Merry Christmas!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We have much to be thankful for this Christmas. As many know I am out of a job as of January 1st and have spent much too much time dwelling on this. A good friend of mine sent me an email and reminded me that I am a "Kept person." My mouth has been "kept" shut, our bills have been "kept" paid, I have been "kept" sane (Eric too), we have been "kept" strong, etc. This email came at the time I needed it and the real reason for this season, the birth of Jesus, has meant that much more.

On to more superficial things...We had a wonderful time carrying on our own family traditions. We attended a gorgeous candlelight service at a church nearby, ordered a pizza from our favorite pizza place (we thank him every year for being open on Christmas Eve), and opened presents after reading the true Christmas story. Spent the rest of the night watching "The Christmas Story" and playing games together (which I won twice, Isaiah got too giggly from overload of sugar and lack of sleep, we had to call it a night). This morning Isaiah woke up to find his Christmas present from Santa under the tree and played with his new toys/gadgets. We spent the rest of the day with Eric's family and eagerly look forward to traveling to Ohio to be with my family. I am so thankful for Eric, Isaiah, the baby we are awaiting and our beautiful extended family and friends! To us a Child of Hope is born!

Why I married Eric...

So our family is in need of just general prayer right now. I will be out of a job as of January 1st (due to company contracts that eliminate my particular position) which has been difficult to deal with. That said, I am very thankful for a husband that is calm and reminds me routinely that everything will be okay and God will work it out. That also said, I struggle to feel that kind of faith when I feel I am facing obstacles I don't feel like I can overcome. I also tend to be slightly neurotic (yes, all of you can laugh at the "slightly" comment) and during these kinds of moments I realize how truly blessed I am to have someone in life that balances out that part of me. (He can be thankful when my neurotic side gets the bills paid! :) ) As G'ma Troyer would say, "You just can't seem to die, can ya?" All funniness aside, please pray that we trust in whatever plan God has in store for us.

Dads who fix things and keep their daughters from having complete melt-downs...

Thanks to all fathers who know how to fix things! Quick and short...pipe rusted completely through in our basement, rendering us unable to do laundry (or much else), caused some tearfulness on my part (I will blame this on pregnancy) and a frantic call to my father since neither E nor I have any plumbing knowledge or experience. Several hours after a visit on Saturday, our pipes look beautiful, the basement is somewhat dry, E is smarter and I realize once again how thankful I am for a dad who is the fix-it guru. Thanks dad! We love you!

Oh the Weather outside is...

BRUTAL! FRIGID! Absolutely intolerable. Oh, to live in a warm climate (without the hurricanes, monsoons, undesireable hot days and so on...). I just needed to get that out. Here's wishing we were with one of our friends who live in more temperate climates...I guess we won't be able to convince you to move back after that, huh?