Christmas 2008

A Very Root Christmas 2008

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town; People were shocked “Have the Roots settled down?”
Nathan and Jen were sitting at home; Mulling about how they used to roam.

Happy to be in their own house and yard; So tired of moving – it’s been very hard!

Jen has been on the job merry-go-round; She jumped off two times and then stayed on the ground. She tried on job one and it gave her a fright; she tried on job two, but it wasn’t quite right; she then got an offer from MFSA; she’s quite happy now and thinks she will stay.

Nate has the same job and has been quite steady; It was four months in Montana for which we weren’t ready. The commute wasn’t fun, but he earned lots of miles; “I finally reached Platinum!’ he said with a smile.

We joined St. James church, to give us a base; We’re working on finding that faith and that grace.

The kids are both cute and growing so fast; We’re now taking bets on who gets the first cast. They like to play rough, they chase and they scream; Manners and clean? Well, we can all dream. They’re loud and obnoxious and all of that stuff; But we love them to bits when they hug us enough.

Girl scouts, ballet and a bit of gymnastics; Veronica has really become quite fantastic. Alex is speaking a bit more each day; And when he’s not talking, with cars does he play. He’s got lots of energy and loves being outside; He loves choo-choo trains and bicycle rides.

Miley the dog, our latest family addition; Comes with us now on our expeditions.

We’ve made some really incredible friends; The kind that we hope we will have till the end. They like us despite all of our quirks; and our kids like their kids – just one of the perks!

Our house is quite dirty and our kids are quite loud; But we love it all and we are very proud. We hope you’ll come visit and see for yourself; We have put the nomadic life on a shelf.

We are very thankful for all we receive; We’ll win the lottery yet - we believe! To all of our friends on the left and the right - Love and kisses to all, and to all a good night!

'Tis the Season

Christmas

Today is the 6th anniversary of my mom's death. Although I still think of her nearly every day, the pain of losing her comes a little closer to the surface each Christmas. I wish that she had the opportunity to know her Grandchildren. More so than that - I wish they could know her. I miss you mom.

And it seems that almost every Christmas comes tinged with sadness since then . . . this year I have a niece going through a really tough breakup right now and I can't be near her to help hold her up. And I have a nephew going through some really tough times too. And my sister feels all of the pain they do, knowing there is very little she can do. I'm sending out all the love I can to my family far away. I miss you guys.

Jen

Where did November go?

Yikes we've been busy! I can't tell you where November went. We drove out to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. I think we are at a point that we can't make that drive any more until the kids are old enough to entertain themselves in the car. Two days with seven hour drives is just too much for them.

We're getting ready for Christmas at home this year. Our house is still in various stages of putting together - painting, unfurnished rooms, etc., but we're in no hurry - we plan to be here a LONG time. We'll be having an open house on December 24, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood . . . consider yourself invited!

I (Jen) have a new boss and I finally met him last week. Very nice guy, level headed, definitely expecting great things from the staff. I think he's taking the business in a good direction, but he sure is starting out at a tough time. (Sounds like another leader!)

We're feeling the pinch of the economy - but we're muddling through. We've been through tougher times.

Here are a few pics for your enjoyment.