With Christmas only 8 days away, I guess it is time to think about the annual Christmas letter. This has been a year with several new beginnings.



Melanie gave up her spot as the youngest in the family this year as Brian and Emily welcomed Kathryn Faith to the family on May 19. Melanie became “Aunt Mel” and I became “Oma” and Brian and Emily became “Daddy” and “Mommy.” Granny and Grandpa retained their names as we added a new generation.

Besides becoming an aunt, Melanie realized her dream of becoming an OSU student this fall after transferring in as a junior. She attended the OSU game against Michigan and just got back from a trip to New Orleans to help with continuing clean-up from hurricane Katrina.

Brian and Emily have managed to remodel their kitchen along with being parents. Brian has done some amazing work in the kitchen, and you can see pictures on the Katydid blog at http://brianemily.blogspot.com.

Greg and I went to Niagara Falls in July, and we stayed in a B&B on the Canadian side. We also managed to fit a trip to the Outer Banks into the schedule in September. It is so relaxing to walk on the beach and to drink our coffee while we watch the ocean in the morning. There just isn’t anything that quite compares to it. May all of our vacations be forever near the water.

Our church is an important part of our lives with our wonderful home group and the things we do with the worship ministry. Greg’s employer sold off part of his business in November, and so there are changes in the works there that look positive. There have been some changes where I work as well, and I now have a shorter commute and free parking. The work is pretty much the same; only the view has changed.

As we start a new year on the calendar, the only sadness is that another year has passed without seeing some of you. May this letter carry with it some of the hugs and wishes that we haven’t been able to bring personally.

Merry Christmas!