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Dear Ones, Far and
… well, mostly Far, actually… Firstly, to all of
you who have faithfully sent us letters and updates and photos, year
after year, we are deeply thankful for your kindness in continuing to
keep us on your mailing lists, despite the dearth of such communiqués
from our domicile. This
year, we’re hoping to start a new tradition – the CD card!
We hope you will have some fun clicking around and seeing some of
our southwest scenery, as well as more photos than you can possibly use
of what we loving refer to as “The Goof Troupe.”
For a “brief”
rundown of the years events, see below.
(If these sorts of things bore you to tears, skip ahead and just
start clicking on the photo links!) First of all, we
began the year with an unusually high level of anticipation as to what
in the world God had in store, when Paul’s work at Xyterra came to an
abrupt halt and he experienced two weeks of unexpected vacation while
awaiting a new job. (I
suspect God designed this vacation for the precise purpose of allowing
all the trees in our front yard to receive a four-year-overdue trim!)
As He so frequently does, the Lord provided above and beyond all
we could ask or think in guiding Paul to a nearly immediate position at
General Dynamics, where he was given the mixed blessing of a position as
Software Architect. Now,
you may well ask “What, pray, was mixed about the blessing of such a
grand and exalted title as Software Architect?”
Indeed. Well, of
course it was a blessing in that it involved a promotion and the
assignment of 7 engineers who reported to him.
And yet, a MIXED blessing in that, he was assigned a group of 7
engineers, and thus began the inexorable descent into the mire of middle
management… Happily, however, the experiences of this year have
brought to him a newfound keenness of insight into his strengths and
goals, leading him to the conclusion that the management ladder is not
one which he plans to climb; although at the moment he is blessedly
stuck there, and thus God continues to provide lessons in patience and
perseverance. Another momentous
event in our household this year was the arrival of my brother, Jeff, in
While the addition
of a brother/in-law/uncle to the household is, as I said, momentous,
nothing can compare with the rapture, the ecstasy, the – dare I say
– transport! – of the family’s acquisition, right before the worst
of the summer heat, of a 1973 Chevy Suburban – WITH AIR
CONDITIONING!!!! Having waited four Arizona summers for a vehicle with
air conditioning, nothing – not the ripped upholstery, nor lack of
running boards, nor the rattling doors, nor the cargo door with a
missing push button, into which a screwdriver must be inserted JUST
RIGHT in order to open the latch, nor the slanted passenger seat into
which I consistently find myself, as it were, “sliding up a mountain
sideways on my bum!” – and certainly not the color of the vehicle,
which has inspired the pernicious nickname of “Puke” – can dampen
my enthusiasm and gratitude for this profound blessing. Those of you who
have been graced over the years with Paul’s laugh-a-minute engine
re-build updates know that as soon as it was cool enough to warrant
switching back to Dan the Van, Paul side-lined Puke and began ripping
out its entrails. (That’s
really far more graphic than what I usually say to Jacob, who believes
that Puke is simply “taking a nap.”)
Paul could, of course, give you minutiae ad nauseum on the engine
rebuild process (and probably already has if you are on his “Puke
Update” list) – but the point of primary significance for me is
that, due to my clamorous henpecking, Puke will emerge from the rusty
heap of twisted metal as a Phoenix reborn – with a Crower Racing Cam
to give me some serious get-up-and-go!
I love my honey!!! He’s
so sweet to give me what I want! (Now
if only we could paint it sunshine yellow…) Our most recent
challenges have come in the way of home maintenance expenses – who
doesn’t have those? We
replaced the Goettle central air and heating unit this summer, and will
have the roofers here to put on a beautiful new roof (and repair indoor
ceiling damage) after the new year.
With what remains of the roof loan we hope to replace the worst
of our REALLY badly stained carpets with something a little more durable
and a lot more attractive – so our next year’s update letter will
probably begin with all our contracting horror stories!!
I’ll bet you can’t wait!!
(We’ll have to include before-and-after photos on the 2003 CD.) On a more serious
note, this year marked the final victory lap for Paul’s Grandma Annie
Heidmann: a dear saint and a prayer warrior, a remarkable woman whose
95-year legacy of faithfulness is being passed on from generation to
generation. May we run the
race as faithfully as she! This Fall, our
family began worshipping at, and we are now members of Westfork Church,
a small, inner city church in a neighborhood where there is much work to
be done. With a monthly food
drive that serves as many as 120 families, a weeknight tutoring program
for kids, Wednesday night classes with meals served for the neighborhood
youth, and a discipleship house where men in need can live and receive
training, companionship and accountability, there are many opportunities
for service. We are thankful
for the Lord’s leading in bringing us to this fellowship, and pray
that He may use us there in the work of the Kingdom. Well, I’ve talked
about all kinds of things but not much about the children and myself.
Laurent will be 8 by the time you get this, and delights in
reading great literature, painting in watercolors, singing, and will
begin piano lessons with Koos, the church pianist, after the new year.
Megan is 6-and-a-half, and has a fertile imagination, enjoys
drawing and reading – but LOVES biking and climbing trees!
Thus endeth the
first-of-the-decade update letter (see why it’s so long??) J
Thank you for reading the whole thing – you really didn’t
have to!! It’s clearly
evidence of your excellent literary sensibilities! J From our family to
yours, we hope your Christmas was joyful, and wish you a blessed 2003!! Much Love, Annette and Paul,
Laurent, Megan, |