Christmas Letter 2013

I guess it's safe to say that we've been very busy these last six months or so .... !  I would like to get into the habit of posting more often, but time eludes me.  Part of the reason I am finding less free time is because my daily commute has lengthened since moving to the south suburbs.  I am in the car for 80-90 minutes each day, compared to 60 minutes last year.  It really adds up!
The other two reasons are ....

Norah Franks (born in June, adopted in September)

and ...

Roxy Franks (born in May, adopted in October)

Yes, we have four pets now!  Norah was an impulse "buy" (I mean, look at her!), and Roxy was bought as a companion for Sarah, since Eliot and Norah act like litter-mates!  So it gets a little crazy around here! I'm thankful that David works from home so that he can let the dogs have a bathroom and running break in the middle of the day.  Norah is tiny and cute, but also is the first one to pick a fight with any other animal and is not afraid of anything.  Roxy is full of energy, her coat is very soft, and she is getting better about relaxing with us.

David is learning a lot about the ministry in his internship.  He is writing and delivering lots of sermons, and getting feedback on each one.  He meets with the pastor weekly, which is helpful.  He goes on visitations, leads adult Bible study, and studies for his exams on top of that!  Please pray that he will be able to finish his coursework at Mid-America among all these tasks.  He is very busy, and it is difficult to keep so many plates spinning.  There are many families who seem to really appreciate David's work, and to me this confirms God's gifts in him.  It will be bittersweet when the internship concludes this spring.  Not to mention bringing myself to leave this beautiful, huge "mansion" manse!  Four bedrooms, basement, office, double ovens, dishwasher, garage .... *sigh*  Oh, to be able to walk to church!  We are so spoiled here at Covenant.

I am on Christmas break from my third full year teaching second grade at Deer Creek.  I was surprised at the end of October to learn that the church which had purchased our building wanted the kindergarten class to switch classrooms .... into MY room!  To make matters worse, they needed it to happen as soon as possible! (The reason was ultimately for the safety of the kindergartners, so I am not upset about their decision after all.)  This at first left me with some options which were not ideal and would cause me to redo many classroom procedures.  Thankfully, the fifth grade teacher volunteered to move her classroom into a smaller room with no windows across the hallway so that I could have a classroom  exactly the same size and layout as my old one!  Whew!  So all was planned for Monday, November 4 as a moving day, even so far as canceling school for the students.  Then on Sunday the 3rd ...

The Lord decided to get our attention by having David's heart rate increase rapidly, and his legs give out in our kitchen after having stepped out of the church service (he was NOT preaching!).  I was called out of the service to take David to the ER.  All signs immediately pointed to type 2 diabetes.  He stayed overnight, learned how to give himself insulin shots, got sick repeatedly from the headache medication in his IV (remember his sensitive stomach?), all while I had to be at school moving my furniture to my new classroom!!  I would have taken the day off if it was a regular school day.  But you can't move someone's stuff without the "owner"!  Everything went fine, and the students seemed a little disappointed that the room looked almost EXACTLY the same.  :)  And about a month later, David received the "all-clear," so to speak, not to take insulin shots anymore.  He is on oral medications only, and we are so thankful. 

Other notable events from this year include our fifth wedding anniversary trip, David's graduation from Mid-America, a visit to Minneapolis in June (which I never blogged about, oops!), as well as a visit to Indianapolis to see family for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving this year has become a bittersweet memory because it was the first time we had seen David's Uncle John in several years, and it would prove to be the last, as he passed away on Monday, December 23.  My dad had a stroke on Thanksgiving Day, but thankfully he went to the hospital and is doing much better now.  My parents also recently came up for a Christmas visit, and it was the first time my dad had ever been to our new place.  

And now, the 2013 pictorial review ...

David and Sophie 

David walking at Commencement

Receiving his hood

Some of the family visiting for graduation

Playing Frisbee as a family

Donut Eating in Dyer ...

Donut Eating in Grand Rapids ...

Donut Eating in Hammond!

"Near Perfection," Minnesota :)

My uncle's handiwork in "Near Perfection"

Lake Superior

Sarah and Eliot in the new house

Final visit with Uncle John

Merry Christmas from David, Amanda, Sarah, Eliot, Roxy, and Norah!