Happenings in 2014

1. Maria arrived in New Zealand for a year with Torchbearers and proceeded to have the adventure of a lifetime.  Friends from around the world including France, Germany, and Canada have welcomed her for a visit.  She returned with an insight and depth that occasionally makes us uncomfortable. 

2. Every Friday morning the garbage truck arrives for the weekly collection.  This means that Thursday evenings are spent rounding up the trash, putting it in our old dilapidated container and dragging it to the street for pick-up. 

3. Jacob came to live in the basement bedroom after his graduation from the Bible College.  He is quiet.  We are loud.  Our friendship continues to grow.  He and his fiancé, Emily, have wedding plans for the Spring. 

4. On Easter weekend we learned Diana’s dad had cancer.  Much of the year has been adjusting to our family’s loss.

5. We drove to Branson, Missouri, to spend a week on the lake with Diana’s family before our nephew Josiah’s wedding.

6. Lots of the young adults from our group moved on – Josh to Portland, Jacklyn to Illinois, Nate to Louisville and Anica, too.  We miss them all. 

7. Used hardback books at the Goodwill in Arkansas are at the inflated price of $2, but I found one on our trip that was worth the price and was a mind shaper much like the Ancient-Future Worship one I bought on our October vacation.     

8. Daniel completed his time at Adelphia and moved to Everett, Washington, where he is employed at the Under the Red Umbrella Café, frequents a local gym and is trying his hand at launching a small business. 

9. Christina’s solo in the Messiah was inspiring and led to a request for her to sing at the United Methodist Temple for their Christmas Eve Services. 

10. She and Diana continue their school work with Classical Conversations. 

11.  New Year’s Eve found us at Family Dollar having a blast stretching our $7 for snacks to share at the annual Beckett Bash.  We had way more fun than we should have rounding up microwave popcorn, Ginger Ale, chocolate cookies, potato chips and Fiddle Faddle.