Christmas Recap

We got to go back to Missouri for Christmas again this year. We were there for 10 glorious days, and we all enjoyed every second of it. We arrived the day my brother, Michael, graduated from college. We missed his graduation ceremony, but we made it in time for his party, which was our goal. We actually made really good time, making it in only 17 1/2 hours.

While in MO, we were able to see many of our family and friends that we miss so much. We visited my in laws' new lake house and I got to go wedding dress shopping with my baby sister, mom, sister, and the other bridesmaids. Ayden got to see his best friend in the whole wide world, one Mr. Levi, and their reunion cracked me up. They didn't run and hug like I did when seeing everyone the first time. They simply told each other hi and got busy playing. Their little friendship is so sweet and precious.

I enjoyed seeing the hills and bluffs of SWMO, the school where I taught and my teacher-friends who are so dear to me. It was nice to be able to call my soft drink of choice "pop" and not be teased and to be with people who don't think I have an accent or pronounce words funny. It felt good to be crowded into my grandparents' houses surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was nice to know that if I wanted to go to town with my mom, there were still other people to babysit for me. It was wonderful to live life for 10 days at a slower, more relaxed place...even though health scares and worries were on all of our minds. In a nutshell, it was so wonderfully fantastic to be...home.

Jacksonville is a special place to me. It even feels a lot more like home than it did last year. We are blessed to minister to students we love and have been given friends like we've never had before. We are thankful for the relationships we have here. We have no doubt that God called us to this city. We are excited about what the new year holds for the student ministry and our family. And this is our new, second home.

But it was good to go home...