A Christmas Letter

(sometimes I write a Christmas letter and sometimes I don't.. I compromised this year and am posting on the blog)

Merry Christmas to our friends and family (all 5 of you faithful readers!)..

2008 has been a crazy year for our family! Besides the obvious move to Alaska, it's been a doozy. We've said many good-byes starting last January when we bid farewell to the Spads. I was really sad to leave the F16 (well, not the jet so much but the squadron). I knew of F16s before I knew of the Air Force having been around the Naylors for so long :) Clayton left for F22 training in January and did not return to TX except for the odd weekend here and there. Our sweet friends really circled the wagons 'round the kids and I while Clayton was gone.. they and their families exemplified friendship to us and saved me more than one nervous breakdown in the process!!! I said the long-goodbye to our friends and adopted family (you know who you are!) for the last time at the end of May. What a bittersweet time the winter and spring were for me. We lived a lot of life in TX in the short 6 years we were there and there's a hole in our hearts for having left.
In between saying good-bye and moving across the world, we had some really fun family trips that included (but were certainly not limited to..) a week at Disneyworld with Grandma and Grandpa; a week at St Joe's beach with Troy, Melissa and fam; nearly a month of FUN with our Phoenix extended family that included a side-trip to Sedona for Aunt Cindy's beautiful wedding to Uncle Daniel (welcome to the family..ha ha), swimming lessons and endless fun with all of our precious nephews. We miss our family! Most of the time it doesn't feel so far away being in Alaska until a baby is born (welcome Grayson and Hugh!!!!) or holidays roll around and we know you all are together without us (sniff).

I think, though, that if I had to sum up our year in a word, I'd have to say: blessed. God has been so good to us this year!! There were plenty of times I wondered if we'd make it to Alaska in once piece but we did.. and not only that, we had fun getting here! We've made new friends and found a church. The kids are learning to sled and ski. We love our house. We're healthy!! God is good.

Merry Christmas and we hope that 2009 is one of your best years yet!

PS. Obviously I have to shamelessly plug our new home state of Alaska.. it's lovely here and we have some extra room for you to come and stay. I'd like to lie and say that rooms are booking fast but they aren't (yet) :)