Instead of making copies of our Christmas letter this year and mailing them all, or creating a new site to capture the year, we're listing here some of the highlights so you can get caught up, and dive in more where you like, to learn more about our year.
Our year involved
tearing out the master bathroom for a major renovation, but six weeks later it looked
better than we had imagined it could. Up next: the kitchen? The kids' bathroom? Our annual ski trip with the Scouts to
Canaan Valley was in February, and then in August
we flew out West, the kids' first visit someplace west of West Virginia, for a very full experience of Nevada, California and a little of Oregon. We also had a nice weekend in a cabin at Deep Creek Lake in October with our
Fergie, who passed a set of milestones this year. Not only was it her first "
puppiversary," or a year after we got her, but in June came the time when (we estimate) she had spent more of her life with us than before--I guess that means she's found her Forever Home. She
turned three in October, and kept wryly amusing us with
her antics throughout the year. Our puppums is a happy doggie and has attached herself quite firmly to Mary lately.
If you look up the address for South County Middle School in the Fairfax County tax records, you will see that yes, in fact,
Sarah *does* own the school. She's having a wonderful time as an eighth grader in Advanced Academics, as a Peer Helper at school, playing guitar,
doing Girls on Track, and (most recently) being elected the school's Vice President. She rejoined Girl Scouts with her friends, with whom she is surrounded most of her free time. In the summer she had her second
mission trip with Jeremiah Project, which she really enjoyed and which has her thinking of going as a counsellor someday.
The theme for the year with David was "adolescence," the one-foot-in-one-foot-out nature of being a high school junior. He
earned his driver's permit this year, and is making slow progress in learning to drive--it's just not a huge priority for him to do, which baffles his parents. His burgeoning leadership was recognized in the winter when his Scout troop elected him its
Senior Patrol Leader, and he took the
first (quite halting) steps into the world of girls and dating. But by far, his biggest adventures were a weeklong
mission trip to Costa Rica in the summer, and beginning the great college hunt--with visits to
William and Mary (
two stories to tell there), Berkeley,
U of Arizona, and
his current #1 choice, Arizona State. Where will he end up? Tune in next year!
Mary celebrated her tenth anniversary with
American Bankruptcy Institute this year, and accompanied Sarah on her Girl Scout troop's visit to New York City in the fall. Eric remains in Finance Division at the FBI, although at the end of the year is beginning a six-month rotation to work temporarily in Procurement instead of Budget, a new adventure. In the summer, he had a much-appreciated chance to spend a week at Harvard Business School, and is pursuing continuing ed into the new year. He's also still drumming, with
Refresh at Sydenstricker UMC as well as with
LifeSign at Burke UMC, loving every minute. This year he also began serving as the Chaplain of Boy Scout Troop 688, and will have a chance next summer to take a long walk in the desert with David--they both will be part of a dozen-strong crew hiking Philmont.
As 2014 fades, we hope it's been a good year for you and your family, and we pray for the light of the season to guide you throughout the new year. Join us here throughout 2015 for more of our adventures, and be sure to share your own--and stay in touch! We very much enjoyed the visits we had this year from Courtney, Naomi, Monica, Mom & Dad Tarrier, and many others…come back again!
Merry Christmas and Happy 2015 from us all!
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