We could say we’ve had a great year, and that would be true. We could say we’ve had a challenging year, and that would be true too. It’s been one of those years where a lot of great stuff has happened, but we wouldn’t necessarily want to have to go through it all again.
So, to give you a window into our eventful year, here are the top 7 things we’ve been up to: (If you didn’t have a part in our top list this year, don’t take it personally, and be nicer to us next year.)
1. It’s a Movie! About a Phone!
After over a year of work and creative energy, “Dialtone” the movie is finally complete. All in all, over 300 Christians volunteered their time to make it happen and the response from it has been great. We were accepted into the San Antonio Christian Film festival and are excited to see what God has in store for “Dialtone”. Find out more (or order a DVD) at www.dialtonemovie.com.
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2. 2 Bar Exams Down, Real Life to Go
Brian passed the California bar exam last year, and this year he passed the Washington state bar exam. We went to the “swearing in” a short while later to make it official. It was a long road for all of us, but we’ve finally leaped a big, annoying hurdle. Brian starts his new legal career at a small law firm in Olympia at the beginning of the year.
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3. Benjamin and Emma
These two couldn’t be more fun and I’m guessing it’s humanly impossible for them to be any more busy than they are.
Benjamin is 3 and is talking like crazy. He’s always learning something (so we have to be careful what we’re ‘teaching’ him) and he never takes a rest until you lay him down and command him to do so.
Emma is the happiest, goofiest, little girl ever. She’ll be two on January 11th. She’s sweet and cuddly which is a big change from Benjamin, but she’s always right there to do whatever her big brother is doing.
We can’t say enough about how God has blessed us with Benjamin and Emma.
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4. Tante Resi and Idaho
Natalie’s Aunt (Tante) Resi came to visit from the Netherlands. It was a really neat visit. It was Brian and the kids first time meeting Tante Resi. We were so grateful that she came all this way to spend time with us. We did all kinds of stuff, and then went to Idaho to get everyone together. We saw Jake’s very interesting work environment at Quest Aircraft where the Kodiak is being assembled, took the chairlift up Schweitzer, and did all kinds of great stuff with Natalie’s parents, Ruth and Jake, and Tante Resi.
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5. Mom’s Group and Mops
Natalie started the Mom’s Group 2 years ago for Young Mom’s from church and around the area. It’s still going strong and is growing with more kiddos and more moms. It is a lot of fun, and a good time for sharing encouragement and support.
Natalie joined MOPS this year and that has been fun for both Benjamin and Emma and beneficial for Natalie.
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6. The Beach
We had a chance to spend a couple days at Cannon Beach (our favorite coastal destination) that we didn’t pass up. A last minute decision took us to the beach, and Ruth, Jake, and Kiana happened to be there for a day to hang out with us too.
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7. Fun in Washington
We love Washington. Throughout the summer we took every opportunity we could to drive up to Mt. Rainier and hike around, visit the zoo, or just take a stroll or bike ride on the Foothills trail less than a mile from our house.
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Thanks for stopping by to get a snapshot of what we’ve been up to. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
