Christmas

We had a great day of being together and being with my parents. My mom loves Christmas and always makes it a special day. Here are some pictures.

Reflections

It's pretty normal to reflect on the past year as another comes to a close and I have found myself doing that recently. One good thing about the economy being so bad and uncertainty in our world is that it makes little things seem so important and appreciated. I have been feeling so thankful for so many things, not necessarily new things, just constant, comforting things. I am so grateful that I have a warm, comfy house to go home to everyday, I have a wonderful husband who really loves me and the kids, that I have amazing friends who genuinely care for me and others and make me laugh, that I have a wonderful family on both sides, that we are all healthy, that we have a church that preaches the word and a pastor that challenges me through God's word every week, that I have a job when so many others are losing them, and that so many of my specific prayers I have made about my kids have been answered this year. I feel abundantly blessed and deeply grateful for this past year.

That Equals This!

After sending literally 150-plus highlight films (that's what Chad is doing in the picture), and dozens of phone calls to different coaches, I am happy to announce that Chad will be a Husky! God has been so good and worked above and beyond what we could have hoped for, and Chad has received a full scholarship to play football at the University of Connecticut (The Big East Division). We are so happy for him and proud of all his hard work and dedication to get this.

We went this weekend for a visit and it confirmed that this is an amazing opportunity for Chad. The campus is beautiful, the coaches were impressive, and the other recruits we met who will be with Chad are great kids. Here are a few photos from our trip.

Goats Get Chilly Too

That was the headline in yesterday's paper from Carlisle. I know, must have been a slow news day, but look at how cute these guys are! Their cute young owners saw them shivering and decided to recycle their old sweaters and keep their little friends warm. Now that's the holiday spirit. These girls are ingenious. I am certain if I had a goat, I'd give it a sweater. You can read the entire article at http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/local/doc4933f9cb35f28270975174.txt.