December 2018 – This was our annual Christmas letter.
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Boone, North Carolina! This is just a short note to give you an update on our lives and happenings. As many of you know, we made yet another transition this summer from Colorado to North Carolina. We are still in the mountains, and still at a “high” altitude, for the East Coast (our house is almost at 4000 ft.). But instead of semi-desert, we now live in a rainforest! Most of us are enjoying the rain. We live north of Boone, on about 3.5 acres, on a mountain road that winds through the gap between Rich Mountain and Snake Mountain. We really like our new house and the area. This summer and fall we explored hiking trails, as well as tubing and canoeing down the New River. We also live only 2.7 miles from my parents, which has been a lot of fun!
The kids are all doing well. Micah has been doing odd jobs for his grandparents, also serving as chief lumberjack to keep our wood stove going. He has been working hard studying the Japanese language and hopes to visit Japan someday. Hannah is, as always, a big help with the kids. She cooks us delicious meals once a week and often keeps us supplied with cookies. She has been busy weaving Christmas presents on her loom and has started studying Herbology. Sarah is becoming quite a young lady. She likes to sing in the choir at church. She is still taking Cello lessons along with ballet and tap classes. She also likes to bake and help in the kitchen. Ella is a big helper. She really enjoys helping mom and dad with whatever they are doing. She is also taking cello lessons and also attending a combined ballet and tap class. She likes tap the best because she moves more! John loves to be outside, building things and playing with his trucks and cars. He also really likes playing with Ella and is a bit lost when she is not around.
As many of you know, Brian was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a year ago in October. He (but really WE) went through Chemo throughout the winter. When he had his final scans in May, there was what we thought was a new spot. We were preparing for salvage chemo and a bone marrow transplant. However, because we were also in the middle of moving he met with his new oncologist in Charlotte, NC, and she ordered another PET scan that came back completely negative. Of course we were hugely relieved and thankful! For the next few years Brian requires check-ups every three months, because he does have a significant risk of relapse. For now, we are thankful for the time we have.
I continue to maintain life around the house, do school with the kids (which includes a lot of life learning), chauffeur kids to various lessons, and make sure everything is running smoothly. I had fun this summer working with a friend from church who is a wedding florist. She designs some amazing arrangements on site and I was able to lend a helping hand.
As always, if you are in our neck of the woods, look us up! We will always make room for a few more. : )
Merry Christmas! Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Brian, Shari, Micah, Hannah, Sarah, Ella, & John
Recent Comments