Long Time No Blog

Wow! It has been a long time since I have posted!

I'm incredibly bored at work this week, so I thought this might be a wonderful time to update my blog, even though I am sure at this point that I have lost my two readers. Oh well, journaling is good for the soul!

Life has moved quickly since my last post. At that point we had arrived in California and were at the start of an amazing vacation. We had a great time, saw some amazing sights, including the Grand Canyon! It was incredible.

The summer was crazy busy. We traveled ALOT! We were able to take a family mission trip of sorts and went to Liberty Retreat where we have some wonderful friends that manage a camp up there. Tyler was able to participate in the camp, while Kayla helped out. I was the cook for the week and Craig was the handyman. It was a fabulous week!

Summer quickly turned into the start of another school year. Kayla started middle school this year and it was an adjustment, but I'm so proud of how well she has done. The second day of school, she started an almost week long process of trying out for the softball team - which she made. We were ridiculously proud! The coach said that she probably wouldn't play much because he pretty well had his team set, but it would give her the benefit of practicing with the team every day and growing in her game. And grow she did! It was a grueling couple of months of two-three hour practices every day and two games a week, but it was a great time. She did get to play a little and we are looking forward to doing it all over again next fall. She is doing gifted classes and they have been tough, but she is hanging in there with them. She also joined our youth group at church and has thoroughly enjoyed every bit of that. Craig and I have commented several times on how God has put leaders around her in youth that continually reinforce what we are teaching at home. It is very encouraging!

Tyler played flag football this year and had a great time. It was a little like watching paint dry, I must confess, but don't tell him I said so! :) They are so little and sort of clueless about the game, but he had fun anyway! He started first grade in the fall and has the same first grade teacher that Kayla had. She is the most wonderful christian lady and we feel so blessed to have her as his teacher! Last month Tyler made the decision to make Christ his personal Lord and Savior. I wish I had his prayer recorded where he told God that he wanted to follow His Son, Jesus. It was the most precious thing I have ever heard! Craig was the one who led him to the Lord and that was just a blessing! I was able to lead Kayla to the Lord several years ago and I was so thankful that Craig was the one to talk with Tyler.

We are now in the midst of the Christmas season and I will confess that I have kind of missed the point of Christmas this year. Praise God that He is bringing me around this week and showing me that my focus has been all wrong. I have been so busy working, shopping, cooking, etc. that I have turned into a grouch this year. I'm working on that! Things will be done differently within our family next year. Enough said.

Craig is in his final week at his current job. A couple of months ago he was offered a different position within his same company and he will begin making that transfer next week. He will be an Airframe Sales Manager...I think that is the right title! It is a corporate job, but he will still be able to be based at the facility here in Augusta where he is now, he will just move to a new floor. This job is something that we have prayed for over the last few years and God just carved this job out special for him. In September, he had his 40th birthday, and we traveled to Michigan to attend his first University of Michigan football game at the Big House in Ann Arbor. It was a huge deal for us...something that he has always wanted to do. We had an amazing time. It was the opening game in a newly renovated stadium. Very cool.

I'm not going to promise to be a better blogger, but it feels good to reflect on all that has happened the last several months. Merry Christmas!