2008 Recap

OK, folks. Here's my sorry and yet to be edited attempt at a Christmas something for this year. I apologize for the strangeness, but it's the best I could do!! It's the kind of letter one might skim over and mix up so as to think that I may have actually had a heart attack or something - oh, well!

2008 Recap

Nontraditional Version - 12 Months of 2008

(acapella - trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing it!)

In the first month of 2008 my family gave to me, strep throat and Kt’s first band concert.

In the second month called February my children gave to me, fake snow storms mixed with warm birthday wishes and a healthy month of Valentining.

In the third month of oh-eight we spent some time up north… Easter in Connecticut, a new boutique for shopping (Mon Amie in Ellicott City – you should try it!) and more sick kids than a mother should have to deal with!

In the fourth month of April, we set our plans in full gear… a second trip to Hungary, a team of 26 traveling, 5 more teams to manage and a trip to Key West for an early anniversary.

In the fifth month of this past year I spent some time with the cardiologist (try to sing THAT word!) with pre-ventricular contractions (S-T-R-E-S-S), the girls finishing up gymnastics, Em’s beta fish getting sick, crazy fundraising events and another band concert to round out the school year!

In the sixth month of this year we were really gaining ground…

6 summer trips, 5 days in Savannah (might have been more?), 4 family members preparing to travel outside the country (sorry, took some liberty with that one), 3 months and our summer trips are over, 2 girls joining swim team for the first time and 1 beta fish that bit the aqua dust.

(Em asked for a horse to take it’s place – not happening!)

In the seventh month called July the girls spent time with Mom in Fairfield…

The fireworks at the beach, parents scrambling up on the fourth, taking a break from swim meets, getting ready for our missions trip, maxing out the church’s credit cards, finalizing plans for 36 in Paris and wondering if we were as crazy as everyone thought we were. (It’s official – we’re crazy!)

In the eighth month of this past year we spent some time with friends – who gave up cushy lives in suburbia, to serve in spiritual darkness, who plant churches all over Europe, whose kids don’t know where they’re from, who live in different cultures, learning languages they don’t understand, loving people they don’t even know in the name of One who came to love us all.

In the ninth month of 2008, September is it’s name…. Our girls went back to school, the girls playing piano, Kt still fluting, Em starting dance class, D teaching reading, T still loving his 40 hour workweeks, normal crazy lives again, starting to renovate Kt’s room with T’s debut Pergo flooring project.

In the tenth month of 2008 we started to get used to: No more SPACE in our lives, a break from student ministry, new missions objectives at our church, lots of searching in our own hearts, wondering where we belong, choosing to stay where we were, getting more involved in leadership, the Sh girls growing at Girls Grace Adventure, making broader connections with some training for T in Minnesota.

In the eleventh month of November we took a mini trip to Coco Key in Connecticut – indoor waterpark fun, checking out Uncle D’s new house, killing mice there with Aunt J (actually, we let her do that!), Kt signed us up to coach a book club, this book club is more of a battle, it involves us reading LOTS of books, and training all her friends, to do battle with other fifth graders, we are crazy once again…. So we took another Connecticut break for Thanksgiving. (Oh, and I had my 20^th high school reunion…’nuff said about that!)

In the final month of 2008, December is it’s name… we remember our Savior’s birth, 11 donkeys braying, 10 cows a-mooing, 9 shepherds in awe, 8 hours in a cold stable (probably more!), 7 smelly swine, 6 geese a laying,

5… well, you get the picture. Not pleasant at all!

4 calling birds, 3 wise men, 2 parents, Mary and Joseph and one star to lead us to the One child.

Thanks for bearing with this very non-traditional Christmas poem. Just to clarify, we are taking a break from student ministries for at least this year. We are excited to see what plans the Lord has for us and are so appreciative of the support of so many over the years. We are praying for a new song in our hearts and new adventures in our future. (And that room of Kt’s is almost done!)

We are wishing each of you all the blessings of Christmas!

The Shengs