What is Christmas All About? God and Family!

Merry Christmas to all of you, our family and friends, during this wondrous time of year. We pray that you are happy and healthy and that you are taking some time to enjoy the beautifully decorated homes and the Jack Frost twinkling on the lawns and rooftops.

The highlight of our year was attending Heather’s wedding. She looked radiant as she walked down the aisle to marry Darrell on November 18. They both looked so happy and the wedding was wonderful.

This year marked Pete’s 30th year with the Police Department and his responsibilities switched from overseeing Patrol to overseeing the Services Division, which includes managing the Dispatchers and Records Personnel. He also continues to enjoy his woodworking hobby. Pete is still a member of the Exchange Club and continues to put most of his efforts into the annual Crab Feed.

Early this summer, Pete went in for knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. We were a little concerned – not because there were any problems with the surgery, but because Pete wouldn’t rest long enough to let his knee heal. He’s just too tough!

Nemo, 16, and Cooper, 13, are still in Scouts and are busy with school and playing video games. Cooper played on the Junior High’s Flag Football team and really enjoyed it. Nemo started working on his Eagle Project. He has also begun the search to figure out which college he wants to go to. His interests lie in Biomedical Engineering; Cooper wants to be a Veterinarian because he just loves animals.

Sherry continues to tap dance and performed in the dance recital, which was so much fun! Then this fall, she joined the competitive team. Sherry created a scrapbook for the kids’ Boy Scout Troop, which was entered into a competition for its sponsoring agency, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. She was surprised and thrilled when she was honored with winning awards for both the state and national competitions.

If any of you watch the show Top Chef (season 2) on Bravo, you’ll catch Sherry’s sister, Betty Fraser. Every Wednesday night, we’re biting our nails and holding our breath to see what’s going to happen. She’s won several competitions, including the TGI Friday’s episode. The prize for that competition was getting her recipe on the TGI Friday’s menu. Check out the Tuscan Portobello Melt with Roasted Red Pepper Soup – her grown-up version of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

We spent this year’s vacation in beautiful Texas Hill Country. Sherry’s mom joined us as we visited Austin, San Antonio, and zigzagged our way through quaint towns like Fredericksburg, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs. We ate authentic Tex-Mex in San Antonio, and Texas Bar-B-Q at the Salt Lick in Driftwood. We saw the bats of the Congress Avenue Bridge and visited “SoCo” (South Congress) in Austin, trekked up Enchanted Rock and experienced Hill Country living in Fredericksburg, and toured the Alamo and drifted down the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It was so wonderful there; we can’t wait to go back (well, Sherry can’t wait!).

Our hope for you is that you will have a wonderful and joyful Christmas and that 2007 will be a great year for you! We also pray that you will have time, this Christmas, to reflect on the precious Gift sent from above.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – John 1:14a

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right be become children of God – John 1:12