Greetings All!
I hope you had a pleasant holiday! I cannot believe a new year is upon us already. This past year seemed to have flown by. So much has happened in such a short time.
Last year at this time Mark was working at a local radio station as their Sales Manager. He was selling radio programming slots and ran their marketing and promotions program. In February he was offered a Territory Manager position for a concrete forms manufacturer. He left the radio station to pursue this new position.
Since then he has been selling and leasing concrete forms to construction contractors for private and government projects. His sole territory is Las Vegas and has proven to be a lucrative territory with large ventures quickly being erected on that lightbulb-laden horizon.
Jenn has been at the same company for the last three years. She started as a temp in Human Resources, but quickly moved into Sales and Marketing department as their Marketing Coordinator. Within that first year she also moved into the Customer Service department as a National Account Rep. and represented the company at bi-annual trade association meetings.
This past year she moved into the Marketing department as Marketing Analyst and was elected Vice-Chairperson of the association statistics committee. At their last meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, she succeeded as Chairperson. Her meetings have taken her to Chicago, Wisconsin, Phoenix, and Minnesota. Not to mention, all the layovers in between… you can never get a direct flight out of this town!
The majority of the year found us both busy… between work, travelling, and church activities. With the arrival of a new youth pastor, Mark was able to relax and delegate some of his other responsibilities. Jenn even took a break to focus more time at home. With the demanding schedule, we didn’t even take a vacation… or even find time to think about one.
At the end of the summer we ensued the great task of sorting and packing (or discarding) our belongings as we prepared to move. We found a wonderful 3 bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood just a couple miles away. Jenn was excited to have the extra bedroom for the guest room.
The week after we moved we received our biggest (and most exciting) news of the year. Jenn was pregnant with our first child! (So much for a separate guest room!) We had a blast announcing the news to the grandparents-to-be. Jenn’s family reunion was that week, so subsequently her whole family knew within minutes.
Currently, she is in her 18th week and Mom and baby are doing well. Baby is feisty and practices tae-bo on Mom every morning. At the last ultrasound, baby would dance when Mom giggled. Baby is getting stronger every week; the kicks and jabs give Mom a good jolt.
Jenn’s tummy is just starting to pooch out a bit. She’s at an “in-between” stage where she’s barely showing, but just big enough that fewer of her clothes fit. She is quite dismayed in the mornings trying to find something for work from a closet full of clothes she can’t wear.
Daddy-to-be is doing well. He’s very excited! In fact, he couldn’t wait to get to Babies R Us to check out the latest in baby gear. This Christmas he had plenty of fun finding mommy gifts and baby gifts. He's also taking good care of Mom and makes sure she's well fed and happy. Jenn has appreciated all his help around the house and his support too.
We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jenn's family. It was nice to have a long weekend before the Christmas frenzy started. December seemed to pass in a flash. We celebrated Christmas with Mark's family and had a beautiful dinner at Grammy and Pa's. (Baby especially liked the food!! Gave quite a few kicks of approval)
In retrospect, it's been quite a year with it's share of struggles and blessings. Fortunately, the blessings far outweigh the former. We're looking forward to a quiet New Year's celebration. Maybe dinner and a movie and a good night's sleep for once. (Jenn rarely makes it past 10pm these days.) After all, we've got a big year ahead of us!
So, be on the lookout for more news to come... I'm sure there will be plenty!
Please take care and have a safe and happy 2000!!
