Dear Family & Friends,
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” We hope this Christmas greeting finds you and your loved ones safe and sound. We are counting our blessings as we look back on an eventful 2001. Thought we’d share a few highlights with you.
We took a few trips: Eagle Crest, OR, with friends Ehren & Kia: Lake Merwin, WA, with Mark’s parents – fishing for Kokanie; Evansville, IN, where we visited Julie’s sister Stephanie and her new baby Alex , friend Sondra’s baby Madison, and the rest of the Hoosier gang; and Keystone, CO, with friends Linda & Ken where we rode a tandem bike for the first time.
Speaking of trips, Julie’s sister Ali just made a huge, unexpected one. The Air Force gave her one day’s notice before shipping her out to Oman (the country next to Saudi Arabia; south of Afghanistan). She is the base contract negotiator, and reports feeling safe, though unsure of how long she’ll be there.
In addition to working ¾ time at St. Cecilia Church with Middle School Youth Ministry, Julie babysat our God-daughter Micah two days a week (test-driving). Micah was a breeze compared to the 100+ 6th, 7th & 8th graders that we spend every Monday night with at Youth Group.
On the home front, we splurged on a new front door and landscaping. Visitors Linda & Ken, and Francie (Julie’s sister), Andy & Marjorie stayed in our newly painted guest room. We hosted a faith-sharing “Disciples in Mission” Bible study in our home throughout Lent, which is how we met our new friends Deb, Aaron & Jacob and Bianca & Philip.
Labor Day weekend we celebrated our first year as a married couple. Mark surprised Julie with a weekend on the Oregon coast whale-watching, golfing and relaxing. Then we spent our actual anniversary day at a home improvement store shopping for 2x4s for our new covered deck. At least now we can grill out (BBQ for you Oregonians) all winter long.
In October, Mark went with the Wagner boys for their annual Elk Hunting expedition. For the first time in Mark’s experience, the trip was more than just camping. They brought home 3 bulls (one a 5x6) amounting to ~ 450 lbs of meat and earning Mark the new nickname “Marksman.” Our freezer is full and should feed us through the winter, which is reassuring due to our next few bits of news…
In November, Northwest Logic underwent some major downsizing, putting Mark’s job in jeopardy. Their parent company shut them down, leaving them two options: buy back the company or go job-hunting. Six of them, including Mark, have decided to make a go of it and form a partnership, continuing as the next generation of NWL. The potential is great, but the risk is too.
Our last bit of news is probably the biggest (or smallest depending on how you look at it). We are pregnant! Expecting the wee one to arrive July 5, 2002. Meanwhile, our family is anxiously awaiting Janet (Mark’s sister) & Chris’ baby girl – due today, as a matter of fact.
From our growing family to yours, may you have a most blessed Christmas season and joy-filled 2002! |
