A handmade card and envelope .
Kendra and Travis are a wonderful couple who live just a few blocks away from me. As you’ll read in my letter, I met them back in 2011 when I was doing my Year of Volunteering. I signed up to volunteer at the Our City Film Festival – now called simply Our City Festival. The backstory about the joke in the letter about the volunteer named Roy is that he turned out to be Kendra’s father. She was giving him a hard time and I thought, poor guy just came out to volunteer! It turns out he is a world-renowned eye surgeon and successfully performed my LASIK surgery two years later.
Kendra and Travis,
Another year goes by and I sit down and reflect on it. I often think about those who I wish I had spent more time with – you two certainly fit that category.
I still remember first meeting you back in 2011 at the Our City Film Festival – and how you (this is directed at Kendra) were so hard on that one volunteer – Roy! He was way overqualified. So much so that I trusted him to do my eye surgery!
I always enjoy spending time with you, sharing food, enjoying beers and talking about how to solve the city’s, or even the world’s, problems. Somebody once told our friend Kim Perry that they liked the “way she moved in this world.” I think I’ll adopt that phrase and it use it for the two of you.
If you’re free on Jan. 5th I hope you’ll join me at McClellan’s Retreat in Dupont to celebrate my Year of Letters – speaking of which, you are Day 360!
Happy New Year!
Reed
I didn’t ask for anything this year. In fact, it’s been a long time since I have. It was 1992, the movie Scent of a Woman came out that year. While most people remember the film for Al Pacino’s portrayal of Lt. Col Frank Slade, my fondness of it is solely for Gabrielle Anwar – the stunningly beautiful brunette who glides across the dance floor with Slade in one of the scenes. I was in love with her and all I asked for that year was for you to bring her to me. Perhaps there wasn’t enough room on your sled or you couldn’t find her, but I was devastated when I woke up and found that she wasn’t under , uhm….the tree, that’s it. And while I did appreciate the photo you brought me of her, it fell way short of satisfying all of my desires. 
Anyway, If you would like to make good on that today, I’d be ok with that and I’ll forgive the whole ’92 debacle. If you still can’t find her (I think she’s in Miami these days), I’ll settle for Charlize Theron or Brazilian model Adriana Lima. I’m flexible.
So this is my third letter I have left at Berkey Creamery this year. You might rightfully think that I have an addiction to this place. I do. Their Cookies-n-Cream is awesome. I kind of lover everything about this place, except maybe that they don’t let you mix flavors. Actually that is not entirely true, they did allow Bill Clinton to do it when he visited in 1996 – the 42nd president requested Cherry Quist and Peachy Paterno.
