Merry Christmas 3 days early!

I'm going to be off work after today until Monday. So in other words, I'll be on my feet and busy with a hundred various things. Any computer business will definitely take a back seat! So I leave you with my guest blogger of the year... My husband!

Merry Christmas!
Love
Val

It’s that time of year again. The weather has turned cold. Nights are getting longer. Frost covers the windshield in the morning, and the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers have been eaten, frozen, or thrown away. It is officially Christmas time. Val and the girls have been listening to Christmas music since early November. I, on the other hand, believe that by definition, Christmas music should not be played until after Thanksgiving. Val explains I am just wrong. I thought about skipping Christmas music and move on to New Year’s or Valentine’s Day music. The only New Year’s song I could think of was Auld Lang Syne and Valentine’s Day music would consist of large amounts of Air Supply, “my heart grew three sizes” and I got into the Christmas Spirit. I’m trying something different with the letter and review the past year in reverse order. Hopefully by the end of the letter I’ll remember what happened last January. If you prefer the old format, please start at the end and read forward.

In early December we traveled to Kentucky for the wedding of a nephew. It was a quick trip but a long drive. We rose early on Saturday morning and left the house by 4:45 a.m. Due to unexpected snow and freezing rain, the interstates in Iowa were slow going. We didn’t get about 50 mph until we reached Missouri. After passing several accidents and spending 45 minutes stopped on the road due to another accident, we were very happy to be on our way, but we were behind schedule. Maddy and Meri kept busy reading and watching Christmas movies on a laptop. By the time we reached St. Louis, the battery on the laptop was out of power. At this point, Maddy and Meri began to sing “Veggie Tales” songs. This guaranteed we would buy a car-charger for the laptop for the return trip. We took the G.P.S. along for the trip and for the most part it worked fine. We’ve come to rely on it, however some times it is just wrong. In western Kentucky, (land of no straight roads) it pointed us in the wrong direction a few times. I shook it like a magic eightball, but it just kept saying, “ask again later”. Val called her sister. The time for the wedding drew closer and the miles still stretched ahead. I considered convincing Val and the girls to change clothes in the back aisle of a convenience store. Luckily it didn’t come to this and we had a few minutes to check into our motel, change, and make it to the wedding. It was a wonderful ceremony. The bride and groom looked great. It was a great time to see our family. The return trip seemed to go much quicker without the weather related difficulties.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, we hosted Val’s side of the family for Thanksgiving. It was a much smaller crowd than last year, only 83. We rented the city hall community room. It was great to see everyone and to gather together. I especially enjoyed seeing my kids and their cousins playing together. A talent show was organized. Among the talents performing, I played the bagpipes. Val did a Tae Kwon Do demonstration, Maddy played the piano, and Meri played her clarinet. Ryan missed due to work. Thank you to everyone able to attend.

The big event in October was that Maddy turned 16 and got her drivers license. It is so much more convenient now that Maddy is able to drive. With her early morning band practices and after school events, I was getting up early to fix her breakfast, drive her in silence to XXXXX, (she isn’t very talkative in the morning). She would walk to my office after school, and I would drive her home. But now I still need to fix her breakfast. I drive in silence to XXXXX, and she usually stops by the office after school. So other than double the gas bill, things haven’t changed that much. She is an excellent driver. (Just ask her, she’ll tell you).

In August, Maddy began her 10th grade year. Among her many activities are marching band, jazz band, pep band, fall play, student council, and tag. She is usually at school before 7 and most evenings. We look forward to the rare times we see her.

Meri moved to the middle school when she started 5th grade. She is enjoying the variety of teachers for her different subjects. Meri chose to play the clarinet for band, and really likes it. She played for her first band concert this past week. It is always amazing to hear a 5th grade band play and know that a couple months ago these kids could barely make their instruments squeak. Meri also sang a brief solo for the vocal music part of the concert. She was also elected to student council.

Also in August, we traveled with Val’s sister Melanie, and her 6 kids to a wedding in Wisconsin in Melanie’s 12-passenger van. I did the majority of the driving. It was a five hour, 7 potty break trip (slight exaggeration). The noise level in the vehicle was so high, that I couldn’t overcome it with my ipod on full volume. The kids were all well behaved, but I don’t think I’m cut out for a job as a school bus driver.

In July Maddy and I made the 6-hour trip to northern Wisconsin to take Maddy to bible camp. Maddy drove through St. Paul. She was a little nervous, but did a great job. At the camp she made a lot of new friends.

Ryan turned 19 in June and is currently renting an apartment with a friend. He is working at a store at the mall and really enjoys it. He fills much of his time with computers, friends and music. We don’t see him more than a couple of times a week and have been using Facebook to keep in touch. He is currently saving for his own car.

In March we rented a cabin in Branson Missouri for part of spring break. The weekend before, both Maddy and Meri came down with the flu. The day before we left, everyone was feeling much better. On the long drive, I came to the realization it was not going to be a good trip. After arriving at the cabin, I was proven correct. For the next couple days, Val and the girls had a good time seeing the sights, hiking near the cabin and going to a few shows. I spent the entire time in the cabin and all I saw of Branson was on the drive home.

In January, Meri turned 10. She is still interested in music, singing, sewing, and Tae Kwon Do. She is currently a blue belt. If she continues at this pace, she’ll be a black belt within the next year or so. Val and Meri are still watching clothing design shows. Meri was inspired to design and sew her own dress. She received two top awards for it at the county 4-H fair.

Val is still active with her local sewing group and enjoys making clothes for her and the girls. After a ten-year break, Val resumed her Tae Kwon Do black belt training. She is currently working on her 3rd degree black belt. Val is still enjoying her job telecommuting out of California. Hopefully someday she will get to meet her co-workers. I continue working at XXXXXXXXXXXXX in XXXXXXXXXX. I continue to play the bagpipes and am resolving to be more active with the band this next year.

Every year I look forward to Christmas. The whole meaning of Advent is preparing or looking forward to Christmas; to the birth of our Savior. God is gifting us with what we most need, a savior to redeem us from our sins. As He promised through his prophets and to Abraham, he has shown us mercy, rescued us, given us salvation through the forgiveness of our sins (Luke 1). Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

From our family to yours