Christmas Letter - Our Year in Review

So, it's that time again.... Christmas.  I wanted to start things of with a nice poem:

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through my place
Were boxes and packages, wrapping and tape.
The stockings are hung by the TV with care
In the hopes that their contents soon would be there.
The children were snuggled all warm in their beds
While I work to finish my shopping instead.
For this one a kerchief, for that one a hat
Oh please, let me finish 'cause I need a nap!
Then up in my head there rang such a clatter
"Is any of this stuff what really matters?"

No.  It's not.  Jesus is what matters.  So, before you read the rest of our year in review, take a minute and focus on the message sent from heaven to you.  And don't feel bad - I've had to remind myself of this message several times in the past week.  Including tonight.  Twice.

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This has been an incredibly trying year for us (again).  For those who don't know, my mom passed away back in January.  On my birthday.  Not only did I struggle with her death, but the events were so incredibly similar to Michell's death (4 years ago) that it rekindled that grief in me.  Like Michell, mom died from complications with Leukemia less than a week after her diagnosis.

Fortunately, God is still taking very good care of me.  He continues to bless me daily in all areas of my life.  At work, I found out this past summer that I had successfully achieved tenure at Tennessee Tech, which significantly reduced my stress level.  At home, the slow metamorphosis of the house continues.  The latest project is the installation of a train atop the kitchen cabinets.  My original goal was to finish it before Christmas, but that deadline has been changed to New Years.

I am also blessed to be daddy to Rachel and Zoe.  Rachel (9) is in 4th grade, and really doing well.  She continues to love singing, and is taking informal voice lessons.  She got to be in both a school production and the childrens' choir at church - and love every minute of both.  She's also becoming a big help to me around the house... without too much complaining, even.

Zoe (5) is still in preschool.  Her late October birthday means that she will be almost 6 when she starts Kindergarten next fall, but that's probably good because her attention span is very - SQUIRREL! - short.  Her favorite thing to do is just about anything that lets her sit in my lap... and I love it.  It is hard to imagine how bad my withdrawal is going to be when she stops wanting to do that.

This year's highlight has to be our family vacation to the beach this summer.  It was awesome!  Maybe someday I'll get around to putting the pictures in a photo album or something.  I only have 340...

As we said in our card, we pray that you are enjoying your Christmas holidays with friends and family.  We send blessings and wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.