Wednesday, December 31, 2014

December 2014

Well December has come and almost gone.  November ended well. Lauren had us over to her house on Thanksgiving day.  The following day, we enjoyed the event for recognizing all the sports accomplishments in the city.  (pictured right) Lilia's school swim team got recognition for placing in the regional meets.  The last weekend of November the boys had basketball games on Saturday and Sunday.  But, everything was canceled dur to heavy rain.


The second and third, I had meetings with the AVF.  And the 5th we had another training and meal with all the ones who teach a workshop.  I enjoyed the meal, getting to know several members who I knew little about before, even though I was on crutches...   The fourth, I sprained my ankle at practice.  It was a more serious one, Angie has not allowed me to post the pictures.  Even now, almost four weeks laters their is still blueness and swelling in places.  The evening of the 5th, Lilia and Angie left for the regional swimming competition that lasted all weekend.  Lilia was not very pleased with her results, but they had a good time and enjoyed staying with the other swimmers and parents in this huge house.  That next week Lilia had a required apprenticeship.  All those in her grade are required to find a "job" for one week to discover new things.  Lilia found one for our real estate agency.  She had a good time and learned about filing, making copies, even showing houses...  We had a couple of meetings, AVF, Micah's parent/teacher,  youth meeting, friends birthday parties.  Lauren is preparing a christmas skit with the kids that everyone is excited about.  Saturday the 13th, we had the Christmas meal with the AVF.  There were about 60 present.  I sat next to a man who used to be protestant but was now an atheist.  We had a good conversation, pray for him.  Sunday afternoon between services, we managed to squeeze in a basketball tournament.  Andrew is the only one that plays in our age group now.  I invited all the new players and surprisingly we still won all the games!   Monday, the 15th, Angie, Lauren, and I had a evaluation meeting just to see what has been happening, what is going on, and what we need to be focusing on in the future.  The 16th, I woke up and remembered that someone was borrowing our van that afternoon, I spent all morning cleaning both the cars inside and out.  They needed it.  I'm sure the weight on trash and dirt that has been removed will result in a lot better gas mileage.  The 17th, was Caleb's birthday.  He is now 12 years old and received a tablet as a gift.  He opted for a "bouche de Noel", Christmas log, instead of a typical birthday cake.  Having a birthday near Christmas does have its advantages.  The 20th, I had a game to referee.  It was probably the worst I had done.  I was the only referee for the game, I had forgot my pants and had to wear my jeans instead, and I had a cold, and was still limping.  I made it through without getting attacked by angry parents.   The kids did a great job on their skit Sunday morning.  There were four visitors who came.  Right after services we left to head to Strasbourg for a few days of vacation.  We dropped off Dominique on the way, and the 9 hour drive went well.  The weather was good while we were there.  No snow, and the temperatures stayed a little above zero the whole time.  I will refer you to Facebook to see the photos. We stayed at a bed and breakfast just across the border in Germany.  Monday we toured the market at Strasbourg, and enjoyed the food, the ice skating, the shopping, and the general christmas atmosphere.  Tuesday we went to Colmar and did the same thing.  Their market we enjoyed more, because it was not so much commercial and touristy as the previous days.  Their ice skating was cheaper and larger.  That evening Lauren watched the kids for us and Angie and I visiting the market in Frieburg, Germany.  They were closing but we had a great time, and even had someone we met on the elevator who spoke french, give us a tour for a couple of hours.  The market was closing, but we were still able to pick up a few souvenirs and enjoy the sites.  We drove back on Christmas eve, stopping to get some groceries for Christmas day.  We have a tradition of eating a huge brunch.. pancakes, biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes.  Good stuff.  Once again the kids got spoiled (and so did Angie and I).
 We are receiving some friends currently.  Ashley arrived and is staying with Lauren.  Ashley is serving in Kenya with the Taylors.  Soon Holly will join them, she is serving in St. Petersburg.  Tomorrow, I am going to the airport to meet a family moving here from Australia that we met at church back in May.  We are excited and we might be busting at the seams for Sunday services !  We are invited to a New Years Eve party this evening, and I need to go make a cake.  Happy New Year and God Bless, JASON