Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Have a joyous Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever you celebrate. Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.
There's more to say than will fit on the back of a little card so here's a "year in review" from the Gasch family (with bonus links to a bunch of photo albums):
Alex is hard at work in his junior year of college at Virginia Tech where he's studying finance. He is also working as a teaching assistant (TA) for a business law class he took last year and is still making dean's list (and his parents proud!) Recently he's been talking about law school after he graduates and he spent a lot of time over the summer studying for the LSATs.
Along with some friends, Alex also visited Hamburg and Berlin, Germany this summer. This trip produced the first (known to us!) photographic evidence that Alex drinks beer. We also hosted two of Alex's out-of-town friends in Seattle where the three of them went to some Mariners games together.
This summer Alex bought his first car: a Subaru Crosstrek. He then proceeded to drive said car across the country back to Virginia. On the way he hiked at Glacier National Park, saw the headwaters of the Missouri River, took photos at Badlands National Park, visited friends in Wisconsin, and was a tourist in Chicago and Cincinnati before ultimately arriving back in Blacksburg in time for classes.
Scott and Lynn also did some traveling this year. Scott was in New Jersey in January to visit his folks and help out during a surgery. Scott and Lynn then both spent some time skiing at Stevens Pass before enjoying restaurant month in Walla Walla, Washington during February. Scott visited Louisville, Kentucky to tour whisky distilleries and catch a Reds game with some Google friends. Scott and Lynn also went to Mexico City with the same Google friends in early November for some great food and a break from the Seattle autumnal storms and cold. Alex moved apartments at Virginia Tech this year so Lynn and Scott headed back east to help him move, to visit with Lynn's family, and to catch up with some friends in northern Virginia. Alex's old place was furnished and the new one wasn't so, with the help of Lynn's sister's truck, we got his stuff transferred and hauled in some new furniture.
But our big trip this year was six weeks spent in France and northern Spain during September and October, after Alex went back to school. We saw the museums in Paris (except for the Louvre -- it's too big!) and enjoyed the beach and the largest sand dunes in Europe near Arcachon, France. We drove through Espalette and Saint-Jean-de-Luz where we sampled the peppers and drank wine aged underwater. We had lovely weather (hot!) in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain where we hiked up the viewpoints, learned about the Basque people, ate pintxos, and drank txakoli (wine). From there we visited Bilbao (and Guernica, and San Juan de Gaztelugatxe) and had some really amazing local food. As we drove along the northern shore of Spain, we saw some breathtaking beaches in Asturias. We stopped to admire the mountain scenery and to hike the Picos de Europa national park. Next, we arrived at Santiago de Compostela where we saw the famous cathedral, learned about the Galacian people, ate more great food, and hiked up to a radio tower overlooking the city. After that, we visited Lugo and León, Spain (tasting some mencia and bastardo grape varietals) before arriving in Logroño in the heart of the Rioja wine region to taste some tempranillo, maturano and graciano (more wine) and eat more pintxos. Pamplona was our last city in Spain (no, we did not run with the bulls!) after which we headed to Bordeaux and Saint Émilion, France for more good food and wine around both banks along with a fun cooking class. After a TGV ride back to Paris, our trip was sadly at an end but we're already talking what we missed in Spain (and France) and where we still need to go (Ribera del Duero!). If you want more of the details, Lynn is still updating her travel blog.
The garden was a bit of a bust this year; it was colder so the only thing that really grew well was the cucumbers. Though we did get some nice tomatoes and beans before going on the trip and leaving the garden to fend for itself. We're here among all the tall trees so Lynn's garden is in the sunniest spot in the yard and, even then, it doesn't really get enough light for consistent results.
Scott and Lynn both have ski passes at Stevens Pass, WA again this year so we're looking forward to hitting the slopes once the snow arrives (and hitting the gym now to make sure we are ready!)
Scott's been hobby programming, grilling out, and taking care of the house. He's also been on a health kick, hitting the gym and getting in shape. Lynn's hobby programming and blogging have been curtailed by some eye issues but she continues to use the gym and play soccer in addition to working in the yard and garden.
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful holiday season. We're so lucky to have great friends and family like you and we love you dearly.
Love,
Scott, Lynn and Alex
December, 2025