Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas!
2010 was a typically busy year for our family, and, many of our highlights have been pictorially portrayed on this blog. Here’s a bit of a written summary of our lives this past year:
Jacqui completed her nursing studies and is now one of many the unemployed looking for work. She did very well in nursing school graduating with honors and passing her boards on her first try. As you might imagine, all of her “boys” are very proud of her and what she has accomplished – all of which comes on top of being a mom and wife, and "first lady" of the parish. She handles all with her characteristic grace and laughter (we’re particularly thankful for her laughter).
2010 has been a big year for Aaron (24 years old). He was married this past October (10.10.10) to a wonderful young woman, Jessica (Jessie). Jessie’s family is from Naples, Florida. They met their freshman year at USC before both transferred back to their homes to attend local colleges. Following in the steps of his Mom and Dad, they wasted no time starting a family and they are expecting a little boy (what else?) next spring/summer (we’re going to be grandparents!). Aaron completed his Air Force Officer Training School this past summer and he will graduate from the College of Charleston this week. He is expecting to commission as an officer in May and has been assigned to the Space and Missile Command which will see him move to Great Falls, Montana. In the meantime, he will go full-time with Bluetowne Consulting, a computer networking company he’s worked for through college, in January.
After two years of college Tim (20 years old) remained undecided about his major and unsure of what he wants to do. So he accepted an offer to help with a church plant in London, England. At the end of August he packed up and moved to Beaconsfield, England in Buckinhamshire. It has been a great experience for him. The couple he works for, Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing, are wonderful. Frog is ordained in the Church of England and Amy is the director of the Oxford Center for Apologetics at Oxford University. It has been good for Tim to be on his own and overseas. We’ve missed having him around, though, thankfully, Skype keeps us connected (for Thanksgiving we put my laptop in his place at the dinner table and Skyped him in for Thanksgiving dinner). I’m not sure he’s any closer to deciding what he wants to do, however, he’s learned that anything he wants to do will require a college degree. And, he’s also discovered that he never wants to leave Charleston again (for school or to live). He should be home sometime in the spring.
Nick is in 11th grade at Wando High School. Nick has now passed Tim as the tallest boy in the family – checking in just a hair over 6’1” – way beyond Dad who seems to be shrinking these days. This past summer Nick joined Jacqui, Sammy and me in Boston for vacation. We stayed with good, old friends (Paul & Cheryl Minor – Nick’s godparents) and had a nice visit the historical sights as well as the Cape Ann area (pics on the blog). The highlight, though, was attending a Red Sox – Indians game at Fenway (the Indians won). Very cool. Nick remains a somewhat intense, but fun-loving kid.
Sammy, now 13 yrs. old and in 7th grade, really never changes. He is still a very sweet and delightful boy. Skateboarding, soccer and hunting are his joys. We hunted several times together this past fall and saw several nice deer but they were either too far away or too small to shoot. We love the times in the woods together – Sammy says it makes him feel like we're kings of a kingdom; and we are, of course, just not in this world. As you might imagine with 3 older brothers, he's a pretty rugged kid. And when not in school, on his skateboard or on the soccer pitch, you can find him in the neighborhood or throwing a cast net in the creek.
I’ve had an interesting year. In January I had an episode with Atrial Fibrillation which landed me in the hospital emergency room where I (my heart) was cardioverted (shocked) back into a normal heart rhythm. A side effect of the IV drugs they gave me was a blood clot in my right arm which, ironically, was more of a threat than the A-Fib. Too much drama for me. Thankfully, with the meds I am on no more episodes have occurred. This summer I spent 10 days participating in a Christian Leader’s Forum at Oxford University. It was quite a bit of fun.
Our biggest wish for the New Year is that we get to see more you in it!! Please know that we always have a place for you at the beach in SC!
Anyway, this year closes with us healthy, content and grateful for the many mercies we have experienced at the hand of a loving Heavenly Father.
With Christmas joy and prayers, on behalf of us all,
Steve
