The time has come at last: the last installment of Woven Together's year in the blogsphere. Now, I realize that that statement raises two points, both of which I will address. First, as I have never before explained the name of our blog, I suppose now is as good a time as any. So, the reason for the title is two-fold. First, we are building a family, and weaving together a story that is our life. Second, Heather chose this title as she is a crochet-enthusiast, and we are selling her creations to help fund our adoption. The second major point raised by my first sentence is that this blog is the last for the year. Now, I know that this may cause some panic among our most rabid readers, but rest assured. We will be back early next to post. Heather and I have decided to spend our break as free from internet/smartphones as we possibly can. We are looking forward with great anticipation to being able to relax and enjoy the pleasures of reading in front of a fire while sipping hot cocoa (or tea, in Heather's case). This sounds idyllic, I know, and I am longing for these simple pleasures more than you might imagine. Now that I have decided to embrace the Christmas spirit, I am having, surprisingly, a great deal of fun, and the next two weeks promise to enjoyable and memorable. Having said all of that, Heather suggested that I use this post to stand in for all of the Christmas cards/letters that we won't send (I am terrible about things like that, sorry). And so, let the Christmas letter begin.
Dear friends,
We hope that our letter finds you well, wrapped in the love of Christ, and enjoying the companionship of family and friends during this, the most special time of year. We have had a very busy year. To start, just over a year ago, we purchased our first home. Just as we had been convinced we would never find a place to call our own, God opened a door for us, and provided a home that was beyond our wildest dreams. After a nightmarish moving process (don't ask- it hurts to remember), we had the house ready for our first Christmas hosting family. For almost a week, family stayed with us, and enjoyed how warm Georgia is in winter (I STILL miss snow).
Not long after the weather turned, we made the second major change in our lives: we adopted Ringo, from a shelter in Big Canoe (which, if you know anything about it, will know what a truly confusing area it is, and so, will understand why I had such a hard time navigating my way around). Ringo was two, and had lived almost his whole life at the shelter. We were told it might take him some time to get used to us and show us affection. They were right- it took almost two whole minutes before he was licking our faces (what a very standoffish dog). Since then, a good portion of my life has been walking the little prince (no, not THAT little Prince [and no, Ringo does not wear purple {or any color for that matter- I hate dog clothes}]) in the rain, the heat, and if we are lucky, the snow. He and I have discovered many cool places to walk, including a cow pasture, where just the other day, well, I'll let the picture speak for itself: [Writer's note: I spent an hour trying to get some photos to upload from my phone, but alas, they quality was so low that I was unable use any for the blog]. Since that did not work, I'll just tell you. The other day, cows were out in the pasture, and they let Ringo get within ten feet, before they would move away. He was remarkably well-behaved around the cows, which was good, as I didn't feeling like getting Ringo cow-kicked (and for those of you who the song about Mrs. O'Leary, you know what I am talking about). As I write this, Ringo is lying on the floor of the office, bathing in rays of sun coming through the window [he has such a hard life, poor boy...].
If those two things weren't major enough, 2012 still had several surprises in store. In August, Heather started teaching violin lessons at a local music store in the evenings. Heather loves teaching so much that she was willing to give up several evenings every week in order to teach violin (in addition to the students she teaches at our house on Saturdays (which explains all of the dog-walking that I do). She has been loving it, and enjoys getting to pass along her gift to others. If you have never heard her play, I suggest you stop by some day- it's worth it, I promise. As Heather begin violin lessons, my cross country teams turned some heads at state- winning the boys' division and taking runner-up in the girls' division. All-in-all, a pretty exciting fall for us. And to top it off- we did something I thought we would never do. We bought a motorcycle. For the past 6.5 years, we have been living with only one vehicle, and that had become so challenging that we gave in and bought the bike (which most of you have seen). It has been a blast! Heather keeps me safe by requiring that I wear all sorts of protective gear when I ride (which on more than one occasion has been the difference between a non-eventful ride and an accident). I am still thankful to Heather for allowing me to get the bike, and her indulgence of my habit of going on rides for no real reason.Ghanima (the bike) has given me a real sense of freedom, and helps me relax after a long day at school.
The last major event this year has been the reason for the blog: our adoption. I can't begin to thank everyone enough for their support, contributions, and words of encouragement. You are changing our lives, and you may not even be aware of that, so I want you (yes, you. I am talking to YOU) to know that we are both thankful beyong all expression for how loving you have been. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. As we head into a new year, we both take comfort from knowing that you are going along on this journey with us, and are partnering us in this whole process. THANK YOU! From the bottom of my what in most people would be called a heart, thank you!
The final shout-outs of 2012: Mom and Dad, thanks for your love, and support, both with the adoption and in helping us buy the bike. Barb and Ed, thanks again for donating to our adoption, and again, for help with the down-payment on the house. Kim and Jon Kranz, thanks for such a generous donation!! We miss you and Sam a ton! Dr. David Will finished medical school, and is now a doctor working with (don't hate me if I mess this up) Indiana University health systems! I can't believe it: my little brother is a doctor. I also want to thank my basketball team for continually inspiring me. Girls, I could not have asked for a better team, and I am having more fun than I have in a long, long time. Finally, I want to everyone who, in whatever way, helped make this such a special year for Heather and me. We join together in sending our love-
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and a Happy New Year to all! We will see you again soon!
Much love,
-J&H-
Heather, I didn't know you were teaching violin lessons. I bet you are awesome at it! Thanks for posting on the blog so old friends can keep up with you :)
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