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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

While I have been looking forward to the beginning of 2012, I probably would have appreciated a slower pace getting here.  The last few months of been a whirlwind of trying to keep every plate spinning.  We have had an absolute ton of fun though since the school year started.

Chloe is absolutely loving the first grade at her new school and for the first time since she started pre-school, we are planning to keep her in the same school of more than one year.  This inherently means that we are done planning the “next move” as it seemed we were moving for about 5 years.  We are very well settled into our new home and have really come to love the neighborhood.  The girls have made many friends, and between having the lake at the end of one street, and a park around the corner, we finally feel home.

Adaline will be starting a new school after the first of the year as we try and find the right fit for her.  Due to birthday cutoff restrictions and her seemingly natural desire to learn everything that Chloe is learning, we are finding it difficult to keep her engaged.  This new school will be a montessori school so hopefully they will be able to meet her where she is at and fill in the gaps as she progresses.

This last school semester for me was probably the most rewarding of the entire curriculum.  We finally moved past a lot of the building block classes and were able to start working through case studies that involved seeing a larger picture.  In addition to the wonderful in-class experience, this semester also included our international trip to Vietnam and Hong Kong.  This was definitely a highlight of my entire year.  Not only were all of the business visits a tremendous opportunity to view the local culture, but I also went bungee jumping off the Macau tower.  You can view the video here and some pictures form the trip here.

Two tremendous trips rounded out the year for us.  The first was a Thanksgiving trip to Austin to see the Rings, and just yesterday we returned from a quick trip over to St. Augustine.  Both trips were a welcome relief from the schedule that we have had to maintain over the past few months.  Seems like it should not have been 6 months since I updated our pictures set, but as it has, you can check out a few key photos since June here.


 


I hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a safe and happy new year!

By jason
December 31, 2011

1 comment

10 years!

So it’s almost official.  In just a few days, the wonderful Sheryl will have put up with me (officially) for 10 whole years.  Feels like a lifetime and a moment all in the breath of a single thought.  Memories from each stage in our life together mingle in my head and become out of order.  One of my favorite interruptions in life lately is my screen saver.  It’s linked to our photo library and displays images randomly.   I’ve have this setup ever since I joined the cult of Mac, but the longer time goes on, the more distance in life can occur between each transition.  I’ve even recently caught my kids stopping outside my office while I’m in a meeting and just watching the images roll by.  Living life together is an amazing experience, and I’m blessed to have God’s perfect match for me as partner.   Check out our very first picture together here on the right.


August has been my favorite month of the year for some time, not entirely due to our anniversary, but also because that is the month that we typically vacation.  This year we were able to escape the #!$%*(!@) Florida heat to the northwest.  We were blessed to make it a real vacation (remember traveling with little sweet children is just travel, not vacation) as Sheryl’s parents and my mom split time with the girls up in Michigan.  This arrangement created a win-win-win, which is always for the best.  Seattle and Portland are simply amazing.  We split our time between the two different cities, and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  You should go there.   Where else can you spend a whole day in the snow in August?


 Two fun facts to share.  1) Houseboats are very cool, and therefore very expensive.  2) You can get a houseboat with a basement.


 The end of August has brought us to both Adaline and Chloe heading back to school.  As we moved recently, there are new schools for both of the kids.  It took us awhile to get to where we wanted to be, but everyone is very happy that we are finally settling down.  Chloe is having a wonderful time starting off in the 1st grade, and Ade is already entertaining me with the new songs that she has been learning. We are very blessed and thankful.

As fall approaches, enjoy the break in the weather and remember you are never to old to jump in the leaf pile.

By jason
August 28, 2011

2 comments

So where was I?

One thing for sure is the slow pace of life of 2010 was quickly forgotten in 2011.  Between work picking up, a full time schedule at school, and recently moving, I’m hoping the heat of the Florida summer will make the days last longer then they have during the past few months.

First, I have updated the picture page with some photos to round out 2010 and also to catch you up to 2011.  What has been fun about putting these together is watching the kids grow up a bit.   So a quick review:

Jason – My part time job at J&R has turned into more then a full time job.  What seemed like a long program at school is already half way completed.  It’s been a fantastic journey to walk through during the last few months.  Education is wasted on the youth.

Sheryl – Switched jobs again recently, but the latest stop at Open Door Resources seems like a good fit. Very excited to see how that will all play out.

Chloe – Finished Kindergarten and is working on making friends in the new neighborhood before heading off to 1st grade in the fall.  This girl continues to impress me with very insightful questions, and a caring heart that is ahead of her years.  A sister that anyone would dream to have, and an infectious smile that lights up every room.

Adaline – What a trooper, this girl has dealt with more change then any of us, as we work through child care, different houses, different schools, and changing schedules.  Her intelligence and cognitive ability are off the charts, and it’s tough to stay ahead of her.  Except for at night, when all she wants to do is cuddle up and let me hold her.  I tell those that will listen that she is already a teenager.  Stays up too late, sleeps in until mid-morning, and gives me all kinds of sass.  My angel she will always be.

This summer will bring a few highlights that include our 10th anniversary trip to the northwest, and a trip for me with my school to the far east.  Both are highlights that I’m very much looking forward to.

I’ll admit to performing poorly in all of my roles right now.  Being in school on top of a full time job takes it’s toll.  I’m not the student, boss, consultant, father, or husband that I really want to be.  About the only role I play to it’s full potential is jungle gym.  In many ways though, this is good for me.  It helps my “personality” as I really learn about Grace.  My favorite role at the moment has to be that of a father to my kids.  I know this season a life is short and I love that my kids truly want to be with me, and cannot get enough of my time.  Just the other day, within a 10 minute time frame I was asked to put hair up into a pony tail, explain how air conditioning works, and was asked what my purpose for living was.  All great questions, challenging answers, and would only come about with little people running around in my life.

With this new move, I feel that God is moving our family into a new direction.  Our last house had a certain season of our lives, and I think that this new phase will be enlightening as well.  The sermon this morning was all about Grace, really glad I got to hear it.  Extend a little extra grace in a new direction today, and accept it in return.

Until next time.

By jason
June 26, 2011

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Springtime is here

It is now Saturday, March 19th and it’s been a crazy, insane past 6-8 weeks for our family! (Meaning GOOD busy, but busy, nonetheless.) Congratulations to my sister Jen and her husband Lenny, on the birth of their new baby boy, Lenny! He is a beautiful baby. Jason’s mom spent one month living near us and rented a place to stay in Orlando for an extended period of time. Our friend’s Erin and Paul came for a weekend visit last weekend and now my parents are in town visiting for several days too!
Jason’s school commitment outside of the classroom has been extreme this semester. He spends several nights a week until very late studying with his groups, after working full days. We are trying to make the most of our time together during this stressful season, but knowing it is temporary is reassuring. This semester of his MBA program will be done in the end of April and the next semester should have ‘easier’ classes.
We are also planning for the summer! Confirming my sister Marie and her family’s visit in June is very exciting, as well as my weekend visit to Michigan in April for my youngest sister Kristin’s graduation will be very fun!
Chloe and I will be going to the Dominican Republic for 6 days with our church, Summit Church here in Orlando as a family trip in late June. It promises to be an amazing time and I look forward to the wonderful experience it will be for me to introduce her to the world of missions and seeing how the rest of the world really lives. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to go.
I’m currently working on a contract job at Catholic Charities of Central Florida supporting their largest fundraiser on May 14th at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando. I hope it will be a very successful event and raise awareness and funds for the good work they are doing here in the city.
Other than that, everything is going very well. Chloe is celebrating her 6th birthday on April 7th, we will post photos of the revelry soon enough! Chloe is doing great in kindergarten and loves the teacher and her friends in class. Adaline is in pre-school 3 days a week at FUM Downtown Orlando, and loves it there.
There are far more details (new small groups, house hunting and others) that would take too much time to blog about here but perhaps sometime in the near future will be updating here.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. Sorry for the delay in updates. Stay tuned for our next post :)

Sheryl

By sheryl
March 19, 2011

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