Merry Christmas!
I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits, recovered from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I am late in writing my letter this year mostly due to the snowball effect of my cards going out late, because of where they fell in the schedule of December, and so on and so forth.
We had a sad year with losing my father in June. It still seems like such a shock and a whirlwind how everything happened so quickly. I am thankful I was able to be with him at the end while he was in the hospital and with my family in the days that followed his death for the funeral preparations and service. It was a blessing to have the time off from school in the summer and also Scott's help with the kids as we tried to keep them in their regular routine while we were in the period of the unknown when dad was in the hospital.
It is hard to believe dad is really gone as his presence still looms large in my life. It is a blessing to know the unconditional love of a father and that is something I will treasure for the rest of my life, passing on to my family. I am lucky to have a good dad who always loved me, and was proud of me. He never thought it was silly that I loved band and he made sure I had a car so that I could get where I was going: early morning band rehearsal, Iowa State, my first job. For a long time, he drove all of us kids to school. Every single day, he made sure we got to where we were going. It may seem small, but now I see how big of an act of love that was.
I spent much of my summer dealing with the grief that followed dad's death. I have spent so much time in that deep area of dark grief that I was not happy to revisit it. Grief hurts in a real, physical way. I have learned you still have to wake up in the morning and face each day through the pain. Dad found joy in every day and I knew he would want me to do the same. I find peace this Christmas wondering what fun Dad and Trace are having up in heaven together.
The other big news of the year was that I graduated with my masters of music education from UNI in December.
I am glad to be done, as it was a big push at the end by taking comprehensive exams and completing a big research paper. Looking back, the two years seemed to go quickly and I am proud of myself. I have learned so much about music education and I hope I can help more kids find a place to make music in my band room. I plan to stay at Boone Middle School forever as I am proud of what we have built there and I love working with all the wonderful families.
I couldn't have done it all without Scott. He did an awesome job of supporting me and making sure the kids were taken care of on class nights (and study nights and test nights and concert nights and conference nights....). The kids are happy to have their mom back for the summer and are already planning their adventure lists. I can't wait!
Scott's parents took us on a really fun trip to Florida in March and we took Denise along, too. It was so much fun! You can read all about it in my previous posts, don't be fooled by all the photos: our kids still spent a ton of time pestering each other and whining about waiting in line.
Anna and Brynn turned five in September and started transitional kindergarten at WG this fall. TK is like kindergarten but with more playtime and then they will go into the regular kindergarten classroom next year. They go to school every day, all day and really enjoy it. They love their teacher and she is so impressed at how much they are learning. We are also finding out their different strengths in an academic setting and it is neat to see. They love coloring, stuffed animals, blankets, and spending time with their brother. Brynn wants to be a farmer, art teacher, and mommy when she grows up and Anna wants to be a farmer, space girl, and mommy when she grows up.
Michael is in fourth grade and doing an awesome job. He is staying busy with hockey, piano lessons, and Lego League after school. He still loves playing with Legos and wants to be a Lego designer when he grows up. He is a great big brother and provides the fun for his sisters as well as being a good helper for mom.
We had a nice Christmas with my mom here. We went to Christmas Eve service at Hope Grimes and then Denise hosted us at her apartment community room, right across from our church. It was really fun as Denise is an awesome party planner and hostess!
My grandparents and Aunt Linda also stopped by for a little bit before Christmas and it was nice to see them. It is on our list to make it to NE Iowa to see them this summer for sure. I am so thankful they are in good health!
We are looking forward to 2020, with not too much penciled in yet. Hopefully, I can return to more regular blogging and sharing more of our daily adventures.
I wish you and your family peace for the upcoming year.
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