, Callie will be back to Uni in mid-Jan and plans to take her friends to Toulouse for a few days before classes start. The rest of us will visit Wanaka for a few week in early March to stay in our finished and furnished house before we turn it over to Air BnB. The very next week, Jeab will go to Thailand and bring her Mum for a few months. We're not sure yet if Callie comes home for her Easter break, we'll see. Other than that, there's bound to be more excitement and potential turmoil at Matt's work so who knows if that might precipitate some kind of move?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Gabriella, Calliana, Jeab and Matt

Houston, December 2023

Well, we wont forget 2023 in a hurry