Another Christmas, Another Letter

The house is decorated, inside and out. Shopping is done and homemade gifts are finished: plenty of presents are waiting, under the tree. Groceries have been purchased and recipes are lying on the counter, ready for cooking to commence. Schedules have been arranged and rearranged to accommodate everyone's plans. Christmas is nearly here.

It's a busy time for my family, as well as yours. It's been a hectic year, full of the ups and downs that come with life.

Bill has been working even harder than usual this year, often spending a week or two out of every month in Alabama, near Birmingham, working on a cable TV/internet project--except in the spring, during track season, when Bill coached the pole vaulters from Gering High School. Bill has also decided that a good coach needs to know what he's doing, firsthand, so he has been vaulting, too. He was excited to win first place for his age group at the Cornhusker State Games in Lincoln this year, with a vault of seven feet.

I had yet another eye surgery in August, so my vision is much better than it has been in many years. Besides supervising Levi's and Victoria's activities, I continue to write my weekly blog, and I'm working on writing a couple of books, as well as an occasional song. I'm so happy to be able to play my guitar again, so I spend some time each day, playing and singing, and I still play bass and sing with the worship team at Calvary Memorial Church, here in Gering.

After my sister-in-law, Pat, died unexpectedly in June, I drove as far as Hastings, where I let my brother-in-law, Kent, take over the driving, all the way to southern Illinois. Kent and my sister, Laura, and I, enjoyed the time we got to spend with Mom and Dad during our enforced travel, even though we all wished the circumstances could have been different. My brother, Dan, is coping as well as can be expected, but this will be a different kind of holiday season for him and his daughters, Katie and Melody.

Victoria celebrated her 21st birthday last month--woohoo! She has been taking a couple of online college classes from Eastern Wyoming College, but this fall's main goal has been driving, and driving some more. I have had my own private chauffeur for several months. We are hoping that she will have her driver's license before too much longer. Since April, we haven't seen too much of Victoria in the evenings, because she spends all of her free time with her boyfriend, Caleb Schank.

Levi is now officially a teenager, and a seventh grader. I am home schooling him for most of the day this year. He goes to the Junior High for a Science class, but otherwise he's home with me. It's been quite an adjustment for both of us, but Levi has been working hard most of the time, and has been learning new things. He is an avid reader. One of his favorite books is called "PIE," so we have baked a pie or two using recipes from his book.

Meagan and Andy blessed us with grandchild #3, Lydia Joy Stobel, on January 19th. Lydia is talking (a little) and walking already, so she is hardly a baby anymore! Andy still teaches English Composition and German at Gering High School, coaches Mock Trial and Speech, and directs the spring musical. Meagan is a busy, stay-at-home mom who babysits once or twice a week, and still finds time for her growing photography passion. Grandson, Tobin, goes to preschool two days a week. He is currently intrigued with Star Wars (just like his dad). He likes to draw, and I've been told that he reads well, but so far, he's been too shy to read to Grandma. Evelyn just turned three this week. She adores everything "Princess," and loves to wear dresses and sing loudly, especially into her new microphone.

We enjoy seeing Erin, along with her boyfriend, Reed Tyler, much more often since she has moved to Cheyenne, just 100 miles away. She likes her job as Director of Instrumental Music at LCCC (Laramie County Community College). After living in southern Texas, and then southern California, I think that living in Wyoming has produced a bit of culture shock for her: both the extreme weather and the ultra-conservative political climate are providing unexpected challenges. With Reed's help, Erin has been working on some home improvement projects, and they have both enjoyed learning how to grow a garden, in spite of Cheyenne's short growing season.

We were thrilled to have such an extended, mild fall this year. We were still picking roses and tomatoes from our garden in November! But we weren't so happy about the constant election drama. Now, for better or worse, it looks as though we will have a white Christmas again this year, followed by a new president next month.

Although it seems like life is always full of challenges, one thing never changes: our gracious God has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us. This weekend, we are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, our Savior. This season, and next year, too, I pray that each of you will be blessed with an abundance of God's love and grace.