Not a Christmas Letter--Obviously!
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 to recuperate from a sinus infection that turned into bronchitis/walking pneumonia. Then, I was just barely caught up at school when I had to have eye surgery in Denver.
We were so blessed that Erin came to stay for a couple of weeks in March to help with the kids while Bill and I were in Denver, and then when I was able to be at home again. The kids behaved perfectly throughout my illness and surgery; they saved their pent-up fears and emotions for later, when they were sure I was going to be okay.
Perhaps I should make a July letter an annual tradition; summer is always a much more laid-back time for all of us.
Levi loves his daily swimming lessons, and weekly piano and art lessons, and tolerates weekly therapeutic horseback riding at the Buckboard Riding Academy. Levi and Bill have attended two Cub Scout day camps this summer, and Levi will venture to Camp Rock by himself for the first time next week, for five days of church camp. Every summer, he waits anxiously for the day that our neighbors' grandson, Dillon, comes to spend several weeks with them, across the street. This year, the boys have kept busy climbing trees, concocting potions, building elaborate Lego constructions, playing the Wii, and spending a day, now and then, at our local water park. I am hoping that Levi's relaxed attitude spills over into the next school year, when he will start the fifth grade.
Victoria has spent much of her summer listening to music and putting together jigsaw puzzles. She played the flute for summer band again this year, and marched in last week's Oregon Trail Days parade. She loves having the freedom to walk or ride her bike to the park almost every day. She has done a little babysitting, too, this summer. Vic will be a senior at Gering High School this fall, so she is feeling a bit worried about the future. We will be touring a couple of nearby community college campuses as she gets ready to learn all about veterinary technology. She was elated when she passed her driver's test this summer, so she will be working hard to perfect her driving skills over the next few months.
Meagan and Andy are enjoying their summer at home with the kids. They have completed several projects on their new house. It won't be long until school starts again, earlier than ever this year--August 11 for teachers and August 14 for students. Andy still teaches German and English at Gering High School, and Meagan has an ideal job, teaching one class each of college level algebra and calculus at GHS, only two or three afternoons a week, during her kids' nap time.
We are so blessed to have our grandchildren living close by. Baby Evie is growing up way too fast--at seven months, she sits alone, crawls well, pulls herself to stand, and cruises around the furniture. And big brother, Toby, talks a mile a minute; he knows the name and function of every piece of farm and construction equipment ever made.
Erin graduated from Claremont Graduate University in May, with a PhD in Musicology. She has been busily writing and submitting articles for publication in several music journals, and is currently working on a book. She plans to teach math, physics, and band for another year at Edgewood High School in West Covina, CA, as well as a community college music class or two, while continuing to apply for a permanent college music position. We were pleased to have her spend the last few weeks with us here in Gering.
Bill's cable TV/internet business continues to keep him busier than we like. Why is it so hard to find enough dedicated, hard-working employees? I guess it's a universal problem. His "other life" as a pole vault coach provides plenty of distraction from the pressures of his job. From the first of March until the end of May, coaching high school pole vaulters becomes his all-consuming passion. And it doesn't stop in May. He and several of his vaulters kept up with early morning workouts and practices until the middle of July, when they conducted and vaulted in the third annual Oregon Trail Days street vault. This was the first year that Bill vaulted in the street vault, clearing a respectable height of 7 feet. Not too bad for an old guy!
Somehow, Gering escaped most of the extreme weather that has plagued so much of the state this summer. We are thankful for the cooler days and plentiful rain we have seen this year.
I've been feeling just fine lately. My vision is tolerable, although I will be facing cataract surgery fairly soon, since a cataract is a normal side effect of the retina surgery I had in March. I'm making good progress on my summer list, which mostly consists of catching up with spring cleaning chores and yard work that didn't get done this past school year. I can't say that I'm ready for a new school year to begin in just three weeks, but we will all make the necessary adjustments when the time comes. Change is always hard for certain family members, so please pray for us as we make our way through yet another transition.
Now, in July, I am still enjoying my favorite Christmas present. Bill and the kids bought me a new guitar that is so easy for me to play that I play it every day! I was beginning to think that my guitar-playing days were about over because of my arthritis, but it looks like I've been given a reprieve. I still play the bass and sing with the worship team at our church, too. What a privilege it is!
I can't promise that I'll write a Christmas letter later this year. In fact, you can probably be assured that it will not happen. It's so much easier to just write my blog once a week and post it online. So, for now, I'll print copies of this blog post and mail it to my friends and relatives who prefer real mail to this newfangled electronic version.
Or, if you wish, you may just consider that I wrote my annual Christmas letter really early this year. Merry Christmas, and may God bless you all, throughout the rest of this year, and into the next!
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 to recuperate from a sinus infection that turned into bronchitis/walking pneumonia. Then, I was just barely caught up at school when I had to have eye surgery in Denver.
We were so blessed that Erin came to stay for a couple of weeks in March to help with the kids while Bill and I were in Denver, and then when I was able to be at home again. The kids behaved perfectly throughout my illness and surgery; they saved their pent-up fears and emotions for later, when they were sure I was going to be okay.
Perhaps I should make a July letter an annual tradition; summer is always a much more laid-back time for all of us.
Levi loves his daily swimming lessons, and weekly piano and art lessons, and tolerates weekly therapeutic horseback riding at the Buckboard Riding Academy. Levi and Bill have attended two Cub Scout day camps this summer, and Levi will venture to Camp Rock by himself for the first time next week, for five days of church camp. Every summer, he waits anxiously for the day that our neighbors' grandson, Dillon, comes to spend several weeks with them, across the street. This year, the boys have kept busy climbing trees, concocting potions, building elaborate Lego constructions, playing the Wii, and spending a day, now and then, at our local water park. I am hoping that Levi's relaxed attitude spills over into the next school year, when he will start the fifth grade.
Victoria has spent much of her summer listening to music and putting together jigsaw puzzles. She played the flute for summer band again this year, and marched in last week's Oregon Trail Days parade. She loves having the freedom to walk or ride her bike to the park almost every day. She has done a little babysitting, too, this summer. Vic will be a senior at Gering High School this fall, so she is feeling a bit worried about the future. We will be touring a couple of nearby community college campuses as she gets ready to learn all about veterinary technology. She was elated when she passed her driver's test this summer, so she will be working hard to perfect her driving skills over the next few months.
Meagan and Andy are enjoying their summer at home with the kids. They have completed several projects on their new house. It won't be long until school starts again, earlier than ever this year--August 11 for teachers and August 14 for students. Andy still teaches German and English at Gering High School, and Meagan has an ideal job, teaching one class each of college level algebra and calculus at GHS, only two or three afternoons a week, during her kids' nap time.
We are so blessed to have our grandchildren living close by. Baby Evie is growing up way too fast--at seven months, she sits alone, crawls well, pulls herself to stand, and cruises around the furniture. And big brother, Toby, talks a mile a minute; he knows the name and function of every piece of farm and construction equipment ever made.
Erin graduated from Claremont Graduate University in May, with a PhD in Musicology. She has been busily writing and submitting articles for publication in several music journals, and is currently working on a book. She plans to teach math, physics, and band for another year at Edgewood High School in West Covina, CA, as well as a community college music class or two, while continuing to apply for a permanent college music position. We were pleased to have her spend the last few weeks with us here in Gering.
Bill's cable TV/internet business continues to keep him busier than we like. Why is it so hard to find enough dedicated, hard-working employees? I guess it's a universal problem. His "other life" as a pole vault coach provides plenty of distraction from the pressures of his job. From the first of March until the end of May, coaching high school pole vaulters becomes his all-consuming passion. And it doesn't stop in May. He and several of his vaulters kept up with early morning workouts and practices until the middle of July, when they conducted and vaulted in the third annual Oregon Trail Days street vault. This was the first year that Bill vaulted in the street vault, clearing a respectable height of 7 feet. Not too bad for an old guy!
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| Easter, 2014: Victoria, Janet, Bill, Levi (in front), Erin holding Tobin, Meagan holding Evie, and Andy |
I've been feeling just fine lately. My vision is tolerable, although I will be facing cataract surgery fairly soon, since a cataract is a normal side effect of the retina surgery I had in March. I'm making good progress on my summer list, which mostly consists of catching up with spring cleaning chores and yard work that didn't get done this past school year. I can't say that I'm ready for a new school year to begin in just three weeks, but we will all make the necessary adjustments when the time comes. Change is always hard for certain family members, so please pray for us as we make our way through yet another transition.
Now, in July, I am still enjoying my favorite Christmas present. Bill and the kids bought me a new guitar that is so easy for me to play that I play it every day! I was beginning to think that my guitar-playing days were about over because of my arthritis, but it looks like I've been given a reprieve. I still play the bass and sing with the worship team at our church, too. What a privilege it is!
I can't promise that I'll write a Christmas letter later this year. In fact, you can probably be assured that it will not happen. It's so much easier to just write my blog once a week and post it online. So, for now, I'll print copies of this blog post and mail it to my friends and relatives who prefer real mail to this newfangled electronic version.
Or, if you wish, you may just consider that I wrote my annual Christmas letter really early this year. Merry Christmas, and may God bless you all, throughout the rest of this year, and into the next!
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