Janet's Blog

I've often wondered why I couldn't have gotten just a few more of the outgoing genes that my brother was so generously blessed with.  It seems strange, and sometimes frustrating, that I should have been so shy for a good part of my life, while Dan doesn't seem to have a shy bone in his body.  My sister, Laura, was shy as a young child, too, but she overcame much of her shyness earlier than I did. I suspect that the explanation is simple, at least on the surface:  we have one parent who is, by nature, rather outgoing, and one who has always been more of an introvert.  It's all in the genes. Do you ever wonder why God makes us so different from each other?  How would it be if everyone was extroverted?  Would everyone want to be in charge? On the other hand, if everyone were introverted, would people be able to communicate effectively with each other? It definitely takes a variety of personalities to make the people in our world work well together. ...

It's been many years since I've written an actual Christmas letter before Christmas.  I'm sure the last one was more than ten years ago, back when I was only working part time, back when I was raising a couple of mostly-compliant girls, back when the internet was new and Facebook was nonexistent.  Since then, I've attempted to send some kind of annual letter, usually in January, but, at least once, in time for Easter.  Never before have I drafted a Christmas letter in July, for obvious reasons.  However, we don't know the actual date of Jesus' birthday, so I suppose it could have been in July... In my defense, I'll say that it was quite a winter this year.  My preschool classes were the most challenging I've had in several years, so I was feeling more than a little stressed at times.  Our first granddaughter, Evelyn Marie Stobel, made her appearance on December 18, and grandson, Tobin, turned two in January.  I spent most of January at home, trying t...

It's the Fourth of July, Independence Day, our nation's 238th birthday.  We are thankful to live in a country where we can celebrate our many freedoms.  Like many people in the United States, we celebrated this day with a picnic and fireworks. This was the first year that Levi, who is almost eleven, was allowed to light fireworks by himself.  He was so excited, and so careful. Two-year-old Tobin is too little to remember previous Fourth of July festivities.  He sat, wide-eyed, on various laps, munching on a few M & Ms and a little kettle corn, while we watched the spectacular fireworks display at the football stadium last night.  He was so tired by the time the fireworks finished at 10:00, but he was determined to keep his eyes open so he wouldn't miss a thing. Tonight, Tobin was content to watch a few neighborhood fireworks before he put on his pajamas and headed home to bed.  But, he tried out some sparklers first, with a little hel...