"Christmas Letter" 2016

(first a note about the cards I sent - it really was intended to be a 'gift' of sorts, if you got the un-colored version of the card - many people are really enjoying the whole adult coloring thing, and I thought it would be fun to send out a little taste of it to share that fun with some of you - others got ones that were colored already, mostly by Mayahna.  Hope it didn't seem odd, to get one that was not colored yet- it was intended to be a fun thing for you to get to do.  Emma said it was weird, 'asking' you to color your own card.  I apologize if it came across that way, it was NOT my intent- I wanted to share the fun with you!)

It has been a very interesting year. Some of the most interesting parts are not the sort of thing that one shares in an open letter.  Suffice it to say that we appreciate, very much, those of you who keep our family in your prayers on a regular basis - there are on-going challenges, and new challenges, and the devil does not give up easily...  however, there are also joys, to share, and we will focus on those here:

I started the year looking to finalize my teaching certification quickly and simply, by transferring my Washington certification to Tennessee.  Instead, I found that I actually DID have to take Praxis tests.  Many Praxis tests. (mind you these are the types of tests that most people take, right after graduating from college, in order to qualify for teaching certification, so I was 'resurrecting' stuff I had studied 30 years ago!!) In the end there were 8 tests that I took, all together, - and here is the miracle: I passed them all, with pretty good scores, too, I might add - with the possible exception of one, for which the state has not posted what the passing score will be, yet) Only two of those tests were actually REQUIRED, to get my certification instated here, but the rest brought over other aspects of my certification and added some new ones, so that I'm qualified to teach more than just high school History (thank goodness!)

The last test I took was just a few weeks ago, in the first part of November and my most recent endorsement was added just a  days weeks ago.  I'm now (finally) done, and can say that I am a Tennessee certified teacher... looking for a full time job...  (keep me in your prayers) Hoping to work in the middle school grades, teaching math.  We'll see where God leads.  There is some exciting research going on in the field of math education, right now, and I'm hoping to be able to implement some of the amazing new methods in my classroom!

I was privileged to spend the summer working as the Creative Arts director at Indian Creek Camp, the church's youth/family camp, here in Tennessee. It was nice to be back in the summer camp world!!  And it's nice that the camp is only about 30 minutes from our place, so I can go home on my night off, and other nights, too, if I so choose (and if the kiln doesn't need to be run).  It was a great summer, making new friends and getting my hands in clay again.

Lon is still working at Schneider Electric - the '16 month' contract that he took that same week that the tornado hit, five years ago, has turned into five and a half years, now.  He enjoys the work and the people he works with, and while the commute is a bit of a bear, he is able to work from home as needed too, so it's not bad.  There is a group of friends there, that ride bikes together during lunch breaks, and another group that plays table games in the cafeteria, during lunch, and another group that enjoys going out to dinner together, every 5-6 weeks, always trying out some new ethnic food.  He takes part in all of those (and I join him for the dinners out!)  It's been a great fit, for him.  He loves his job.  That is such a blessing in our lives!!

Annie and Josh are settling into married life well. Josh landed his dream job (where he wants to retire!) with the College Place Police Department, in August.  He headed right off to Police Academy in Spokane for what was supposed to be 4 months. But after several weeks had to go home, because his shoulder was dislocated in a training exercise.  He'll go again, in the spring, once he is all healed up, which is going very well, so far.  Annie is working as CNA, for now, with plans to work on her RN, soon.

Sarah moved back down to the Huntsville area, right after Christmas last year.  She is attending community college there, taking Machine Technology.  She is *really* enjoying it.  We had thought it would end up being the first two years of a four-year degree in Mechanical Engineering, but she is enjoying the Machining so much, that she is thinking she'll just stay with this, possibly earning several different associates degrees in various aspects of Machine Technology.  She is working at Publix supermarket, and that's kind of fun for me, because whenever a friend goes there, shopping for groceries, they snap a stalker-picture of her, and send it to me!!

Emma had planned to attend boarding academy this year, for her senior year, but there were some complicating factors in our lives in May/June and her application did not get completed, so she is homeschooling this year, after all.  She is enrolled in several on-line classes, and doing several here, at home, independently.   She is finishing up her Jr. year, and also completing her Sr year, so that next fall she can go to Southern Adventist University, in Chattanooga, which is only about a two hour drive from here.  She'll be studying Pre-Med.  She has several friends from Alabama, and even from Portland, who are there already, and we've been over to visit, and will get over several more times, I'm sure, throughout the spring.  She's very anxious to get going on that part of her long road to being a doctor some day.

Ricky homeschooled for the last several months of last school year and is enrolled in the local public high school for 9th grade this year (he's the oldest/tallest kid in the class - 16 and 6' tall)  The blessing is that we have FINALLY found something that motivates him to DO his school work - the Football Team!  He's a 'manager' for now, but is hoping to someday be able to suit up and play.  Coach says he is concerned about Ricky's ability to pay attention to what's going on around him... so guess what Ricky is working on NOW!!  Motivation was always his bug-a-boo, so this is wonderful.   He's actually getting pretty good grades too (though admittedly he is in mostly remedial classes, but hey!  We'll take what we can get!!)  He says the team feels like a band of brothers.  Even though the season is over, they still go down to the team house, and work out together 3-4 days a week. Ricky also got baptized, this summer, during the teen camp week, by Pastor Ken, the camp director.  It was an exciting day for him.  He is working very hard on doing his best at patterning his life after Jesus'.



Tommy and Mayahna were enrolled in the local public school in February.  It is such an EXCELLENT setting for them.  Other than the lack of specific religious instruction, it's as good or better than many private schools (and we are more motivated to be sure that the religious instruction takes place at home, now, so that is a good thing, too).  Class size is 12-16, several of the teachers went to school here, and the principal was their teacher when they did!  It's a small, tight-knit community school, with high standards and a real family feel to it.  It is a blessing in our lives!!  We are grateful that we are zoned to such an excellent school, and had choices (homeschooling was considered, too - and used, temporarily, for Ricky, as noted above), when we felt the need to remove the children from the church school in February.  Tommy is 13 and in 8th grade, and Mayahna is 11 and in 5th.

This is a large marble, suspended with water pressure, so that you can spin it!!

  There was a bit of traveling this year.  We went over to Gatlinburg in March, for Spring break.  It was fun, and Great Smokey Mountains National Park is beautiful!  How sad to think that so much of it is gone, now.  But we'll go back, it's a fun area, and they will re-build!! Apparently the trees were not lost, as much as underbrush, and buildings, many, many buildings, but those can be replaced.  It was a blessing that the fires did not hit three days sooner, when the Thanksgiving tourists were filling all the hotels, there would have been much more loss of life.  While it was horrible, as usual, it is not hard to find God's hand in it, too, protecting so many, and providing for those who lost much.  It has been a joy, to see how the community and the state, have rallied around those who were impacted by the fires.  Many amazing stories!

Lon and Ricky flew out to Walla Walla in September, to do a 'guys time' backpacking trip, in the Wallowa Mountains, with Lon's dad, his dad's cousin, Steve (who always tagged along on such trips, when Lon was a kid) and Josh's dad, Wade Brooks - Josh 'could' have gone too, because he was already home from Police Academy, but someone else would have had to carry his pack, and he was only about a week past injuring his shoulder, so still on pain meds, and sleeping on the ground did not sound appealing for some reason...  so he stayed home.  Ricky was not too sure about the whole thing, but ended up having a good time, and came home talking about 'next year, when we go again'.  Plans are already being discussed!

While they were gone, I got a wild hair, and Em, her friend Joel, the kids, and I, installed a fire pit, in the back yard, in a perfect spot, where the previous owners had had a pool.  It turned out awesome and got a LOT of use over the fall months, and we even have plans to use it during the week that Sarah is home, between Christmas and New Years, it's supposed to be in the 60s!! Next project:  Wood-fired hot tub.  (and a new chicken coop)(and a sun-room) (and screening in the back porch, and...)

There was also a recent trip, up to St. Louis to see the kids' birth cousins and aunt.  We particularly enjoyed visiting the "City Museum" there (see photo of Mayahna above with outdoor museum features in the background.  If you are ever in St. Louis we would HIGHLY recommend a visit to this amazing place.  I was not sure whether I would be able to get Lon and the kids out of the place, when it was time to leave!!  Every city needs one of these places!!!!

Lon and I celebrated our 30th anniversary the end of November (how is that even possible?!).  We didn't have any big plans this year.  Just snuck away while the kids were in school and spent the day poking around in antique shops in Lynchburg (yes, of Jack Daniel's fame - it's a cute little town, if a bit one-sided in it's offerings!) and Bell Buckle.  It was a lovely day.   Maybe next year we'll manage to pull off that cruise we had hoped to do this year!! (anyone want to come stay with the kids?) This picture was taken at a wonderful couples day-retreat on Valentines day.  We are so blessed in this conference, to have a very active women's ministry team that provides excellent retreats for us ladies, and also for couples!! 



Emma and I were supposed to have flown out to Portland for Oregon Campmeeting, in July, but I couldn't pull away from Camp, so we flew out a few weeks ago, instead.  Em wanted to go do some of the Christmas things she remembered from when she was a kid - Zoo lights, Follow the Star... and of course we got out to the coast, and walked on the beach.  SO good to visit so many friends, and see familiar places.  Special thanks go out to those who hosted us, and fed us!!  We had a wonderful time. (and got out of town just in time - Portland got hit by a big snow storm the day after we left and no one went anywhere for several days!) (photos from this trip are below the close of the letter...below...)(I'm still learning, how to get things to arrange on the page, the way I want them to, in this program!)

Not much else is new, we just keep plodding along, working on projects around the house, learning new things about parenting, keeping in touch with friends, and pursuing a closer relationship with God (not necessarily in that order!).  Leave us a little comment below, so we know you came by!  We hope your family is blessed this Holiday season and that you feel God's richest blessings in the New Year!! 

Blessings!  Sharon, Lon, and all the kids...

(the rest of the pictures are all from the recent trip that Emma and I took, to Portland)

We had a WONDERFUL visit, with Celia,

a friend from Thailand, and her 'baby', Emma

Trips to Oregon almost always include a visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory!

Lon's parents drove down and joined us for a day at the zoo, culminating in a wonderful stroll through Zoo Lights.

We drove up to the new home/community of our friends, Lisa and Greg Davis.  It was fun to see the school where Lisa is now working, and we had a great time, together.  Even learned how to play a new game, Camel Up.  Lisa Davis, and Lisa Sloop (pictured above, with me) are the two wonderful friends who keep the 'thankfulness blog' with me.  We even managed to sneak away for an awesome 'mommy time chat', and prayer together.  WHAT A BLESSING!!

My second cousin Tessie (who used to work for me, in my day care) lives in the Portland area, with her family, husband Tim (behind the camera) baby Elliot (on her hip)  (an ADORABLE little guy with a very HAPPY personality!! Such a Joy!) and her daughter Sicilia (far right) Tessie's sister Jessica (on my immediate left) was also there visiting that weekend with her kids, Dashel, (down in front, by the flowers) and Clara (holding Sici).







I finally got to meet Cole Calhoun, who is the son of Heidi and Mike Calhoun.  Heidi's mom Sally and my mom were good friends when we were kids, so even though she's like 10 years younger than me we played together alot, as kids.  Cole is a medically challenged kid, and we spend a great deal of time praying for him, and his mom and dad, as they navigate ER and multiple Dr visits, special diets and other challenges. It was a joy to meet this bundle of mischief and fun.  We hope he continues to thrive and bless those who love him so much!!

On our last full day there, we made the drive to Yakima, and visited with my mom, sister Anita, and brother-in-law Mark.  It was good to see all of them.  Annie and Josh headed back to Walla Walla from there and we drove back to Portland through snow and crazy weather in order to fly out the next morning, early.  It was a wonderful trip, all in all!