Happy New Year!
We thank GOD for all of his wonderful blessings, and are so glad that you, our precious friends and family, are among them.
It’s hard to believe that 2008 is already gone, and 2009 is here.
Looking back over the year, we’d have to say that Hurricane Ike was the event with the greatest impact on our lives. It certainly brought its’ challenges, but also great blessings, opportunities and lessons. The damage we sustained due to Ike was fairly minor. The nursing home Christy volunteers at actually had their roof collapse, and had to evacuate all of the patients for several months. We had only had one tree fall in the front yard (thankfully not on the house), and tons of debris. Our playroom flooded and we had to get new carpet and some sheetrock. We got to use our camping skills in the 15 days we didn’t have power. Ike was a great catalyst for getting to know our neighbors better, and lots of good teamwork.
Also, on the bright side, since we had to replace some carpet and paint, we decided to combine our repairs with some redecorating in our master bedroom, and got new carpet and paint there as well. Wes and Jimmy (Wes’ dad) worked hard to remedy the drainage problem in the backyard that caused our flooding.
We’re well on our way with putting the house back together again.
Christy has been busy making window treatments and other decorative elements for the bedroom, with some welcome help from Virginia (Wes’ mom).
During the summer, Christy and the boys enjoyed helping with the IMPACT literacy program, downtown, and look forward to doing it again this summer.
We’ve noticed that the boys are definitely becoming more independent.
Ryan started playing the trumpet this year, and we’ve been amazed at the incredible improvement he’s made since he started in September. He works hard at it and is doing very well. Ryan still enjoys playing basketball, and is on his school’s math and science team. He competed in a UIL spelling competition last month, and won first place for his district. He’ll be participating in the Leadership Training for Christ conference, Easter weekend. The theme is” Light, Life, Word”, and they are studying the gospel of John.
Ryan went to his last year of Camp Kichaca (beginners Bible camp), in August, but now he’s officially in the Youth Group, so he’s moving on.
Brendan is our little comedian. If you look at him, he’s apt to tell you a joke. He’s just a very funny guy, even when he doesn’t intend to be. He enjoys doing gymnastics and playing basketball, but especially loves hanging out with family and his buddies. Brendan likes to sing and occasionally leads singing at a Sunday evening church service. It’s amazing to see how completely different children can be. Both boys really like to take apart electronics. However, their approaches couldn’t be more different. When an electronic device is broken or spent, we give it to the boys. Ryan uses a screwdriver and needle-nosed pliers, but Brendan uses a hammer and chisel.
Wes still works at HP as a supply-chain manager. He travels about once a quarter, usually to Asia. Christy stays home and volunteers frequently wherever needed (school, church, nursing homes, etc). Our family enjoys being involved with our church family, camping, playing games, and family Bible studies. During Christmas, we had a fantastic time during our first trip to Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
We wish many blessings on all of you during 2009.
Love,
Wes, Christy, Ryan and Brendan
We thank GOD for all of his wonderful blessings, and are so glad that you, our precious friends and family, are among them.
It’s hard to believe that 2008 is already gone, and 2009 is here.
Looking back over the year, we’d have to say that Hurricane Ike was the event with the greatest impact on our lives. It certainly brought its’ challenges, but also great blessings, opportunities and lessons. The damage we sustained due to Ike was fairly minor. The nursing home Christy volunteers at actually had their roof collapse, and had to evacuate all of the patients for several months. We had only had one tree fall in the front yard (thankfully not on the house), and tons of debris. Our playroom flooded and we had to get new carpet and some sheetrock. We got to use our camping skills in the 15 days we didn’t have power. Ike was a great catalyst for getting to know our neighbors better, and lots of good teamwork.
Also, on the bright side, since we had to replace some carpet and paint, we decided to combine our repairs with some redecorating in our master bedroom, and got new carpet and paint there as well. Wes and Jimmy (Wes’ dad) worked hard to remedy the drainage problem in the backyard that caused our flooding.
We’re well on our way with putting the house back together again.
Christy has been busy making window treatments and other decorative elements for the bedroom, with some welcome help from Virginia (Wes’ mom).
During the summer, Christy and the boys enjoyed helping with the IMPACT literacy program, downtown, and look forward to doing it again this summer.
We’ve noticed that the boys are definitely becoming more independent.
Ryan started playing the trumpet this year, and we’ve been amazed at the incredible improvement he’s made since he started in September. He works hard at it and is doing very well. Ryan still enjoys playing basketball, and is on his school’s math and science team. He competed in a UIL spelling competition last month, and won first place for his district. He’ll be participating in the Leadership Training for Christ conference, Easter weekend. The theme is” Light, Life, Word”, and they are studying the gospel of John.
Ryan went to his last year of Camp Kichaca (beginners Bible camp), in August, but now he’s officially in the Youth Group, so he’s moving on.
Brendan is our little comedian. If you look at him, he’s apt to tell you a joke. He’s just a very funny guy, even when he doesn’t intend to be. He enjoys doing gymnastics and playing basketball, but especially loves hanging out with family and his buddies. Brendan likes to sing and occasionally leads singing at a Sunday evening church service. It’s amazing to see how completely different children can be. Both boys really like to take apart electronics. However, their approaches couldn’t be more different. When an electronic device is broken or spent, we give it to the boys. Ryan uses a screwdriver and needle-nosed pliers, but Brendan uses a hammer and chisel.
Wes still works at HP as a supply-chain manager. He travels about once a quarter, usually to Asia. Christy stays home and volunteers frequently wherever needed (school, church, nursing homes, etc). Our family enjoys being involved with our church family, camping, playing games, and family Bible studies. During Christmas, we had a fantastic time during our first trip to Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
We wish many blessings on all of you during 2009.
Love,
Wes, Christy, Ryan and Brendan
