M-E-R-R-Y C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S Letter 2010

M

...Merry Christmas!  Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year, but also emotional and hectic!  We hope you find time to do the things you enjoy and spend time with those you love.

E

...Ever After.  We celebrate our sixth anniversary this holiday season.  Also, two couples we are friends with were married, and Ty was the officiant of one of the ceremonies!  (His first, and according to him, last.) Love is a good thing.

 

R

...Relatives.  One of the most difficult things is living far from my family, and the time we spend together is precious.   My mom visited twice this year - in March to celebrate my birthday and again in October.  Ty and I flew to Henderson in July and were able to celebrate Audrey's birthday with Mom, Dad, Jeff, Mari, and Audrey.  Ty's mom still enjoys her teaching position at Kinder Care, and she is also happy in a relationship. 

 R

...River Rafting.  Ty talked me into it.  We went with friends to Leavenworth for a rafting & wine tasting trip.  I think I did all right for my first time; I only cried at the beginning. 

Y

...Youth Group.  Ty teaches Jr. and Sr. High Sunday School at church.  Occasionally, I am his sidekick.  He also sings on the worship team every third months or so.  We call Olympic View Baptist our church home and appreciate the connections we've made there.

C

...Close friends.  With many significant changes and tough decisions this year, we are grateful for our network of friends to offer support, advice, and love.

H

...Home.  We recently moved from Fox Island to a home in Gig Harbor.   I've enjoyed decorating and making it ours.  We absolutely love it and plan to be here a long, long time.

R

...Did you know R is sometimes called the canine's letter?  (I'm sure it's true if wikipedia says it is.)  Both our canine, Boone, and our feline, Forrest, brought us joy this year.

 

I

...I formation.  Yes, the offensive line up in football.  Neither of our teams (Ty's Hawks or my Colts) are coming through for us as we hoped, but we enjoy each and every Sunday together watching football. 

S

...Sound.  Puget Sound, that is.  We live in a beautiful area and are blessed to have great friends.  Friends with a boat!

T

...Travel.  This year we were lucky enough to go to Hawaii twice!  In February we went to visit my cousin, Nick, who is stationed on Oahu.  And the week after school let out for summer, we went to Kauai for five days.  You know it's a relaxing trip when it just seems like too much work to go to the beach.  We spent most of that trip rejuvenating poolside.

M

...Middle School.  Ty continues to enjoy his position as Assistant Principal at Key Peninsula Middle School.  This year, I also took the jump up, taking a position at Harbor Ridge Middle School to teach Language Arts. We both enjoy the challenges and rewards of working with such a unique age group!

A

...Addis Ababa.  This is the capital city of Ethiopia. We decided to adopt an infant from Ethiopia!  We've been accepted by YWAM, our paperwork is submitted, and we are waiting for a date to begin our home study.  The entire process will likely take 6 - 12 months.   (Visit http://www.ywamethiopia.com/ for more information on the agency and process.)

S

...Snow (and Spirits)!  Yes, we've had snow this winter in Western WA.  Three snow days and counting.  We've also had windstorms, hailstorms, record amounts of rain and flooding.