Castroville 2.0

You made it! Whether you are on this site just to find the answer key to our Christmas Card Search Game, or because you actually like to read this stuff, welcome to the 2015 Castro Christmas Letter.  If you are just looking for the answer key, feel free to scroll down, we don’t mind. #WheresYourChristmasSpirit Every year, we set out to write a holiday letter that’s different from the previous year.  Looking back at our last 3 online letters, I see that we have failed in that quest. So this year, we won’t apologize for it. #SorryNotSorry The last few weeks have been a whirlwind in Blacksburg, Virginia.  We have seen the retirement of one of the greatest coaches in college football and an e ven better man.  Frank Beamer did so much for Virginia Tech and Southwest Virginia, and he was always good to Stacie and me as  well.  #GOAT (for those of you who don't know that means "Greatest Of All Time") On the field at Coach Beamer's last...

As I write this year’s holiday season life update, I have not yet read a single Christmas letter from this year.  And I’ve only heard “Christmas Shoes” twice.  This holiday season is getting off to a slow start to say the least.   (Ever notice how we tend to fluctuate between saying ‘Merry Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’ year to year? We’re a very confused couple) It occurs to me that in this season when all of us write these letters, many of us take the time to wax poetic or become sentimentally introspective.  So if you the reader would indulge me for just a few lines: When we take the time to reflect on what we have done over the past 12 months, every year we are more and more amazed and thankful for the things that we’ve been allowed to see, and for the people that have chosen to share their lives with us. We’d like to say a mass thank you to each of you for being a part of our lives in some way.  And to those of you who may hav...

Every good Holiday letter has to have a festive-style, artsy-fartsy pic. This picture is only here cuz it's snowing and cuz Laura said "this better make the Christmas card." Sunset in Key Largo, FL Merry Christmas to all of our cyber-friends, acquaintances and people who found this site by accident!  Once again the calendar has turned, as has the weather (except for our friends in Southern California, who get sun and 72 degrees all year around and are despised for it by the rest of the country) and it’s time for the Castros' self-serving, hey-look-at-us, we-think-alot-more-people-care-about-what-we-did-than-actually-do, end of the year letter. It seemed like last years letter was a bit lengthy, so let’s just try to hit the highlights this year. Heeeeeere we GO! Preparing to enter the shark cage, off the coast of South Africa, near Shark Alley You clicked the links.. and here's your reward! A penguin at Boulders Beach, o...