Annual Happenings '08

In case you didn't recieve my letter in the mail, or in person, I thought that I would post it here. My label printing program took a dump and only printed the labels saved from 2 years ago. I thought that I caught most of the errors, but who knows. I am completely overhauling that program before next Christmas, but I know that there are people that I missed. For that I am sorry!
Here goes:
To Our Dear Friends and Family, Christmas 2008
When we were little our parents always talked about how quickly a year went by. Riky and I (and probably most of you) thought that they were crazy! To a child, a summer seems to last forever and a year is an eternity. Not so to an adult. Riky and I are both over 30 now and it seems that we have turned into the “crazy” parents. Where did this year go? Our to-do list did get shorter, but my goodness time flies (as most of you already know) We talk to the boys about how quickly time seems to pass and...you guessed it, they look at us like we have lost it. Completely and totally crazy. Maybe we are, but then what does that make all of you?
I hope that you all had a wonderful year. I know that there are some of you that only hear from us once a year, but I do want you to know that we pray for you all throughout the year. As Paul said in Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,-and we do. Please know that we pray for each of you when you come to our minds.
This has been a nonstop year for us. We started out running and still haven't stopped. Wrestling went well again this year. Riky was more involved as a seasoned coach than he has been before. At the end of the season he was voted Vice President. That was an exciting change. Most of the time we are behind the scenes, so this has been an interesting chance for Riky to be involved in a more extensive way.
The first project that we had this year was to build Michael a room downstairs. We tore out the existing “wet bar” (of which we have absolutely no need) and started Michael's first room of his own. I say started, because it seems that just about as soon as we put the walls for that up, we raised the walls on the garage. Riky's garage is colossal! It's about the same size as the house itself! It is going to be wonderful when we get it totally finished. Riky's brother Jack was indispensable with this project. He was ever willing to trouble shoot over the phone. Even with vague descriptions of the problem given from the top of a ladder, he was ready and willing. It seems that Riky and I spent the entire summer on ladders. Often times it was well after dark before we came into the house. By default~Michael learned to cook this summer and honed his babysitting skills. That boy makes a mean macaroni and cheese and an awesome spaghetti. He learned to follow a recipe and discovered why that's an important thing to do. Jeffrey and Jordan worked on the art of eating whatever was placed in front of them(sometimes it wasn't so easy!) and obeying whomever was in authority. When Daddy has to stop what he is doing, put down his tools, and climb down off of the ladder to adjust someone's attitude, most of the time it stays adjusted! The boys also spent a lot of their time helping on the colossal project. I also learned a lot of lessons from the not-quite-top of a ladder this summer. I learned how to be a more gracious helper, how to laugh when what I really want to do is cry, and how to not be discouraging when things aren't going the way they should. I also learned that no matter how many hours I spend on a ladder, my knees still shake, I still only climb one rung at a time, I still squeal if I shift my weight wrong, and, no matter how much time I spend on a ladder, I still despise ladders. Riky learned a lot about patience and he honed his teaching skills, (sometimes the boys and I can be slow learners). But hey, we have a garage on our former garage-less house, so all in all it was a productive summer.
We barely had time to squeeze in a trip to Colorado. We went to Elich Gardens, Cave of the Winds, the Butterfly Pavilion, went to a “ghost town”, were able to see the Colorado Rockies play, and we also got to see an old friend, Colter. The best part of the whole trip for the boys is that we decided to stay at KOA's and tent it the whole time. They loved it! It was unseasonably warm while we were there (110 a few days) so when we weren't indoors we were in the pool. Jordan learned how to swim in just 1 ½ weeks. It was awesome.
We were finally able to finish Michael's room in October and he is all moved in. Again, we had a friend that we couldn't have finished this room without. Riky is not an electrician, so we had to call on a friend to help us. He was so very kind in explaining every little step and patient with both of us when we didn't understand what he was talking about. That man is one great teacher. We changed out about 7 of our other plug-ins after the lesson, just on his inspiration alone. The room is a beautiful blue and totally Michael's. It's very science-y and exactly what you would expect for a boy who loves science and all things about animals. It's absolutely perfect for him. I don't know who likes the new room better, him or his brothers. In addition, we had puppies this fall and were able to enjoy them before we sold them. That was great fun and a new experience for all of us. I also spent some of my precious spare time blogging, you can see that at http://www.redeemedhowilovetoproclaimit.blogspot.com/ if you want to see what else we've been up to.
As always, we are active in our church and it seemed more so this year than ever. I became involved with a preteen girls' group and am now compiling a newsletter that goes out to half a dozen locations. I am leading singing with these girls and had the opportunity to teach a lesson. Some of these girls are never going to be taught cooking, cleaning, sewing, modesty, right from wrong, and even basic hygiene at home. Some of them have no purpose or self worth and are extremely likely to fall in with the wrong crowd. I know from experience how devastating that can be. I love the idea that we have the chance to make a difference by pointing these girls in a safe direction and giving them purpose and accountability. It is very rewarding. Speaking of rewarding, Riky started being a fill in bus driver on a Sunday morning bus route. He thoroughly enjoys it. Personally, I didn't think that I would enjoy riding a bus again with a bunch of energetic kids after 20 years, but, the joke's on me. I love it. Last week I was able to fill in for the bus captain and lead singing and games while Riky drove the route. It was fantastic. There was a boy on the bus that morning who said “I don't get it” when we sang “Zachaeus was a Wee Little Man” I was able to take a few minutes to explain the song and the Bible story to him and all of the children. It was great! He sang with gusto on the next round. It is so easy to take for granted what we know, things as simple as a song. We go through life as if everyone has the same skills and information as we do. Often times we expect it, even.
The same can be said for salvation. I can't just assume that you know that you will go to heaven, without a doubt. Not everyone knows that Jesus came to earth for the distinct purpose to die for our sins (Romans 5:8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us), that we all are sinners (Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.) and that He paid the price for us (Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death;) , that he rose from the dead and that all he asks is for us to accept his gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23b but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. &Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.). So now I must ask, Do You Know? If you don't know for sure, call, write, email, or stop by, and we can share with you, from the Bible, the gift that God has for you. We don't want to just assume that you have this knowledge already. We love you and want the very best for you. Make sure that you know that you will go to heaven. Are you sure?
Happily Serving The Savior,
Riky, Amanda, Michael, Jeffrey and Jordan