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Greetings from the Great White North! We got ten inches of snow a week or so before Thanksgiving, and I think it's here to stay. But that's okay, because so are we!
Hold your breath...this will be as painless as possible. (But most of you actually like getting a yearly update, don't you?)
Ooooh...a big breakthrough for our 1 1/2-year-old mutt, Charky (or Charkey, or Charkie; we haven't standardized the spelling yet). The Gray Ghost now knows how to beg. (We're thinking of having him work a busy corner in St. Paul, but he doesn't know how to "stay.")
Kelly is 7, in 2nd grade, and loves it when Daddy can go on a field trip with her or come to school and help make gingerbread houses. (Daddy gained 2.7 pounds on that last bit of community involvement.)
Curtis will turn 10 in January, and he's doing great (of course) in 4th grade. He's had a series of solos and speaking parts in school and church musicals. He really shines. (Memory check: did we tell you last year that Dewey baptized Curtis in November?)
The newest teenager in the house, Shonda, turned 13 in February. Her year involved another change of schools for 8th grade because of some boundary shifting by the school district, but she is doing SWELL at adjusting...again! Shonda also changed from fluting in band to singing in choir and loves it. And the biggest change of all came in September when Shonda made her OWN commitment to Christ and was baptized into him on Angel's birthday!
Our Junior, Angel, is now 16, but hasn't gone in for her driver's test as of this writing. Guess she's too busy earning A's in all her classes...including the college-level ones. (Yikes! I used the "C" word!) Her silky-smooth singing voice continues to be used in Fresh Faith (church's teen choir) and other special music for worship.
Debbie is closer to 40 than 30 and has had a great year. She was able to turn some negative experiences of her past into a well-received and very helpful speaking engagement at our church's Ladies' Retreat in October. It went so well that one of the ladies is working on getting Debbie to do a presentation at a convention in Texas next year. The house cleaning "business" is going well, too. Actually, too well. Debbie is cutting back a few customers in an attempt to save her knees, her wrist, and her sanity.
Dewey is enjoying his last year in the 30's as he continues to serve as Youth & Worship Minister at Valley Christian Church. This year saw an exciting revival of purpose and focus that led to some totally awesome (dude) changes in the way youth stuph is done around here. Also, if you have access to the weekly publication, Christian Standard, be looking for a humor article about church secretaries. ("A Lesson in Species Identification")
Oh yeah ... almost forgot ... Dewey, Debbie, and Angel took a teeny-weeny, little trip to Panama on a mission trip this summer. What a great experience! And what a thrill to introduce Angel to our friends down there!
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Our wish for you this Christmas is that you sense the warmth of our feelings for you, even though this may very well be the only communication you've received from us all year. God has given a richness to our lives because of knowing you.
All things are continuing to "work out for the good, for those who love God."
HAVE A MERRY, JOYOUS, BLESSED CHRISTMAS!
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