Merry Christmas 2008!!!

This is my favorite family Christmas picture of us so far this year.  I'll upload another later if any of them turn out good.  This is our annual Christmas letter.  Some of you keep up with my blog all year long so this post will be a little different and some of you are visiting because I gave you the link in our Christmas card.  I thought this would be good so I could add more pictures and links to what we've been doing this year.  This will probably be my last post for the year, too, so Happy New Year!  We're flying to Austin on Christmas Day.  We'll spend the night with Margie (Glenn's mom) and then bring her and her dog up to my parents' for the week.  So the WHOLE family will be together.  That doesn't happen very often.  (Too bad you Tatums up in Montana can't be there, too!)  So, here was our 2008:

January:

We started some home improvement projects on the townhouse we bought a couple of years ago.  Remodeled the bathroom, painted the master bedroom, and added shelves.

This was Lauren's senior year.  After researching several schools she decided to go to New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, Michigan, and sent in her application this month.  She was also on Senior Staff for our church youth group's mission trip to Tijuana.  Which meant she  and 3 other seniors did a LOT of planning.  They also took a trip down to Mexico this month to meet all the pastors they would be working with.

February:

Lauren turned 17 & made the varsity softball team.  Mini-family trip to Japantown.

March:

Easter musical & Lauren's trip to Tijuana -- over 1000 kids in 6 different locations around the city.  VBS in the mornings and several other ministries in the afternoons.  Ann planted what would become the world's largest tomato plant.

April:

Glenn started softball, too.  Says it's his last year... but he's been saying that for several years now.

May:

Extra work for Glenn -- we had a huge opening day service in our new church building.  Lauren's Senior Ball at the Exploratorium in SF.

June:

Two graduations in TWO days!  Lauren from high school on the first Monday and Jordann from middle school on Tuesday.  Nana came out to see them both.  Lauren started her job at My Daughter's Wish, a local scrapbook/paper arts store.

July:

Missed the family reunion, but went to two 4th of July parties and the singing flag.  Jordann got a facebook account and started teaching Mom & Dad.  Now we can all be found on facebook!  Celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary.

Our family hosted two teenage girls from Taiway that came here to study English & the American culture.  Jordann went to class with them in the morning and we did some siteseeing & shopping with them in the afternoons.  They also had the chance to ride BART into the city & visit Fisherman's Wharf.

Glenn had a conference at the end of the month and we decided to skip our summer trip to Texas and take a family vacation to Washington, DC.  The first day we spent some time with Glenn at the National Air & Space Museum.  The rest of the week he went to the Worship God Conference put on by Sovereign Grace in Gaithersburg, MD, while the girls rode the train in to the Mall every day.

August:

Lauren moved out!  After months of planning, packing, and repacking we dropped her off at the airport and sent her off to a school that we've never even visited!  She started a blog to keep us informed of all her activities.

Jordann started high school!!!  This was her first experience in public school.  But after wearing a uniform for the last three years at our church's classical Christian school she is enjoying the freedom of wearing whatever she wants (if it passes Dad's inspection) and a lot less homework than last year.

Signed up for Skype & have had a lot of fun talking to Lauren and family in Texas and Australia.  Almost like being there!

Ann celebrated one year of working at Contra Costa Oncology.  Her tomato plant grew up over the fence in the back yard.

September:

Ann had two articles published in Somerset Holidays magazine.  Did a minor kitchen makeover.  Felt the biggest earthquake since we've been in CA - 4.0!  Glenn celebrated four years of working at NorthCreek Church.

October:

Jordi turned 15.  Another party at the pumpkin patch & sleepover while Dad went away for the weekend to the Staff/Elder retreat.  Ladies retreat for Ann.  Worked at the Fall Festival.

November:

Another historic event -- we celebrated Thanksgiving with Texas family members here in California.  Grandma, Grandpa, & Jeff & Lynne's family all came out for the week.  It was Jeff's family's first visit to CA and the first plane trip for a couple of them.  While here we took them to Fort Point, Muir Woods to see the redwoods, a WWII bunker near SF, and walked on the Golden Gate Bridge.  Oh, we also ate a lot!

December:

Finally got around to painting Lauren's room/new office/guest room & buying a bed for her to sleep on.  I think she was getting a little nervous about that.  And the tomato plant is still growing!  I'm planning to cut it down before Christmas.

Mix in among all that some game nights that we laughed so hard we cried, hiking and mountain biking up Mount Diablo, choir rehearsals, and craft days and shopping trips with friends and you pretty much have our year.  Not a bad one at all.  We have a lot to be thankful for this year.