Happy Holidays and Happy New Years! I hope the last year of the century was happy and fruitful for you and those you love.

I had a very nice year, with a great balance of fun and relaxation.

Work: I'm still working for the publishing company in the natural products industry. We were purchased by a large publisher this spring and, so far, so good. But we're waiting for the new budget in January to see if any shoes will drop. If there are problems, I'm not too worried. The job market's fantastic here right now.

Vacations: I spent last Christmas back east with my family. It was a real "food" motivated trip. While visiting Mom in NY, I hung out in Little Italy,eating and buying lots of cool stuff to bring home. Then at Dad's, up the coast of CT, went into Providence to do a food and eating tour of the city's Portuguese, Italian and Dominican communities.

Once again, I went to the two trade shows my company produces in Anaheim in the spring and Baltimore in the fall. Did the Disneyland thing in Anaheim, and had dinner with friends Lisa and Bill and Georgina and Pierre in Baltimore.

In February, I went to Salt Lake City to visit Barbara and, once again, do that ski-to-a-yurt-and-eat-a-gourmet-dinner adventure with a big group of her friends. It was just as much fun the second time around.

The big trip of the year came in early May...and it was a dream-come-true. First I took Italian lessons...then I went to Florence and to cooking school in Tuscany. I can't even explain how wonderful it was. I roamed around Florence on my own for a few days at the beginning and end of the trip. The art! Words can't explain. The food! Heavenly! Then I spent a week in cooking school, at a lovely villa in a tiny town called San Donato in Fronzano (about 45 minutes south-east of Florence). The chef was wonderful, my classmates were great and the grounds, full of vineyards and olive groves, were amazing. In the mornings, we did excursions to places like San Gimignano, Sienna and Greve as well as to wineries, herb farms and bakeries. In the afternoons we cooked, and at dinner we ate it all. I'm dying to do another one, on the coast this time. Just need to save $, as this wasn't cheap.

Ray's Raft trip was cancelled this year. Unfortunately, Ray came down with Graves disease and has been having a really hard time. Hopefully he will recover soon and be back to his old self, enjoying the river once again.

For Labor Day, Lisa and I went to Steamboat Springs. We spent time in the beautiful, rustic Strawberry Hot Springs, and checked out the hot springs in town as well. There was a concert at the base of the ski resort and we spent an afternoon at Steamboat lake on a paddle boat. Great town.

In August , I went to Breckenridge to crash my friends Barbara and Ned's family reunion. I know a few of Ned's relatives already, so it was really nice and they treated my like one of the family. Wonderful people.

I spent a another weekend at Peter's Ranch in Glenwood Springs. This time there were about 40 of his friends and I helped organize and cook. Too much fun! Horseback riding, 4-wheeler ATV's, a hay-ride up the mountain for a BBQ dinner at the caretaker's log cabin, and lots of eating and drinking. The place is incredible.

I'm not going home this Christmas and don't even have any plans for New Year's Eve, if you can believe that.

Visitors: Sue came down from Ft. Collins a couple times, including once-which has become tradition-for the Art Open Studios tour where we visit local artists in their studios and watch them work.

In June, a friend I met in Switzerland a few years ago, Christian, came to visit. He was riding his bicycle across the USA! We went to Rocky Mountain National Park and spent some relaxing times in the mountains and by the streams outside of Boulder. I love showing people around (hint, hint).

My Mom came to visit in September and we enjoyed spending time in Denver, and Boulder as well as having a dinner party for some of my friends.

Dad & Armelde came a few weeks ago. We had a full weekend with a cocktail party, roaming Denver's Asian markets and restaurants and doing household projects. Now I'm on a roll with the home improvements. Last week I painted my dining room and kitchen walls eggplant purple, yesterday I put in a new dining room light fixture, and soon I will paint the bar around the kitchen when I can decide what I want to do.

Concerts and Plays I saw several concerts in '99, most of them at E-Town, the local radio show, recorded live and aired around the US-Taj Mahal with the Hawaiian Slack-Key guitarists, Lowen and Navarro with Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca (great African/Cuban beat) and, best of all, Chris Isaak, with Iris Dement, in May. He's hot! Then at real concert halls, I saw the Crash Test Dummies, Richard Thompson, The Rippingtons, and the Moody Blues with the Denver Symphony.

I went to a small production put on by a local Shakespeare Oratorio society as well as a cabaret put on by our professional Shakespeare troupe, to benefit the local Aids foundation.

In August, I spent a girls day and evening in Vail with four women. We started shopping at one of the best outdoor art festival in the state, then went to the Vail Ballet at the Ford Amphitheater, under the stars (and rain). It was great! I stood in line for the bathroom in front of Betty Ford and her bodyguard, before they decided to skip the line and go backstage.

Parties & Holidays: During the year, there were a number of parties including several 40th birthday parties. One for my old friend, Bret at his house in Denver. One for Michael at a new Indian restaurant in town, and one for my friend Peter at a mansion in Denver, including a murder mystery dinner which was great fun. I also went to Ft. Collins for my friend Sue's birthday party in April.

This year, the annual Spaghetti Bowl (contest for the best spaghetti sauce and an excuse to watch the Super Bowl.) was at someone new's house. It was fun, but just not the same as all the past year's at Michaels's.

I celebrated Rosh Hashana, Passover and Hanukkah at Susan and Loni's. Thanksgiving was at John's again. I've feel very privileged to be included as part of the family by the food editor of Boulder's newspaper and his sister, Lisa who's my very dear friend. Memorial day was spent at a Barbeque at Susie and Tom's house (playing croquet in the rain). And, Susan and Loni had a Valentine's Day Party.

I gathered a few friends and spent the 4th of July up on an incredible piece of property my friend Peter owns. It overlooks the whole Boulder valley, south to Denver and north to Ft. Collins! We were able to see about 14 different fireworks displays along the front range. He's been nice enough to let me to use it whenever I want. I've had picnics up there and even locked two chairs and a corkscrew to a tree so I can drop by with a bottle of wine when the mood strikes me.

My friends came over for another cooking class this year. and this time it was Thai food. Yum and Fun. And in April, I had a Black & White party, for no particular reason. Everyone dressed in b&w and brought foods that were b&w.

With a friend, I organized a reunion of about 20 folks from my last company. It was really good to see them, too bad it is so far and few between. That was a good group to work with.

There were a few Halloween parties, including a really fun one in the top floor of an old barn on a farm.

And, today I celebrated my birthday with 5 other girlfriends at Indian Springs hot springs resort, spaaaaing all day.

Other Fun Events: The Kinetics race was cancelled this year, due to bad weather.

I attending a few wine tastings as well as a couple cooking classes at the local cooking school. And then, there was the local Fireman's dinner...all you can eat spaghetti, which was a really quaint, local-yocal type gathering.

The Slow Food group I belong to put on a few events, including a lesson in "how to taste" and a wine tasting. I organized a goat cheese farm tour and tasting on a perfect fall day in September, which which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Then there were the festivals-The Blues and Bones festival and concert in Denver was small, but has potential. Lisa and I went to the Juneteenth celebration in Denver's Five Point's neighborhood. It's a celebration of freedom for the African Americans and was lots of fun. We were practically the only white folks there and we had a blast listening to good music and trying on fun, colorful clothes.

For the blue moon that occurred on March 31st, my friend Gye and I did things we would only do "once in a blue moon". Among other things (like stopping a cop for directions), we had dinner in the quite town of Lyons, drinks at a bar called Cheers in the cowboy town of Longmont.

Of course I spent a day at Six Flags in Denver.We got there when it opened so we could ride the rollercoasters a bunch of times. And another day was spent roaming around the huge Denver flea market shopping and eating turkey legs.

Of course, I went to a few hot springs and spas; now that I'm addicted. I found this great Russian banya in Denver that gives you quite a package deal including sauna, hot tub, massage, salt rubs and other goodies. If the Denver Avalanche Hockey team can go here, so can I!

Sports and stuff: No skiing this year either. Wow, it's been a while! One of you needs to come out here and drag me up to the mountains for a ski weekend. I did go snowshoeing a few times, but otherwise, it was a lazy winter.

I went to see a few basketball games, the Jazz play the Bulls in Salt Lake, and the Nuggets play the Jazz in Denver.

Peter, dragged a group of us out bowling a few times. It was fun, but it was like pulling teeth to get the group motivated...especially after a big yummy dinner.

Volunteering: I'm still plugging away on the Taste of the Nation Benefit to raise money for the hungry, chairing the restaurant committee and organizing the chefs. I spent the day before Thanksgiving, sorting food at our local food bank, and made toys for kids at the beginning of the year.

We're no longer doing the Great American Pie Festival, because the founder, my friend John, bowed out after some large pie corporations began infighting. Instead, a friend and local chef, threw an all-pie dinner for the crew. I think it was delicious, with lobster pie, and carmelized onion and goat cheese tart, but I had a really bad cold and couldn't taste a thing! I saved half of everything to take home and try again the next day...but it just wasn't the same. Later in July though, John let me be a judge in a local pie festival- fun and fattening.

One of the most exciting things to happen this year involves volunteer work I've done with the Rocky Mt. Wildlife Conservation Center. This private facility takes in lions, tigers, bears, etc., from wildlife centers and private homes, where they've been abused, neglected, or would otherwise be put to sleep. They had run out of money and made a plea on local TV. I sent a check along with a letter offering to cook gourmet dinners for small groups to raise money. They liked the idea, so I did several dinners this year that went very well. Best of all, I had numerous opportunities to get close to, pet, and befriend, all sorts of wonderful big cats (through the fence of course). Scratching an African lion behind his ear, through his thick mane, and having a Siberian tiger lick my hand, are experiences I will never forget.

Etcetera: Early in the year, I got some weird virus. I suspect it may have come from one of the more unsanitary Asian markets in Denver, after spending a lovely day hanging out and eating in the Vietnamese section of the city with my friend Pennie. I had a lowgrade fever and was weak for about a month. I was tested for Hepatitis, but we never figured out what it was and it finally went away.

A friend of mine was diagnosed with MS this year. She's having a really rough time and I hope she makes it through this first episode really soon.

I found a lump on my cat's neck this fall and it turned out to be cancerous. I was very depressed, as he's been my only child and roommate for the last 15 years. But, I took him to CSU's Veterinarian Training Center in Ft. Collins, (which has the top cancer research center for animals in the world!) and he seems to be doing OK. He had the lump removed and is currently undergoing chemo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed very tightly.

I went to play Bingo one night with some friends, kind of as a joke, and ended up thinking it was a blast. What a riot. Needless to say, we went again at my insistence.

I feel prepared and much more relaxed about Y2K than I did when you got my letter last year.. I did a little stocking up and got a few emergency items, but didn't go overboard. I'm actually more worried about crazy people out there who want to make it a self fulfilling prophesy.

Love life? Still quiet, but I love my life so no big deal. Some friends convinced me to put my profile on-line recently. Not much has happened, but then again, I'm not being very assertive either...the whole thing's too weird for my taste.

That's it for this year. I'd love to hear from you too. Please keep in touch.

Warmest Wishes