Sunday, January 17, 2010

Wishing you a wonderful 2010! (our recap of 2009)


Happy new year! 2009 was an exciting year for us, primarily because Christine took a sabbatical to volunteer with needy women and children in India. That made it the perfect time to plan an Allen family trip to India for Christmas.

Right after returning from Christmas 2008 in Belize, we kicked off the year with another exhilarating trip to the Fiesta Bowl, followed by an incredibly fun trip to Puerto Vallarta for Sara and James’ beach wedding. In February, we hosted a fancy champagne & chocolate Valentine’s party, which was a lot more fun than jamming one more holiday party into December! This year we spent Easter in Michigan with Christine's sister & her family, Mother’s Day in Carmel with Dana’s family, our 5th anniversary in LA and 4th of July in Austin with Christine’s sorority sisters.

Some memorable events for Christine included running 2 half-marathons and scoring tickets to an Oprah show. (Dana has been enjoying the Xbox she won on the show ever since!) Over the summer we visited Vancouver for Marc & Leah’s wedding, and celebrated “Thanksgiving in August” with both families in Dallas since Christine was going to be in India in November. For Christine’s 33rd birthday we threw an Indian-themed going away party with a henna painter, Bollywood dancer and Indian food shared with great friends.

This Fall Christine LOVED living in Bangalore and volunteering with Oasis India! In addition to traveling all over the beautiful country, she feels she was able to learn a lot about working at a non-profit and tackling the complex issue of poverty. Dana’s parents & brother joined us for Christmas in India. Dana’s father grew up in India, so it was great to see the country with him & hear about some of the Allen family history. We also loved seeing the Taj Mahal and enjoying the tropical paradise of Kerala.

For work, Dana moved to the Doritos team this fall after 2 years on the Multipack business. Christine started the year by launching Smartfood popcorn clusters (new healthy treats for women) and then led Innovation for Tostitos & Dips.

This year we’re feeling very grateful for how God has blessed us. May your dreams stay big and your worries stay small in 2010! Christine & Dana



Life is a precious gift. Don't take yourself too seriously and remember to have fun!

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