I’m actually getting a slight head start on writing our Christmas Letter this year. Instead of writing on the a plane, I’m writing as we drive to Harrison for our Thanksgiving meal.
This year has been a whirlwind to say it lightly. All good, but lots of change. We started out the year under contract to buy a house that had a crazy lawsuit & contingency on it. A previous interested buyer was suing the homeowner. We tried to wait it out because for some reason we felt really strongly about living there and the opportunity it had for our family and ministry. But often when God stirs your heart, it isn’t necessarily the first thing that you see is the next step. That door was closed and thankfully another door was opened.
One afternoon when we were out and about looking at houses during the Open Houses on the weekends, we stumbled into a brand new model home. We got talking with the sales representative about our situation and he said that we could build on a desirable lot right down the street. There were a couple homes already completed in the neighborhood for sale, but both two stories backed up to each other and the empty lot had wooded trees behind it which we prefer. We have been spoiled with no close back neighbors before. The lot is also a walk-out lot!
Dustin says the best thing he told us all day was that because of the other models in the neighborhood and the size of the lot, there was only one model we could put there. So it made the choices easy! Luckily we liked that model and they had a completed home of that model in West Chester for us to view. It’s been a much slower process than anticipated, but it will be done in mid-December! Almost 1 year from the point where we felt that moving closer to Centerville was what we were supposed to do. You can follow the progress at Dustin.blog. We are excited to have many of you visit in the New Year.
In March we did celebrate all the birthdays for Dustin, Princess K, and Prince K! But up until May, we didn’t have much action in the traveling category, other than me traveling a few weekends for work. Dustin went to Montreal in May for a team meet-up and returned at midnight the day before we moved out of the house we’ve lived in for almost 8 years. We could have timed that a little better! 😜 Thankfully Dustin’s parents came and we did it! We are also thankful that our friend Kyle, who we sold our home to was ok with us storing our big furniture in a few rooms of his home until ours is ready.
Some tears were shed by this momma as we packed up the rooms where we brought our babies home and were Dustin and I have lived the longest in our marriage. I also shed a few tears at losing our stellar interest rate 😂 , and I wish we could have locked something in early in the year when we decided to build! But oh well.. we think more space and closer to the school for the kids will be worth it.
The summer was somewhat low-key, we rented a house from June to mid October from a sweet military family that was stationed in Florida during that time. Princess K did swim lessons and we spent time at the pool when we could. We also spent a few weekends at Grandma and Grandpa Hartzlers.
In August, Dustin and I took a quick anniversary trip to Cancun. This was 11 years in July but we were calling it our 10 year trip since baby boy was only 4 months old for the 10 year leaving the country wasn’t an option.
Some how summer weather extended into October here in Ohio, and then we had about 2 weeks of fall weather before it felt like January outside. Makes us even more thankful for the trips we have coming up in December to warmer places.
In mid-October since our house was not completed in the time frame we anticipated, we moved in with our amazing neighbors from our old house. They have really lived out Christ like hospitality and we are so thankful for them. It’s been so much less stressful despite the fact we have our “things” in about 4 different places right now.
If the year hasn’t been a whirlwind, December sure will be. I am heading to Anaheim to speak at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Meeting on my birthday! Since I have never been to Disneyland, I really wanted to bring the family. Dustin obliged and we are all headed to CA! We told the kids 1 week prior to us leaving and let’s just say our Princess is SO excited!
As soon as we get back (literally), Dustin is heading to WordCamp US in Nashville, and then we have one week to do our final walk-through, work a few days, and move! Then the following weekend we are heading to Key Largo with my family for our yearly beach trip with the kids! We are excited that our kids will be able to spend time with my family and the boys (ours and my nephew) will have lots of play time. We’ll return just before Christmas and hopefully will spend that week getting somewhat settled.
We are so thankful for all the people God has put in our life, if you are reading this, know that you are loved and God has plans and a purpose for your life. Merry Christmas!
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
*Special Thanks to Tara Lewis Photography for our awesome Fall photos! And for letting me borrow her studio to snag some Christmas shots! 🙂
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